Scott #80 Sold For $340,000 + 18% Yesterday

One area I've specialized in are the 1867 grills. Because I know I'll never own a Scott 80, 81, or 82, I made a page that doesn't even leave room for them. There are only 4 #80s known in existence - so someone must be trying to build a complete 19th century collection! This was a mouth-watering sale of many one of a kind type items. For a classic US collector, especially with an interest in grills, this was a truly amazing sale to observe. There were a few "normal" grills that got overlooked by the big money crowd in attendance. So there were deals to be had for those with sharp eyes. e.g., I picked up an unused #98 with VF centering for surprisingly cheap and couple other low-ball bids that actually worked. Fun day.

I don't think they got overlooked, as usual things sold based on condition. Scarcity overcomes minor condition issues at a certain point for everyone. It's always good when one can buy scarce items in acceptable condition for a very reasonable price. It never happens often enough.

It looked like a pretty strong sale, which you'd expect with such good material throughout.

The 5c A grill realization of 340K+tip seemed to me to be quite good - especially given that its not unique.

Well I checked Siegel power search and the price I got for that 98 was way way below similar centered and conditioned stamps. I call that cheap. Another one I got for less than half of what I was willing to pay. There was basically no bidding on a couple of those "normal" items. I think the audience for this sale were focused on the major rarities - and there were a lot of them.

For no gum with some short perfs and the natural confluence of the perfs at the corners the price seems about right. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice buy for a collector but a dealer looking to make a profit would not have a lot of room there.

I was shocked at the number of genuinely rare blocks that went for 10% +/- of cv. I missed the sale and it hurts. There were major bargains to be had for collection showpieces.

Ok rev, I won't try to convince you but I know the market for 98s pretty well. I still think I got it more than just a little under market.

I spend a lot of my time breaking down and cataloging large US collection and accumulation lots for auction, so I generally know which items get taken out to be sold individually and which don't. This stamp would not have been removed from a better collection most of the time. It only got removed here because it had a LOT of grilled stamp company and it was a name sale. If it was in a $40,000 or $50,000 catalog John Doe collection it would have stayed in there.

You used the magic b-word. Per another discussion about grading and cutting up blocks - blocks just don't attract as many buyers as individual stamps.

I personally love classic multiples, and if I had the money, and was substantially motivated, I'd gladly start a collection of nothing but classic multiples. Most people don't though, and that hurts realizations.

A block of og 71's went for $1700 and a block of og 72's went for $2600. Those were steals.

The og #71 had h.r. where few perf separations sensibly reinforced, light vertical creases, few toned spots on back. The creases are a BIG deal to serious collectors and the dealers who sell to them. So are toned spots, which are likely to only get worse over time. These things matter a lot.

The #72. Block of four, disturbed original gum, h.r. where few perf separations sensibly reinforced, deep rich color, bottom stamps horizontal crease, bottom left stamp small repair

Repairs and creases MATTER. A lot. These were not "steals", they were an accurate reflection of the market for the condition they are in. On the other hand, a completely sound block might well have brought significantly over catalog.

I think something we all understand that is behind some of these comments is that an auction at Siegel with a specialist leaning, like this sale, doesn't attract the same audience as other venues and other platforms. What I hear revcollector saying is that these prices are reasonable for this venue. In my own opinion this leaves open opportunities for people who aren't the primary audience for a sale like this to get things we'd consider to be "steals".

We will have to agree to disagree Rev. Those blocks and others went for bargain prices especially given their scarcity and even rarity as blocks. There is only upside to them and if I had not dropped the ball yesterday they would be mine right now. There are not any more blocks being made like those. A bargain.

Specialist sales generally flood the market with certain, often esoteric rare items, and can be good opportunities for smart buyers.

A collector got a nice buy. They probably went low enough for a dealer to try to double his money, but he might have to wait for a long while. The market for blocks is simply not that strong and as scarce as they are, the condition still matters. Of course if it was a collector, no one knows how much higher that person might have gone, so saying "they would be mine" is not necessarily accurate.