| Select Stamps - Scott #38-45: 1889-1899 "Three Numerals" Perforation 12.5 |  Top |
| Item # |
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Mint Hinged  US$ |
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245792 "View EXACT ACTUAL Image"){kind=small} |
40a Dark Rose [1890 10p rose 3-Numeral, Perf 12.5] Mint, moderately hinged, with F-VF centering. The 10p has only one printing/color, Facit #29a, that can fit in the category of "rose" as listed by Scott (#40a); it is a dark rose such as this example. Very attractive with fresh appearance. Mint examples of this workhorse 10p stamp are surprisingly difficult to find in nice quality. ACTUAL item. |
80.00 |
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249083 "View EXACT ACTUAL Image"){kind=small} |
42 Deep Ultramarine [1889 25p ultramarine 3-Numerals, Perf 12.5] Mint hinged, with VF-XF centering. Remarkably deep color -- getting into blackish ultramarine territory -- that is very different from both the usual bright ultramarine printings (and of course very different from the blue printings). Bright and attractive with excellent perforations. An outstanding example of a workhorse stamp -- in a very unusual color -- that is now quite difficult to find in such nice quality. ACTUAL item. |
90.00 |
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248992 "View EXACT ACTUAL Image"){kind=small} |
42a [1889 25p blue 3-Numerals, Perf 12.5] Mint, without gum, with F-VF++ centering. Wonderful color and very fresh appearance despite lacking gum. With gum this centering would be $95! ACTUAL item. |
29.00 |
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244530 "View EXACT ACTUAL Image"){kind=small} |
44 IMPERFORATE PAIR [1890 5 mark 3-Numeral] Yellow Green and Light Rose (Facit #33b) of the second (1894) printing. Mint, without gum -- appears to never have been gummed. Huge, even margins. This is an actual stamp printing, in the correct color on stamp paper, not a color proof (unless the color was identical) and absolutely not a private print from a discarded plate. Though imperforates are known to exist [per Waris] for all the 3-Numeral denominations except the 2 penni, Facit only lists some of them. Where Facit does list them, the prices are up to SEK 1200 per mint hinged SINGLE and up to SEK 1600 per NH SINGLE -- in all cases, these values are far too low compared to market demand. The 3-Numeral 1889 Series handbook by Pentti Waris (1998) surprisingly mostly ignores the imperforates (probably due to lack if information; it also ignores proofs) and just makes a general statement: "It is not easy to explain the origin of completely imperforated [sic] stamps, but they were probably illegally taken from the stamp printers." That accusation may be true in at least some cases, perhaps for the imperforates Facit chooses not to list, however, lack of information is not proof to condemn items. After 129 years in the case of this particular stamp printing, I believe it is time to accept such stamps for what they look like: Imperforates. Not withstanding the status of such items, imperforate examples are exceedingly scarce and seldom offered! This is the only example of this imperforate that I have recorded having in 48 years. ACTUAL item. |
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