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Lot 1778 E
Post Office Seal, 1877, Original Pen-and-Ink Drawing on Thick Brown Paper, Preliminary sketch referred to in two letters from the National Bank Note Company, small top left corner crease, Very Fine and unique, ex-Earl of Crawford, Christiansen, Chesapeake (Tom Rosser), Kotanchik.Scott Nos. OX1-E1 $5,500.
The following is content from the National Bank Note Company letters that refer to the drawing: 10 February 1877, "Your favor of instructions came to hand this morning with draft of the Official Seal for use of the Dead Letter Office. Before engraving, we will make a drawing which will give you a fair idea of the design", and 19 February 1877, "Wherein we hand you model for dead letter stamp which we trust will please you".
Realized: $3,250
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Lot 1779 E
Post Office Seal, 1877, orange brown, progressive die essay on India paper, mounted on card 60 X 46 mm, incomplete engraving of entire design with vignette lacking cap and background, and the 2 mm-wide border frame lacking vertical shading lines, F.-V.F. and unique.Scott Nos. OX1-E3 $1,250.
Realized: $1,600
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Lot
1780
Post Office Seal, 1877, orange brown, progressive die essay on India paper, stamp size, incomplete engraving of design with only the 2 mm-wide border frame lacking vertical shading lines, few trivial India thins, Very Fine and unique, ex-Christiansen. Scott Nos. OX1-E4 $1,000.
Realized: $750
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Lot 1781 P
Official Seal, 1877, black, trial color die proof on India, trimmed to 36x45mm showing engraved die number "4585" above design, affixed to salesman's sample or inventory book, reverse shows small portions of other National Bank Note Co. dies, Very Fine.Scott Nos. OX1TC1 $500.
Realized: $475
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Lot 1782 P
Official Seal, 1877, green, trial color die proof on India, die sunk on 97 X 71 mm card, engraved die number "4585" above design, fresh and Very Fine, undercataloged, ex-Christiansen.Scott Nos. OX1TC1a Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
A single set of seven trial color proofs in different colors were sent to the post office on March 6, 1877 to assist in color selection for the 1877 seal.
Realized: $1,150
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Lot
1783 P
Official Seal, 1877, green, trial color plate proof on bond, block of four, bottom pair partially printed, large margins, some light creasing including vertical crease between proofs ending with small scissor cut at top, Very Fine appearance, the only recorded block. Scott Nos. OX1TC5 Estimate $750 - 1,000.
References: Illustrated in Kotanchik's "Post Office Seals of the United States and Possessions", p. 81, fig. 7-3. Erroneously described as on card. There is only a vertical pair and the block of four offered here, both originally formed a block of six offered intact in 1977 Sotheby Park Bernet Sale 2.
Realized: $1,000
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Lot
1784 P
Official Seal, 1877, green, trial color plate proof on bond, perf'd & gummed, rejoined block of six (pair and block of four), o.g., top pair hinge reattached, s.e. at top, bottom pair partially printed and smudged from the effects of ink testing, F.-V.F., the only recorded examples of this experimental ink trial color proof, blk/4 ex-Christensen, Chesapeake, Kotanchik. Scott Nos. OX1TC6 Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Realized: $1,150
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Lot 1785 P
Official Seal, 1877, brown, large die proof, 217x148mm full card, some light foxing at bottom and right, F.-V.F. and scarce.Scott Nos. OX1P1 $1,750.
Realized: $725
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Lot 1786 P
Official Seal, 1877, brown, large die proof with engraver signatures, on 105 X 150 mm card, signed in pencil by the engravers of the issue "D.S. Ronaldson" (frame), "BP" Butler Packard (lathework), "E. Oldham" (letters), and "Alfred Jones" (vignette), slight abrasion around design, trivial tone specks., F.-V.F. and rare large die proof that exists only in hybrid form, unique with signatures., ex-Christiansen.Scott Nos. OX1P1 var. $1,750+.
Reference: Illustrated in "The Post Office Seals of the United States - Volume One: The Regular Issues", Adam Perkal & Seymour Kazman, 1983, p. 133, fig. 97.
Realized: $1,250
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Lot
1787 P
Official Seal, 1877, brown, plate proof on India, block of 4, large to huge margins with left sheet margins, small filing hole at bottom left, otherwise Very Fine. Scott Nos. OX1P3 $650.
Realized: $290