Stamp Collector

22 MAY 2020 www.allaboutstamps.co.uk AUCTION HEADLINERS MARKET INSIGHT Quick Links Page 24 Stamp detective Page 25 Latest internet sales Page 26 How much should I pay for…? MARKET INSIGHT Argyll Etkin’s spring auction began with Great Britain and offers of some notable Victoria, Edward VII and George V high values. The highlight of the sale, which had a total realisation of £383,000, was a King Edward VII, De La Rue £1 green upper left corner marginal block of four, unmounted mint. Just Collecting’s inaugural online stamp rarities auction on 27 February 2020 featured a range of British and Commonwealth classics together with an interesting selection of modern QE II stamp errors. One of the highlights was a used British Guiana, 1850-51 4c black on orange ‘Cottonreel’, violet with the initials ‘WHL’ for W.H. Lortimer. The auctioneers noted: ‘These crude and primitive stamps from British Guiana are extremely popular with collectors and investors alike.’ SOLD FOR £9,226 Spink recently sold an example of the famous 1964 Falkland Islands HMS Glasgow 6d error. The lot was marginal from the top of the sheet with guide line; and was described as being ‘unmounted mint and very fine… One of the great rarities of the Elizabethan era.’ The description added: ‘It is believed that one sheet printed with the vignette for the 2½d value received the 6d frame in error. Fewer than twenty examples have been recorded in the past 48 years since its discovery in 1970.’ This 1857 10¢ green, type II, was recently sold at Daniel F Kelleher in the USA. The lightly hinged, ‘bright and immaculate’ stamp boasted large beautifully balanced margins, adn was said to be ‘an exceptional example’. A fine and rare pioneer RAF flight cover recently went under the hammer at Argyll Etkin. The May 1919 cover was signed by Captain IW Bishop to his wife in England endorsed ‘On Field Service’ and ‘Per Aerial Post’, with a Mosul 1a on 20pa tied by a ‘F.P.O 85’ circular date stamp c.d.s of Baghdad with red circular ‘CIVIL POSTS / AERIAL / IRAQ’ cachet. According to the lot description, there are just eight covers from this flight recorded ‘the others all being stampless O.A.S covers… This “Aerial” cachet was used on mails carried on one further flight, by Capt. Mathews and Sgt. Kay from Baghdad to Karachi in 1920 (six covers recorded), only about fifteen examples of this cachet therefore recorded in total.’ SOLD FOR £1,700 The ‘Dubois’ British Commonwealth Collection of Stamps and Covers was recently offered by Spink. Amongst the highlights was a ‘very rare’ set of the 1879 Tobago stamps with values 1d., 3d., 6d., 1/-, 5/- and £1, each handstamped ‘specimen’ (D8) and affixed to small piece (6d. non-contemporary), perfs. trimmed at base of 6d. SOLD FOR £2,300 AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS £17,850 £15,000 £8,075 GET THE LATEST AUCTION RESULTS & NEWS ONLINE: WWW.ALLABOUTSTAMPS.CO.UK