Individual stamps and sets

Quality: **/*

Switzerland 1907 Helvetia 10c red (SBK no. 104, Michel no. 98) TÊTE-BÊCHE pair in a horizontal strip of five with sheet margin at left, completely unmounted ** with full original gum (the two stamps at each end of the strip are very lightly hinged), centred to perfection and truly “post office fresh”, accompanied by a 1993 A. von der Weid certificate of authenticity rightfully describing it as an “extraordinary rarity”, with significantly less than 10 examples in existence. This tête-bêche pair came into being due to the printing process of stamps used for the production of booklets, and the placement of the blocks which formed the pages of a stamp booklet within the sheet. In case of this particular stamp, complete printing sheets destined for booklet production were not meant to reach the public. However, one such sheet, which contained a maximum possible total of 10 tête-bêche pairs as well as 10 se-tenant pairs with blank spaces but, most importantly, couldn’t yield all of those pairs when split up, made its way into the hands of the public. Due to its immense rarity, this tête-bêche pair is not listed as such in the SBK, whilst it is listed but unpriced in the Michel catalogue. A showpiece of Swiss philately and a true connoisseur’s item.