Robert A Siegel is to auction the Richard Drews Collection of 1861-68 Issues, which consists of the finest of Civil-War and early Reconstruction era stamps ever issued. This sale offers the off-cover portion of the collection, and a great variety of rare essays and proofs, used and unused blocks and extensive studies of the grilled issues. One of the rarest items that will be presented during this sale is 1c Indigo First Design stamp released in 1861. The auction will take place on December 12 in New York.
The onset of the Civil War was the reason for the 1861 Issue. The Federal government was afraid that the Confederacy would use existing supplies of 1851 and 1857 stamps to fund their war effort. Therefore, it was decided in early 1861 to make illegal for postal use all supplies of these stamps, wherever they were, North and South, and to issue a set of newly designed stamps to be used in the Union states.
The unused example of 1c Indigo First Design is a rare example of the 1861 First Design issue, of which only 22 specimens are available to collectors today. Of these 22 copies, thirteen have faults ranging from serious defects to pulled perfs. Two examples have not been registered on the philatelic market for many years that is why their existence should be confirmed. The stamp offered by Siegel, with a minor thin spot, is very desirable. Described by the auction house as having “intense shade in the unmistakable First Design color on bright paper, small thin spot at center is barely noticeable”, 1c Indigo First Design stamp is being offered with a starting price of $50,000!
