The Siegel firm has recently conducted its annual Rarities of the World sale. One of the most interesting lots that have appeared during this auction is extremely fine and superb in every respect 5c + 5c "Inverted Double Geneva" stamps on cover. It is likely not only the finest example "Inverted Double Geneva" in existence, but surely the finest cover bearing this world-class rarity. Considered as one of the greatest classic covers of Switzerland, it fetched $105,000.
The Double Geneva was the first stamp issued by the Canton of Geneva, on October 1, 1843. The stamps were lithographed on green paper by M. Schmidt, a local printer, in sheets consisting of 50 double-stamps. The vast majority of Double Geneva stamps were cut from the sheets in the normal left-right configuration. There are very few "Inverted Double Geneva" pairs extant in either horizontal or vertical format. There are no other stamps that compares in quality to the pair on this cover.
Siegel described this lot as follows: “Horizontal pair cut from the sheet with the two stamps transposed from their normal positions, resulting in the famous "Inverted Double Geneva," the pair in absolutely perfect condition with large balanced margins all around, detailed impression on incredibly fresh paper, cancelled by light central strike of red rosette cancel on a petite 1845 folded letter to a lady in Bourg de Four (Old City of Geneva), matching red "Geneve 6 Fevr. 45" double-circle datestamp perfectly struck to the right of the pair”.
