Robert A Siegel is going to auction a beautifully centered original-gum block of the 90¢ 1869 Pictorial Issue from the Caspary and Lilly collections at its “The William H. Gross Collection: U.S. Stamp Multiples” sale that will take place on May, 8-9. As the philatelic records state there are only three unused blocks in private hands. This auction is breathtaking in its scope and quality. From Classics to Parcel Post, the array of largest known unused multiples and plate blocks is astonishing.
The bicolored 90¢ 1869 Pictorial Issue was printed from separate plates of 100 - the frame plate in Carmine and the Lincoln portrait plate in Black. The stamp was designed by a National Bank Note Co. employee named E. Pitcher. The vignette, adapted from photographic portraits taken by C. S. German in 1861 and Matthew Brady in 1862, is the same engraving by Joseph P. Ourdan that appeared on the 1866 15¢ Lincoln stamp.
90¢ Carmine & Black block of four was described by the auction house as follows: “original gum with slight hinge mark and small hinge remnants, well-centered for this issue, rich frame color and intense vignette impression, exceptionally fresh”. This valuable and unique lot is to fetch $75,000!
