Scott #2187-D 1990 40 Cent Chennault Without Tagging ??

In working through a huge (really huge, as in cubic meters) postage lot, we have been checking the tagging on everything, usually with out any surprises.

However, we seem to have found a lower-left (side) full plate (#1) strip of 20 without any sign of tagging under a good short-wave UV light. The gum is "dull" (i.e. invisibile),

With a Scott value of $250 per stamp for #2187d, I want to be sure I have gotten this correct.

I am surprised that searching on Google (and ebay) has not found any examples for sale. I did find one Cherrystone lot that claimed to have a single in it along with some unrelated untagged stamps -- an odd mix, but perhaps thus why it went unsold.

Questions:

- Does anybody maintain any census or sales records on the Great Americans series varieties such as this?

- Which expertising service would be the most appropriate for such a variety? Is one more well known (or respected) than another for their expertise on the Great Americans?

- Assuming it all checks out, the next step is tricky. If it really is as rare as the catalog value and searching suggests, then it would be a shame to break this up. But, if sold as the unit of 20 stamps, it would probably go for quite a bit less than if broken down somewhat. At the same, time, I am sure that items such as even singles of this have a limited market (always a problem with a variety that is what you can't see instead of what you can see). Once divided, there is certainly no pasting it back together! I welcome any thoughts regarding this condundrum.

Jay

"without any sign of tagging under a good short-wave UV light"

Were you looking with a magnifier (in a dark room)? - iuntagged errors have to pass such a test just like missing color ewrrors and I find most "untagged errors" are really only close but no cigar.

Since the plate # is 1, the tagging (if present) should be overall (2187). The other dull gum version (2187a) only has plate #2. In fact, all of the other Chennault versions have plate #2.
I have seen most of the Great American "tagging omitted" issues offered for sale on ebay or via auction, with a few exceptions. The exceptions are Gallaudet (1861), Flanagan (2171), Marin (2173), Howe (2174) & Chennault (2187).