A selection of especially interesting seldom-offered items in particularly nice quality. All are available for approval viewing. Scott numbers have been used unless otherwise mentioned.
Please also see the other Gallery pages and the Specialized Stamps pages for other high-quality stamps including both Specialized and non-specialized items.
Scott #10f variety, Facit 9IIv1C4a Carmine [40 pen ROULETTE IV, STAMP TYPE II] Used with VF+ appearance and nearly FULL TEETH; only a couple of tooth tips missing. Examples of Roulette IV are rare; examples with completely perfect teeth may not be known (Finnish expert Kaj Hellman once commented that this example may be the nicest in existence): Facit prices full teeth, but Norma does not. However, this example is STAMP TYPE II (cut in right side of bottom of crown; see Facit) which makes it a major rarity; both Facit and Norma indicate that the price of a Stamp Type II example (of even the most common roulette) should be tripled! In addition to the overall excellent quality, it has a full NYSLOTT June 1867 cancellation. Accompanied by a 1991 Mikko Ossa certificate stating, in his typical extremely strict and blunt fashion, that "The stamp has short teeth and some teeth have breaks [i.e. creases on teeth]. The stamp is not repaired." However, it is obvious from the appearance of the stamp that the quality is much nicer than that description suggests. The stamp was in the "Michigan" collection built by an American who lived in Finland in the 1950s-60s; he obtained many of his stamps from such eminent Finnish philatelists as E.A. Hellman. I acquired the stamp in 1991 and have since sold it twice and then repurchased the entire collections of the clients to whom I sold it. Also accompanied by a 2006 Jay Smith photo certificate with lifetime guarantee.
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