Is Anyone Collecting US Essays And Proofs?

Do collectors today still pursue U.S. essays and proofs? They don't seem to get much discussion, and more than a few times in a few places they get no bids.

What's the deal with them?

Good question.

I have been surprised at what I would consider low realizations for some super rare items in the past year (certain Panama Pacifics and Large Die proofs). Its hard to argue the market is flooded for rarities like that - but maybe the market is that thin?

I collect essay proof material related to the 1847, 51 & 57 issue stamps. I did also recently purchase a nice India proof set of the 1861 issue and I'm considering branching out more.

There are definitely some serious 1847 issue buyers out there. I mean serious. That's been the main area that I have a hard time winning a bid on. The 51s - seem thin.

Yes, but only in certain limited areas.

In my estimation there are two general essay and proof collectors, the ones who chase the material associated with the stamps they collect and the second who collect essays and proofs general without regard to a particular issue or issues. The first group remains active. The second group seems to have no one active in the area at the moment. Thus is someone wanted to start generally, now is the time to buy but with some exceptions, it is not the time to sell.

RASAG has a proofs and essays only auction this Saturday. Should be fun to watch or participate in. I collected proofs for a while and then sold them all. I love them. They are quite stunning and not sure why they did not gain more traction in the hobby. IMO it has something to do in part or whole with album publishers and what is "normal". Only certain BoB categories get the love.

CORRECTION:

Although the title of the auction is Proofs and Essays only the first 40 lots are those. The subsequent lots are regular issues.

I think the proof and essay market is still recovering from the dispersal of Bill Langs' estate. His stock was sold over a fairly short time period (about a year) and the market had trouble absorbing it. I think the essay and large die items that exist in smaller numbers are doing better than the plate proofs that exist in quantity.

Yes, I collect US essays and proofs. They are beautiful to look at and generally priced quite reasonably versus the issued postage stamps.

I mostly collect P3s and P4s (India and Card proofs) rather than P1's which are hard to store, or P2s that are more pricey. I once had a couple of Panama Pacific proofs (P2a) but they did not spark joy so I sold them and I have not seeked others. Many P2a's that I have seen have mushy colors and toned paper. For the price of one P2a, I would rather have a nice clean bright set of P3 or P4 1869s or Columbians.

I also like essays, when I can find them without breaking the bank. I especially like the ones that show the progress towards a recognizable stamp design. I don't have many essays because most of them are extremely scarce and expensive but I really like seeing them as part of an exhibit.

I wonder if the drop in interest is partly due to Scott no longer including them in the regular Specialized catalog, or if it is just a sign of the industry as a whole -- as if all of the remaining general collectors already have all of the common proofs, and the scarce proofs require a specialist in that issue to be at that particular auction when it comes up.

I'll be watching the Siegel auction this weekend to see what bargains can be had.

I don't specifically collect proofs but I do have a complete set of the Officials on card. Including the 4 dollar-denominated State issues it was delightfully inexpensive, well under $1,000. That's not pocket change but compare that to what unused Officials would cost if they were stamps.
With few exceptions being labeled BOB is unfortunate.

I bought a completeish set of plate proofs on india going from 1847 to 1869 issues for reselling. I kept a couple, but I've been pleased with how well they sold. There are fewer than ten left out of the 35 I bought just a few weeks ago. People are buying them at near catalog or above in some cases.

I believe that too is having an impact. Most buyers of a US Specialized will either by design or by accident turn to some BOB pages. The essay pages are pages which would attached attention, proof pages much less so, thus collectors could learn about the essays and proofs without specifically wanting information.

Now you need to buy a specific book to "happen" upon essays and proofs. That alone reduces collector's contact with this interesting area.

Edit:
The comments about the Lang material seem spot on however no one has yet mention the other significant market change, Jim Lee's retirement.

I too, am surprised that proofs are not more popular.

I often use them to fill holes of really expensive stamps. I'm never going to afford any "Premiere Gravure" (except 62B). Nor do I expect to run into one at a yard sale for a $1.00, or even for $1,000.

but I can fill those holes with proofs for a a small fraction of the price of a "Premiere Gravure" (which are now considered proofs anyway):

There was a time when they were VERY popular; there was a group called The Essay-Proof Society. It's members were very active and prices were high. However, over the ensuing years the membership has passed on, and there has not been a serious group to take their place. Only some individual collectors.

I bought several beautiful complete sets of proofs about 15 years ago, confident that they would go up in price (but they are actually cheaper now). Still enjoy having them though.

It is interesting to hear your comments on essay/proof collecting. Thank you for responding.

Something no one mentioned is an adjunct aspect of essay-Proof collecting. Patent experimentals. These are the unsung heroes of stamp design exploration. Some experimentals look like regular issued stamps but are in unusual configurations of paper, ink, overprinting, and what not. In many cases they were checking out the effects certain patent ideas would have on the formation of a stamp. More than a few experimentals tested patent ideas that have not yet been recognized for what they are.

The Essay-Proof Society was absorbed into the USSS, but not many of the writers kept that up. Barbara Mueller was the last editor for the EPJ, and she used to have to scrounge for material to print.

Good luck to those of you who still wish to learn about these things, with so many undiscovered facets they are definitely ready for a future of study.

Worth dabbling in I must say.

I absolutely love essays and proofs. Yes, the Bill Lang's estate disposal flooded the market. Yes, Jim Lee essentially retiring has an effect.

But, if the Scott Specialized catalog again abandoned proofs (I haven't bought a Specialized catalog for 5 years), then that is a problem! Shame on them. I have all of the Specialized catalogs from 1923 through 1940 and then every 10th year 1950 through 2020. The first year Scott Specialized included proofs was in the 1928 5th edition. However, it wasn't until 2010 that Roosevelt (85 of each) and Atlanta (100 of each) were given individual line items in the Scott Specialized. I believe that certainly helped the US proof market gain visibility for plate card, India paper, Roosevelt die and Atlanta Trial Color proofs.

The bargain pricing of proofs today certainly makes it easier for collectors to purchase "reasonably priced rarity"!

I guess with Scott dropping the ball, maybe someone should build a web site to emphasize proofs. I'll have to think about that. I do have the material; but, oh there are so many things a person can do with their stamps and proofs in retirement it is hard to decide what to tackle first and to get anything wonderful done! This Scott Specialized /
proof issue wasn't on my radar, so thanks to essayk for bringing up the topic!