Earle Covert

Announcing Our Spring 2025 Auction

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Welcome to the Sparks Auctions Spring 2025 Sale!

We are pleased to present our Spring 2025 auction, featuring our signature offering of stamps and postal history from Canada and around the world.

Our Canadian section includes a strong showing of proofs, among them the ever-popular “Dickens Head” and “Vikings Head” designs, alongside an extensive range of very fine singles and multiples from the reign of Queen Victoria through to modern errors and varieties. Small Queen specialists will find much to explore, with both individual items and collections including postmark studies and lifetime accumulations. The Admiral issue is particularly well-represented, with a notable selection of extremely fine examples, many accompanied by graded certificates—seldom encountered in this quality on today’s market.

We are especially pleased to introduce the first offering from the extraordinary “Simone Collection” of Canadian Revenues, one of the most comprehensive and refined holdings in existence, assembled over decades with a focus on both rarity and quality.

Lot 497
Lot 497 Great Britain #229a, 1935 2½d Prussian blue Silver Jubilee error of colour, lower sheet margin single, part original gum, with hinge remnant, nicely-centred and with fresh colour, a lovely example of this iconic rarity, with only four sheets having been printed, an ever-popular stamp of great desirability, and one of the most famous errors of British philately; with 1962 B.P.A. certificate. (S.G. 456a, £11,000), Scott CV U$13,500

We also continue to present material from the collection of the late Dr. Earle Covert, including additional Canadian tobacco tax stamps and an exceptional research group of Victorian postal stationery.

Our British Commonwealth and worldwide sections feature many attractive sets and singles, including the iconic 1933 Falkland Islands Centenary, high-quality Great Britain with a superb example of the elusive 1935 Silver Jubilee Prussian Blue error, and scarce varieties and re-entries from the acclaimed collection of noted expert Ralph Trimble, from whose collection we also offer many specialised lots and collections.

Postal history collectors will discover another fine selection of classic India, as well as early aviation and balloon mail, including covers signed by famed aviators such as Amelia Earhart, alongside military and disaster mail, Zeppelin items, and more.

The Lots and Collections section is rich with seldom-seen classic-era material, including noteworthy holdings from Belgium, the Italian States, Spain, and Switzerland—much of it drawn from a single, dedicated collector’s lifelong accumulation. For those who cannot view the sale in person, many of our larger lots are supported not only by extensive online photos but also by video walkthroughs offering complete views of their contents. As always, for full details on our approach to the conduct of the sale, we encourage all bidders to carefully review our Terms and Conditions before each auction.

We are now accepting consignments for our upcoming sales, including our traditional Autumn auction and the second of our dedicated Postal History sales. We welcome the opportunity to help you realise the full value of your philatelic collections, whether through consignment or direct sale.

Thank you for your interest in the auction, and best of luck with your bidding!

—The Sparks Auctions Team

Sale 52 coming January 30-February 1, 2025

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Welcome to the Sparks Auctions Winter 2025 sale!

This sale showcases an extensive selection of Canada and British North America, with particular emphasis on scarce and desirable plate and die proofs, superb-quality singles, and a diverse selection of striking modern errors and varieties. We’re also pleased to offer an exceptional range of Canadian revenue stamps, including a number of scarce examples, rarely seen on the market, and more of Earle Covert’s extensive Tobacco Tax collections.

Lot 526 1933 Falkland Islands #65-76 Centenary ½d to £1, set of twelve, hinged, most lightly so, including the key £1 King George V, universally bright and fresh colours, well-centered, very fine and choice, one of the iconic sets of the British Empire. (S.G. 127/138, £4,250) Scott CV U$4,800.

British Commonwealth and worldwide stamps feature many ever-popular sets and singles, including the iconic 1933 Falkland Islands Centenary, a range of Great Britain from Line Engraved to Seahorses, and a scarce holding of 1960s People’s Republic of China sheets and large multiples.

Canadian postal history is highlighted by a newly-recorded example of the rare August 1918 Pioneer flight of Lt. Tremper Longman, and a range of First and Second World War prisoner of war covers. The extensive and well-received offering of worldwide postal history from our last sale has been expanded, with a further selection of Victorian-era India postal history, United States, a broad selection of military and POW mail, and much more.

All bidders, even those who may not routinely browse our Lots and Collections, may find it fruitful to peruse those pages of both postal history and stamps, where some smaller offerings, particularly of classic and semi-classic stamps, complement the more voluminous holdings. For the first time, in addition to those lots which have been extensively photographed online, many feature detailed videos showcasing the entirety of the lot.

Our Autumn 2024 sale, our first listed on Philasearch, welcomed many new bidders from around the world. For our upcoming sale, we again welcome advance bidding via Philasearch and StampAuctionNetwork, as well as live bidding via SAN.

For those participating from outside of Canada, we highlight 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 Spring and Autumn 2025 auctions; 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.

Thank you for your interest in the sale, and best of luck with your bids!

– The Team at Sparks Auctions

Lot 1021, Canada 1950 ten cent Air Letter proof, sold for $431

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Lot 1021 Canada #A13-P5 1950 proof of issued stamp in black on white chalk- coated paper, approximately 30 x 150mmLot 1021 Canada #A13-P5 1950 proof of issued stamp in black on white chalk- coated paper, approximately 30 x 150mm. The adopted design had more shading removed to allow airplane and “Postes/Postage” to be seen more readily. Very fine. From Earle Covert’s exhibit The Development of Canadian Armed Forces and Civilian Air Letters 1942 to 1996 (available as a BNAPS book). Webb CV C$400, sold for C$375 plus buyer’s premium.