Siegel conducted “The Kenneth Abramowitz Collection of 19th and 20th-century stamps of outstanding quality” auction. The sale offered to collectors’ attention a great variety of philatelic items including Columbian, Pan-American, Pictorial, Trans-Mississippi, and other notable issues. The star of this auction was 2c Scarlet Vermilion that is considered as one of the finest examples of the 1880 2-cent Vermilion American Bank Note Co. issue.
The experts claim that this stamp is the rarest of all special printings. Siegel asserts that only 20 specimens of this incredible collectible exist today. Besides, a great number of these samples are off-centered. Only nineteen stamps are available to collectors, and six of them have faults. Of the 14 remaining sound copies, only two others rival the stamp offered here for centering and margins. This special item “without gum as issued, intense shade and impression, choice centering for this difficult issue” managed to fetch an incredible price of $95,000.
