Announcing Sale 26

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Welcome to our January 2018 sale!

This is an exciting time here at Sparks Auctions, especially since our memorable September 2017 sale, where we once again realized several world record prices, including the highest price ever paid for a Canadian stamp, $327,750 for a lovely mint 12d Queen Victoria. This sale will continue to offer a good variety of quality material, and for all collecting interests and budgets. We are proud to have been entrusted with several high quality collections.

The Canada and BNA section is full of lovely material, with probably the most high quality stamps we have offered yet in a single sale, as well as a very wide range of Unitrade listed items. Readers will also notice that a great number of lots in this section are offered with certificates. Of note are many fresh and mint never hinged stamps in singles, blocks of four, plate blocks as well as complete sheets.

We have the honour of offering a unique collection of Prince Edward Island stamps, which won the Grand Award at the 1957 National Exhibition in Ottawa, the Grand Award at the 1956 BNAPEX and which had been put away since 1964. You will find in it many rare and not often offered or seen material.

Our popular Canada and Worldwide lots and collections section yet again offers a good selection of different country collections, in albums, stockbooks, dealer stock, and more. Of note are some strong Netherlands collections, Nepal collectors will find a specialized selection of early sheets in 12 lots, especially the half anna issues, ex. Ken Kershaw. We also have a strong offering of very useful Canadian postage lots, including many self-adhesives, high values and “P” values.

The print catalogues will be mailed by year’s end, in plenty of time to reach subscribers. Here on our site we will be featuring interesting items from the sale, as well as listing any corrections or clarifications that come to light.

Lot 146, Canada 1928 ten cent Mount Hurd, imperf pair, VF NH plate block of four, sold for $546

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Lot 146, Canada 1928 ten cent Mount Hurd, imperf pair, VF NH plate block of four, sold for $546Lot 146 Canada #155b 1928 10c Mount Hurd, Imperforate Vertically, a mint never hinged upper right plate block of four, very fine and fresh. Catalogue value is for normal block, and does not include a premium for the plate inscription. Very fine. Unitrade CV$750, sold for C$475 plus buyer’s premium.

Lot 229, Canada 1908 Bell Telephone Company complete booklet, sold for $3335

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Lot 229 Canada #TBT31, TBT34 1908 The Bell Telephone Company Booklet, containing 7 complete panes plus 34 stamps of the 5c green (TBT31) as well as 5 complete panes plus 28 stamps of the 25c purple brown (TBT34). The 5c values include 29 watermarked stamps and the 25c values include 12 watermarked stamps (both not counted in catalogue value, but van Dam suggests a premium of 50%). The booklet covers have light creasing, soiling and a few small pencil notations, still a very rare booklet and stamps are very fine, never hinged. van Dam CV$12,620, sold for C$2,900 plus buyer’s premium.

Lot 326, Great Britain 1841 two pence blue used strip of three, watermark small crown, sold for $196

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Lot 326, Great Britain 1841 two pence blue used strip of three, watermark small crown, sold for $196Lot 326 Great Britain #4 1841 2d blue Queen Victoria on bluish Paper, Imperforate, Watermark Small Crown, lovely used strip of three, with light 1844 type grid cancels, with large margins along the whole length of the top and bottom, plus showing a large part of both adjoining stamps at right and left. The owner has identified it as plate 3 (unverified by us) and with the “square footed J” variety. Deep, rich colour and extremely fine. S.G. #14, £255. Scott CV U$275, sold for C$170.00 plus buyer’s premium.

Lot 386, Russia 1857 10k brown and blue Coat of Arms on folded letter, Samara to Saratov, sold for $978

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Lot 386 Russia #1 1857 10k brown and blue Coat of Arms on Folded Letter, mailed in 1858 from Samara to Saratov (boxed receiver on back dated 12 February 1858), with two page letter inside written in cursive. The stamp has three large margins and the bottom is clear of the outer frameline. It is tied to the cover by a large double ring c.d.s. as well as a fairly light pen cancel. Opening tear on back has been neatly mended with stamp hinges, still very fine and a great example of Russia’s first stamp on cover. Scott CV$3,000, sold for C$850 plus buyer’s premium.