Lot 1401 OG/NH USA #18, 20 1857 1c blue perf. 15½ Type I and Type II Combination block of six with two never hinged. Type II was produced from an altered die and when plate 12 was laid out, transfer rolls from both the original and altered die were used. This has a 2011 Philatelic Foundation certificate “unused, OG, block of 6 (2×3), positions 32-33/42-43/52-53R12, B/C/B reliefs, top and bottom rows Type II, centre row Type I, and we are of the opinion that it is genuine, previously hinged, the top left stamp with a small adherence on the reverse.” The block is fresh, without fault and the two middle stamps are never hinged (Scott 18 CV$4,200 for hinged and the earliest premiums for never hinged starting with the 1879 issues are more than 300%). An important classic block destined for an advanced collection. Scott CV$10,650
Auction #10
June 26-28, 2012
Lot 1204 — Nepal Half Anna red orange unused block of 24 with invert pair
We begin our auction highlights with the catalogue cover item, a true rarity and showpiece.
Lot 1204 Nepal #11, 11a 1917 Half Anna red orange unused block of 24 with invert pair, 6th Setting with Dr. W.C. Hellrigl 2004 certificate to quote “ imperforate on medium native paper, unused block of 24 from the upper left corner of the sheet (pos 1-6, 9-14, 17-22, 25-30), with an inverted cliché on pos 6…This is the second largest unused multiple of this stamp, the largest being a half sheet of 32. All unused copies derive from the two sheets. The multiple described here is ex Heddergott collection…The multiple is in fine condition. The right foxing spots in the margin are typical of this issue and they occur on all other multiples cut from the two known sheets…genuine in all respects.” The block of 32, referred to in the certificate, was sold by Robson Lowe in 1967 and has not been seen since. This block sold in the Heddergott sale in 1980. This block has two vertical creases. One is between the third and fourth row, the other is a pre-printing crease through the fourth row. Mint tête-bêche pairs of this stamp are unpriced and are world-class rarities, Hellrigl: “The total number of tête-bêche pairs known amounts to less than one dozen, the majority being used. Scott catalogue value is for 24 singles with the invert pair at twice two singles. Scott CV$49,000.
The Ken Kershaw Collection Of Nepal & Tibet
As a schoolboy Ken Kershaw was able to demonstrate an encyclopedic knowledge of all British flora. His scholarship and phenomenal memory served him well in his academic career. Field trips around the world, and especially in the Arctic, led to his publications on lichens which have set a scholarly gold standard.
After early retirement his natural curiosity and training in study and classification served him well as an entrepreneur and later as a restaurateur.
A return to his boyhood hobby has resulted in about a dozen research books, notably the five volume study of Canada’s Three Penny Beaver. Ken is intrigued by difficult philatelic problems. He enjoys the challenge of first identifying and then confirming a plating study. Nepal and Tibet introduced the problem of confirming printing flaws as constant, progressive, or non-constant. To do this he obtained as many large blocks and sheets from as many settings as was practical. Although Ken is still working with the pashupati issues the time has come to move on to other pursuits.
NOTES ON THIS AUCTION
Especially in the case of Nepal, the native laid paper has characteristic inclusions and lack of uniformity such that there may be no stamp in existence that merits the most exacting quality standards of some collectors. We have tried to describe all faults which occurred after manufacture as well as the grossest of the faults during manufacture of this paper. A grade of very fine was used when it occurred to us that a particular sheet or block had better than normal overall appearance.
Nepal is organized by denomination. Tibet is organized by Scott number. We refer to tete-beche stamps as inverts, a term which is more commonly used in the literature of the “Himals.”
Ken’s unpublished five-volume study THE HALF ANNA ISSUES OF NEPAL consists of more than twelve hundred pages of careful documentation of the Nepal issues. These books can be downloaded below and then read on your computer, eReader, or tablet device.
VOLUME I: The settings, definitive flaws, and plating criteria (11MB)
VOLUME II: Plating the flaws in the spandrels and central oval frame (30MB)
VOLUME III: Plating the frame flaws (19MB)
VOLUME IV: Plating the flaws in the central oval (10MB)
VOLUME V: Plating the flaws correlated with the double Khukris (15MB)
Introduction to Auction #10
With each successive auction our consignors offer ever more interesting items to collectors.
In every section of Canada we have stamps which delight. The 77 lots of Large Queens will please collectors of mint, of varieties and especially of two-ring numeral postmarks. Small Queens offers mint multiples, proofs, imperforates, cancels and true old-time accumulations. The overall nice quality of the larger used lots is noteworthy. Later Victoria offers scarce large multiples, delightful proofs and imperforates, as well as top quality singles. Our Admiral section of nearly one hundred lots includes a very strong section of War Tax purchased at the time of issue and now on the market for the first time in nearly 100 years. Numerous better items in the Edward and the two Georges lead us into the wonderful array of a Queen Elizabeth Exhibit Collection of Wildings and Cameos. It will likely be a very long time before many of these come back into circulation. Later Elizabeth issues and back of the book have many interesting and scarce items.
Two of the highlights in the BNA section are the magnificent P.E.I. #2 and the well-centered Columbia airmail. It is fascinating that from different consignors we have a trio of “tens.” Two from B.C. have the numeral 10 of Williams Lake and a few lots later there is a rare numeral 10 rate marking from Nova Scotia.
The British Commonwealth section will help collectors fill holes and includes a group of nice Penny Blacks.
Our highlight in the auction is the Ken Kershaw collection of Nepal and Tibet. We regard both of these areas as being on the cusp of much greater popularity because of the growing strength of the collector markets in both China and India.
Postal History and postmarks continue to offer lots which originate in Exhibit Collections now broken into collector-oriented lots. Conversely, we see other lots which were groups of interesting covers put away over the years with the thought of developing an exhibit. We hope you enjoy this section.
Lots & Collections, thankfully, does not fill as many bookshelves as our previous auction but does include many top quality offerings worthy of inspection.
This auction features the largest number of extra scans we have been able to provide. Fifty lots have ten or more scans; fifteen have twenty or more, and some even have more than fifty scans. They can be seen by section and lot number in our Image Gallery.
PDF Catalogues can be seen on our website now, with print copies expected to be mailed by June 11th to arrive at subscribers early the following week. The auction is now open for bidding on Stamp Auction Network.