Sparks Auctions

Sold for $8050 — Lot 1057, Canada #25a strip of three

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1868 3¢ red Large Queen on watermarked Bothwell paper, mint strip of 3, showing "CLUT" portion of watermark, right pair has original gum with right hand stamp being never hinged, left stamp is unused no gum with a tear at top and has been rejoined to the pair to reunite it as a strip of 3, fine and a tremendously rare multiple. Mint examples of watermarked Large Queens are rare, any multiples of the watermarked Large Queens are scarce to rare, but this mint strip of 3 of the 3¢ with watermark is believed to be unique and the largest multiple for this value. Accompanied by 2004 Greene Foundation certificate. Catalogued as 3 singles (1 no gum, 1 o.g. and 1 NH).

A very good price.

Sold for $374 — Lot 549, Vatican City #33a

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Vatican City #33a, 1958 500l green and blue green St. Peter’s Cathedral, Perf 14, used with light corner cancel, fine-very fine.

This stamp sold well over our expectations (and well under the top bid!). A respectable auction price.

Sold for $4600 — Lot 210, South Africa #1-16 (ForeRunners)

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1913-1924 King George V Issue of South Africa, set of 14 different values (no 1sh3d issued in 1920), each in a used block of four with clear cds cancels from South West Africa, fresh and fine-very fine, 1sh value with trivial and inconsequential perf fault. Following the occupation of South West Africa by South Africa forces in 1914-1915, the stamps of South Africa were used in South West Africa until being replaced in 1923 by the overprinted issues. 13 of the blocks included in this lot are dated prior 1923 and the 3d value has a Windhoek cds dated 8.2.23, just shortly after the introduction of the overprinted stamps. The basic issues are scarce in used blocks, but with the South West African cancels, this represents a rare set of forerunners. A must have for any serious collector of South West Africa.

This lot opened at about half of our estimate. Internet bidders from South Africa and Great Britain brought the bidding to $4000.

Sale #2 Summary

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Sparks Auction #2 on June 6-7th, 2008 built on the success of our inaugural sale, with even more bidders and many exceptional realizations. The auction floor in Ottawa saw strong action from local bidders and agents, and again the advantages of international bidding were in evidence, with 160 internet bidders contributing to some good bidding wars and notable prices.

Three items merit special attention:

• A key set of our South West Africa section, Lot 210, the South Africa Forerunners, Scott 1-16 in blocks of four (missing #12) used in South West Africa, and which catalogues $1942, sold for $4600 including buyer’s premium,

• Lot 1453, the Amherst NS precancel (#1-110) on 4¢ bistre Admiral has not been offered in perhaps 10 years, and is missing from most collections. Despite a trivial thin on the back, and not being well-centered, our example sold for $4830 including premium. We are told that this is likely a record price for a single Canadian pre-cancel,

• A postal history collection of early Halifax, neatly written up on album pages, was estimated by us at $1500. Lot 1502 was pursued by multiple telephone bidders when the bidding opened at $2400. Bidding progressed until we were finally able to sell the lot for a final price of $10,350 with premium.

Other strong prices were seen on the South West Africa Pictorial Issue (Sc. #108-120), and Vatican City #33a used. In Canada, the 3¢ Large Queen watermarked mint strip of three, mint 1¢ blue-green Leaf issue, 5¢ numeral on bluish paper, and 10¢ pale lilac Edward all did well. In the Admirals, the mint 4¢ yellow ochre in the dry printing, mint 10¢ plum, and #MR7 all reached prices near or in excess of their catalogue values. Mint NH dollar values of Parliament and Mount Edith Cavell were notably strong, as was an unused Newfoundland #2. Postal history and postcards were very popular, with large cartons selling for three times the estimate in some cases.

We will feature these and more in separate illustrated entries in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back here each day.

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