#214-CIVIL WAR SALE: THREE GEM MINT REMARKABLE PROOFS OF STAMPS FROM GREAT CENTRAL SANITARY FAIR

While it is my personal opinion, I think this lot of the many Civil War stamps we are offering in this sale is the proverbial cream of the crop. The single Bazaar stamp is the most expensive but this is a really great visual, colorful example of proof stamps. They are on a heavy paper about the weight of heavy kids' construction art paper, or pretty thin cardboard. While I am NOT a stamp collector nor a stamp dealer, I have always sought out both Sanitary Fair and Confederate stamps as highly collectible Civil War items. Likewise, in this and many other cases, I have also sought rare proofs--and this lot is a great example of that.

I have not included an image of the backs as they were printed on heavier proof paper stock with blank reverses--no gum as made.

The colors here are very vibrant and illustrate the decision-making exercise at the fair: All are 20-cent stamps, but in dramatically different color inks. I have studied catalogs as well as past sales records of these and other Sanitary Fair stamps, as well as Confederate 5 and 10-cent stamps. These proofs allowed fair managers to decide what color they wanted for the 20-cent variety.

Catalog prices for many items, such as coins, are generally lower than typical asking prices. Remember, I am referring to price/information catalogs NOT auction or sale catalogs. I've discovered what many of you likely already know--that stamp catalog prices are anything but an accurate representation of the marketplace.

One can find sales/ebay and other listings where stamp dealers cite the catalog value along with their asking price. It is not at all uncommon to see a stamp with a $100-$150 catalog value offered for sale in the $50-70 range. I won't say the catalog values are useless, but in most cases you can use them as a guideline assuming that the retail price will be 50±% of that catalog price. Most important is the historical record of actual sales. I won't belabor pricing here but I have written extensively about this exact issue regarding world's fair medals and tokens and other items.

These are just one lot of many in this sale for the regular Sanitary Fair issues, Sanitary Fair Cinderella proofs and Confederate single and blocks of stamps.

I have been a collector all of my life and a seller "only" 45+ years; I always seek out items to sell that I personally would have wanted in my own collection. I don't mean to overstate the desirability of this trio of proofs, but they are absolute gems, the colors are all very strong, and they are unusual as test colors as well. For those anxious to add a proof to their collection, while spending less, I have listed individual proofs as well.

And as noted in various place in this sale, our goal is to offer items at less than half of their typical sale price. We will send these at no cost to the buyer whether they are purchased alone or with other items.

OFFERS CONSIDERED
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