Commonwealth

Sale 51 coming October 17-19, 2024

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Welcome to the Sparks Auctions Fall 2024 sale!

Lot 688 CVR India 1911 (February 18), First Aerial Post registered postcard to Calcutta, 1a stationery uprated with 4a adhesive, tied by neatly-struck rose “First Aerial Post / U.P. Exhibition Allahabad” cachet, registration etiquette alongside, Allahabad despatch and Wellesley Street Calcutta c.d.s. (2½2 Feb) c.d.s. on front, some light edge wear and trivial marks at lower left, a fine and rare registered card, and a desirable example from the world’s first official air mail flight. Estimate C$1,500

We are pleased to offer our traditional selection of quality stamps and postal history of Canada, British North America, and the world. Select single stamps of Canada and B.N.A. are complemented by a range of scarce multiples, plate proofs, die proofs, and more. Our Worldwide section includes artist essays, specimens, and ever-popular varieties and sets of the British Commonwealth. Postal history includes an extensive offering of single covers, including a broad worldwide component, particularly of India and pioneer aviation, with a variety of pilot-signed covers. Our offerings of world postal history collections and accumulations are particularly strong, sure to entice collector and dealer alike.

We encourage all bidders, even those who may not routinely browse our Lots and Collections, to peruse those sections of both postal history and stamps. Far from exclusively voluminous collections and carton lots, these sections also include smaller offerings of material, including stock pages of classic stamps, group lots of covers, wholesale quantities of single stamps or sets, and more. As always, these lots have been extensively photographed, with thousands of high-quality images available online at StampAuctionNetwork.com and Philasearch.com.

For those who cannot attend in person, the sale will be conducted live on StampAuctionNetwork.com, allowing bidders to join us as if “on the floor.” For the first time, our sale will also be available on Philasearch.com, through which we welcome pre-sale bids. For those participating from outside of Canada, we emphasize that our sale is conducted in Canadian Dollars, which may prove advantageous to many bidders who may take advantage of the strength of the U.S. Dollar, Euro, Swiss Franc, or other currencies.

We continue to welcome consignments for our Winter 2025 auction; contact us today to discuss how we may be able to assist. For those who would prefer an outright sale, we are also available to discuss the direct purchase of your collection.

This sale is the result of the dedicated efforts of a core group of professionals, including Eliseo Temprano (President), Peter MacDonald (General Manager), Kate Morrow (Auction Coordinator), and Matt Johnston (Website & Technical Coordinator), as well as an enthusiastic team supporting lotting, sale viewing, and auction day. We thank you for your interest in the sale, and wish you luck with your bids!

Chris Green
Managing Director & Chief Philatelist

Lot 786, British Commonwealth Collection mostly 1937 Coronation First Day Covers, sold for C$585

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Lot 786, British Commonwealth Collection mostly 1937 Coronation First Day Covers, sold for C$585Lot 786 British Commonwealth Collection of 68 mostly 1937 Coronation First Day Covers, includes 44 first day covers with Crown over a circle fancy Coronation cachets, including six registered, plus other first days without cachets. Also note four Canadian Royal Visit covers and some other odds and ends. Overall condition is very fine. Estimate $150, sold for C$500.00 plus 17% buyer’s premium.

Lot 1874, British Commonwealth lot of retired dealer material, sold for C$1,872

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Lot 1874, British Commonwealth lot of retired dealer material, sold for C$1,872Lot 1874 British Commonwealth Valuable Lot of Retired Dealer Material, with several hundreds of mint and used singles and sets, some in priced 102 cards, some unpriced, some in stock sheets, and we note a good variety of material here, from the classics to about the 1960s, with many items cataloguing in the $20 to $100s or more range. Countries noted include New Zealand, Ceylon, Fiji, India and States, British Antarctic Territory, Virgin Islands, Falkland Islands, and more. Also included is a good selection of early GB, with six Penny Blacks, lots of Penny Reds, many QV issues with plate interest, over 100 Seahorses (to the 10sh), high denomination stamps, etc. We have not checked the dealer’s identifications or prices, but do note that the quality is overall nice, with faults on some of the earliest stamps. See our many scans for a sample, better yet inspect in person to better appreciate the high value and variety involved in this lot. Estimate $1,000, sold for C$1,600.00 plus 17% buyer’s premium.