A Traditional Philatelic Auction House — Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Today in our Fall 2025 General Sale, we offer Worldwide Stamps & Postal History.
Lot 585 Falkland Islands #65-76 1933 Centenary ½d to £1, set of twelve, hinged, the lower values with hinge remnants, the key 5sh through £1 King George V extremely lightly hinged, bright and fresh colours throughout, 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
Lot 471 Falkland Islands #65-76 1933, ½d to £1 Centenary stamps, set of 12, hinged original gum, nicely-centred and with pleasing fresh colours, an iconic and highly sought-after set, very fine. Scott CV U$4,800.
Lot 1158 Collection of mostly mint George VI British Commonwealth issues, starting with the 1937 George VI coronation issue period, a quality collection of several dozens of sets from more than 40 countries, mostly mint, and neatly organized in three stock books, with centering notably better than usually found, and predominantly lightly hinged, with never hinged examples found throughout. We note the following better items and sets: Aden (Sc. #16-27a, c.v. $65); Antigua #84-95 NH (c.v. $105); Bahamas #100-113 (c.v. $127), #116-129 (c.v. $63); Bahrain #38-51 (c.v. $88), 20-37 (c.v. $573), 60-61A (c.v. $79), 78-80 (c.v. $104); Barbados #216-227 (c.v. $96); Bermuda #123-128 (c.v. $500); British Guiana #230-241 x2 (c.v. $166); Virgin Islands #76-87 (c.v. $140); Burma #18A-33 (c.v. $145); #O15-O27 (c.v. $224), #O43-O55 (c.v. $200); Falkland Islands #93-96 (c.v. $290 not counting NH factor); Gibraltar #107-118 (c.v. $106); India #162-166 (c.v. $160); New Hebrides #50-61 NH (c.v. $300); Northern Rhodesia #26-45 NH (c.v. $275); Seychelles #125-148 (c.v. $367); Australia #218-221 mint hinged (c.v. $253), as well as Newfoundland, Hong Kong, Burma and India likely being of interest. Significant value here, overall fresh and fine-very fine throughout; online photos show a representative sampling of this lot. Estimate C$1,000, sold for C$1,200.00 plus 17% buyer’s premium.
Lot 526 Falkland Islands #65-76 1933, Falkland Islands 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.
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.
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