363 / September 2016

40 c. red-orange, nice fresh colour and ample to large margins, neatly cancelled by circle of 9 bars to small piece, extremely fine, certificate Demuth AIEP

1863, Essay of Erasmy, 10 c. blue, coarse printing on white paper without watermark, ungummed; some faint creases, otherwise fine. The only complete sheet recorded of this essay

1865, Essay of Naumann, Frankfurt: 3 vertical se-tenant strips of 3 with the values 25 c., 10 c. and 1 c. in blue, red-brown and mauve, all with left sheet margin with numeral "8" in large size, printed with clichés made by the company J. G. Schelter & Giesecke at Leipzig. Unique

1865, colourless rouletted 4 c. green and coloured rouletted 1 c. red-brown (2), 12½ c. rose and horizontal pair 25 c. blue, tied by cds. "LUXEMBOURG P.D. 2 3 74" to sealed envelope with declared value (somewhat reduced at top) with adjacent "Chargé" to Berlin; one 25 c. with rounded corner and one 1 c. light corner crease, otherwise all stamps and envelope in fine condition; one of two recorded 4 colour frankings of this issue; sign. Goebel and certificate Böttger BPP

1865/75, Coat of Arms rouletted in colour: 1 c. orange, horizontal strip of 3 and 2 single stamps, together with 10 c. violet and 25 c. blue, tied by cds. "ESCH-S-ALZETTE 3 FEVR. 69" to small envelope to France; one stamp of the strip fixed around the edge of the cover, the single 1 c. with marginal faults, where affixed over the edge of the cover and 25 c. vertical crease; still an attractive and rare colour franking, sign. Goebel in pencil and F.S.P.L. with opinion (1973)

12½ c. rose in block of 4, fresh colour, unused with large part o.g., very fine, a scarce multiple, certificate Böttger BPP

25 c. light-blue, horizontal block of 6, neatly cancelled "LUXEMBOURG 6 6 76"; the wrapper right vertical rouletting slightly split and strengthened by hinge, otherwise very fine, a scarce multiple

25 c. ultramarine, block of 4 with sheet margin at left, nice fresh colour, rouletting slightly irregular at top, otherwise complete, unused with fresh original gum, the lower pair unmounted mint; fine and rare multiple, largest recorded unused block in this colour, certificate Böttger BPP Provenance: Isac Seligson (1982), 'Melusina' (2009)

30 c. lilac, horizontal strip of 5 with sheet margins at top and left, unused with original gum; largest recorded multiple of this stamp and famous show-piece; certificate Böttger BPP Provenance: Isac Seligson (1982), 'Melusina' (2009)

37½ c. yellow-brown with central and upright strike of small cds. "ETTELBRUCK 12 MAI 69", extremely fine, certificate Demuth BPP

1872, 1 c. red-brown, horizontal strip of 3 with 1875, 10 c. grey, tied by cds. "LUXEMBURG 1 3 78" to envelope endorsed "Muster ohne Werth" (samples without value) to Saxony; a very scarce combination franking, sign. Goebel and certificate Demuth BPP

1874, Coat of Arms imperforated 4 c. blue-green, block of 4, fresh colour and large margins, unused o.g., very fine

10 c. grey, horizontal block of 8, unused o.g.; some light toned spots and the right vertical pair with some perforation faults, still fine and attractive; the largest known unused multiple of this stamp, sign. Goebel and certificate Böttger BPP (2016) Provenance: Boudenberg (1967), 'Melusina' (2009)

25 c. bright-blue, unused with part original gum; a fine and rare stamp in this condition, certificate Goebel AIEP (2009) (Prefix 32a)

30 c. lilac, horizontal block of 6 from the upper right sheet corner, nice colour, unused o.g., the perforations somewhat strengthened by hinges in the vertical perforation between the 2nd and 3rd stamp at top, otherwise fine and fresh, largest known multiple of this stamp, certificate Böttger BPP (2016) Provenance: 'Melusina' (2009)

1875, 1 Fr. on 37½ C. with overprint error "Un Pranc", nice colour, good perforation, clearly cancelled "LUXEMBURG 20 10 79"; on reverse small thin and light corner crease; a very rare stamp, certificate Böttger BPP (2016)

1880, 12½ c. rose, perf. 12½:12, horizontal block of 8 cancelled "LUXEMBURG VILLE 22 10 89"; perforation slightly split at left and right (strengthened by hinges), otherwise very fine

1882, Allégorie 5 c., 10 c. and 30 c. tied by cds. "LUXEMBOURG-VILLE 20 6 85" to postal mandat to Montabaur, fine

1882, allegory 25 c. blue, perf. 12½, unmounted mint, very fine

1882, Allégorie 1 fr., 50 c., 5 c. and 1 c. tied by cds. "LUXEMBOURG-VILLE 5 12 87" to insured parcel card to Leipzig with arrival marks; 5 c. rounded corner, the card with sharp crease at bottom, fixed by hinges; still fine and attractive

1891,10 c.-5 fr. in blocks of 25 from sheet corners, unmounted mint, 1 fr. perforation partly separated, otherwise very fine

10 c.-5 fr., 10 values complete with Natal "SPECIMEN" handstamp; 10 c.-37½ c. stuck on piece, the other values single with some thins on 50 c. and 5 fr.; certificate BPA

1891, Grand Duke 25 c. in miniature sheet of 25 stamps, unmounted mint, very fine

1895, Adolph 1-10 c. with Natal "SPECIMEN" handstamp, unused without gum as usual, certificate BPA (1981)

1906, William IV 10 c.-5 fr. complete as imperforated proofs in issued colours on ungummed thick paper, sign. F.S.P.L.

1906, William IV 10 c., copy from the lower left sheet corner, imperforated at left, neatly cancelled "LUXEMBOURG 27.4.15", fine

10 c.,  25 c. and 37½ c., imperforated at right or left, unmounted mint, 10 c. with hinge remainder in the margins

1914, Grand Duchess 10 c.-5 fr. (without 17½ c. and 87½ c. but incl. unissued 20 c.), imperforated colour proofs on ungummed paper, all in horizontal pairs with right sheet margin (except 40 c.), 10 c. tiny scissors' cut between stamps, otherwise very fine

1920, Caritas forerunner 15 c. brown souvenir sheet, unmounted mint; tiny tear in the margin and lower right corner somewhat compressed, otherwise very fine; a scarce sheetlet

1921, View of Luxembourg, die proof in black with white value tablet on sunken paper, fine and scarce

1923, souvenir sheet 10 fr. with official punch hole at top instead at bottom, unused, small hinge thin in the left outer margin, otherwise fine, sign. F.S.P.L. with certificate (1974)

1923, View of Echternach 3 fr., 10 different colour proofs on thin paper, ungummed

1926, unadopted essay 10 c. blue, die proof on thin carton

1929, Caritas 1 3/4 fr., 5 different imperforated colour proofs mounted on presentation cards, very rare

1930, Caritas 10 c.- 1 3/4 fr. in gutter blocks of 4, unmounted mint

1944, Charlotte 5 c.-20 fr., 23 values complete with overprint "SPECIMEN" and punch hole of the American Banknote Co., unmounted mint