U.S. 1869 Pictorial invert plate proof set in March 18-19 Cherrystone auction of rare worldwide stamps and postal history

By Charles Snee

Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers will tempt bidders with almost 1,200 lots of rare stamps and postal history from around the world during a March 18-19 sale at its gallery in Teaneck, N.J.

The two-day auction will take place in four parts, with sessions each day at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

According to Cherrystone, the auction will open with “a solid section of United States including many rarities and graded items.”

“There are outstanding collections of Albania, France, Germany & Colonies, featuring Part I of the extensive collection of Japanese Prisoner of War Camps for captured German soldiers at Tsingtao. Rarities from Italy & Colonies include Offices in China, Oltre-Giuba and others,” Cherrystone said.

Additional highlights include Krakow overprints from Poland and impressive collections of Russia, Liechtenstein, Great Britain and British Commonwealth.

In addition, “there are nearly 200 large lots and collections, ranging from single country albums to specialized collections, multi-carton worldwide properties and large cover lots,” Cherrystone said.

During the opening session on the morning of March 18, an eye-catching and scarce set of United States plate proofs will cross the auction block. Specifically, the set is a quartet of plate proofs on card of the 1869 15¢ (reissue), 24¢, 30¢ and 90¢ bicolor Pictorial stamps with center inverted (Scott 129P4a, 120P4a, 121P4a and 122P4a, respectively).

Just 100 of each 1869 Pictorial invert proof were produced. Each is valued at $2,750 in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Essays and Proofs. The values are italicized to indicate an item that trades infrequently in the philatelic marketplace.

The Scott Essays and Proofs catalog describes plate proofs as “impressions taken from finished plates [that] differ from the stamps themselves chiefly in their excellence of impression and the paper on which they are printed. Some of the colors vary.”

According to Cherrystone, the four plate proofs up for bids have “fresh bright colors, strong proof impressions and well balanced margins all around.”

Cherrystone lists this attractive set of 1869 Pictorial invert plate proofs on card with an opening bid of $7,000.

Among the more than 200 large lots and collections to be sold during the final session on March 19 is an extensive array of 1852-1961 issues from Barbados.

According to Cherrystone, the accumulation of used and unused stamps is “mounted on album pages and in stock pages leading off with a tremendous range of 150+ imperforate and perforated 1852-1879 Seated Britannia stamps.”

The accumulation will be most useful to a collector interested in the perforation varieties, colors and period cancellations of the Seated Britannia stamps.

Furthermore, there is much potential “in this lot for a specialist interested in any area from the Victorian through George VI eras as well as a dealer looking to deepen their stock,” Cherrystone said.

A video accompanying the lot description provides potential bidders with a closer look at this interesting assemblage.

Cherrystone is offering this Barbados 1852-1961 accumulation with an opening bid of $1,300.

The catalog for the March 18-19 worldwide stamps and postal history sale can be viewed and is available for download on the Cherrystone website, with online bidding options available through Cherrystone and Stamp Auction Network.

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