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Auction: 20054 - The 'Hermione' Collection of France, 1849-1950, Parts VII and VIII
Lot: 1274

France
1900-02 "Mouchon" Issue
20c. two complete panes of 25, showing the stamp in top right corner with blank value tablet and printing of the denomination in margin adjacent, only four stamps, including the variety hinged, unmounted mint in other respects, Millésime in interpanneau. Spectacular and exceedingly rare combination; the blank value tablet is a great rarity, of even much greater significance is the fact that the denomination is printed in margin adjacent, being an extremely rare occurrence, making this piece one of the greatest gems of this issue. Spink Maury 113+113j, €23,925+ (€14,500 for denomination missing variety, unmounted).

One of the lesser known characteristics of the type Mouchon stamps is that these are testimony of the desire for innovation of the postal administration in printing postage stamps.
Thus, the artist Mouchon was asked to plan that the denomination could be printed independently of the design of the stamp. The aim was that of saving money by producing only one plate for all denominations. However, this has the requirement of creating a sufficiently large value tablet where the impression of the facial value has to be facilitated. This sheet is the perfect witness of this impression, twice!

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Estimate
€15,000 to €30,000

Starting price
€15000