Stamps, Postal History & Postcards Sale Preview

Highlights of the Stamps, Postal History and Postcards Sale on 10th January include British issues of the reigns of Edward VII and George V centred around a high-quality collection, through to commissioned artists' hand-painted essays in the later 20^th century. Overseas material includes a specialised collection of Kenya, Uganda & Tanganyika, an Australasia mint collection with strong Pacific Islands, and one of our best ever thematic offerings in a collection relating to the Virgin Mary in several volumes. Stand-out postcard lots include a York collection in ten large albums and a wonderful collection of the West Riding of Yorkshire with early transport disasters etc.

Lot 29             

Great Britain

1911 1d rose-pink SG.spec.N7(6), control block of twelve of this scarcer shade MNH. Perforated through lower and right-hand margins. The shade corresponds exactly to the certified example in Lot 32. Two stamps in the top row partially separated, otherwise absolutely pristine, with spotless gum completely free of bends. A show-piece. Cat. £2,400 as singles.

£500-750 plus buyer's premium

Lot 34

Great Britain

1913 Waterlow £1 dull blue-green seahorse, absolutely superb used with neat centrally-struck Guernsey cds and fairly well-centred. A delightful stamp. Cat.£1,600.

£200-300 plus buyer's premium

Lot 48 (part)

Great Britain

Unissued Designs

Five signed items from the studio of David Caplan, designer of the 1966 World Cup 1/3d issue. Includes a wonderful large watercolour essay for a Westminster Abbey 900th Anniversary 3d (very close to the issued design) size approx. 10x17cm.; also a different stamp-size version for this occasion on card; then a large card of various progressive essays for a United Nations 20th Anniversary 4d (reminiscent of Gentleman's 1968 TUC 4d). Unique material of the pre-decimal period.

£70-100 plus buyer's premium

Lot 49 (part)

Great Britain

Artist's Essays

A large folio case crammed with material from the studio of Carol Walklin, for designs commissioned in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including accepted design for the 1981 'A Dickens Christmas' air letter, lots of hand-painted essays including for an unadopted Christmas stamp set and competing designs for the 1981 Folklore issue, one of which evolved into the adopted air letter design, plus photographic proofs, printed overlays and material sent from the Post Office to aid the process (or as post-production souvenirs incl. pack of 1983 £1.60 booklet covers of Walklin's design), as well as original commssioning letters etc. A fascinating glimpse behind the scenes. This is the retained part of this artist's archive sold at Sotheby's 19/11/1985 (Lot 255) for £1,400.

£300-400 plus buyer's premium

Lot 110 (part SG.145ac)

Kenya, Uganda & Tanganyika

A specialised mint/MNH collection of over 700 stamps from KEVII East Africa/Uganda issues to 4r, through to early QEII, all neatly displayed with detailed write-up in an album. The main focus is on KGVI pictorial varieties with many positional blocks for both listed and unlisted constant flaws and retouches, the latter including scarce 1/- black and brown showing mountain retouch MNH (SG.145ac, cat. £1,400). Other highlights include 1ct missing 'A' in watermark (SG.131ab) at lower right of inscription block of six MNH, all the SG-listed flaws on the 1ct in blocks, 50cts 'rope not joined' (SG.144a) MNH single with gum toning, 50cts dull claret and black MNH corner block of four (SG.144b, cat. £480 as singles), good shades/perfs on shilling values incl. four different 10/- MNH, 1938 £1 (cat. £550, some toned gum), and later varieties incl. 1946 victory specimen perfin set MNH, etc. Accompanied by a cigar box of stockcards with better singles, pairs and blocks yet to be incorporated incl. 15cts frame proof for SG.138. Also a printout copy of Berrington's handbook on these issues. Highly recommended. Please see the rest of this collector's British Africa including more KUT in Lot 124.

£750-1,000 plus buyer's premium

Lot 114 (part)

North West Pacific Islands

Attractive mint collection of fifty-five different overprints on Australia KGV heads and kangaroos, in hingeless mounts on Devon album pages, including wmk type 2 kangaroos with the scarce 5/- grey and yellow (SG.83, overprint type 'b', cat. £2,750) with subtle small thin spot otherwise excellent quality and perfectly centred, £1 brown and ultramarine (SG.85, cat. £750), wmk type 6 also with the £1 (SG.99, cat. £350, BPA cert. 2000), then the later overprint type to 10/- (SG.117). Total cat. £5,700.

£500-750 plus buyer's premium

Lot 118 (part SG.35b)

Papua

Mint collection on Devon album pages, presented in hingeless mounts with spaces for the all the main SG-listed varieties. Starts with an excellent showing of over 130 Lakatois incl. 1901 thin paper ½d horizontal wmk (SG.1a), thin paper 4d vertical wmk (SG.13b), smaller type 'Papua' ovpts incl. scarce 2½d black and ultramarine on thick paper (SG.35b, cat. £2,000 - compare paper with 2/6d), through to 1932-'40 pictorial set (SG.130/145) very lightly hinged. Total cat. well over £6,000.

£500-750 plus buyer's premium

Lot 162 (part)

The Virgin Mary

'Stamps of the Madonna' collection in 6 boxed albums, organised alphabetically by country from Ajman to Zambia to 1970s, mainly mint/MNH, with the surplus set balances in a stockbook. This was assembled by a monk with strong purpose evident from the inclusion of the 1933 Austria WIPA miniature sheet MNH with usual marks from affixing to admission ticket (SG.MS705, £4,500; Scott #B111, $3,000, Michel €3,700), with Walter Zirath cert. (2001) stating condition is as fresh as possible, along with plain-paper single. Other highlights are Belgium 1933 Orval set (SG.633/643, £1,100; Sc.B132/B143, $1,175) and MNH m/s 1949 Van der Weyden (SG.MS1261) and 1952 Koekelberg (SG.MS1392), German occupation of Pleskau red cross m/s MNH (Mi.Block 4, €800), excellent Spain incl. 1931 Montserrat set (SG.713/725, £1,700), 1940-46 Zaragosa cathedral fund with the 10p+4pi regular and air perforate (SG.995 and 1005, £700) and the sets imperf (€1,000 in Edifil) with two distinct shades each on the top values (each signed twice), etc. Generally very attractive condition with many of the better items never hinged. A recommended viewing.

£1,000-1,500 plus buyer's premium

Lot 198

A Brown Album Containing over 225 Postcards, all of a comic or artist drawn nature and mainly earlier / pre 1920. Artists include Cynicus, (4), Mabel Lucy Attwell (4), Tom Browne (30), Reg Carter, Donald McGill (11), Agnes Richardson (13) Lance Thackaray (3) and a good Louis Wain of Frogs playing Rugby. A wide variety of subjects covered and predominantly clean throughout.

£150-200 plus buyer's premium

Lot 171

An Olive Album Containing 96 Postcards, The Majority of Top Quality and Generally Of The West Riding of Yorkshire Area, although captioned an album of disasters it also includes Tram Openings, Railway Stations, Early Steam Lorries, Aviation. In terms of quality this is one of the best albums we have had the pleasure of offering for sale.

£800-1000 plus buyer's premium

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