Happy Cinco de Mayo! I see our local newspaper has given it a side-name: Cinco de Drinko, most likely because so much tequila is consumed in Tex-Mex bars on this day. I’ll pass on the tequila shooters and margaritas for now, but I WILL make up a nice batch of guacamole later today!
This week we have 13 auctions coming to a close. All but one are 19th century classics. The single stamp from the 20th century is a nice mint hinged Scott 493. The other 12 stamps include Scott 14, 11A (3 examples), 68, 73, 96, 97, 98, and 36. We also have a mint hinged Scott 228 and a mint hinged Scott 276. There is one back of the book stamp this week: Scott L03, a nice Private Carrier Ben Franklin.
The highlight of the week is a Scott 85B - the 2¢ 1868 “Black Jack” with a “Z” Grill. The stamp is accompanied by an expertization certificate. Centered about Fine and containing a bold grid cancel. Catalog value for the “Z” Grill stamp is $1,200. We placed this listing at our usual $1.50 starting bid, and no reserve. How many of you have a “Z” Grill stamp in your album????
Good luck with your bidding and again - thanks for your interest in our auctions.