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 #94 United States 1869 Pictorials 1869 15c brown and blue, Type I, unused without gum, fine, with 2019 PFC (catalogued as unused without gum) (*) Catalog #118 Catalog Value $3,250 | Price Realized $950.00 |
 | Lot #95 United States 1869 Pictorials 1869 15c brown and blue, Type II, unused with disturbed part original gum, h.r., brilliant colors and well centered, tiny corner perf crease at bottom right, otherwise fine, with 2019 PFC, * Catalog #119 Catalog Value $2,750 | Price Realized $700.00 |
 | Lot #96 United States 1869 Pictorials 1869 15c brown and blue, Type II, center inverted, cork cancel, fairly well centered, fine and rare sound copy, with 2019 PFC. According to the Siegel Census there are 100 used copies (with two in Institutions), of which most have varying degrees of faults (this completely sound example is numbered 119b-CAN-59 and has not been seen on the market since the 1956 H.R. Harmer's sale) O Catalog #119b Catalog Value $22,500 | Price Realized $17,000.00 |
 | Lot #97 United States 1869 Pictorials 1869 24c green and violet, center inverted, light cork cancel, centered to upper left, small sealed tear at bottom and two small diagonal creases at bottom left, otherwise fine, with 2019 PFC, only 94 copies known, O Catalog #120b Catalog Value $37,500 | Price Realized $9,000.00 |
 | Lot #98 United States 1869 Pictorials 1869 30c ultramarine and carmine, unused without gum, well centered, deep colors, v.f., with 2019 PFC (catalogued as unused without gum), (*) Catalog #121 Catalog Value $1,450 | Price Realized $1,100.00 |
 | Lot #99 United States 1869 Pictorials 1869 30c ultramarine and carmine, flags inverted, unused without gum, well centered, fresh color, v.f., one of only three known sound copies of this premier U.S. Rarity, ex-Ferrary, Col. Green, John Fox, with 1960 and 2019 Philatelic Foundation Certificates. According to the Siegel Census only seven unused examples of the 1869 30c Pictorial with inverted flags are known. Only one has original gum, the other six have no gum. Only the original gum and two of the no gum copies are sound, the copy offered here being 121b-UNC-04, last offered in a 1960 H.R. Harmer's sale where it realized $6,000. More recent realizations of sound examples include $270,000 plus buyer's premium (Siegel Auctions, Hanover Collection 2016), $290,000 (Siegel Auctions, Rarities of the World, 2014) (*) Catalog #121b Catalog Value $300,000 | Price Realized $250,000.00 |
 | Lot #100 United States 1869 Pictorials 1869 90c carmine and black, h.r., slightly disturbed original gum, vivid colors, centered slightly to bottom, fine and scarce original gum 90c Pictorial, with 2019 PFC, * Catalog #122 Catalog Value $11,000 | Price Realized $2,500.00 |
