Cherrystone Dec. 15-16 auction showcases U.S., worldwide stamps and postal history

By Charles Snee

Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers will offer more than 1,450 lots of United States and worldwide stamps and postal history during a sale to be held Dec. 15-16 at the firm’s gallery in New York City.

Featured countries include Austria, France and colonies, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia and Spain. Great Britain and the British Commonwealth from Aden to Zululand are well represented.

“Also featured is a section of 100 lots containing the Joe Taylor Postal History collection of Allied Intervention in Russia. The auction concludes with a strong selection of 120+ large lots and collections ranging from single country albums to specialized collections, multi-carton worldwide properties and large cover lots,” according to Cherrystone.

The U.S. lots include a handful of single stamps from the popular Washington-Franklin definitive series of the early 20th century.

One of the scarcer Washington-Franklin issues is an unused (lightly hinged) 1909 15¢ ultramarine George Washington printed on bluish paper (Scott 366).

The stamp, which Cherrystone describes as being “well centered with wide margins,” comes with a 2020 graded 95 (extra fine-superb) certificate from Philatelic Stamp Authentication and Grading.

Cherrystone is offering this certified 15¢ Washington on bluish paper with a minimum opening bid of $2,700.

The Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers provides an explanatory note at the beginning of the listings for the Washington-Franklin stamps printed on bluish paper (Scott 357-366): “This [bluish paper] was made with 35 percent rag stock instead of all wood pulp. The ‘bluish’ color (actually grayish blue) goes through the paper showing clearly on the back as well as on the face.”

An unused example of the 15¢ Washington on bluish paper in extra fine-superb 95 condition is valued at $2,850 in the Scott Stamp Values section of the U.S. Specialized catalog.

Among the large number of British Commonwealth items up for bids is a used British Guiana 1852 1¢ Ship and Motto of Colony stamp on magenta paper (Scott 6) tied to a small piece by a June 1853 Demerara circular datestamp.

This stamp, which once graced the collections of Maurice Burrus and Alfred Caspary, is in excellent condition, “without the usual paper cracking or rubbing,” according to Cherrystone. Two well-known experts, Bolaffi and Peter Holcombe, have signed the stamp, which comes with their 1963 and 1981 certificates, respectively.

Cherrystone is offering this stamp with an opening bid of $7,000, which matches the value in the Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940.

A footnote in the Scott Classic Specialized catalog explains that examples of Scott 6 and 7 (the 4¢ black Ship and Motto of Colony on blue paper) “with paper cracked or rubbed sell for much less.”

The Cherrystone two-day sale concludes with 125 large lots and collections from a variety of countries.

Up for bids will be a 1953-2010 collection of Kuwait containing “hundreds of complete sets, regular issues and commemoratives, also souvenir sheets, booklets, some varieties, plus a small group of Dubai, including better souvenir sheets,” according to Cherrystone. This collection is offered with a minimum bid of $900.

The sale can be viewed on the Cherrystone website, with online bidding options available. Information also is available from Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers, 119 W. 57th St., Suite 316, New York, NY 10019.

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