CONDITION: Horizontal pair, lightly hinged at top and tiny mark at very bottom leaving most of the gum in absolutely pristine condition, rich color on bright fresh white paper, beautifully centered, Completely Sound. GRADE: Extremely Fine, by both relative and absolute standards. CERTIFICATES: 1975 and 2008 PF; reportedly an earlier PFC no longer accompanies (#8682). COMMENTS: Only the 1c, 2c, 4c and 5c issues from the 1902 series were issued in imperforate form. The Schermack Stamp Vending Machine Co. of Detroit Michigan was the only company to request the 4c issue imperforate, and in May 1908, the company received 25 full sheets of four panes of 100 each (10,000 total stamps), all of which were made into coils with Type III perfs and given to the Winfield Printing Company. Winfield used about 60% on a mailing for Hamilton Carhartt and about 40% on a mailing for Burroughs Adding Machine Company. The imperforate 4c would have a very limited use because 4c did not pay a proper rate by itself. 4c could pay the first class 2 oz rate (double weight), or the 4 lb second class periodical mailed by the publisher rate, or another seldom used third or fourth class rate. Given that the 4c imperforates went to one company where they were perforated and then to one client, there was no opportunity for the public to purchase the stamps in unused condition. Fortunately for collectors of unused stamps, a Detroit stamp collector named Karl Koslowski obtained some of the 4c Imperforates, keeping some in mint condition and using some on letters he prepared. According to an article by Fred R. Schmalzriedt of Detroit in Mekeel's of January 7, 1911, "It is not generally known that of the 9950 of the 1902 four-cent with Schermack perforations that were sent out by two Detroit concerns in 1908, two have been recovered; the remaining fifty were obtained from the Schermack Company by Mr. Karl Koslowski." Schmalzriedt purchased an unused strip of five from Koslowski, which has now been cut into a pair and three singles. There are six known unused pairs including two line pairs. Of the pairs, this is clearly the finest centered, and last appeared in a public auction at the Corinphila sale of the Engel collection on May 25, 1975. Accompanying the pair is a Sep. 8, 1975 Stampazine certificate. The consignor's own notes indicate that he purchased the pair from Stampazine on May 25, 1976 for $30,000 against a then catalogue value of $15,000, and his family has lovingly retained it until now. Prior to being sold at Engel, the pair was sold by Irwin Heiman on Nov. 7, 1957 when he auctioned the Cromwell collection. It sold for $4,000 at Cromwell. Accompanied by Stampazine retail page. Scott Catalogue: $175,000