Is Anyone Collecting US Essays And Proofs?

ZebraMan, even before the E&P section was pulled into its own catalog, the proof listing was not to seductive nor informative to collectors since it was just a listing of numbers, with no pictures to speak of included. However, the essay section contained all manner of illustrations as each listing was generally unique and attractive as well as descriptive of what a model, small die and large die were as well as any other intermediate products.

For me, that listing was important for my selection of what to collect regarding PP/PPPD. By limiting myself to just what was developed on and after 1-1-1913, I could limit the wallet damage to just the 3c, 50c and $1.00 essays and proofs pre-issuance and the the set of Panama Pacific small die proofs (P2a).

Yes, I have colored outside of those limits when 'pocket change' of the moment and interesting item offered matched. Such out of the lines coloring allowed me to see with my own eyes that for example the 20 cent airplane had at least two versions, one with the pilot's foot visible and one, as issued, without the pilot's foot visible.

Lastly, having the listing of essays readily available, I could buy items when offered which had not yet been Scott listed and now are. I do still need to take the steps to get a large die of the 2 cent listed as a large die essay, as as noted on the proof it is "unfinished" with several engraving lines not yet inscribed.

Of course due my playing deeply in a tiny section of the E&P, I did buy the most recent E&P standalone catalog, cursing Scott as I did so.

ZebraMan wrote:

Underlining added. Each set came in at $4500 or less, against a cat of $11K. None of those sets reached half of cat.
[By way of contrast, lot 53 had a set of the four dollar value State Department sheets with a cat of $16K that fetched $13K of that.]

Lot 52 was a significant workup of 16 essays in a Pan-American group, three of which were/are unlisted and all of which are either unique or one of only a couple known. By the house tally, value for 13 items in the group exceeds $28K not counting the three unlisted items. Knowing all this, the lot was estimated at $15-20K (a big cut imo) and sold for the minimum. Why? Because the house did not know anyone (with the right pockets) who was working on that series. A two cent invert single would have done better.

Zebraman has given us some meaningful and thought provoking comments worthy of some attention. But I doubt that the team at Siegel even sees these notes here. So I'm going to spill the beans here a little: comments like these need to come to the attention of Corey Long. He is the VP that handles the US E-P material for catalog writeup these days, and would get the most mileage out of these kinds of comments. His email address is given in any of the Siegel cats that includes an intro page of info for bidders. (Not sure I am at liberty to post it here.)

The point here is that Essay material in particular is catalogued by its rarity, but the market has more to do with familiarity and popularity of subject.

A point of semantics - with the auction house fee at 18% now, I tend to factor it in on top of the hammer when I'm evaluating prices-realized. I do not include the tax, as that varies and dealer/reseller-buyers don't typically have to pay it.

With the 18% tip, its $5310 which is close to 1/2 cat.

edit: for what its worth, Siegel sale 1354 lots 5039-5041 were single lots of 1869 inverts.
Unfortunately, I was traveling and unable to bid in that sale live, otherwise I would have taken a swing at one of them.

Siegel charges for taxes and other fees, so in making comparisons of the sort we have been discussing here, the hammer price alone is sufficient. In its online sale realizations, Siegel compares the hammer price with other stated figures.

The evaluative frame of reference behind my remarks presupposes that I am the seller wanting to know how my material fared. For this comparison we can ignore seller commission and buyer premium.

If you look at past sales by Siegel of 1869 pictorial inverts singles you see that the hammer prices pretty much add up to what these sets today went for.

HEY PPG!

Take a look at the Parcel Post items in the upcoming Kelleher sale. Pan-Pacific die proofs and photo essays (both complete).

Wow, lot 3363 and 3364 - very very nice Parcel Post items. The photo essays are really neat.

off topic: I can't help but note that they have a Waterbury Running Chicken as well (2248).

The revenue proofs certainly brought what they should. Of course, several are unique "approved" die proofs.

@ioagoa Thanks for posting this-- "US Three Cent 1851 Essays for Postage Stamps
(And Related Topics)" -- it's incredible read.

https://goscf.com/t/89696&whichpage=3#832647

If this site had an "upvote button"....

There seems to be a fair amount of discussion on 19th century proofs, but I don't see much on later. That includes proofs such as the Fourth Bureau Issue that seem to have disappeared from the market.

I love the proofs and Eassys. don't have many. but I would like to complete this set of P4s I do have 3&4p4 not pictured here. and I would make a nice page.

It has been said that fewer than 400 large die proofs of the Fourth Bureau Issue left the Post Office Department and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ended up in collectors' hands. More than half of them have postmaster approval signatures. I collect them because I think they are beautiful and they add to my knowledge of the Fourth Bureau Issue. I know of only one other collector of these proofs and they certainly are not sitting in ebay collecting dust or appearing in auction. Where are they? Do you collect them? Here's one.
<center></center>