The Siegel Gordon Eubanks Sale Of United States 1851 To 1856 Imperforate Issues

From Siegel:

Dear Client,

Muhammad Ali famously once said, "It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am."

He also said, "I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked."

We know why Ali was the greatest. He moved and threw punches like butterflies and bees.

But what exactly does it mean to say a stamp collection is the greatest?

That's what I'm saying about the Gordon Eubanks collection of United States 1851 to 1856 Imperforate Issues.

Why? What makes his collection better than any other before it?

To avoid confusing matters, I am not referring to the collection in its exhibit form. In 2016 at World Stamp Show-NY, the exhibit captured the Grand Prix National, the top award. Not only was the material mind-blowing, but the presentation was seamlessly woven, the write-up was erudite, and the 128 pages displayed in the eight frames were dazzling.

I make this point about the exhibit vs. the collection, because sometimes Grand Prix exhibits win the contest, but viewed in the pantheon of past collections of the same subject, they do not make the final cut.

So, having made that distinction, I will repeat my laudatory claim. The Eubanks 1851-56 collection is the greatest collection of its kind ever assembled.

Now, back to the why part. Here are 3 reasons.

1. The Right Stuff: The Newbury 7R1E (Scott 5) and 99R2 (Scott 8) covers. The 1c 1851 "Big Flaw" block. The 10c 1855 "Colossus" block of 21. The Newbury block of Scott 16. The Neinken matching pair of 12c 1851 bisect covers to Canada. Even the nuanced rarities are there, such as the 5c 1856 cover to Hong Kong via Prussian Closed Mail, a route rarely used for mail from the U.S. to China.

2. The Perfect Balance: Without doubt, Louis Grunin's 1851-56 collection sold at Christie's in 1987-88 was fantastic, but his off-cover stamps from the same issue paled in comparison to the Eubanks off-cover material. The collection is a perfect mix of proofs, stamps, multiples and covers.

3. The Quality Factor: It's no secret that exhibitors sometimes "cheat" a bit by displaying less than perfect examples to fill a void or stretch a budget. If the story can be told with a stamp with a tear or a cover that's repaired, many exhibitors do not discriminate against faulty items. "It'll do" is the mantra. Not so for Gordon Eubanks. In almost every case, the quality of the stamp or cover in his collection will satisfy the most fastidious collector. His mantra has been, "Acquire the Best."

The sale of the Eubanks collection on October 12-13 does not include his celebrated "Dawson" 2c Missionary cover or the other Hawaiian postal history rarities, because he is continuing to build his Hawaii exhibit collection. The same is true for covers sent via Nicaragua and California Penny Post Company local covers. However, everything else is in the sale.

I personally handled the Grunin collection 34 years ago. Not since then have I ever felt a collection surpassed it… not until Gordon Eubanks came along and, with the dispersal of the Gross collection, added the last pieces to his collection, which had already won the Grand Prix.

The sale in October is destined to be one of those "I was there and wish I'd bought more" moments for many collectors. There's no better time to start a new collecting subject. Here are a few ideas for collectors and exhibitors:

• Blocks, blocks, blocks. On or off cover. Multiples are impressive and rare, and there are many in the collection that will form the basis of a "Classic Multiples" collection.

• Postal markings. Try putting together a survey collection of markings related to steamboat and railroad route agents, registered mail, territorial post offices, and carrier service.

• Fancy cancels. The 1851-56 Issue period, in which relatively few fancy cancels were used, is a great lead-in to the more prolific 1861-69 period. The "J. Chiles" Shield of Eutaw, Alabama, would be a wonderful start to a fancy cancel collection.

• Icons. If you have the means and inclination, start with the iconic pieces, and if you're starting with icons, the Newbury 7R1E cover should be at the top of the list. It has everything: Rarity, Beauty, Provenance. If I could only buy one lot in the sale, that would be it.

• 21c American Packet Rate. Now this is an obscure recommendation but stay with me. The transatlantic rate to various countries for mail carried by U.S. steamships via England was 21c. Obviously, there was no single 21c denomination available to pay the rate, so various combinations of 1c, 3c, 5c, 10c, and 12c stamps had to be used on covers to prepay the single or multiple 21c American Packet rate. It's a perfect common thread for a one-frame exhibit.

• Choose a Stamp. The 1c is perfect for collectors who love the challenge of plating and the beauty of deep blue stamps. The 3c is the workhorse of the issue and is perfectly suited for specialization. The 5c and 10c are also fascinating single-issue subjects, and there is an abundance of material available. And the distinguished 12c Black is a beautiful stamp on and off cover.

• Bisects. The last collector I knew who specialized in bisected stamps was Michael Bakwin, and his estate collection has been dispersed, leaving the field wide open to anyone who likes a challenge. The Eubanks collection contains spectacular examples of the 3c and 12c bisected and used on cover.

• Illustrated Covers. With the 1851 Issue came the expanded use of envelopes, and envelopes made it easy to apply return addresses, commercial ads, illustrations for political or propaganda purposes, and even hand-illustrated designs. The illustrated covers in the Eubanks collection are diverse and beautiful. They form a collection you could show to capture the interest of non-collector friends.

I could go on and on, but I've already gone way beyond the boundaries of the average attention span for emails.
Enjoy the Eubanks catalogue and participate in the sale. If you need advice or assistance, the Siegel team is here.

Regards,
Scott Trepel
President

https://siegelauctions.com/sales.php?sale_no=1242

Will be an interesting auction, but I think mostly for specialists. VERY curious to see where the ex-Gross lots end. See Mr Eubanks buy them in an old-fashioned, glam auction was pretty cool.

Looking forward to this sale. Already signed up for a couple days off from work.

[Drool]

As great a sale as this is, its not even all of what Gordon owns or has owned in this area. He has sold off quite a few of his 1851s over the years.

I'm always amazed when I see collectors selling off all or part of their collections as a personal choice (ie not selling due to financial issues where cash is needed), especially those with deep pockets.

I do sell stamps an covers, but only those acquired in large lots after pulling out things wanted for my many collections (in some ways, I'm an example of the ole 'Jack (collector) of all trades...master of none,' I suppose).

That said, there's no way in Beelzebub's home that I would ever (ever!) sell off any of my stamps and covers. I love these things and spend plenty of time reviewing, feeding, and nurturing these bits of historic paper, each one having some story behind how it ended up in my albums and from where.

I guess, big picture, its good for our hobby to have stamps like Gordon's appear on the market, and I'm sure I'll be taking a swing at a few of them during the auction, but as for me, my heir has explicit instructions and I'm going to keep enjoying mine until I'm drooling my Mapo or go to be with the Lord.

What it really makes me appreciate is Mr. Miller who donated his entire collection to the NYPL and is now on partial display at the Smihsonian Postal Museum. What a gift to the nation.
Cheers

Thanks to the late Wilson Hulme and the NPM the Miller Collection is now accessible. The collection was poorly treated for many years by the New York Public Library. It was inaccessible for many years after a major theft from the library display. With very few exceptions, I would rather see the material returned to the market.

I can remember stumbling on the Miller Collection in the library as a boy. It was mounted on about 25 double sided wood and glass frames. A memorable day in a great building.

Donations of philatelic materials to museums is a very mixed bag. Very few museums have the resources to deal with it properly, and extremely few donations ever come with the accompanying cash donation for the cataloging/care/maintenance of the philatelic material. Far better to leave collections to the collectors.

3 years ago or so was my last visit with the Miller. It was well worth the trip. Quanity, quality and the care Mr. Miller took in assembling his collection was a testament to the man himself. And it was free!
A well spent afternoon.
Regards

With regard to the comments made about the care of materials donated to public institutions as opposed to collections residing in private collections. It has been my observation over my collecting career that it is often only happenstance and luck that puts a donated collection under the eye of a curator who is not only doing a job but also has a true feeling for the material as displayed by several respondents to this thread. I would never trust an employee of a public institution to display that kind of care and interest. In addition, it is my impression that the vast majority of materials donated for the public benefit are in fact never displayed nor seen by anyone once donated.

Many major exhibitors have returned their exhibits to the market as a matter of choice rather than of finance when the exhibits get to a point where they can go no further or have otherwise run their course. This is not the first time Gordon has sold a collection.

Yes, and kudos to Gordon for recycling this material for others to enjoy for awhile. Considering that his criteria included : importance, rarity and quality, he probably has taken this about as far as it can go without starting to deviate.

I know someone who told another person I know that they want to donate their collection to a museum. I don't think they have a clue how little of it is likely to ever be displayed.

I received the hardbound catalog for the sale today and can only say WOW!!! There are not enough superlatives to describe the catalog. It is a work of art destined to become a sought after reference. Kudos to Siegel.