U.S. & Worldwide Stamps & Postal History; The David Mace Collection of U.S. Stamps
April 24-25, 2018

ImagesDescriptionCurrent Bid
Lot #1274
BRITISH COMMONWEALTH CANADIAN TERRITORY - Newfoundland Air Post
1933 Balbo Flight, $4.50 on 75c bister, surcharge inverted, well centered, never hinged and post office fresh, with 2002 BPA certificate. This stamp was issued in connection with the return flight from Chicago to Rome by General Italo Balbo's squadron of Italian Seaplanes. 8,000 stamps were issued and four "Checkers" were appointed to ensure that no errors were sold (The "DO-X" Surcharge of 1923 produced 50+ inverted surcharges and now efforts were made to avoid the same mistake). Despite all efforts, several invert blocks were actually discovered and subsequently torn up (four of these "torn varieties" are known to have reached the market). Despite these added precautions, one intact inverted block of four did reach the public hands and was subsequently split into four singles, one of which is the copy offered here, being position 1 of the setting. Of these four sound singles, only two are in never hinged condition. A major 20th Century and Air Post rarity, missing from even the most advanced collections,
**
Catalog #C18a
Catalog Value $150,000
Price Realized
$95,000.00

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