Sale 1388 — The Boardwalk Collection of Outstanding United States Stamps–Part One–19th Century Issues
Sale Date — Wednesday-Thursday, 23-24 September, 2026
Category — 1869 Pictorial Issue Without Grill and Imperforates (Scott 112b-122a)
1c Buff, Without Grill (112b). Original gum, lightly hinged, bright color
VERY FINE AND CHOICE. THIS IS ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF THE ONE-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE WITHOUT GRILL IN EXISTENCE. OUR CENSUS CONTAINS ONLY ELEVEN SINGLES AND A BLOCK OF FOUR. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF THE ISSUE.
Our census of Scott 112b, at https://siegelauctions.com/resources/census/us/scott/112b, contains eleven singles and one block of four which has not been seen in decades. Only five singles are sound (nos. 1, 2, 4-6). Of the five sound copies, one has part original gum (no. 6). The centering on the example here is among the best of the three other sound examples with original gum.
Census no. 112b-OG-04. Ex Jon Rose and Floyd. "W.H.C." (Colson) backstamp. With 1991 P.F. certificate.
ADDENDA: THIS HAD A DANGLING TOP LEFT CORNER PERF WHICH HAS BEEN REMOVED. THE CORNER IS STILL COMPLETE.
Certificate
1991 PF No. 0251942 View Cert
2c Brown, Without Grill (113b). Original gum, deep rich color and detailed impression, unusually choice centering for this challenging issue
VERY FINE. A RARE SOUND AND CENTERED ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 2-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE WITHOUT GRILL.
We have offered about a dozen singles, plus a rejoined block of four, since 1993. Most examples of this stamp are significantly off center, with perfs in on one side.
"W.H.C." (Colson) backstamp. Signed a few times including by E. Stern. With 1977 P.F. certificate.
Certificate
1977 PF No. 64421 View Cert
3c Ultramarine, Without Grill (114a). Original gum, h.r., intense shade and impression, light gum soaks around some perforations
VERY FINE APPEARING ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 3-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE WITHOUT GRILL.
Several examples of this issue tend to have perforations touching or into the design. The centering on the example offered here is superior to most.
With 1976 P.F. certificate.
Certificate
1976 PF No. 54648 View Cert
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. I, Without Grill (118a). Original gum, h.r., deep rich colors, unusually choice centering with wide margins, pulled perf at bottom left corner (not noted on certificate)
EXTREMELY FINE CENTERING. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 15-CENT TYPE I 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE WITHOUT GRILL.
Our survey of The Philatelic Foundation records found approximately 25 examples certified as genuine, of which about half have faults. All seem to have vignettes shifted slightly downwards and to the right.
With 1980 P.F. certificate.
Certificate
1980 PF No. 90123 View Cert
24c Green & Violet, Without Grill (120a). Redistributed original gum over small thin spot at bottom center, rich colors
FINE APPEARANCE. THE 24-CENT IS THE RAREST OF THE 1869 PICTORIAL HIGH VALUES WITHOUT GRILL.
Our informal survey of auction catalogues and the records of The Philatelic Foundation produced approximately 24 copies. Many have part original gum or disturbed original gum, and over half have faults.
With 2001 P.F. certificate.
Certificate
2001 PF No. 0376794 View Cert
24c Green & Violet, Without Grill (120a). Original gum which by today's expertizing standards may be called slightly disturbed, rich colors, certificate notes bleached to remove staining which we fail to detect
VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE WITHOUT GRILL.
Our informal survey of auction catalogues and the records of The Philatelic Foundation produced approximately 24 copies. Many have part original gum or disturbed original gum, and over half have faults.
With 1989 P.F. certificate.
Certificate
1989 PF No. 0203129 View Cert
30c Ultramarine & Carmine, Without Grill (121a). Original gum, intense colors and detailed impressions
VERY FINE AND CHOICE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 30-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE WITHOUT GRILL.
With 1992 P.F. certificate.
Certificate
1992 PF No. 0262020 View Cert
90c Carmine & Black, Without Grill (122a). Original gum, deep rich colors and detailed impressions, light bend at left noted on certificate
VERY FINE. A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 90-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE WITHOUT GRILL.
Our most recent review of the records of The Philatelic Foundation found 26 certified examples. Several have not been seen in some time and need to be reexamined. Only 14 have either part or full original gum and only eight of these original-gum stamps are certified as sound.
With 1983 P.F. certificate.
Certificate
1983 PF No. 0119856 View Cert
1c-90c 1869 Pictorial, Without Grill, Imperforate (Varieties of 112b, 114a, 117a, 118a, 121a, 122a). The set comprising:
1c Buff, large to huge margins, large part original gum, Extremely Fine
3c Ultramarine, huge margins, large part original gum, intense dark shade, Extremely Fine
12c Green, large to huge margins, part original gum, trivial corner margin crease clear of design, still Extremely Fine
15c Dark Brown & Blue, Type I, ample to huge margins, part original gum, Very Fine
30c Blue & Carmine, large to huge margins, large part original gum, Extremely Fine
90c Carmine & Black, large to huge margins, rich color and deep shade, tiny negligible corner crease far from design, still Extremely Fine
THE UNIQUE EXAMPLES OF THE 1869 PICTORIAL STAMPS, IMPERFORATE AND WITHOUT GRILL, PREPARED IN 1869 AND RELEASED BY THE NATIONAL BANK NOTE COMPANY.
A total of seven stamps are known imperforate without grill on stamp paper, with six offered here (the seventh is the 24c Invert). The seven stamps first received careful scrutiny in 1945 at the time of the Col. Edward H. R Green auctions. At the request of Eugene Costales, one of the auctioneers commissioned to sell part of the massive Green estate, the set of 1869 Pictorial Imperforates was examined by Clarence Brazer, the foremost authority on United States essays and proofs. Brazer determined that the seven stamps were regular plate impressions on normal stamp paper and not proof impressions on India or other non-stamp paper (Bierman, The World's Greatest Stamp Collectors). After the Green auction in which these stamps appeared together for the first time (Sale XIX, Costales, lots 16-22), the set was submitted to The Philatelic Foundation Expert Committee, which issued certificates in 1949 that explicitly stated each stamp was "NOT a proof, but a genuine impression ... apparently imperforate." This opinion was confirmed in 1976 (24c Invert) and in 1989 when the Expert Committee issued new certificates for all seven stamps.
The most significant aspect of this set and a clue to its date of origin is the presence of the 15c Type I. It has been well established that the Type I stamps were printed from plates 19/19 (vignette/frame) during the first printing of the 1869 Pictorial Issue in February-March 1869. In May 1869 the second printing commenced, and the 15c was printed from two new plates, vignette plate 23 and frame plate 23, the latter having changes in the design that represent Type II. No Type I stamps were produced after the first printing in February-March 1869 and the Type I plates (no. 19) were never used again in the production of stamps or proofs after the first printing. Evidence of this statement is the absence of any plate proof impressions of the 15c Type I, whereas the subsequent Type II and Type III plates were used to make a wide variety of proof material dating from 1869 to the 1879 Inverts on card.
The perforated 1869 Without Grill stamps also tie in with the first printing. The 15c Without Grill only exists as a Type I (Scott 118a); there is no Type II (second printing) without grill. The 30c Without Grill (Scott 121a) exists in three large imprint pieces: the two bottom margin blocks show the proper red vignette plate number 21, but the top margin block is missing the blue frame plate number 21 (Sale 888, lot 111). Because the top frame plate number 21 appears on 30c proofs from subsequent printings, we can be certain that the 30c Without Grill is an early printing from an un-numbered frame plate. Therefore, we have strong, if not absolute, evidence that the Without Grill stamps, perforated or imperforate, were printed prior to or at the time of the February-March 1869 printing. If we include the 24c Invert in this assessment, then we have the only example of an 1869 Invert from the first printing—all others are well established as coming from the second printing.
The 1869 Without Grill and Imperforate Without Grill stamps are comparable to their 1861 Issue counterparts, the First Designs and First Colors (Scott 55-61). In the case of the 24c Invert we have a stamp akin to the 4c Pan-American Invert (Scott 296a), or the 4c and 8c Bluish Paper issues (Scott 360, 363); never issued at a post office, but issued nonetheless.
Ex Col. Edward H. R. Green, Josiah K. Lilly, and Louis Grunin. Acquired by the current owner in our 1995 Rarities sale. Each stamp with 1949 and 1989 P.F. certificates. Noted in Scott U.S. Specialized Catalogue.
Certificate
1989 PF
1949 PF