Intentional Albino Plate Impressions: Lot of 4 items. Starting with the 1962 installation of a new printing press for steel-engraved stamps, Norwegian stamp plate making changed. For certain stamp issues, ranging probably from 1962 (and certainly from 1967) through at least 1987, the sheets of some stamp issues show partial albino engraved impressions of the stamps in the sheet selvage, usually 15-25 mm from the printed stamp design. This is an intentional (but not sure why) artifact of the plate making process and is not an error. Though the albino impressions are hard to see, they are obvious under oblique lighting. I cannot remember ever seeing any dealer offers of such items. They are an interesting aspect of the printing process. Group of four items, all full corner margin pieces: Scott #503 upper left block (1967), 524 upper left block and lower left single (1969), and 911 lower right pair (1987).
ACTUAL item.
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24.00
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239721
515/516 ORIGINAL ARTWORK [1968 Aasmund Olavssund VINJE] The original 1967 artwork of the K. Løkke-Sørensen design for this important 1968 stamp issue commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Aasmund Olavssund Vinje. A beautiful 100 x 135 mm painting, in shades of brown, on illustrator board (115 x 145 mm). The design is almost identical to the issued stamps except that the denomination is 90 and is on the left instead of right. There is also a design error in the painting (corrected on the issued stamp) -- the artist used the initials OA instead of AO. Signed by the artist at lower left and dated "67". Vinje was a proponent of the use of the Nynorsk [New Norwegian] (Landsmål) language. This is the second Norwegian stamp issue to use the Nynorsk "NOREG" country name! (The first was the 1951 Arne Garborg issue.)Provenance: This was in the William Benfield collection (so marked on the reverse). Benfield bought it from auctioneer and stamp dealer Irwin Heiman (Metro Stamp Company), February 24, 1973 (see note on back of the Benfield album page; the reference to Memphis was because Benfield lived there at the time). I purchased it from Benfield in the late 1980s (?) as part of the Benfield non-Danish essay-proof collection. I sold it to a member of the Vinje family located in the U.S. (early 1990s?). That family later sold it to a western U.S. stamp dealer who noticed that the description was from me and the dealer sold it to me in July 2014. I then sold it again to collector MXZ in September 2014 and repurchased it from MXZ in September 2017 with other parts of his collection.
ACTUAL item.
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750.00
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202701
NK #SA1 1982 Authors, Mint, NH. : (Reproduces pairs of Scott #810-1.) As printed, the mint cards were not canceled nor marked as not being valid for postage. For a few days stamps cut from the cards were accepted for postal use. Many collectors, albums, and catalogs consider these to be "stamps". Facit #BL4.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
41.00
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241291
1188 SOUVENIR SHEET [1998 3.80 (x3, plus 4 labels) Roses souvenir sheet] Used VF complete s/s with three VF+ individual strikes of 21 June 2001 "NESBYEN D" postmarks. Based on other experience, I believe that this paid part of the postage on a package and was mailed affixed to the package in a plastic bag. Used in a reasonable amount of time after the issue. Such nicely canceled examples, even of the individual stamps, are rarely seen.
ACTUAL item.
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10.00
241293
1219-21 (1219a-21a) SET OF COMPLETE BOOKLETS [1999 4.00, 5.00, 6.00 kr Tourism] Used VF set of three complete booklets, each stamp with an individual VF+ to Superb strike of FIRST DAY 12 April 1999 "EGERSUND F4" postmark. Such nicely canceled examples, even of the individual stamps, are rarely seen; this consists of 30 stamps, which could individually sell for $2-5 each!
ACTUAL item.
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26.00
241294
1240-1 (1241a) COMPLETE BOOKLET [1999 4.00 kr Christmas] Used VF complete booklet, each stamp with an individual VF+ to Superb strike of FIRST DAY 19 November 1999 "EGERSUND F4" postmark. Such nicely canceled examples, even of the individual stamps, are rarely seen.
ACTUAL item.
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14.00
241295
1240-1 (1241a) COMPLETE BOOKLET [1999 4.00 kr Christmas] Used VF complete booklet, each stamp with an individual to Superb strike of FIRST DAY 19 November 1999 "VOIEBYEN A / KRISTIANSAND" postmark. Such nicely canceled examples, especially from such a small post office, even of the individual stamps, are rarely seen.
ACTUAL item.
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18.00
241296
1270-1 (1271a) COMPLETE BOOKLET [2000 4.20 kr Christmas] Used VF complete booklet, each stamp with an individual Superb strike of FIRST DAY 17 November 2000 "EGERSUND F4" postmark. Such nicely canceled examples, even of the individual stamps, are rarely seen.
ACTUAL item.
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16.00
1558 S/S "Posten / Bring" Standard officially issued Personalized Souvenir Sheet of two stamps.
VF: Norway has the distinction of creating what I believe to be the first souvenir sheet of "Standard Personalized Stamps" containing more than one stamp design. This was issued in autumn 2008 and contains two stamps (same frame design) with two different logos for Posten and Bring. The designs mark the division of Norway Post into two parts: Posten - what we think of as the standard "post office" and Bring - a package delivery, freight, and logistics company (similar to USPS in the U.S., but owned by the government). Only 275,000 (Scott says 375,000) of this souvenir sheet were printed and distributed free of charge to people in Oslo and other cities around Norway, sometimes in post offices, but also given away to people on the street. Because the souvenir sheet was NOT sold to collectors and distribution was wide, but one to a person, these souvenir sheets are extremely difficult to obtain. This is listed by Scott, but not yet by Facit or NK -- many collectors still do not know that it exists. [233002]
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
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31.00
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241288
1571 RIGHT HALF PANE [2009 "A" Personalized Stamp Frame with the standard design: Hepatica nobilis flower] Used VF half pane of four, from the right half of the booklet/8, with four VF+ to Superb individual strikes of 3 March 2009 SANDEFJORD postmarks on THE SECOND DAY OF USE. Based on other experience, I believe that this paid part of the postage on a package and was mailed affixed to the package in a plastic bag. Such nicely canceled examples, even of the individual stamps, are rarely seen.
ACTUAL item.
1571 LEFT HALF PANE [2009 "A" Personalized Stamp Frame with the standard design: Hepatica nobilis flower] Used VF half pane of four, from the left half of the booklet/8, with four Superb individual strikes of the FIRST DAY 2 March 2009 OSLO postmarks. Such nicely canceled examples, even of the individual stamps, are rarely seen.
ACTUAL item.
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17.00
241290
1571 LEFT HALF PANE [2009 "A" Personalized Stamp Frame with the standard design: Hepatica nobilis flower] Used VF half pane of four, from the left half of the booklet/8, with two neat strikes of the FIRST DAY 2 March 2009 OSLO postmarks. Quite unusual!
ACTUAL item.
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13.00
241298
1633-4 (1634a) COMPLETE BOOKLET [2010 "A" Christmas] Used VF complete booklet, each stamp with an individual Superb strike of FIRST DAY 15 November 2010 "MANDAL F" postmark. Such nicely canceled examples, even of the individual stamps, but especially of the intact pairs or panes, are rarely seen. The five combination pairs would fetch $5 each with such nice cancellations.
ACTUAL item.