Auction 7 Followup #2 — A Strong Realization, and Re-Capping Highlights #1 & #2

At Sparks Auctions we try to cover worldwide stamps.  When offering something out of the ordinary, even the most experienced describers can be surprised at the level of demand.  Lot 719 is one which we fully appreciated the rarity of an imprint block and yet were still pleasantly surprised with the realization.  If this lot was merely four hinged stamps with less than VF centering, it would have struggled to reach $250.

Lot 719 Canada #OX1 1879 yellow brown Officially Sealed stamp, right margin block of four showing full imprint, mint with full original gum, hinged and with some separation which was sensibly reinforced. We do not recall seeing another imprint block of this issue. A great opportunity for the specialist to acquire an important and potentially unique imprint block. It is often forgotten that this stamp was issued during the Small Queen era. Estimate $2000; realized $3680.

Although there were only 5 advance bids this lot opened very strongly at $2400, and then an agent on the floor took the lot right up to the top bid in the book of $3200.

ABOUT ADVANCE BIDS

We receive advance bids in the traditional auction ways by mail, fax, telephone, email, and hand delivered.  While we are recording these, many other bidders are using the services of Stamp Auction Network.  Hundreds of bids are received in the few minutes before the start as potential buyers check out opening bids.  Only after we print out the bidbook about two minutes before the start of each session do we see all the bids and the highest bid prior to calling the lot.  We (and our consignors) then hope for strong competition on the floor or live through the internet.

RECAPPING PRE-AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS 1 & 2

Our first highlight was the Boy Scout stamps on offer.  Lot 958 — the 21mm wide Baden Powell Scott #180 — had a pre-sale estimate of $750, received 5 advance bids, opened at $625 and sold for $725; just under our estimate despite a higher advance bid.  The Boy Scout collection in 16 volumes was right at the end of the sale as Lot 2052, opened at $1600 and sold for $1800, just under the top bid of the successful buyer who purchased both lots.

Our second highlight featured fancy cancels on Canadian stamps.  Lot 294 a lovely postmark on an inexpensive stamp was estimated by us to sell for $40. It opened at $95 and sold to the book after floor bidding at $120.  A mixed lot of fancy cancels, Lot 1558, was estimated by us at $250, had 6 advance bids opening at $210 and sold to the floor for $275.

Lot 294 Canada #35 Used 1889 1¢ yellow Small Queen, selected used with perfect strike of fancy “C” in twin rings cancel from Ottawa House of Commons, very fine. Estimate $40; realized $138.

Auction 7 Followup #1

We described 13 highlights before the auction.  Most of these mentioned two or three lots and we will report on all of the highlights over the next few weeks and also include some highlights of competition which occurred during the bidding.

Highlight number 6 showed an exceptional trio of three Three Penny Beavers on laid paper with distinctive red postmarks.

Lot 206 Canada #1 Used 1851 3d orange red Beaver on laid paper, with deep colour complemented by a red target cancel, one full margin and three very large margins each extending almost to the next stamp, clear laid lines, extremely fine. Unitrade CV$1600; realized $2530.

Lot 15 had an internal estimate of $800 but may have suffered a bit by being in the section of plated Three Penny Beavers.  It received 7 advance bids and opened at $625 selling to an internet bidder for a hammer price of $675.

Lot 205 had an internal estimate of $500 and received 6 advance bids to open at $575 and then sell to an internet bidder for $700.

Lot 206 had an internal estimate of $1200 and a few days before the auction we received a top bid of $2100.   However the opening bid was languishing at $525 then $575 the morning of the auction.  An $800 bid came in and then just before starting the auction a bid of $1350 allowing us to start at a respectable $1400.  In all we received 12 advance bids.  Once the lot opened a dealer acting as agent took the bidding to $1900 then a collector on the floor put up his hand and beat the strong advance bid so that the item sold for a hammer price of $2200.

Auction #7 Begins Today

We have heard from many catalogue subscribers that the postal system has been very slow for United States destinations, overseas, and even some Canada.

If you did not receive your catalogue, you can still find everything you need to bid right here on Sparks-auctions.com. The PDF files can be downloaded from the link at the right. All items are also listed on Stamp Auction Network (link at right also) and if you have created an account with them you can bid using their site, either in advance or live as the auction progresses.

Canadian customers will experience a dubious new feature, the imposition of Harmonized Sales Tax, depending on the province in which they live. The amount is 13% in NL, NB & ON; 15% in NS; 12% in BC; and 5% everywhere else in Canada. No tax is charged on purchases from outside Canada.

We wish all of our bidders good luck in the auction!

Highlight #13 — A Last Highlight

With these highlights, we have tried to convey a sense of the immense scope of a public auction.

To date we have barely mentioned postal history. Among the better items in Session #5 are Lots 1309, 1310, and 1311.

Lot 1311 — Canada #10 1857 6d reddish purple Consort on thick fibrous paper, with four clear to immense margins, well tied by #21 4-ring numeral cancel to cover from Parkman correspondence sent from Montreal AP.26.1857 to Boston, Mass, USA. This stamp is rarely encountered in top quality with only a handful of covers available in comparable quality. Accompanied by 1988 David Brandon certificate. Unitrade CV$10,000.

We’ve not mentioned the better items of France and Germany as well as other rarities in the worldwide section — lots like USA #1 to #4, (Lot 1113); the Czech Music Sheets (Lot 1165); many lots of classic France (including Lots 1181, 1182, 1185 and 1198); Germany with IPOSTA and two Feeding the Hungry souvenir sheets; as well as many better single items.

Lot 1182 — France #21c 1862 1fr lake Napoleon re-issue, lovely example with full original gum, hinged, with four large margins including sheet margin at left, very fine and a lovely stamp in every aspect. Scott CV$1800.

In the British Commonwealth only the Baden Powell stamps have been singled out, but for the first time we can offer all the Victorian high values up to the five pound Orange.

Lot 912 — Great Britain #93 1882 £5 bright orange Victoria on white paper, Anchor watermark, with good colour and a reasonable dated cancel, very fine in all respects. A lovely example of this popular high value. Scott CV$5000.

We have touched on some features in Canada but have not yet highlighted the wonderful section of the 1897 Jubilees nor the great pence issues including Lots 207, 224, 226, 234, and 235 to name just five, each worthy of being highlighted.

Lot 226 — Canada #7 1855 10d blue Cartier on thin crisp transparent paper, unused with well clear to huge margins on each side, showing adjoining stamp at right and very fine appearance but with horizontal crease and trivial corner thin. The stamp has gum, which could be redistributed original gum but identified as regummed in the accompanying 2010 Richard Gratton AIEP certificate. An attractive example of this rare mint Pence issue. Unitrade CV$12,000.

Despite all these omissions, if there is one group of lots especially worthy of being singled out it is the Healy Pass collection of plated three penny beavers. Can you see the famous gouge flaw on the scan of Lot 85? (Click the scan for an even more detailed enlargement.)

Lot 85 — 3d red on medium paper, identified as 2nd state "Gouge", nice full to large margins all around, fresh colour, tied by square grid cancel to mourning cover sent from Toronto JU.18.58 to Hamilton with next day arrival backstamp, very fine. Estimate $350.

We hope you enjoy the auction and that you are successful in your bids.

Highlight #12 — What Appeals To You? (Part 2)

Sparks Auctions will have hundreds of bidders who will, we hope, place thousands of bids. Very, very few lots get multiple bids from different bidders. Some expensive lots will receive a number of bids from people realizing that, for example, $2000 in usable postage is a steal at only $2; so bids of $10, 20, 50, 100, 200 etc. might be placed. Other lots of real value might slip by the attention of most potential bidders and sell well below their real value. That is where placing lots of bids (perhaps combined with a limit on purchases) can result in picking up bargains.

And we have a exceptionally diverse group of lots and collections on offer. We offer collections from dozens of countries. Our usual offerings of extensive collections of Canada and to a lesser extent Great Britain and USA are tempting. There are strong collections of Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, Fiji, France, Germany, Monaco, and New Zealand, to name a few. There are many others with a greater or lesser degree of specialization. Lot 1986 may very well be under-described because so many of the identified varieties are not Scott listed.

Lot 1986 — Eastern Europe 1860s-1960s Mint/Used Collections of Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia housed in three volumes, plus Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Russia and Yugoslavia. Owner has identified stamps according to perfs, papers and watermarks which have not been verified by us. Some light duplication, average condition, some stamps affected by poor storage. Despite these negative comments, if you have an interest in this area, you will want to thoroughly inspect this lot as it contains many scarcer issues. Estimate $500.

Many collections are found in old albums dating from the 1800s to the period between the World Wars. Two examples are:

Lot 1957 — Four old-time albums, with two Scott Junior Internationals to about 1915, a Scott album circa 1900 and an Yvert and Tellier blank album with a few stamps from the 1920s. The first 2 each contain hundreds of stamps, though U.S.A. is stripped in each and Great Britain in one. We note quantities of early China and a few interesting covers. Condition varies. If you only have time to view one lot, this would be a good choice. Overall mostly about fine. Estimate $250.

Lot 1962 — 1896 Excelsior Album 1840-1908. Apparently never added to or stripped out since about 1908 with many hundreds of classic stamps, strong, as expected, in the European countries, U.S.A. and Canada (1897 Jubilees to $1 unused but stuck down). Strength is in used which are hinged and typically have fresh colour and some postmark interest. A good representation from smaller British Commonwealth and some other smaller countries. Condition mixed as always in a collection of this kind. Estimate $750.

There are multi-album collections like Lot 1758, a 26-volume collection of British Commonwealth. There are accumulations found in bundleware Lot 1515 (with about one million stamps), and others in file drawers like Lot 1950, or still in envelopes like Lot 1928.

Lot 1928 — Collector’s worldwide accumulation, organized by country in envelopes mostly mint with some used throughout. An interesting accumulation filling half a large carton. Many stamps are in sets. We note the following: 1956 Jamaica definitive set, 1902-1903 Labuan crown set, 1935 st. Helena Silver Jubilee set, 1903 St. Kitts-Nevis first issue, a few French imperfs from the 1980s, 1937-1940 French Equatorial Africa pictorials, 1929-1940 French Guiana pictorials, 1938 Bahamas KGVI definitives, 1953 British Honduras QEII pictorial definitives, 1968 B.I.O.T. pictorial definitives and many more. Also includes a large envelope with the following: Gutter pairs from around the world, 1973 Princess Anne’s Wedding, 1972 QEII Silver Wedding Anniversary, 1978 25th Anniversary of QEII Coronation and the 1980 Queen Mothers 80th Birthday. A great selection of stamps. Estimate $500.

We have a Post Office sign in Lot 2114, any of several cartons of literature, topical and thematic collections, and many lots of useable postage. We think there is something for everyone; but if we made that claim too loudly then we would hear how we don’t have kiloware from the Malagasy Republic, or classic Mongolia on cover!

One final group is the 35 collections from the Lindhurst consignment which are written up in the catalogue on page 133. Unfortunately this text does not appear in the online catalogue but you can read the text by clicking on this link. Postal history lots 1387 and 1469 are also from the Lindhurst consignment.