1901 "Bridge at Niagara Falls"

1901's portrait of an American wonder, in cobalt and ink. The 5¢ value from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition series — six commemoratives issued for America's great Buffalo World's Fair at the dawn of the new century. This one depicts the Upper Steel Arch Bridge spanning Niagara Falls in vivid cobalt blue and deep engraved black: among the earliest American bi-color stamps, and one of the most handsomely struck. Fresh original gum on the verso, color saturated, the bridge's filigree perfectly crisp, perfs sharp and intact. The kind of example that quietly anchors a US classics collection. Uncertified — meaning the next collector to own it gets the chance to send it to PSAG themselves, and the upside that comes with it. A century-and-a-quarter old letter from an America that still built bridges grand enough to deserve their own postage.