Lot
3120 
1861, 12¢ black, First Design, large part o.g. (which covers virtually the entire reverse of the stamp), exceptionally centered with large beautifully balanced margins and perforations clear of the design all round, tiny thin spot at top, Extremely Fine appearance, ex-Weill & T. Cullen Davis; with 1962 & 2019 P.F. certificates.Scott No. 59 $90,000.
THE 12¢ BLACK IS THE RAREST OF THE 1861 FIRST DESIGNS AND COLORS, WITH A TOTAL OF 16 EXAMPLES RECORDED, ONE OF WHICH RESIDES IN THE MILLER COLLECTION AT THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY.
This stamp was sold in a 1964 Siegel Auction (Sale #276) for a whopping $13,000, the highest price of the entire sale. By way of comparison, in the same sale, a sound copy of the Inverted Jenny (Scott C3a) sold for $10,500.
Certificate(s):
View gallery or Download PDF (605KB).
Realized: $30,000