The New Amsterdam Collection of United States Rarities
July 10, 2019
The New Amsterdam Collection of United States Stamps sold for close to $7 Million on 10th July 2019. Hundreds of floor and internet bidders competed for just 220 lots at auction which took almost four hours to complete. With the final hammer, the New Amsterdam Collection took its rightful place among the most valuable stamp collections in philatelic history.
The New Amsterdam Collection was formed over fifty years ago, its mission to complete spaces in a newly acquired Scott National Postage Album. Most of the material was acquired through Dumont Stamp Company, an old established and respected dealership which was in midtown Manhattan in the 1970s.
Competition was intense, especially for the top items. The absolute highlights of the auction were the two 1867 "Z" Grills, each with a pre-sale estimate of $750,000. The 10c green (Washington) fetched $1,150,000 and 15c gray black (Lincoln) $1,610,000, the latter setting a record for a single United States stamp sold at auction.
Additional rare Grills realized $661,250 for a 3c "B" Grill and $172,500 for a 30c "A" Grill. Other noteworthy results include $287,500 for 1869 30c Pictorial with Inverted flags and $402,500 for 24c Inverted Jenny. A rare 2c coil pair estimated at $300,000 was hammered down at $805,000. All results include Cherrystone's 15% buyer's premium.
| Images | Description | Current Bid |
 | Lot #70 1867 Z. Grill - 10c green The Finest Known Example 1867 10c green, Z.Grill, segmented cork cancel, well centered on crisp white paper, completely sound, ex-Laurence and Stryker, with 1958 and 2019 Philatelic Foundation certificates (the latter graded "VF-XF 85"). There are only six known copies of this stamp, one of which is in the Miller Collection. Only one other (ex-Ishikawa) is sound and this is by far the better centered of the two. A major philatelic rarity, one of only five existing examples available to collectors, this one not seen since 1958 (Siegel Census 85D-CAN-01), worthy of the finest collection (SMQ for FN-70 $520,000) (Scott catalogue value is for a well centered copy with faults) O Catalog #85D Catalog Value $600,000 | Price Realized $1,000,000.00 |
