Discovered last November as an imperforate error without die cutting, a vertical pair of U.S. stamps honouring former President George H.W. Bush was recently offered at auction south of the border.
The stamps – complete with a sheet margin at the bottom – crossed the block as Lot 1841 of Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions’ Dec. 3-5 sale. It fell short of its estimate of $1,000-$1,500, hammering down for $600 (not including buyer’s premium).
Aside from the vertical pair, two full panes of 20 error stamps without die cutting have been authenticated as genuine by the American Philatelic Expertizing Service.
The non-denominated “Forever” stamp – similar to a Canadian Permanent stamp – was printed and processed by the Banknote Corporation of America before being issued last June.