THE POST BOX
How often have I heard a collector bemoaning that stamp- issuing policy in his preferred area has somewhat spun out of control?
Whatever we read into our stamps they never cease to enthrall and entertain me and make me fall in love with the hobby over and over again.
Our General Bazaar section, though not everyone’s cup of tea, is for many clients, the first part of every auction they dive into.
Perhaps the most easily accessible display amongst the firmament of wonders available to the general public in the UK’s capital, are the Philatelic Collections of the British Library.
We were expecting a large accumulation of mint stamps & sets from the whole world… but we didn’t expect this…
At the time of writing, the rather close decision of the British people is just a week old and the world is already adjusting to a new, if uncertain reality.
In June 2016 the pride of place on our catalogue’s front cover was a complete run of the Kenya and Uganda 1922-25 large high value stamps from £1 up to the magnificent £100 red and black.
Aside from collecting regularly issued stamps many collectors are keen to enhance and expand their collections with errors and varieties, either from the printing or perforating process.
The 2 year and 2 month journey of this fascinating cover tells us much about international mail services during the Second World War.
Perhaps the most famous stamp collector of them all was the Duke of York, who in 1910 was to become King George 5th. However, long before his Coronation the Duke was elected to the Presidency of the Philatelic Society of London.
The British overseas territory of Anguilla, an island east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Is. only measures around 16 miles long by 3 miles wide.
In March 2016 we were delighted to feature on the front cover of our Sandafayre catalogue a genuine example of the rare Thailand 10atts provisional surcharge applied in 1902 to a 12atts stamp by the Postmaster at Battambang in Siam.
“The philatelic legacy, to which I have dedicated my whole life with the utmost commitment, I leave with pride and joy to my German fatherland.”
In our December Hunters sale back in 2015 we offered a lot containing eleven Danish postcards & covers, two of the cards really caught our eye.
Along with other stamp- lovers I enjoy a good tale and I recently stumbled across one whilst reading about “Dale – Lichtenstein” that famous father / daughter dynasty of philatelists.
Every week we have pleasure in telling collectors that they have successfully won stamps in our sales.
As collections (and collectors) mature they tend to diversify, not content with one of each basic stamp we soon find ourselves seeking out shades, proofs, cancellations… and multiples.
Switzerland’s beautiful Seated Helvetia imperforate stamps issued between 1854 and 1863 are commonly known as “Strubels” but these days few people know why!
You will not find these interesting issues listed in Stanley Gibbons or Scott catalogues!
Brazil's “Bullseye” stamps (or Ox eyes in their native language) were only the second set of postage stamps in the world.
Before New Zealand’s 1898 Pictorial issue, only a handful of the British colonies had embarked on anything similar.
The swift invasion by German forces of the Czech Sudetenland on the 1st Oct 1938 led to the local issuing of regular and commemorative stamps overprinted “Wir Sind Frei”, We are Free.
In 1854 Western Australia issued her own “Penny Black” stamp to be used for local letters up to half an ounce or for the military concessionary rate to England.
Whilst perusing our latest stamps sale I spotted a pair of Epreuves de luxe proofs for the 1945 French Oceania Félix Éboué issue.
The Morocco Local Stamps. Discover a little known North African philatelic oasis...
You’ve probably seen the hype surrounding a new film called “Foxcatcher” telling the story of John Du Pont, heir to the Du Pont Chemical fortune.
The Japanese invasion of Burma took place only days after it had declared war against Great Britain in early December 1941.
As history tells us that early in 1904 one of the Prince of Wales's equerries commented to the future King that did he happen to see in the newspapers that some damned fool had given as much as £1,400 for one stamp?
Since 1792, the Kingdom of Sardinia authorities had required the payment of a postal tax.
Sometimes from the political turmoil and aftermath of war, there can be unexpected yet welcome philatelic consequences.