1954 Liberty Series: Questions, Answers, SCF Links & Interesting Material - All Things Liberty

I find no active general threads about the USA Liberty Series which began in 1954. I have an interesting item I wished to post that was appropriate for a thread now closed. As such, I have decided to start a new "Liberty Series" topic for sharing some new materiel and giving a place to put the occasional Liberty Series related questions and answers.

First I wish to list the other Liberty aligned threads I can find doing a SCF search:
LOCKED--
https://www.stampcommunity.org/topi...&whichpage=1 Wonderful general Liberty thread.
https://www.stampcommunity.org/topi...PIC_ID=37662 Wet/Dry printing and tagging

Not locked but OLDER THAN DIRT--
https://goscf.com/t/9435 Look Magazine Coils
https://goscf.com/t/41830 FDCs by certain cachet makers.
https://goscf.com/t/75586 2c coil tagging vars.

CURRENT at the moment and unlocked--
https://goscf.com/t/84897 Looking for Tony W's Liberty Exhibit morphing into specifics about $5 Hamilton (1053) covers.
https://goscf.com/t/85968 Large/small coil hole sizes.
https://goscf.com/t/82677 8c differences
https://goscf.com/t/88870#822592 3c Coil Oddity
https://goscf.com/t/79777 Rare Liberty precancels? Yes!

Moving from the past to the now, here are two posts I wanted to reply to with my goodie.




Additionally, there were, but I did not quote, various pleas of where can I buy such and such Liberty example or variety. That is the problem with this and similar complicated stamp series. Even with a check book (okay, Apple Pay or PayPal) not limited by the number of zeros after the first 1-9 numbers which matter, you cannot just go get one on order today. It can take years, decades and/or just blind luck to find what you want.

Below is such an example. Who would have though (especially me) that a two color 1052 tag would show up. Trust me, even the seller who I bought this extremely unusual item from did not recognize nor highlight what makes it so outstanding. No, it is not just like the other tens of thousands of registered bank tag out there in the wild.




Now, I am one of many SCF folks who keep pointing out you cannot tell a color on your computer monitor when trying to ID which color a stamp is as compared to a color name in Scott. HOWEVER you can always see a color difference when two different colors are placed side-by-side and subjected to all the color insults which occur between lighting, imaging, display of image and the idiosyncrasies of your display monitor. Heck the seller only displayed the address side and I was likely the first person to look at the other side, blink, blink again and pull out my cash. Try to order postal history with both wet and dry printed versions of the same stamp design on one item and be prepared to hear crickets or loud long laughing.

This next item was clearly known about in when it was sent to the PF for a certificate by legendary dealer Jacques Schiff Jr. thirty years ago in 1995. However it has been hidden from view, or at least public view since 1995. The proof was unknown to Tony W., Wade Saade and some other Liberty specialists.






Now here is the problem with this item. It sold for only $1000.00 plus S&H and sales tax as appropriate on ebay, the price listed as Buy it Now. I know of two folks who would have happily paid that many zeros for the item. If the seller listed the item as an auction, it would have sold for more. But here is the rub for this item which was invisible for 30 years, it was listed on ebay in the late night and wee morning hours USA time. Between listing and sale about 6 hours transpired. You want one? You will have to wait for one of the two large die proofs, 1053P1, to hit the market. Money means nothing when you are not at the sale.

Of course, you can always got to the National Postal Museum to see a large die proof in person as well as a small die proof. No small die proofs are known in private hands. You will see:

Here is another "boring" registered bank tag, except it is not. Finding mail matter fully paid by just one denomination is a challenge. Here $8.50 is paid the hard way. As an additional point, the $32,000 value was noted as well.

Interesting stuff.

I very much enjoy proof collecting, and if one wants to collect a specific large die proof, or, a specific Panama Pacific large die proof, for example, the wait can be lengthy. Years ago I used to specialize in the 1c 1851 issue .. for 20 years. I was never able to get the 1c Panama Pacific large die proof (back then at least), so I can relate.

The Liberty series does seem as though it should become the "next" big collectible 20th century set, after the Prexies. I presume that trend has already started, although I'm not a 20th century collector -- but I enjoy seeing the material, and I am considering starting to collect 20th century essay/proof material.

Thank you for your comments txstamp, I do not intend to be the only voice in this thread. Let me address two of your comments.

First the Panama Pacific Proofs (P2a) are small, not large die proofs. My set, the only complete set (Q & JQ) outside of the Postal Museum, has not seen the light of day since the mid-1980s.

Tony Wawrukiewicz brought the Liberty Series to the forefront of 20th Century collecting when his Liberty multi-frame exhibit won a Grand Award, the first for the Liberties. Edit to add, he did so with the first discovered (and recognized) $5 Hamilton commercial cover which wasn't found until 1995. He got it from me only a couple of years later.

Yes you are correct, I misspoke. My intent was to make a comparison based upon similar rarity.

That is pretty amazing to get a Grand with the Liberty series.

Since I haven't studied these at all, I was intrigued by the whole wet vs dry printing on these. I see lots of similar discussion on Canadian stamps, i.e. Admirals, but I hadn't seen or paid much attention to similar on US 20th century stamps. The difference on the $1 Patrick Henry stamps is obvious on the tag, and I can believe that would be a very cool item.

The die proof in my OP has holes punched in it which was how die proofs were to be processed when take as a keep sake by some BEP employees. Three hole on the left edge and one "C"punch in the design, there with that punch repaired by a backing piece of card stock.

Here is an image of the other known 1053P1 without the hole punches.

BEP Control Number 180101B, on reverse

Just to show that this thread is not all about the high values, here is an interesting 1 cent item.