Ted Nixon – Sparks Auctions

Announcing Sale 48, November 2-4, 2023

September 25, 2023 by Stéphane Cloutier

**1911 5c and $1 British Columbia Telephone Engraved Compound Die Proof,** in black, with die number 327 at bottom

Welcome to our General Sale #48, our fifth auction of the year, which will take place Thursday November 2 through Saturday November 4, 2023.

The material in this sale is the property of an impressive 143 different consignors, and the result is this wide range of material, with quality Canada and provinces, British Commonwealth and worldwide singles, sets and collections, including part one of the W.J. McGill collection of Scandinavia, a good offering of early Great Britain, and much more.

Be sure to have a close look at our over 450 exciting lots of postal history offerings, including part two of the extensive David Hobden and Michael Rixon pre-Confederation Upper Canada postal history collection and part two of the Gordon Richardson early Manitoba postal history collection, as well as the Ted Nixon collection of Canadian fancy cancellations of the Small Queen issue, and an excellent offering of R.P.O. postal history from the Peter McCarthy collection. You will also find a large selection of other useful postal history from Canada and a wide variety of worldwide countries including those in Scandinavia. Also of note in this sale is a great offering of philatelic literature.

We are proud to continue our long-standing tradition of showing online photos or scans of every single lot, so you know what you are buying, especially if you are not able to do pre-sale viewing in person. This sale is accompanied by about 10,000 high quality pictures, which can all be seen in full colour on StampAuctionNetwork.com.

As usual, this sale will be conducted live on StampAuctionNetwork.com, also with a live floor, via telephone and other traditional bidding methods. A reminder that our buyer’s fee is still at an industry-low 17%, and that all transactions are in Canadian dollars – a bonus for US customers and those using other currencies.

Enjoy the sale!

Stéphane Cloutier, FRPSC, FPHSC
Auction Manager

Lot 181, Canada twelve and a half cent Small Queen engraved die essay, very fine

January 3, 2022December 30, 2021 by Sparks Auctions

Lot 181 Canada 12½c Small Queen Engraved Die Essay in Blue, on thin hard wove paper measuring 23 x 30 mm, very fine. A rare die essay for a value intended to replace the 12½c Large Queen issue. Illustrated in Hillson and Nixon Canada’s Postage Stamps of the Small Queen Era 1870-1897 on page 29. Ex Gillilan, Brigham, Cantor. Estimate $5,000.

Lot 137, Canada 1874 ten cent pale milky rose lilac Small Queen, VF hinged

July 24, 2020December 23, 2018 by Sparks Auctions

Lot 137 Canada #40e 1874 10c pale milky rose lilac Small Queen, Perforated 11½ x 12, mint with full original streaky white gum, with a small hinge remnant. This remarkable stamp possesses bright, fresh colour, which is rarely seen on this shade. A beautiful example of this scarce mint stamp, very fine. Ex. Ted Nixon, Daniel Cantor. Rsv. Unitrade CV$4,000.

Lot 62, Canada 1877 ten cent dull rose lilac Small Queen, mint plate block of eight

July 24, 2020April 26, 2017 by Sparks Auctions

Lot 62 Canada #40 1877 10c dull rose lilac Small Queen, mint plate block of 8, with full original gum (bit disturbed). The centre block and the lower right stamp are never hinged. There is a 99% complete Boggs Type V plate inscription in the sheet margin at right (perforated through). Plate blocks of the first 10c printing are exceedingly rare, and we did not see any examples in the important Brigham, Nixon or Cantor Small Queen collections. Accompanied by a 1988 Greene Foundation certificate. Unitrade CV$7,750.

The Daniel Cantor Collection of Canada Small Queens

July 24, 2020October 23, 2015 by Sparks Auctions

Sparks Auctions is proud to present the Daniel Cantor Collection of Canada Small Queens, to be sold at our Auction Room on Tuesday, November 24th, 2015, beginning at 10:00am EST.

The Queen Victoria “Small Queen” definitives of 1870-1897 are one of the most avidly collected issues of Canadian philately. Featuring many different printings, perforation, colours, paper and plate varieties, and offering myriad postal rates and other fascinating postal history to collect, the Small Queens only continue to grow in interest and desirability.