Good Grief! Why Would You Spend Good Money On Another R15e???

Because sometimes you just have to have something and you throw caution to the wind... along with your wallet, especially if it is something you are unlikely to ever see again.

In the last 3 years I have found and gotten clean Philatelic Foundation certificates on two examples of R15e, the 2-cent USIR orange on green paper (one since traded). Subsequent to finding the first one, I started doing some census research to try and gauge the population of this stamp:

https://revenue-collector.com/R15ecensus.shtml

Going back to 1960, I can account for approximately 20 different examples of the stamp, putting it in the extremely scarce if not outright rare category.

One just came up in the recent Kelleher auction, and I just had to have it. I was cautiously optimistic when it opened at $500, but there was a particularly stubborn phone bidder that also wanted it badly, and ultimately pushed it to $1500 + 20% juice = $1800, quite a ways from where it opened.

So why would I want another example, much less pay full retail price for one, especially when I still have another example?

For two particular reasons:

1. It has better centering than all other examples I discovered in my census research. It's a bit muddy of an impression compared to my others, but great margins... but most importantly

2. It is the only reported example on a CDV (carte de visite).

It has both 2017 William T. Crowe and 2006 APEX certificates (Eric Jackson and Richard Friedberg were the APEX expertizers on this item). While some may say that since the stamp is precanceled there is no way to be 100% certain that the stamp originated on the CDV, you could say that about virtually all precanceled items. The precancel is a style that you would typically see photographers use and only an idiot would manufacture that precancel as the stamp uncanceled is worth far more than with the precancel.

I suppose theoretically that it could have been removed from one CDV and then added to another. Unlikely, IMO.

So what is so special about it being on a CDV?

Because it allows me to have a likely unique set that may never be seen again: both 1st issue green papers on CDVs, the R6e and R15e.

I purchased my R6e on CDV from Bruce Baryla when he disassembled his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit back in 2013. As far as I know, it too is the only reported example on CDV. Interestingly, it too is from an Illinois photographer.

So this particular usage was worth paying a premium to me, to unite these two pieces.

Outstanding, Dan. Some rare or unique philatelic items aren't that attractive (to me, anyway), but your new R15e on a CDV is beautiful.

Dan, This was on my list of things to do but fortunately, for you, I forgot to bid. A truly rare item.

Wow great item. After reading the post and your census I went on the PF site and the block four has an updated certificate now its bad. This might remove four copies from the count depending on your view of which cert to believe. what was cert 313206 has been update with cert 507351

The paper would give it away, among other things. Genuine green paper is an extremely thin translucent paper.

Karl, thank you for not bidding!

therevenueman, thank you for that information. I will update the census. Rather than removing it entirely, I think I will leave it listed on the page, since it is still related, but provide commentary about the new cert.

I find it interesting that both photographs were taken in the Peoria area. Peoria and Galesburg are only about 40 miles apart. Coincidence? May be nothing.

Aren't certain rare stamp varieties usually found within a certain area due to coming from a specific pane that was broken down and sold in a specific place?

Congratulations. Interesting read, and I know how satisfying it is to finally get that rare item or set after looking for so long.

Its kind of a shame that the block isn't real, but I guess that props up the value of the rest.

Proximity is a definite factor on quite a few rarities for normal issued stamps. I don't claim to know anything, however, about how revenue stamps were distributed. Good observation.

My experience is that it seems that most revenue stamps were distributed haphazardly; they were just sent where and when they were needed by taking them off the top of the pile.

Because the images above were taken several years apart on different equipment, I thought I'd drop by the safe deposit box and grap the R6e and scan both together on the same scanner pass to get a more accurate comparison.

The lady on the left looks like a drawing, not a photo?

Jim

Not uncommon, actually. The Carte de Visite format was used not just for photographs but for also for drawings that could be reproduced via negative/plate (sorry, I'm not familiar with the actual production process of the day).

Another example:

That is a strange item (the profile of the lady). It appears to be three-dimensional in at least part of the hair area. Real hair applied to a drawing...and then photographed?

Dan,

How do you mount these things so you can see both sides?

Clear stock pages?

Jim

Ancient Chinese secret!

https://goscf.com/t/32856