Gems of Philately
47 Kearny St # 500, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
| Lot | Canadian Provinces & Canada | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 351 | British Columbia & Vancouver Island, 1869, Seal of the Colony, 5¢ on 3d bright red, perf. 14. Tied by "Victoria, B.C., Jul 12, 1869" cds on cover to New London, Pa., in combination with 1868, 10¢ green, F. grill (96) canceled by grid with matching "Portland, Orgn, Jul 16" cds and grid duplex alongside, partial "Nanaimo Post Office, Vancouver Island" origin oval handstamp at lower left, with original enclosure dateline "W.S. Str. "Mohican", Off Nanaimo, British Columbia, July 7th, 1869" with interesting content…I dropped you a line before leaving San Francisco informing you of the change I had made, in being ordered to duty on board this vessel, also of the proposed cruise to Plover Bay, Behrings Strait; to make observations during the coming eclipse of the sun. We have two professors aboard who were sent out here for that special purpose. We left San Francisco on Tuesday the 29th inst., arriving here today. The passage was quite a rough one and could have been made in half the time. This place is a coaling station, or rather there is a coal mine here; We are busily engaged in coaling which will occupy until sometime tomorrow. Strange to say in spite of the rough weather and the excessive rolling of the vessel I did not in the least feel seasick, while a great number who thought themselves proof against such a trivial matter, had to succumb. This vessel is a third-rate screw propeller, and rolls and pitches in even a moderate sea, but is a thorough seaboat. She carries 9 guns with a complement of about 200 men, officers included. The officers are very pleasant and sociable companions & the majority of whom I was acquainted with before I came aboard. Dr, Potter is the surgeon in charge of the medical dept who arrived only the night before we left San Francisco. Our mess consists of 12 officers, the number that are in the ward room. We intended stopping at Victoria but as we came through the Straits of Fuca it grew quite foggy towards evening making itt a little unsafe to run at night - we anchored off New Dungeness about 20 miles below Victoria. This morning we hurried off, being anxious to keep going as we have no time to spare. The captain is uncertain as yet whether to take the inside passage to Sitka (that is along the channels between the islands and mainland) or stand out clear of the coast - the former route at this season of the year is pleasant while the scenery is said to be perfectly grand. The whole trip will occupy about three months, and we will be back to San Francisco by the 1st of October., Very Fine, with 1993 P.S.E. certificate (erroneously calling 10¢ a #68).Scott No. 9; Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.A SCARCE B.C. & V.I. AND U.S. MIXED FRANKING COVER SENT FROM THE STEAMER MOHICAN OFF NANAIMO, BRITISH COLUMBIA. The "U.S.S. Mohican" was assigned to the Pacific Squadron and departed for the west coast, steaming via St. Thomas, ports in Brazil, Montevideo, round Cape Horn, to Valparaíso, joining Rear Adm. Dahlgren in Powhatan at Callao, Peru on 25 April 1867 and then steaming up the Pacific coast, through Panama and the coast of Mexico, arriving at San Francisco, California on July 28th. The "Mohican" remained on the Pacific coast through 1872, cruising to South America in the fall and winter of 1867 and then decommissioning from April 3, 1868 to June 7, 1869 at Mare Island Navy Yard. The warship made one cruise to Siberia and the northwest coast during the summer of 1869 and then departed on 11 October to cruise to Hawaii, returning on 11 January 1870. She then made a second cruise to the Pacific Northwest and in May sailed to patrol off Mexico. |  | $2,000 |
| 352 | Newfoundland, 1857, 8d scarlet vermilion. O.g., never hinged, large to mostly huge margins, rich vibrant color, an Extremely Fine gem, a truly exceptional mint single in never hinged condition, with 2023 Greene Foundation certificate.Scott No. 8; $900. |  | $900 |
| 353 | Newfoundland, 1923, 1¢-15¢ Pictorial issue complete, imperforate. Set of 11 values (no 133a, 3¢ which was issued later), blocks of 4, without gum as issued, all with large evenly balanced margins, rich bold colors, a Very Fine and choice set.Scott No. 131b//142a; $5,170 for pairs.A VERY RARE SET OF BLOCKS OF THE 1923 PICTORIAL IMPERFORATE ISSUE - WITH ONLY FIFTY COMPLETE SETS THOUGHT TO EXIST. |  | $5,170 |
| 354 | Newfoundland, 1931, 1¢-30¢ First Publicity issue, die proofs in black, on watermarked wove. Large crown watermark. Set of 11 values (no 9¢, 12¢, 14¢ & 28¢ values), with margins approximately 4mm wide, each with watermark orientation guide mark; 5¢ with slight margin crease in bottom margin, a Very Fine set, these die proofs unlisted in the Newfoundland Specialized Catalogue, perhaps 3 or 4 sets exist.Scott No. 172-182TC-DP; Estimate $2,500 - 3,500.AN EXTREMELY RARE BLACK DIE PROOFS OF THE 1931 FIRST PUBLICITY ISSUE ON WATERMARKED WOVE PAPER. |  | $2,500 |
| 355 | Canada, 1893, Queen Victoria "Widow's Weeds", 20¢ vermilion. O.g., never hinged, well centered amid nicely balanced margins, rich bright color, Extremely Fine, rarely encountered so choice, with 2015 A.I.E.P. certificate.Scott No. 46; $1,750. |  | $1,750 |
| 356 | Canada, 1897, Queen Victoria Jubilee, $3 yellow bister. Block of 4, neat purple Winnipeg town cancels, beautiful rich brilliant color and sharp detailed impression, well centered throughout, Very Fine and choice, a very attractive and rare used multiple, ex-"Libra".Scott No. 63; $4,000 for singles. |  | $4,000 |
| 357 | Canada, 1897, Queen Victoria Jubilee, $4 purple. Left margin block of 4, neat purple Winnipeg town cancels, deep bold color seldom encountered on this high value issue; some reinforced perfs along margin, F.-V.F. and attractive, ex-G. Marnier.Scott No. 64; $4,000. |  | $4,000 |
| 358 | Canada, 1897, Queen Victoria Jubilee, $5 olive green. Top right corner margin block of 4, bottom right stamp (position 10) showing re-entry in "P" and "T" of "POSTAGE", light purple Winnipeg town cancels, deep rich color, choice centering throughout, Extremely Fine.Scott No. 65; $4,000.AN EXCEPTIONAL CORNER MARGIN BLOCK OF THE $5 JUBILEE HIGH VALUE IN USED CONDITION. |  2 | $4,000 |
| 359 | Canada, 1929, 50¢ Bluenose, imperf horizontally. Vertical pair, o.g., never hinged, nicely centered, deep color and very fresh, Very Fine and choice, approximately 250 pairs issued.Scott No. 158c; $1,125. |  | $1,125 |
| 360 | Canada, 1935, Silver Jubilee complete, imperforate. Complete set of 6 values, marginal blocks of 4 (mostly corner margins), o.g., never hinged (2¢ missing small spot of gum in margin), each with large margins and rich vibrant colors, an Extremely Fine set, only 100 sets of pairs recorded by Jephcott & Gates with few blocks remaining.Scott No. 211a-216b; $5,100 for pairs.AN EXCEPTIONAL MARGINAL BLOCK SET OF THE 1935 SILVER JUBILEE IMPERFORATE ISSUE. |  | $5,100 |
| Lot | Philatelic Literature | Estimate | |
| 361 | Canada, 1959, 5¢ St. Lawrence Seaway, center inverted. Straight line machine cancel, wide margins, strong bright colors, Very Fine, with 2000 Greene Foundation certificate.Scott No. 387a; $7,500.ONE OF THE FEW USED OFF-COVER EXAMPLES OF THE 1959 5¢ ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY WITH CENTER INVERTED. There are about 200 mint Seaway Inverts in private hands. Quite a few of the Seaway Inverts were actually used by the public before they realized what they had. With only 16 examples recorded on cover, it would seem even a used example would be far rarer than mint however catalog values seem to indicate to the contrary. |  | $7,500 |
| 362 | Canada, Special Delivery, 1938, 20¢ dark carmine, imperforate. O.g., never hinged, with full top sheet selvage around and large margin at bottom, rich color, Extremely Fine and choice, Unitrade value for never hinged plate of 6 and two pairs, ex-G.D. Mass & Afab. Scott No. E8a.Unitrade No. E8a; C$10,675 ($7,780).THE LARGEST REMAINING MULTIPLE OF THE 1938 20¢ SPECIAL DELIVERY IMPERFORATE ISSUE - AN OUTSTANDING SHOWPIECE. |  | |
| 363 | Finland, 1866, Finnish Coat of Arms, 10p red brown on lilac laid paper, roulette III, color error. Helsingfors town cancel, some slightly short perfs at bottom, otherwise Very Fine, with 1995 Gummesson certificate. Michel No. 7 C F. Facit No. 7C3v6.Scott No. 13c; $6,250.AN ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE ERROR OF COLOR. |  | $6,250 |
| 364 | Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 2d blue, four singles and vertical pair. Plate 1. Lettered PG, DD, DA, KL and pair (lower right in configuration) SL-TL, margins large to just in, tied by black Maltese cross cancels on 1841 folded letter to Burlington, N.J. with light manuscript "1-" rating on stamps, with "Post Office Bristol - Pr "Great Western"" endorsement, reverse with "Ipswich, Oc 21, 1841" origin cds, red oval "Paid Ship Letter, London, Oc 22, 1841" date stamp additionally tying two singles, sent by rail to Bristol then sailing on the "Great Western" on Oct 23rd and arriving in New York on Nov 9th, with red "New York, Nov 9" arrival cds, blue manuscript "20¾" due for 18¾¢ postage plus 2¢ ship fee; expertly silked splitting along file folds, still a Very Fine usage, with photocopy of 1995 R.P.S.L. certificate. Scott No. 2.SG No. 5; Estimate $4,000 - 6,000.A VERY RARE 1840 2D BLUE MULTIPLE USAGE PREPAYING THE ONE SHILLING RATE ON COVER TO THE UNITED STATES PER THE "GREAT WESTERN". |  | $4,000 |
| 365 | Great Britain, 1882, Queen Victoria, £5 orange on white paper. Neat 1893 Edinburgh town cancel, strong bright color, well centered amid nicely balanced margins, Very Fine and choice, an exceptional used high value. Scott No. 93.SG No. 137; £3,500 ($4,250). |  | $3,500 |
| 366 | Great Britain, 1913, King George V "Seahorse", Waterlow printing, £1 dull blue green. Left margin block of 4, o.g., never hinged, well centered throughout amid wide margins, rich distinctive dull blue green color enhancing a crisp detailed impression, remarkably bright and fresh, Very Fine and choice. Scott No. 176a.SG No. 404; £15,200 for n.h. singles ($18,450).A MARVELOUS MINT NEVER HINGED MULTIPLE OF THE 1913 £1 "SEAHORSE" WATERLOW PRINTING IN THE SCARCER DULL BLUE GREEN SHADE. |  | $15,200 |
| 367 | Great Britain, 1915, King George V "Seahorses", De La Rue Printing, 2s6d-10sh Complete, Imperforate Imprimaturs. Matching set of left margin singles, 2sh6d & 5sh values showing portion of cross guide marks in margins, o.g., never hinged, each with wide well balanced margins, rich colors and quite fresh, Extremely Fine, each with "BPMA" handstamp on the reverse, from the National Postal Museum Archives.SG No. 405/13 vars.; Estimate $10,000 - 15,000.AN EXTREMELY RARE MATCHED SHEET MARGIN SET OF THE 1915 DE LA RUE SEAHORSE IMPRIMATUR SET. In 1984 and 1985 the National Postal Museum decided to auction a quantity of material they deemed to be duplicated and surplus to requirements. At the time, concerns were raised about selling and that the curators should act as custodians and conservators, retaining all the material in trust for future generations to study and enjoy. The first auction, which took place in April 1984, was restricted to G.B. and G.B. overprinted Colonial issues of the reigns of King Edward VII to King George VI and included regular issues overprinted "Specimen" as well as imperforate imprimaturs. |  3 | $10,000 |
| 368 | Great Britain, 1929, £1 P.U.C. O.g., neatly hinged once, exceptional centering, bright and fresh, Extremely Fine and choice. Scott No. 209.SG No. 438; £750 ($910). |  | $750 |
| 369 | Great Britain, 1929, £1 P.U.C. Bottom left corner margin block of 4, o.g., lightly hinged at top, bottom stamps never hinged, bold color and well centered throughout, Very Fine and choice, a very scarce multiple. Scott No. 209.SG No. 438; £3,700 for singles ($4,490). |  | $3,700 |
| 370 | Great Britain, Inland Revenue Official, 1890, Queen Victoria, 10s ultramarine. Lettered D-F, o.g., well centered amid nicely margins, vibrant color and particularly fresh, Very Fine, with 2003 G.B. Philatelic Expertising certificate. Scott No. O9.SG No. O10; £11,500 ($13,960).A VERY SCARCE MINT ORIGINAL GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1890 10SH INLAND REVENUE OFFICIAL ISSUE. |  2 | $11,500 |
| 371 | Great Britain, Inland Revenue Official, 1885, Queen Victoria, £1 brown lilac, Crowns watermark, "Specimen" Overprint. Type 11 overprint. Lettered C-D, o.g., well centered amid wide margins, bold color, Very Fine and choice, very rare high value specimen issue, unlisted in the current S.G. catalog. Scott No. O10S.SG No. O11s; Estimate $1,000 - 1,500. |  2 | $1,000 |
| 372 | Great Britain, Inland Revenue Official, 1890, Queen Victoria, £1 brown lilac, Orbs watermark, "Specimen" Overprint. Overprint type 9. Lettered C-A, o.g., very lightly hinged, attractively centered with exceptional freshness and color; small faint corner gum crease at bottom right, otherwise Very Fine, a very rare specimen issue, unlisted in the current S.G. catalog. Scott No. O13S.SG No. O12s; Estimate $1,000 - 1,500. |  | $1,000 |
| 373 | Great Britain, Inland Revenue Official, 1892, Queen Victoria, £1 green. Lettered K-D, o.g., rich deep color, bright and very fresh; diagonal gum crease at right, Fine appearance, with 1895 & 2005 R.P.S.L. certificates. Scott No. O15.SG No. O16; £12,500 ($15,180).AN ATTRACTIVE AND RARE ORIGINAL GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1892 £1 INLAND REVENUE OFFICIAL HIGH VALUE. Two Royal certificates accompany. The first, a relic from the early days of stamp collecting, is dated "Nov 27, 1895" (certificate number 213), just 3½ years after this adhesive was issued. It shows the stamp with its side and top sheet margins still attached and now removed. |  | $12,500 |
| 374 | British Offices in the Danish West Indies, 1812 St. Croix to Ireland. Folded letter rated "2/6" crossed out and rerated "3/1", with truly exceptional strike of the very rare "St. Croix, No. 27, 1812" fleuron date stamp, indistinct arrival postmark on reverse, Extremely Fine and choice.Estimate; $2,000 - 3,000.WITHOUT QUESTION - ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF THIS RARE EARLY BRITISH ST. CROIX FLEURON DATE STAMP. The British invaded the Danish West Indies in December 1807. A British fleet captured St. Thomas on December 22nd and St. Croix on December 25th. Denmark-Norway did not resist and this occupation lasted until November 20, 1815. |  | $2,000 |
| 375 | Somalia, 1934, 25c "Sevico Aereo Speciale". O.g., never hinged (pencil mark on gum), well centered for this issue, rich colors, Very Fine, rare and especially so in never hinged condition, with 2024 A.P.S. certificate.Scott No. CO1; $3,500. |  | $3,500 |
| 376 | Rhodesia, 1913-24, King George V "Admiral", ½d-£1 issues, "Specimen" overprint. Set of 18 (missing only the 1½d), o.g., 4d & 3sh hinged, others never hinged, rich vibrant colors throughout, all very fresh, Very Fine, S.G. catalog £3,000 for the complete set in hinged condition.SG No. 186s//249s; Estimate $1,000 - 1,500. Complete images: View gallery or Download PDF (576KB). |  | $1,000 |
| 377 | [Japan] Woodward, A.M. Tracey, The Postage Stamps of Japan and Dependencies, Volumes I-II. 1928, two hardbound full calf leather padded with gold stamping, custom slipcase with outer gold stamping, printed on hand-made vellum paper with deckled edges, 523+243pp, full plates, No. 34 of 100, autographed; some light cover edge wear to leather, slipcase worn with tape reinforcement, the over-all condition is far superior to most examples.Estimate; $4,000 - 6,000.A CLASSIC PHILATELIC LITERATURE TREASURE AND LINCHPIN OF A GREAT LIBRARY. We sold an exceptional condition set of this book for $13,800 in Sale 36 of the Carl Walske library. |  2 | $4,000 |
