Lot 320 Great Britain #1 1840 1p black Queen Victoria Imperforate, Plate 2, unused (no gum) with four large margins, showing part of the stamp below. From position EA. Deep, fresh colour, extremely fine and a lovely example of the world’s first stamp. SG #2, £12,500; Scott CV U$11,000.
Month: September 2017
Lot 850, USA 1867 one cent Franklin & ten cent green Washington pair, on cover New York to Naples, Italy
Lot 850 United States 1867 #63, 68 10c green Washington Pair and 1c blue Franklin to Naples, endorsed “per City of Baltimore”. Stamps with deep fresh colour, tied by segmented corks and New York Nov 23 c.d.s. and PD to destination. Received in Calais on Dec 5 and with Napoli Dec 9 backstamp. Right stamp has a few short perfs and cover with a horizontal crease, else very fine and a colourful cover. Estimate C$150.
Lot 7, Canada 1851 six pence slate violet Consort imperf on laid paper, used
Lot 7 Canada #2 1851 6d slate violet Consort Imperforate, on Laid Paper, used with light target cancel and possessing four full to huge margins. A fresh stamp, extremely fine. Accompanied by a 2011 Greene Foundation certificate. Ex. Cantor collection. Unitrade CV C$2,000.
Lot 514, Canada 1945 registered cover Vancouver to China, War Issue, franked $10.60
Lot 514 Canada #257/262 1945 Vancouver Registered to China, War Issue Franking, mailed Vancouver BC on MAR 3.1945 (several blackout c.d.s. cancels, plus blank registration box) and addressed to China (Chungking) through Eastern route of Montreal, then Miami and West Africa (no markings for these except a MAR.6 Montreal c.d.s. on back, still endorsed via this route). Also endorsed “By C.N.A.C. from Calcutta”. Medium sized cover is franked with ten $1 Destroyers, one 50c Munitions and a 10c Parliament, all from the War issue set, paying a total of $10.60. Censor tape from DB / 196. A few opening tears at left and some light creases, still a great cover for the War issue collector, wartime postal historian, etc. Estimate C$200.
Lot 1, Canada 1851 three penny orange red beaver imperforate on laid paper, mint
Lot 1 Canada #1a 1851 3d orange red Beaver Imperforate on Laid Paper. Canada’s first stamp, a three penny value paying the domestic rate and showing a beaver was engraved by Alfred Jones using a very similar design proposed by (later Sir) Sanford Fleming. One census of unused mint laid paper three penny beavers put the number at 18. Although this might be a little bit low, unfortunately many of these are cut into or have faults and some are in institutional collections. It is likely that fewer than a handful of very fine four margin number ones are in private collections.
This stamp has two Certificates of Authenticity: A 1985 Greene Foundation Certificate states”…Mint, O.G., genuine…” and a 2015 Greene Foundation Certificate states …”#1a, unused, on laid paper, orange red shade, genuine in all respects”. It is unclear to us what happened to the gum after 1985 but assume that the authenticity of the “original gum” was questioned and a previous owner soaked off the gum. For the record there is a tiny faint crease entirely in the lower right margin which was not mentioned in either certificate; this could be literally cut away and there would still be four full large margins.
This stamp with fresh colour and full margins is a very rare example of a very fine Canada’s first stamp. From the Outaouais Collection.
UNITRADE #1a $60,000
SCOTT #1a USD $40,000
S.G. #1a £38,000