Choice unused U.S. 1901 1¢ Pan-American invert in Jan. 21-23 Kelleher Flagship auction

By Charles Snee

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions will present its Flagship sale of United States, British and worldwide stamps and postal history Aug. 20-22 at its gallery in Danbury, Conn. Each day of this Flagship auction will commence at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

The sale, which contains almost 1,200 lots, opens with two used strips of four (one strip on cover) of the world’s first adhesive postage stamp: the Great Britain 1-penny black Queen Victoria, known to collectors as the Penny Black.

According to Kelleher, the sale features an impressive array of worldwide covers, from “Andorra to Yugoslav Trieste, with exquisite French classics, solid Vatican, and early Venezuela including stampless and stamped covers, several with scarce/rare small town markings.”

The U.S. offerings include “attractive groups of Essays and Proofs, bright and fresh 1851-57 Reprints ([Scott] #40//47) and Premiere Gravures … solid 1869s (including Trial Colors) and Columbians, extensive Bank Notes, Washington-Franklins …, modern and Back-of-the Book, several very pretty Confederates, and much more besides,” Kelleher said.

Among the U.S. errors up for bids is an unused (previously hinged original gum) 1901 1¢ Pan-American stamp with the vignette inverted (Scott 294a).

Kelleher describes the stamp as being “incredibly fresh and sound, without the usual bends, tears and other faults normally encountered — plus rarely seen superior centering.”

The stamp is “a condition rarity for this sought-after inverted center,” Kelleher said.

An accompanying expertizing certificate issued by the Philatelic Foundation in 1990 describes the fault-free error stamp as being “genuine previously hinged.”

Kelleher is offering this handsome unused 1901 1¢ Pan-American invert error stamp with an opening bid of $5,000 and an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.

In unused condition, Scott 294a is valued at $11,500 in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers.

Kelleher has prepared a single catalog for the three-day Flagship auction that is available for viewing and download on the firm’s website, with online bidding options available on Stamp Auction Network.

For additional information, contact Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions, 22 Shelter Rock Lane, Unit 53, Danbury, CT 06810.

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