St. Lawrence Seaway invert offered in Cherrystone auction Aug. 6-7

By Michael Baadke

The Aug. 6-7 public auction from Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers includes classic United States and general worldwide issues, with stamps, postal history, essays, proofs and much more. In all, 1,668 lots, ranging from single stamps to collections and accumulations, will be offered during the two-day sale at Cherrystone’s New York City gallery.

The auction opens with more than 100 lots of U.S. stamps and covers, followed by several full panes of 100 Confederate States stamps and additional lots of U.S. possessions.

The auction also features a significant run of Germany, German colonies and World War II occupation issues, and dozens of related propaganda forgeries.

Colombia is represented with the handsome 1920 SCADTA airmail pictorials (Scott C2-C10), unused and on individual covers.

Tucked in among the British Commonwealth issues is an unused single example of Canada’s famous 5¢ red and blue St. Lawrence Seaway stamp with inverted center (Scott 387a). The stamp is part of the 1959 joint issue with the United States (the matching 4¢ U.S. stamp is Scott 1131).

The Canadian issue was discovered with the full vignette printed upside down, and estimates are that 400 examples exist.

The one in the Cherrystone auction is never-hinged and described as fresh and very fine. Cherrystone opens the bidding for the invert error at $7,000.

A specimen stamp of Canada from 1851 also is included in this sale: the 12-penny black Queen Victoria with carmine vertical specimen overprint. Listed among plate proofs in the 2019 Unitrade Specialized Catalog of Canadian Stamps as Unitrade 3Pi for $2,500 (Canadian), it is offered by Cherrystone with an opening bid of $1,200.

The stamp is described as having margins all around, with a marginal tear at right not affecting the design, plus a small adhesion at top and very light stains, otherwise very fine and rare.

Among the handful of stamps from Greece is a full-margined example of the 1861 20-lepta dark blue on bluish Hermes Head from the provisional Athens printing (Scott 10). This issue has the faint quadrille background and no control figures on the back.

The example on offer is canceled “13” in the dots postmark of Pyrgos, Greece. It is described as having “full margins all around, fresh and exceptionally nice example of this rarity, signed Behrens, Calves, Brun, also Peter Holcombe, with his 1989 and 1988 Diena certificates. A beautiful and extremely fine example of this rare and popular stamp.”

The opening bid for the stamp is $10,000.

Lots from the upcoming auction can be viewed at the Cherrystone website, with online bidding available.

For additional information, contact Cherrystone Auctions, 119 W. 57th St., Suite 316, New York, NY 10019.

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