World Stamps
See also : Stamps British Royals Central and South Americas Northern Europe
Chronology : 1840-1849 1850-1859
Chronology : 1840-1849 1850-1859
1847 The Bordeaux Cover
1993 SOLD for CHF 6.1M including premium by David Feldman (worth US $ 4.1M at that time)
narrated in 2020
In 1847 Mauritius is the seventh territory to issue pre-paid postage stamps. Two denominations are prepared. The first impression is made with a unique copper plate on which a single figure of each value has been engraved. The inks are different, orange for the penny and dark blue for the 2 pence and each copy is individually printed. The plaque was sold for € 1.23M including premium by David Feldman on December 1, 2016.
The issue of 500 stamps of each denomination is ready just in time to be used for an invitation to a costume ball at Government House. The postal rate is 1 penny for a delivery in Port Louis and 2 pence for the rest of the island.
The stamps are inscribed POST OFFICE on the left edge, which corresponds to the marks previously used by this post, and also to the first US stamps issued in the same year. This first release is unique. A few months later, new plaques are prepared for multiple printing. The two editions differ in the text, which becomes POST PAID.
The POST OFFICE version of the Mauritius stamps is extremely rare. Four lots were sold by David Feldman on November 3, 1993 : two unused stamps and two covers.
The only known unused copy of the 1 penny was sold for CHF 1.4M before fees. One of the four unused copies of the 2 pence was sold for CHF 1.5M before fees. One of the four surviving covers mailed for the invitation to the ball was sold for CHF 1.4M before fees.
A cover sent from Port Louis to a wine merchant in Bordeaux has been stamped at the overseas rate and includes a copy of each denomination. Discovered in 1902 by a schoolboy who was consulting the recipient's archives, it is kept with its letter. It was sold for CHF 5M before fees, CHF 6.1M including premium.
The images are shared by Wikimedia.
The issue of 500 stamps of each denomination is ready just in time to be used for an invitation to a costume ball at Government House. The postal rate is 1 penny for a delivery in Port Louis and 2 pence for the rest of the island.
The stamps are inscribed POST OFFICE on the left edge, which corresponds to the marks previously used by this post, and also to the first US stamps issued in the same year. This first release is unique. A few months later, new plaques are prepared for multiple printing. The two editions differ in the text, which becomes POST PAID.
The POST OFFICE version of the Mauritius stamps is extremely rare. Four lots were sold by David Feldman on November 3, 1993 : two unused stamps and two covers.
The only known unused copy of the 1 penny was sold for CHF 1.4M before fees. One of the four unused copies of the 2 pence was sold for CHF 1.5M before fees. One of the four surviving covers mailed for the invitation to the ball was sold for CHF 1.4M before fees.
A cover sent from Port Louis to a wine merchant in Bordeaux has been stamped at the overseas rate and includes a copy of each denomination. Discovered in 1902 by a schoolboy who was consulting the recipient's archives, it is kept with its letter. It was sold for CHF 5M before fees, CHF 6.1M including premium.
The images are shared by Wikimedia.
1847 The Post Office in Mauritius
2016 SOLD for € 1.23M including premium
The stamp, circulated by the British administration in 1840, was gradually adopted by other countries. In 1847 Mauritius was the first British colony to release this method of payment for the conveyance of the postage.
Two denominations are issued : 1 penny and 2 pence. The printing plate is made in intaglio by a local engraver in imitation of the stamps then applicable in Great Britain with the profile of Queen Victoria.
They are extremely rare : the printing was stopped in the following year when the administration decided to put the wording Post Paid instead of Post Office on the left edge. 500 'Post Office' stamps of each value had been edited. A cover that circulated with each of the two stamps was sold for CHF 6.2M including premium by David Feldman in 1993.
The printing plate surfaced in 1912. It is unique in its kind. A single example of each denomination appears on this small piece of copper 81 x 61 mm. Because of this rudimentary configuration, the stamps had to be printed individually.
Considered as an outstanding philatelic treasure, the plate enters around 1930 in the collection of Maurice Burrus but will not appear in his succession. The mystery is lifted in 2013 when the family finds it by chance in the inventory of a further deceased estate : a niece of the collector had kept it in his memory inside a small cover without ever imagining its inestimable value as a witness of the pioneering era of the postage stamp.
The plate is estimated in excess of € 2M for sale on December 1 in Geneva by David Feldman, lot 1. Here is the link to the website of the auction house. The image below is taken from the press kit. Please watch the video shared by David Feldman explaining in details this rediscovery.
Two denominations are issued : 1 penny and 2 pence. The printing plate is made in intaglio by a local engraver in imitation of the stamps then applicable in Great Britain with the profile of Queen Victoria.
They are extremely rare : the printing was stopped in the following year when the administration decided to put the wording Post Paid instead of Post Office on the left edge. 500 'Post Office' stamps of each value had been edited. A cover that circulated with each of the two stamps was sold for CHF 6.2M including premium by David Feldman in 1993.
The printing plate surfaced in 1912. It is unique in its kind. A single example of each denomination appears on this small piece of copper 81 x 61 mm. Because of this rudimentary configuration, the stamps had to be printed individually.
Considered as an outstanding philatelic treasure, the plate enters around 1930 in the collection of Maurice Burrus but will not appear in his succession. The mystery is lifted in 2013 when the family finds it by chance in the inventory of a further deceased estate : a niece of the collector had kept it in his memory inside a small cover without ever imagining its inestimable value as a witness of the pioneering era of the postage stamp.
The plate is estimated in excess of € 2M for sale on December 1 in Geneva by David Feldman, lot 1. Here is the link to the website of the auction house. The image below is taken from the press kit. Please watch the video shared by David Feldman explaining in details this rediscovery.
1851 The Hawaii Thriller
1995 SOLD for $ 660K including premium by Robert A. Siegel
2018 SOLD for $ 620K including premium
PRE 2018 SALE DISCUSSION
The Hawaiian archipelago establishes in 1850 a postal organization to manage international mail, mainly for the use of missionaries who maintain relations with the United States. The postmaster edits in 1851 three stamps worth 2 cents, 5 cents and 13 cents. The lowest denomination applicable for the delivery of newspapers is very rare.
The arrival in 1905 on the philatelic market of the Dawson cover circulated in 1852 is an event. In very good condition it wears for the expedition a 2c and a 5c from Hawaii and for the reception a pair of the US 3c. It was sold for $ 2.25M including premium by Siegel on June 25, 2013.
The Ferrari collection also known as Von Ferrary is the best philatelic collection of all time including the great treasures of this specialty : the British Guiana 1c, the yellow treskilling, the Bordeaux cover. In the auction of his deceased estate at Drouot the highest price, 156,000 francs, is recorded on June 23, 1921 on the best known example of the Hawaii 2c.
This stamp had not been described during Von Ferrary's lifetime. In 1921 a trace on the back of the stamp still left the doubt on a possible circulation. It was definitely determined as unused soon later.
Its extraordinary price turns the heads. L'Almanach Vermot 1922 includes a short story narrating that in 1892 the owner of a stamp of the same variety, perhaps the same as the Von Ferrary specimen, had been murdered by a "friend". The stamp had been found in ownership of the murderer by the investigator.
The Vermot almanach, highly appreciated in France at that time, is an annual publication that intertwines practical information, jokes and puns, not claiming to be a credible source for its fabulous stories. The name of the assassin left no other trace on the web. The victim is named Gaston Leroux, a perfect homonym to the first French writer of detective stories, inventor of the character Rouletabille, in full activity in 1922.
The Vermot anecdote is interesting because it reinforces the attention paid to this stamp. Insensitive to French humor, some philatelists have endorsed this fantasy, turning the joke into a hoax.
This stamp remains today the only unused copy of its denomination. It was sold for $ 660K including premium by Siegel on November 7, 1995 and bought by Gross two years later in another auction. It is estimated $ 500K for sale by Robert A. Siegel in New York on October 3, lot 106. Here is the link to the section devoted to the Gross collection on the website of the auction house.
The Hawaiian archipelago establishes in 1850 a postal organization to manage international mail, mainly for the use of missionaries who maintain relations with the United States. The postmaster edits in 1851 three stamps worth 2 cents, 5 cents and 13 cents. The lowest denomination applicable for the delivery of newspapers is very rare.
The arrival in 1905 on the philatelic market of the Dawson cover circulated in 1852 is an event. In very good condition it wears for the expedition a 2c and a 5c from Hawaii and for the reception a pair of the US 3c. It was sold for $ 2.25M including premium by Siegel on June 25, 2013.
The Ferrari collection also known as Von Ferrary is the best philatelic collection of all time including the great treasures of this specialty : the British Guiana 1c, the yellow treskilling, the Bordeaux cover. In the auction of his deceased estate at Drouot the highest price, 156,000 francs, is recorded on June 23, 1921 on the best known example of the Hawaii 2c.
This stamp had not been described during Von Ferrary's lifetime. In 1921 a trace on the back of the stamp still left the doubt on a possible circulation. It was definitely determined as unused soon later.
Its extraordinary price turns the heads. L'Almanach Vermot 1922 includes a short story narrating that in 1892 the owner of a stamp of the same variety, perhaps the same as the Von Ferrary specimen, had been murdered by a "friend". The stamp had been found in ownership of the murderer by the investigator.
The Vermot almanach, highly appreciated in France at that time, is an annual publication that intertwines practical information, jokes and puns, not claiming to be a credible source for its fabulous stories. The name of the assassin left no other trace on the web. The victim is named Gaston Leroux, a perfect homonym to the first French writer of detective stories, inventor of the character Rouletabille, in full activity in 1922.
The Vermot anecdote is interesting because it reinforces the attention paid to this stamp. Insensitive to French humor, some philatelists have endorsed this fantasy, turning the joke into a hoax.
This stamp remains today the only unused copy of its denomination. It was sold for $ 660K including premium by Siegel on November 7, 1995 and bought by Gross two years later in another auction. It is estimated $ 500K for sale by Robert A. Siegel in New York on October 3, lot 106. Here is the link to the section devoted to the Gross collection on the website of the auction house.
1852 The Cover from Hawaii
2013 SOLD 2.25 M$ including premium
The invention of the stamp greatly facilitated the communication with the most remote regions. In Hawaii, the missionaries wished to send mails to their families. In 1851, the government of the archipelago issued its first stamps.
Three values are released, corresponding to the three postage rates: 2 cents for a newspaper, 5 cents for a letter to the Western United States and 13 cents to the East. Printed on thin paper, these fragile stamps poorly survived.
These 13 cents enabled to pay 5 cents for the sending country, 2 cents to the boat and 6 cents to the destination country. They were paid to the post office of Hawaii which ensured the sharing of the fee.
In 1905, somewhere in the United States, a worker cleans a factory disused for about 35 years. The previous owners had not checked the incineration of their archives. The worker discovered in a stove, almost intact, one of the wonders of the history of philately: the Dawson cover.
Shipped from Hawaii to New York on October 4, 1852, the Dawson cover did not use the stamp of 13 cents but a combination from the two involved countries : 2 cents and 5 cents of Hawaii and two stamps of 3 cents each of the United States. This is the only known copy with this mixed postage.
It was sold for $ 2.1 million including premium by Robert A. Siegel in New York in November 1995. It is now estimated $ 2M, for sale by the same auction house on June 25.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold for $ 1.95M before fees, this prestigious piece of philately remained in the region of its lower estimate.
The file is shared by Wikimedia :
Three values are released, corresponding to the three postage rates: 2 cents for a newspaper, 5 cents for a letter to the Western United States and 13 cents to the East. Printed on thin paper, these fragile stamps poorly survived.
These 13 cents enabled to pay 5 cents for the sending country, 2 cents to the boat and 6 cents to the destination country. They were paid to the post office of Hawaii which ensured the sharing of the fee.
In 1905, somewhere in the United States, a worker cleans a factory disused for about 35 years. The previous owners had not checked the incineration of their archives. The worker discovered in a stove, almost intact, one of the wonders of the history of philately: the Dawson cover.
Shipped from Hawaii to New York on October 4, 1852, the Dawson cover did not use the stamp of 13 cents but a combination from the two involved countries : 2 cents and 5 cents of Hawaii and two stamps of 3 cents each of the United States. This is the only known copy with this mixed postage.
It was sold for $ 2.1 million including premium by Robert A. Siegel in New York in November 1995. It is now estimated $ 2M, for sale by the same auction house on June 25.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold for $ 1.95M before fees, this prestigious piece of philately remained in the region of its lower estimate.
The file is shared by Wikimedia :
1856 The Rudimentary Stamps of British Guiana
2014 SOLD 9.5 M$ including premium
The DuPont collection of early stamps from British Guiana is dispersed in two auctions : 131 lots by David Feldman in Geneva on June 27 and a single lot by Sotheby's in New York on June 17.
The invention of the postage stamp in England in 1840 is a revolution in communications. Hitherto limited to shipment operations, the Post Office of British Guiana is one of the first in South America to use stamps and to develop a local delivery, through the diligence of Edward Dalton, a colonial postmaster unwilling to wait for official authorizations.
The first stamps issued by the British Guiana in 1850 are made in black ink by woodcut printing on papers of various colors depending on the face value. The work is done by the printer of the local newspaper. They are so rudimentary that each sold stamp is authenticated by the handwritten initials of the postmaster or of one of his clerks. Their rough shape is square with or without cut corners.
These first stamps of 4, 8 and 12 cents are not rare because they have attracted the interest of collectors from the 1870s. They are identified by the nickname cottonreels. A cottonreel of 4 cents on a cover circulated in 1851 is estimated € 120K in the Feldman sale.
An additional cottonreel worth 2 cents was issued in 1851. This low value intended for taxing the mail inside Georgetown was very unpopular and this variety is extremely rare. A unit is estimated € 100K in the Feldman sale.
In 1852, the government takes control of operations. Stamps for British Guiana are now printed in a specialized factory in England. In September 1855, it is a disaster. British agents had misunderstood the order and printed a quantity of stamps ten times lower than needed.
Faced with the shortage, Dalton released in 1856 a new series of locally printed British Guiana stamps, with the same rudimentary process as in 1850.
The 4 cents stamp to be used for mail is printed on papers of three color variants, magenta, carmine and blue, the latter in two variants with single or double sided blue. A blue 4 cents on a cover circulated in 1856 is estimated € 150K in the Feldman sale.
The 1 cent for the postage of newspapers is a lower denomination that had no reason to be kept by users. Only one survived. In poor condition, almost indecipherable, it is magenta in the same shade as one of the 4 cent variants. Collected in 1873 by a schoolboy in the archives of his uncle, it was formally authenticated by an expert in 1891.
The 1 cent magenta British Guiana stamp is the only British variety that escapes the royal collection. It is estimated in excess of $ 10 million at Sotheby's. Sold for $ 935K including premium by Siegel on April 5, 1980, it was already at that time the most expensive stamp in the world.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
The most expensive stamp in the world was sold for $ 7.9M before fees by Sotheby's.
2
Here are now the prices before fees of the three stamps discussed above from David Feldman's sale: € 160K the 4 cents from 1850-1851, € 190K the 2 cents from 1851 and € 240K the 4 cents from 1856.
I invite you to play a video shared in 2008 on YouTube that I retrieved through the facebook page of Feldman:
The invention of the postage stamp in England in 1840 is a revolution in communications. Hitherto limited to shipment operations, the Post Office of British Guiana is one of the first in South America to use stamps and to develop a local delivery, through the diligence of Edward Dalton, a colonial postmaster unwilling to wait for official authorizations.
The first stamps issued by the British Guiana in 1850 are made in black ink by woodcut printing on papers of various colors depending on the face value. The work is done by the printer of the local newspaper. They are so rudimentary that each sold stamp is authenticated by the handwritten initials of the postmaster or of one of his clerks. Their rough shape is square with or without cut corners.
These first stamps of 4, 8 and 12 cents are not rare because they have attracted the interest of collectors from the 1870s. They are identified by the nickname cottonreels. A cottonreel of 4 cents on a cover circulated in 1851 is estimated € 120K in the Feldman sale.
An additional cottonreel worth 2 cents was issued in 1851. This low value intended for taxing the mail inside Georgetown was very unpopular and this variety is extremely rare. A unit is estimated € 100K in the Feldman sale.
In 1852, the government takes control of operations. Stamps for British Guiana are now printed in a specialized factory in England. In September 1855, it is a disaster. British agents had misunderstood the order and printed a quantity of stamps ten times lower than needed.
Faced with the shortage, Dalton released in 1856 a new series of locally printed British Guiana stamps, with the same rudimentary process as in 1850.
The 4 cents stamp to be used for mail is printed on papers of three color variants, magenta, carmine and blue, the latter in two variants with single or double sided blue. A blue 4 cents on a cover circulated in 1856 is estimated € 150K in the Feldman sale.
The 1 cent for the postage of newspapers is a lower denomination that had no reason to be kept by users. Only one survived. In poor condition, almost indecipherable, it is magenta in the same shade as one of the 4 cent variants. Collected in 1873 by a schoolboy in the archives of his uncle, it was formally authenticated by an expert in 1891.
The 1 cent magenta British Guiana stamp is the only British variety that escapes the royal collection. It is estimated in excess of $ 10 million at Sotheby's. Sold for $ 935K including premium by Siegel on April 5, 1980, it was already at that time the most expensive stamp in the world.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
The most expensive stamp in the world was sold for $ 7.9M before fees by Sotheby's.
2
Here are now the prices before fees of the three stamps discussed above from David Feldman's sale: € 160K the 4 cents from 1850-1851, € 190K the 2 cents from 1851 and € 240K the 4 cents from 1856.
I invite you to play a video shared in 2008 on YouTube that I retrieved through the facebook page of Feldman:
1857 The Only 3-Skilling Yellow
1996 SOLD for CHF 2.9M including premium by David Feldman
narrated in 2010 before a private auction sale (see below)
Children love stamps, as it is well known. In 1885, a German boy gets his grandmother's permission to take off stamps from old covers to make money. The dealer to whom he presented his booty is amazed: a 3 Skilling Swedish stamp has a wrong color!
No other copy will never be found, making this stamp the rarest and most desired piece on the philately market. Its story is told on the Treskilling Yellow page of Wikipedia, where it is illustrated. It was canceled in 1857.
It is a mistake and not a fake. This sample has all the characteristics of an 8 Skilling stamp, yellow, unless it bears the engraving of the 3 Skilling, which is green for all other known copies. The hypothesis to keep is that one of 100 clichés of a printing block of 8 Skilling was damaged, and the operator has inadvertently changed it by a 3 Skilling cliché. Nobody went aware of the error, and there is no way of knowing how many wrong copies were produced.
It was sold in 1996 2.9 MCHF including premium by David Feldman.
A scoop of the Telegraph has just announced its forthcoming sale without giving details, and it took me a few navigation tips to find the source: the 3 Skilling Yellow comes on May 22 in Geneva at private auction by David Feldman, with a specific catalog. You are now part of the happy few: here is the link to the catalog shared by the auction house.
David Feldman has done a quick calculation. Reduced to its weight, this small artefact of 26.75 milligrams is valued $ 70 billion per kilogram! Who says better?
POST SALE COMMENT
The Treskilling was sold for over $ 2.3 million to a group of buyers who required that the exact amount was not disclosed . I remind that it was a private auction.
Shared by Wikimedia :
No other copy will never be found, making this stamp the rarest and most desired piece on the philately market. Its story is told on the Treskilling Yellow page of Wikipedia, where it is illustrated. It was canceled in 1857.
It is a mistake and not a fake. This sample has all the characteristics of an 8 Skilling stamp, yellow, unless it bears the engraving of the 3 Skilling, which is green for all other known copies. The hypothesis to keep is that one of 100 clichés of a printing block of 8 Skilling was damaged, and the operator has inadvertently changed it by a 3 Skilling cliché. Nobody went aware of the error, and there is no way of knowing how many wrong copies were produced.
It was sold in 1996 2.9 MCHF including premium by David Feldman.
A scoop of the Telegraph has just announced its forthcoming sale without giving details, and it took me a few navigation tips to find the source: the 3 Skilling Yellow comes on May 22 in Geneva at private auction by David Feldman, with a specific catalog. You are now part of the happy few: here is the link to the catalog shared by the auction house.
David Feldman has done a quick calculation. Reduced to its weight, this small artefact of 26.75 milligrams is valued $ 70 billion per kilogram! Who says better?
POST SALE COMMENT
The Treskilling was sold for over $ 2.3 million to a group of buyers who required that the exact amount was not disclosed . I remind that it was a private auction.
Shared by Wikimedia :
1864 The Olive-Bistre Blunder of Hong Kong
2011 SOLD 6.4 MHK$ including premium
2016 UNSOLD
PRE 2016 SALE DISCUSSION
The only known unused multiple of the 96c olive-bistre stamp is considered as the most important item of Hong Kong philately. It was sold for HK$ 5.5M before fees by Spink on January 23, 2011. It is for sale by the same auction house in Hong Kong on January 17. Its estimate of HK$ 6.5M is indicated in the catalog, lot 2413.
Here are the links to the pre sale press releases, forwarded by The Philatelic Database before the 2011 sale and shared by Spink before the 2016 sale.
I introduced this lot as follows before the 2011 sale :
The first set of stamps for Hong Kong included seven denominations from 2 to 96 cents. It was issued in 1862.
The highest value was not widely used, and they waited until 1864 before reprinting. When the stock from the previous batch was depleted, it was discovered that the new batch of 52 sheets of 240 stamps had a nice olive-bistre color instead of the brownish gray that was required.
It was a mistake made by the subcontractor, linked to the fact that the wrong ink was part of the original color test.
The administration took the pragmatic decision to release it as is for delivery to the users during the few months which were needed to prepare a compliant printing.
The rarity of the Hong Kong 96c olive-bistre stamp is so due altogether to its high denomination and to the hurry to supersede it with stamps in the original color.
A single unused multiple is known. It is a block of four in great condition, with a very wide right margin. It has retained its original gum and its color is still very fresh.
The only known unused multiple of the 96c olive-bistre stamp is considered as the most important item of Hong Kong philately. It was sold for HK$ 5.5M before fees by Spink on January 23, 2011. It is for sale by the same auction house in Hong Kong on January 17. Its estimate of HK$ 6.5M is indicated in the catalog, lot 2413.
Here are the links to the pre sale press releases, forwarded by The Philatelic Database before the 2011 sale and shared by Spink before the 2016 sale.
I introduced this lot as follows before the 2011 sale :
The first set of stamps for Hong Kong included seven denominations from 2 to 96 cents. It was issued in 1862.
The highest value was not widely used, and they waited until 1864 before reprinting. When the stock from the previous batch was depleted, it was discovered that the new batch of 52 sheets of 240 stamps had a nice olive-bistre color instead of the brownish gray that was required.
It was a mistake made by the subcontractor, linked to the fact that the wrong ink was part of the original color test.
The administration took the pragmatic decision to release it as is for delivery to the users during the few months which were needed to prepare a compliant printing.
The rarity of the Hong Kong 96c olive-bistre stamp is so due altogether to its high denomination and to the hurry to supersede it with stamps in the original color.
A single unused multiple is known. It is a block of four in great condition, with a very wide right margin. It has retained its original gum and its color is still very fresh.
"The most important item of Hong Kong philately" in @SpinkandSon auction: https://t.co/wORQGDtMMv #HongKong #stamps pic.twitter.com/AbGdUA8pJQ
— JustCollecting (@just_collecting) January 4, 20161897 A New Dollar in China
2016 SOLD for HK$ 6.2M including premium
A change in the name of a currency opens a transitional phase with some difficulties of implementation. The arrival of the dollar and its cent in China in 1897 generated scarce philatelic varieties.
The schedule of the printers caused a risk of shortage. The administration decided to overprint the 3c revenue stamps to all the required values. Because this revenue stamp had not yet been released, there was no risk of the execution of the surcharge by a forger.
The sale by Spink in Hong Kong on January 17 includes several lots related to this operation. Here is the link to the press release.
The original revenue stamp could no longer serve its purpose and very few units remained without the overprint. A block of four in very good freshness is estimated HK $ 1.2M, lot 1718.
The first run is for the $ 1. Initially, 50 stamps are printed. The administration is not happy with the too small size of the central Chinese characters and requests an immediate change. Two stamps of this highly rare variety are offered. Their original positions in the sheet form a pair but their condition is unequal. They are estimated HK $ 2M for lot 1720 and HK $ 1.2M for lot 1719.
The collection dispersed in this sale includes examples of the smallest overprinted values, 1c, 2c and 4c. The most interesting lots have errors that reflect the hurry in which the operation was realized.
Lot 1730, estimated HK $ 600K, has a doubled 2c surcharge. Lot 1733 (which was tagged as 1731 in the press release linked above), estimated HK $ 1.5M, is a pair with both its 2c overprints in an upside down position.
RESULTS BEFORE FEES
Lot 1718 : HK$ 4.2M
Lot 1719 (illustrated below) : HK$ 3.6M, 4.3M including premium
Lot 1720 (illustrated below) : HK$ 5.2M, 6.2M including premium
Lot 1730 : HK$ 600K
Lot 1733 : HK$ 2.4M
The schedule of the printers caused a risk of shortage. The administration decided to overprint the 3c revenue stamps to all the required values. Because this revenue stamp had not yet been released, there was no risk of the execution of the surcharge by a forger.
The sale by Spink in Hong Kong on January 17 includes several lots related to this operation. Here is the link to the press release.
The original revenue stamp could no longer serve its purpose and very few units remained without the overprint. A block of four in very good freshness is estimated HK $ 1.2M, lot 1718.
The first run is for the $ 1. Initially, 50 stamps are printed. The administration is not happy with the too small size of the central Chinese characters and requests an immediate change. Two stamps of this highly rare variety are offered. Their original positions in the sheet form a pair but their condition is unequal. They are estimated HK $ 2M for lot 1720 and HK $ 1.2M for lot 1719.
The collection dispersed in this sale includes examples of the smallest overprinted values, 1c, 2c and 4c. The most interesting lots have errors that reflect the hurry in which the operation was realized.
Lot 1730, estimated HK $ 600K, has a doubled 2c surcharge. Lot 1733 (which was tagged as 1731 in the press release linked above), estimated HK $ 1.5M, is a pair with both its 2c overprints in an upside down position.
RESULTS BEFORE FEES
Lot 1718 : HK$ 4.2M
Lot 1719 (illustrated below) : HK$ 3.6M, 4.3M including premium
Lot 1720 (illustrated below) : HK$ 5.2M, 6.2M including premium
Lot 1730 : HK$ 600K
Lot 1733 : HK$ 2.4M
1897 Chinese revenue surcharge pair to sell at @SpinkandSon https://t.co/WQ83sLTV0X pic.twitter.com/UHbqZxeImR
— Paul Fraser (@PFCollectibles) December 14, 2015
1968 A Mistake in the Red Country
2012 SOLD 4.6 M RMB yuan including premium
In 1968, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, begun two years earlier, has a strong development. The stamps are involved in the spread of the new cultural faith. This trend created the opportunity for a superb political mistake which, curiously, did not lead to reprisals against its clumsy author.
This stamp worth 8 fen is titled "The whole country is red". Below a red map of China, a worker, a peasant and a soldier lead an enthusiastic crowd by waving the Selected Works of Chairman Mao.
The error was discovered immediately after the release: Taiwan was not in red, contrary to all the claims of the People's Republic since its inception. In just half a day, the stamp was withdrawn.
A block of four is estimated RMB yuan 4M in the sales held from November 26 to 28 by China Guardian in Beijing. Here is the link to the catalog.
On the same theme and with the same error, another variant named Long Live Complete Victory of the Great Cultural Revolution is even more rare because it was not issued. A single stamp was sold RMB yuan 7.3 million including premium on 21 May 2012 by the same auction house.
POST SALE COMMENT
This withdrawn emission is outstanding for Chinese philatelists. The block of four was sold RMB 4.6 million including premium. A single stamp of the same variant was sold RMB 530K including premium in the same sale.
This stamp worth 8 fen is titled "The whole country is red". Below a red map of China, a worker, a peasant and a soldier lead an enthusiastic crowd by waving the Selected Works of Chairman Mao.
The error was discovered immediately after the release: Taiwan was not in red, contrary to all the claims of the People's Republic since its inception. In just half a day, the stamp was withdrawn.
A block of four is estimated RMB yuan 4M in the sales held from November 26 to 28 by China Guardian in Beijing. Here is the link to the catalog.
On the same theme and with the same error, another variant named Long Live Complete Victory of the Great Cultural Revolution is even more rare because it was not issued. A single stamp was sold RMB yuan 7.3 million including premium on 21 May 2012 by the same auction house.
POST SALE COMMENT
This withdrawn emission is outstanding for Chinese philatelists. The block of four was sold RMB 4.6 million including premium. A single stamp of the same variant was sold RMB 530K including premium in the same sale.
2001 The Fair Lady of the UNICEF
2010 SOLD 430 K€
It is an extraordinary story, as moviegoers and philatelists love them. But it is a stamp that you never saw in your mail.
In 2001, on the approach of the Euro, the German government is preparing a series of stamps in honor of the movie stars. Of course, Audrey Hepburn is selected, and 14 million stamps are printed.
They think, too late, to respect the copyright laws. Sean Hepburn Ferrer, eldest son of the actress, does not accept the project, and the whole production is destroyed, discreetly. On this image from the movie Breakfast at Tiffanys, the smiling Audrey has a cigarette holder in her teeth, and his son is an active campaigner against tobacco.
There were some leaks (probably very few), and the arrival on the market in 2004 of a canceled stamp created stupor. Ferrer is contacted. He had not been informed that production was already made when he rejected the stamp.
He had kept the sheet of ten stamps that had been sent to him as a specimen, and which is now for sale by Schlegel in Berlin on October 16.
During her too-short latest years, Audrey Hepburn was a UNICEF ambassador, and was very active in this mission. The sheet of stamps, estimated € 400K, will be sold to benefit UNICEF and the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. It is hoped that this lot will exceed € 500K.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result was published by AFP: at € 430K, it is in the lower range of the estimate. It is not indicated if it is the hammer price, but charity sales usually include no charge.
An image of this piece had been shared before sale by Artdaily.
In 2001, on the approach of the Euro, the German government is preparing a series of stamps in honor of the movie stars. Of course, Audrey Hepburn is selected, and 14 million stamps are printed.
They think, too late, to respect the copyright laws. Sean Hepburn Ferrer, eldest son of the actress, does not accept the project, and the whole production is destroyed, discreetly. On this image from the movie Breakfast at Tiffanys, the smiling Audrey has a cigarette holder in her teeth, and his son is an active campaigner against tobacco.
There were some leaks (probably very few), and the arrival on the market in 2004 of a canceled stamp created stupor. Ferrer is contacted. He had not been informed that production was already made when he rejected the stamp.
He had kept the sheet of ten stamps that had been sent to him as a specimen, and which is now for sale by Schlegel in Berlin on October 16.
During her too-short latest years, Audrey Hepburn was a UNICEF ambassador, and was very active in this mission. The sheet of stamps, estimated € 400K, will be sold to benefit UNICEF and the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. It is hoped that this lot will exceed € 500K.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result was published by AFP: at € 430K, it is in the lower range of the estimate. It is not indicated if it is the hammer price, but charity sales usually include no charge.
An image of this piece had been shared before sale by Artdaily.
