USA #1 and #LO2

I came across a big USA collection and was asked to pick top items to be sold on Hipstamp, and on page one there was a USA #1 and a USA #LO2.  I have been collecting for 50 years now, and started selling mixtures in 1983, so that's 40 years.  But USA stamps never got my interest.  I live in the USA, and I always collected stamps to see what the rest of the world was doing.  So, even after breaking down hundreds of (non-USA) collections for Lyle Clark and Lee Clark (2000-2021), and my own business, I have never actually had a USA #1 to look at up close.

 



It's a classic, and this was a 4-margin copy with moderate postmark, but I have to say it's a pretty dull stamp.  Compared to other #1s from around the world with eagles or coats of arms, or better engraving, it doesn't stand out.  Sure, there are plenty of worse #1s, mostly due to the crude printing techniques available in some parts of the world over 160 years ago.  But it was a "ho hum" moment for me.


The #LO2 carrier stamp was much more interesting to me.  The eagle had better contrast, better design, more dramatic, with an overall deep and clean impression.  Even the oval frame has character: it is finely balanced.  My gut told me the LO2 was much less common and should fetch a higher price, but that turned out not to be the case.  The used #1 listed for $350 (2021) and the MH #LO2 for $80.

As I was selling these for the San Diego Philatelic Library we agreed that we could start the prices a bit lower than the big for-profit sellers do, so I started the $350 stamp at $149.  Within 6 hours we got an offer of a measly $100, posted a couteroffer of $123, and it sold and was sent by Priority Mail the next morning.

This was an interesting case of a stamp with a lot of buzz, that every collector wants to get their hands on to fill that #1 space, compared to a stamp few fewer people have even heard of.

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