U.S. & Worldwide Stamps & Postal History
June 2-3, 2020
Welcome to our June 2-3, 2020, to be held via CherrystoneLIVE. This sale contains 1,215 lots of Rare Stamps and Postal History of the World, with United States and Europe, including Austria, with a fine showing of Rocket Mail and Austrian Levant, France and Colonies, German Area, Italy and Colonies, Poland, Russia, specialized Vatican City and other areas. Great Britain and British Commonwealth are well represented with many high values and sets covering all reigns from Aden to Zanzibar. This sale concludes with a good selection of large lots and collections, which range from single country albums to a specialized collections and multi-carton worldwide stocks and cover lots.
This is a public auction, with live Internet bidding (via CherrystoneLIVE at cherrystoneauctions.com). Our usual catalogues have not been printed for this sale, due to completely unreliable postal service (we hope to resume printing catalogues for the future auctions)
| Images | Description | Current Bid |
 | Lot #6062 United States Modern Issues 1979 $1 tan, brown orange and yellow, brown inverted, block of four, n.h. and post office fresh, v.f., one of only three known blocks of four of this popular error, significantly undervalued given its rarity. Discovered in 1985, the CIA Invert was the first major inverted stamp in 66 years. The story began when an auctioneer specializing in U.S. error stamps announced the discovery (by a "business in northern Virginia") of 85 inverted 1979 $1 Rush Lamp stamps. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing launched an internal investigation and found that there were no indications of impropriety by its employees. It was discovered that an on-duty C.I.A. employee had purchased a partial sheet of 95 inverted stamps at a small post office near McLean, Virginia. When the office workers realized what they had, they pooled their money and substituted non-error $1 Rush Lamp stamps for the inverts. Each of the nine co-workers kept a stamp. The remaining 86 stamps, including one that was damaged, were quietly sold to the auctioneer. The story made headlines across the nation and was featured on every major television network. The CIA launched an ethics investigation and demanded that the co-workers surrender their inverts or face 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for conversion of government property for personal gain. Five employees returned their stamps, one claimed his had been lost, and three people resigned. The CIA donated the recovered inverts to the National Postal Museum,  **Catalog #1610C Catalog Value $68,000 | Price Realized $60,000.00 |
 | Lot #6063 United States Modern Issues 1991 $10.75 Space Shuttle Endeavour, pane of 20 with dramatic perf shifts, n.h., v.f. and striking variety (a similar lot brought $1,900 in our January 2020 sale) **Catalog #2544Avar | Price Realized $2,100.00 |
 | Lot #6064 United States Modern Issues 1991 $10.75 Space Shuttle Endeavour, imperf. upper right sheet margin horizontal pair, n.h., v.f., Scott unlisted (a similar pair brought $2,100 in our January 2020 sale) ** Catalog #2544Avar | Price Realized $1,600.00 |
 | Lot #6065 United States Modern Issues 1991 $3 Space Shuttle Challenger, imperf. right sheet margin horizontal pair, n.h., v.f. (a similar pair brought $900 in our January 2020 sale) ** Catalog #2544d Catalog Value $800 | Price Realized $475.00 |
 | Lot #6066 United States Modern Issues 1992 Eagle and Shield only, large model printed directly on card, with some penciled additions, edge toning, otherwise v.f. P Catalog #2595P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6067 United States Modern Issues 1992 Eagle and Shield only, large die proof on india, card mounted, shield and other details unfinished P Catalog #2595P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6068 United States Modern Issues 1992 Eagle and Shield only, three different stage proofs on india, some toning, rare P Catalog #2595P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6069 United States Modern Issues 1993 "For Testing Purposes Only" (red), 10 unexploded booklets of 18 self adhesive labels each, v.f.,  Catalog #Tdb 92a Catalog Value $2,500 | Price Realized $350.00 |
 | Lot #6070 United States Modern Issues 1994 Louis Armstrong, 32c black, imperforate horizontal sheet margin USPS imprint pair, n.h., v.f. P Catalog #2982P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6071 United States Modern Issues 1994 Louis Armstrong, 32c black, imperforate upper left sheet corner margin Plate No. block of four, n.h., v.f. PCatalog #2982P | Price Realized $475.00 |
 | Lot #6072 United States Modern Issues 1995 Milton Hershey, 32c die proof on gummed paper, guide-line markings on all sides, faint impression of date at right, scotch taped on top, v.f. P Catalog #2933P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6073 United States Modern Issues 1995 32c Florida, imperforate sheet margin horizontal pair, n.h., v.f., unlisted in Scott ** Catalog #2950var | Price Realized $260.00 |
 | Lot #6074 United States Modern Issues 1995 32c Florida, imperforate vertical pair, n.h., v.f., unlisted in Scott ** Catalog #2950var | Price Realized $230.00 |
 | Lot #6075 United States Modern Issues 1995 Christmas, 29c blue imperf. pair missing most colors, n.h., v.f. P Catalog #2972P | Price Realized $150.00 |
 | Lot #6076 United States Modern Issues 1995 32c Woman Suffrage, imperf. sheet margin USPS imprint horizontal pair, n.h., v.f., ** Catalog #2980b Catalog Value $750 | Price Realized $190.00 |
 | Lot #6077 United States Modern Issues 1995 150th Anniversary of the Naval Academy, 32c imperf. sheet margin part imprint horizontal pair, n.h., v.f., unlisted in Scott ** Catalog #3001var | Price Realized $425.00 |
 | Lot #6078 United States Modern Issues 1995 150th Anniversary of the Naval Academy, 32c imperf. upper left sheet corner margin block of four, n.h., v.f., unlisted in Scott **Catalog #3001var | Price Realized $575.00 |
 | Lot #6079 United States Modern Issues 1995 Iowa, 32c blue, imperforate horizontal pair, n.h., v.f. PCatalog #3088P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6080 United States Modern Issues 1995 Iowa, 32c blue, imperforate upper right sheet corner margin Plate No. block of four, n.h., v.f. PCatalog #3088P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6081 United States Modern Issues 1996 32c Olympic Centennial, pane of 20 misperforated to right, missing letters and into the Olympic Rings, with normal pane included for comparison, n.h., v.f. **Catalog #3087var | Unsold |
 | Lot #6082 United States Modern Issues 1996 Big Band Leaders, imperf. se-tenant pane of 20, n.h., v.f., unlisted in Scott (a similar pane brought $3,750 in our January 2020 sale) **Catalog #3099avar | Price Realized $2,400.00 |
 | Lot #6083 United States Modern Issues 1997 Thornton Wilder, 32c right margin pane of 20, completely misperforated both horizontally and vertically, n.h., v.f. **Catalog #3134var | Price Realized $325.00 |
 | Lot #6084 United States Modern Issues 1997 The World of Dinosaurs, se-tenant sheet of 15, bottom seven stamps imperforate, n.h., v.f. (a similar pane brought $1,600 in our January 2020 sale) **Catalog #3136p Catalog Value $2,500 | Price Realized $2,100.00 |
 | Lot #6085 United States Modern Issues 1997 The World of Dinosaurs, se-tenant sheet of 15, top eight stamps imperforate, n.h., v.f. (a similar sheet brought $2,000 in our January 2020 sale) **Catalog #3136q Catalog Value $2,500 | Price Realized $2,100.00 |
 | Lot #6086 United States Modern Issues 1997 The World of Dinosaurs, complete imperforate se-tenant sheet of 15, v.f., unlisted in Scott (a similar sheet brought $4,250 in our January 2020 sale) **Catalog #3136var | Price Realized $3,000.00 |
 | Lot #6087 United States Modern Issues 1997 Air Force, 32c black, imperforate vertical pair, n.h., faint toning at bottom, otherwise v.f. P Catalog #3187P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6088 United States Modern Issues 1997 Air Force, 32c black, imperforate horizontal sheet margin pair, n.h., v.f. P Catalog #3187P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6089 United States Modern Issues 1997 Air Force, 32c black, imperforate lower left sheet corner margin Plate No. Block of four, n.h., faint marginal toning, v.f. PCatalog #3187P | Unsold |
 | Lot #6090 United States Modern Issues 2013 commemorative box containing an array of proof material and sheets, including sheets of six with vignette only, frame only, complete stamps but without background design, albino stamps with background design, die wipe sheet, also normal sheet and first day pre-canceled sheet, plus 48-page booklet, v.f., very few of these kits were sold before the USPS ended the sales program **Catalog #4806var | Price Realized $450.00 |
 | Lot #6091 United States Modern Issues 2013 commemorative box containing an array of proof material and sheets, including sheets of six with vignette only, frame only, complete stamps but without background design, albino stamps with background design, die wipe sheet, also normal sheet and first day pre-canceled sheet, plus 48-page booklet, v.f., very few of these kits were sold before the USPS ended the sales program **Catalog #4806var | Price Realized $475.00 |
