May, as usual presents a flurry of auction activities and as usual Robert Siegel offered some outstanding items. The top item in their May 18 sale was a USA 1847 10c black horizontal pair.

It was touted as "EXTREMELY FINE. A PHENOMENALLY RARE ORIGINAL-GUM PAIR…"

There are only three unused blocks recorded (two with original gum), one of which is contained in the ex Green, Klein and Kapiloff, realized $130,000 in 1998 (Siegel Sale 804, lot 15). The superb pair offered here was a featured item in the Caspary collection, and it was the largest 10c 1847 multiple owned by him (along with two other pairs).