Chase’s final color study of 1851-57 3¢ issues in Dec. 9-11 Siegel auction of U.S. stamps

By Charles Snee

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York City will offer 1,295 lots of United States stamps in a three-day sale to be held Dec. 9-11. Each day of the sale will be conducted in two sessions, beginning at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

An 18 percent buyer’s premium is added to the hammer price of each lot sold in the auction.

The sale opens with 116 lots from the Nathanael Greene collection of outstanding 19th-century U.S. stamps.

Additional highlights include specialized 1851-57 3¢ issues from the Wilbur F. Amonette and Penguin estates, stamps and postal cards from the estate of Norman Abeles, revenue issues from an anonymous collector, and items from the Canal Zone, Hawaii and Philippines.

Among the highlights of the first day of the sale are 16 lots of various plating and color studies of the 1851-57 3¢ issues that were meticulously assembled by Amonette and Carroll Chase.

One of those lots is of particular significance: Chase’s final color study of Scott 10-10A, 11-11A and 26.

The study, which is housed in binder, consists of 40 cards containing more than 330 stamps, according to Siegel. Two of the cards are pictured above. The cover of the sale catalog (not shown) illustrates six cards from the study.

“ … this is the famous definitive and final 3c 1851-57 Issues color study compiled by and with handwritten notes by Dr. Carroll Chase, [the] study breaks down to Nos. 10-10A with 26 stamps, Nos. 11-11A with approximately 185 stamps and No. 26 with approximately 125 stamps (unchecked for any of these being Nos. 25 or 26A),” Siegel said.

The study includes numerous rare colors, many of which are not listed in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers. Examples include dragon’s blood red, Etruscan red, Corinthian red and Morocco red.

In the detailed lot description in the catalog, Siegel provides additional insights regarding the study and the relationship between Amonette and Chase:

“A card at the front of the book explains the acquisition of this color study in Dr. Amonette’s own words. ‘This book contains Dr. Carroll Chase’s master color charts for the 1851 and 1857 3c issues. This is the only such chart assembled by Dr. Chase and was used by him until he died in 1960. These charts have never been sold publicly as they were offered to me by the executor of his estate...W. F. Amonette.’ In another handwritten note in the book, Dr. Amonette states that the Chase estate offered the study to him on the condition that he become the ‘color authority’ on the issue. He certainly did that.

“This study is now offered to the market by Dr. Amonette’s estate intact, despite the many individual items that could realize hundreds or thousands of dollars each. We hope it will remain intact and afford one of today’s specialists a chance to continue the legacy of Drs. Chase and Amonette.”

In the lot description, Siegel also advises potential bidders that “this study is not returnable if an expert committee disagrees with any particular color attribution.”

According to Siegel, the Scott catalog value of “the Orange Browns and the other listed shades exceeds $70,000, without regard to the many unlisted rare shades.”

Siegel is offering Chase’s intact final color study of the 1851-57 3¢ issues with an estimate $30,000 to $40,000.

The auction concludes Dec. 11 with 107 lots of U.S. stamp collections and accumulations that provide numerous opportunities to expand one’s collection or start a new one. A number of those larger lots include scarcer stamps with certificates of authenticity.

Full details of this auction of U.S. stamps, including a downloadable version of the 277-page catalog and online bidding options, are available on the Siegel website at www.siegelauctions.com.

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