Prices of US Stamp Scott Catalogue # C3 – 24c 1918 Air Curtiss Jenny. Page 17

UNITED STATES Air Post 1918 24c carmine rose and blue, block of four, n.h., fine-v.f.

Cherrystone Auctions, Jan 2009, Sale 200901, Lot 254

UNITED STATES Air Post 1918 24c carmine rose and blue, double “top” plate no. block of 12, slightly disturbed gum, few perf. separations, fine-v.f.

Cherrystone Auctions, Jan 2009, Sale 200901, Lot 253

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post (Scott C3). Mint N.H., wide margins of near Jumbo proportions, essentially perfectly centered as well, outstanding colors, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2007 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98, SMQ price $1,550.00)

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Dec 2008, Sale 967, Lot 5030

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post (Scott C3). Mint N.H. with plate no. 8492 at top, vignette shifted sharply upwards with blue ink of the wing well into label of frame and slightly into the “G” of Postage, Extremely Fine, a stamp of great visual appeal, with 2006 P.S.E. certificate describing this as “high flying plane variety” (XF 90 Jumbo, SMQ for normal $250.00 as 90, $640.00 as 95)

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Dec 2008, Sale 967, Lot 5031

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post (C3). Shifted vignette approaching the “fast plane” variety, slight gum adherence, Very Fine, Scott Retail as normal

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Dec 2008, Sale 967, Lot 5032

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post (C3). Lightly hinged, shifted vignette approaching the “fast plane” variety, Fine, Scott Retail as normal

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Dec 2008, Sale 967, Lot 5033

Airmail, 1918, 24¢ carmine rose & blue (C3), nearly perfectly centered with large balanced margins, original gum, never hinged, fresh and Extremely Fine. SMQ price $250. Scott $150 Expertization: 2008 P.S.E. Certificate graded XF 90.

Matthew Bennett International, Dec 2008, Sale 330, Lot 1888

Airmail, 1918, 24¢ carmine rose & blue (C3), plate block of eight, top double plate number and arrow block of eight, well centered, vignette shifted upwards creating a “high flying” plane, original gum, never hinged, slight mark on one stamp, Very Fine. Scott $2,100

Matthew Bennett International, Dec 2008, Sale 330, Lot 1889

o Airmail, 1918, 24¢ carmine rose & blue (Scott C3), top margin arrow, “TOP” and plate no. block of twelve, nicely centered, tied on piece by Hartford, Conn. double oval cancels, fresh and F.-V.F. Estimate 300 – 400

Matthew Bennett International, Dec 2008, Sale 330, Lot 1890

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post (Scott C3). Mint N.H., vignette shifted significantly upwards (high-flyer), bright colors, wide margins, Very Fine and choice

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Oct 2008, Sale 963, Lot 1059

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post (C3). Unused (no gum), showing fast plane variety with plane shifted all the way to the perforations at left, Very Fine, this is surely the fastest plane we’ve ever encountered, with 1994 P.F. certificate, Scott Retail as normal

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Oct 2008, Sale 963, Lot 1060

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, Center Inverted (Scott C3a). Position 36, single light hinge mark, the gum and paper are fresh and bright, brilliant colors FRESH AND FINE-VERY FINE. A RARE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE 1918 24-CENT INVERTED “JENNY” ERROR. WITHOUT QUESTION THIS IS THE MOST FAMOUS STAMP IN AMERICAN PHILATELY. According to Jenny by George Amick (Amos Press, 1986), the original sheet of 100 Inverted “Jenny” stamps was purchased for $24 by William T. Robey at the New York Avenue Branch Post Office window in Washington D.C., on May 14, 1918, one day after the stamp was first placed on sale at the main post office. On May 20, Robey sold his sheet for $15,000 to Eugene Klein, a Philadelphia stamp dealer. Klein had already arranged to sell the sheet to Col. Edward H. R. Green for $20,000. Colonel Green instructed Klein to divide the Inverted “Jenny” sheet into singles and blocks, and to sell all but a few key position blocks. It is well-known among stamp specialists and professionals that examples of the Inverted “Jenny” come in different grades of freshness and condition. Many of the original 100 stamps were mistreated by collectors during the years, despite the stamps’ rarity and value. Colonel Green himself allowed moisture to affect some of the stamps he retained. Other examples have become slightly toned from improper storage and climatic conditions. Hinge removal has caused thins and creases in numerous stamps, and a few have been “lost” to philately — or nearly so, as in the case of the copy swept up in a vacuum cleaner. The stamp offered here, Position 36, is exceptionally fresh and very lightly hinged. It was part of the Sidney A. Hessel collection sold by H. R. Harmer (Part 3, November 305, 1976, lot 1075). Hessel, a long-time collector, might have been the first person to acquire this position when the sheet was broken up by Eugene Klein in 1918 (there is no sale record prior to Hessel’s ownership). This would explain its exceptionally fresh condition and the presence of a single faint hinge mark. After the Hessel sale, the stamp was owned by Kenneth Wenger, a New Jersey stamp dealer and investor. It eventually became part of the Windsor collection, which was acquired intact by Perry Hansen. Ex Hessel, Wenger and Windsor. With 1978, 1996 and 2008 P.F. certificates.

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Oct 2008, Sale 963, Lot 1062

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post, Grounded Plane Variety (C3 var). Block of four showing guide line at bottom, vignette shifted downward well into “Cents”, lightly hinged, bottom right stamp has thin spot VERY FINE. A RARE AND EXHIBIT-WORTHY BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 1918 24-CENT FIRST AIR POST ISSUE GROUNDED PLANE VARIETY. The true Grounded Plane stamps, in which the wheels of the plane break thru the top of “Cents”, come from portions of three sheets. The discovery sheet was owned and broken up by J. Klemann of Nassau Stamp Company. A second sheet was discovered in 1946 and sold in the Thomas A. Matthews sale (H.R. Harmer, Nov. 4, 1964), where it was purchased by Georges A. Medawar, publisher of Sanabria Airmail Catalogue. In Linn’s Stamp News of April 21, 1986, specialist Joseph R. Kirker Jr. published his research revealing a third source of this variety.

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Oct 2008, Sale 963, Lot 1061

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post (Scott C3). Mint N.H., brilliant colors on post-office fresh color, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2008 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95, SMQ value $640.00)

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Sep 2008, Sale 962, Lot 2936

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post (Scott C3). Mint N.H., perfectly centered with sheet selvage at bottom, wonderful rich colors, Extremely Fine Gem, a brilliant post-office fresh example of the first Air Post issue, with 2008 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95, SMQ price $640.00)

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Sep 2008, Sale 962, Lot 2935