Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions is to conduct its Flagship US, British and Worldwide Stamps and Postal History sale on Dec. 18. The star of this sale is an unused 1923 1c green rotary sheet waste stamp that is among the brightest 20th-century American rarities. This is a very rare, never hinged, most beautifully centered top quality specimen - one of approximately 20 in unused condition. The lot is being offered with a starting bid of $10,000, and it is expected to reach $30,000.
From 1919 through 1923 the Bureau of Engraving and Printing salvaged waste stamps printed on high-capacity rotary presses and prepared them for public use. Rotary-press waste that was turned into issued postage gives us some of the rarest United States stamps. Rotary waste was well-printed, but it was removed from the manufacturing line, because it did not conform to the regular production standards. This example is a perf 11 specimen - so named for the 11 gauge perforator used to separate the stamps. The auction house described this outstanding lot as “unused without gum, a phenomenal unused example of this rare unused sheet waste issue; the most beautifully centered top quality example we have ever had the pleasure to offer at public auction”. So let`s follow this auction to see its results!
