US Sets And Centering

Which set do you believe is the hardest to obtain with XF centering ?
While trying to complete this set with very well centered items, my nomination has to be the Jamestown set.

Trans-Mississippi - but even harder is affording them!

Jametown is a good pick ... the margins are so small that finding any visible white around the border seems near impossible.

Here are my copies ... I feel like they are a scar on the face of my album, lol.

Still working on this 1902-1903 set to get just right.


Also, a hard set I think is "The Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue 1913". Just try and find a decent 10 cent one today.

All three sets mentioned are more difficult to find nicely centered especially in the higher values (due to the lower production numbers) But the 1 cent and 2 cent Jamestown are surprisingly difficult inspite of their relatively high production numbers (1 cent- 79,779,200, 2 cent- 149,497,994). For a non-commemorative I would say the 3rd Bureau coil waste (538-540, 544, 546).

Good points on all the sets mentioned and very true on each, especially the panama Pacific 10¢. As I mentioned I'm trying to find the Jamestown set with very nice centering and about 2 weeks ago I had a chance to get the 5¢ Pocahontas with XF centering and was outbid as it went for 60% of catalog and it was unmounted, I bid it at 55%. Since then the only ones I've seen are listed at 5-7 times catalog value due the the centering. I did snag the 1¢ with very good centering, but the hunt must go on.

The prices of well centered stamps have drastically increased the last several years. One of by better buys was a 330 MNH for $11.
That was a few years ago, I was still in high school and Johnson was president (Thats Lyndon not Andrew).
I haven't had it greaded but I would think probably a 90.

That is one of the best that I have seen, if unmounted I bet it would fetch a very nice premium.

It is unmounted and I have see similar stamps go for up to $600.00 (on a good day). In 1968 I paid 50% cat. This same dealer had some MNH (unmounted) VF (probably grade 80) for $5-$7. Oh well, gas was 22cent/gal too.

I was just looking at one that is not as nice as yours and it was listed as a buy it now for $350.00