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.

ImagesDescriptionCurrent Bid
Lot #44
United States 1861 Premiere Gravure
1861 1c indigo, Premiere Gravure (August Issue) unused without gum, usual centering, deep and rich color, rounded upper left and lower right corners, two tiny tears at right, fine appearance, with 1951 (clear) and 2019 Philatelic Foundation Certificates, ex-Huber. Siegel Census records 25 copies (including one in the Miller Collection), approximately half with faults, this copy recorded as number 55-UN-16 (currently listed in Scott catalogue as 63-E11e, catalogued as unused without gum). This example has not been seen since 1951 (at that time, the Premiere Gravure stamps were listed as Scott 55-62, with an editor's note stating "It is doubtful that Nos. 55, 56, 57, 59, 61 and 62 were regularly issued." Beginning with the 1991 U.S. Specialized Catalog, the Premiere Gravure issues, including Scott 58, were moved to the Special Printings section of the catalog. A footnote stated that "No. 62B unused cannot be distinguished from No. 58, which does not exist used." An Essays section was added to the 1992 Scott U.S. Specialized catalog and the Premiere Gravure issues were renumbered and listed in the Essays section or Trial Color Proofs section of the catalog. In the 2003 U.S. Specialized catalog, Scott recognized that the former 58 and the current 62B actually were the same stamp, and 58 was deleted from the listings. In the 2009 Scott U.S. Specialized catalog, the Premiere Gravure issues were grouped together in a special section titled "1861 First Design Essays and Trial Color Proofs." The Premiere Gravure issues also are listed in the Essays and the Trial Color, Die and Plate Proofs sections. Their current numbers, with original numbers in parentheses are: Scott 63-E11e (55), 65-E15h (56), 67-E9e (57), 69-E6e (59), 70TC6 (60), 71TC6 (61), and 72-E7h (62),
(*)
Catalog #55
Catalog Value $50,000
Price Realized
$15,000.00

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