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 #49 United States 1861 Premiere Gravure 1861 90c blue, Premiere Gravure, unused without gum, deep and fresh August shade, slightly faded at the left of medallion, tiny purple ink spot at bottom left, fine example of this rare Premiere Gravure, with 1950 and 2019 Philatelic Foundation Certificates. There are only 22 copies recorded (including one in the Miller Collection at the New York Public Library), and nearly half are defective. This example has not been seen since 1950 H.R. Harmer sale and is No 62-UNC-14 in the Siegel Census (currently listed in Scott catalogue as 72-E7h) (*) Catalog #62 Catalog Value $50,000 | Price Realized $10,000.00 |
