Auction # 58 - Winter 2014 Auction

1917, 5¢ Carmine Error, Imperf. Mint N.H., massive margins all around, including part of five adjoining stamps, brilliant color, o.g., never hinged, large margins showing adjacent stamps at left and right, brilliant color on fresh paper, Extremely Fine, with 2004 P.F. certificate.
Scott No. 485; $16,000.

A CHOICE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 5¢ CARMINE IMPERFORATE ERROR.

During production of the normal 2¢ plate No. 7942, three positions were noted to be defective. The plate was returned to the siderographer, who burnished out the three positions and mistakenly re-entered them using a transfer roll for the 5¢ stamp. The error passed unnoticed and the sheets were issued to the public in three formats: Perf 10, Imperforate and Perf 11 (Scott 467, 485 and 505). The imperforate is by far the rarest of the three, with singles rarely offered.