Simone Collection

Lot 426, Canada 1918 twenty-five cent orange Timbre d’Economie pair, mint F-VF

by

Lot 426, Canada 1918 twenty-five cent orange Timbre d'Economie pair, mint F-VFLot 426 Canada #FWS3 1918, Canada Timbre d’Economie, 25c orange, French issue, horizontal pair, hinged, showing vibrant colour, thin at bottom of left stamp and trivial separated perf, of little importance given the significant rarity of this elusive revenue, a key stamp, fine-very fine. van Dam C$13,000

Lot 423, Canada 1915 King George V Supreme Court twenty-five cent blue with red IN PRIZE overprint, F-VF unused

by

Lot 423, Canada 1915 King George V Supreme Court twenty-five cent blue with red IN PRIZE overprint, F-VF unusedLot 423 Canada #FSC31 1915, King George V, Supreme Court, 25c blue with red IN PRIZE overprint, red control number, unused without gum, though produced in greater number than the Victorian equivalents, a stamp that remains quite scarce, this being of superior centring to many, fine to very fine. van Dam C$1,250.

Lots 444 & 451, Canada 1915-23 George V War Tax, 3 cent green and 8 cent brown, with red X precancel

by

Lot 444 Canada 1915-1923, George V War Tax, 3c green with red “X” precancel, used, fresh colour, very fineLot 444 Canada #FWT9a 1915-1923, George V War Tax, 3c green with red “X” precancel, used, fresh colour, very fine. van Dam C$675.

Lot 451 Canada 1915-1923, George V War Tax, 8c brown with inverted red “X” precancel, used, very fine. Lot 451 Canada #FWT12e 1915-1923, George V War Tax, 8c brown with inverted red “X” precancel, used, very fine. van Dam C$ 450 .

Announcing Our Autumn 2025 Auction

by

Welcome to the Sparks Auctions Autumn 2025 sale!

We are pleased to present our Autumn 2025 auction, which brings together an impressive array of stamps and postal history from Canada, British North America, and the world. Canadian philately is represented by high-quality singles and an attractive offering of die proofs, complemented by a striking group of modern errors and varieties. Postal history collectors will note highly desirable Pence, Decimal, and Small Queen issue frankings, while British North America includes scarce British Columbia, alongside strong Newfoundland Airmails highlighted by a never hinged Columbia Flight single and signatures of aviation pioneers Raynham, Hawker, Grieve, Alcock, and Brown.

Lot 274 Newfoundland #C5 1930 50c on 36c olive green Columbia Flight, from Position 1 of the setting of four, full never hinged original gum, rich deep shade, a lovely and fine-very fine example of this airmail rarity; with 2001 Philatelic Foundation and 2004 B.P.A. certificates. A LOVELY EXAMPLE OF THIS IMPORTANT NEWFOUNDLAND AIRMAIL RARITY.
Unitrade CV $16,500

Canadian revenues are particularly strong, led by Part II of the extraordinary “Simone Collection,” with Supreme Court and War Savings rarities, as well as seldom-seen “IN PRIZE” usages on document. Our British Commonwealth and worldwide sections are equally compelling, with noteworthy Crimean War mail, Chinese stamps and covers, an in-depth study of Great Britain Line Engraved, a continued offering of India postal history, and a diverse selection of first issues from around the globe. Worldwide postal history continues to be a strength, with a diverse range comprising items from the seventeenth century onwards, including military mail, Zeppelins, advertising, rare frankings, and much more. In contrast to our past format, this auction presents stamps and postal history together rather than in separate sections, allowing collectors to more easily locate material of interest.

Our popular Lots and Collections section once again offers a wealth of opportunities for collectors and dealers alike, ranging from small selections of classic stamps to intact holdings and major properties. Among the highlights are a superb collection of Canada’s Admiral Issues, an elegant exhibit of the 1934 3c Cartier, strong Great Britain holdings with plating studies and postal history including a desirable assembly of Penny Reds with Maltese Cross cancellations, a specialised Gold Coast collection, powerful collections of Canada, and further studies of first issues of the world. As always, these lots are supported by thousands of high-quality online images, with many larger lots also accompanied by detailed video walkthroughs.

Please visit Stamp Auction Network (SAN) or Philasearch to view the sale and place your advance bids. This sale is conducted in Canadian dollars – usually quite favourable for our many customers worldwide.

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 videos 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.

Bidding can be done in a variety of convenient ways including in advance via the Internet, live on the floor, by telephone, or through an agent. We are offering in-person viewing before the auction, starting on October 16; please contact us early to make your appointment.

Looking ahead, our next sale will be our December Worldwide Postal History auction, which will feature a diverse selection ranging from Admiral postal history of Canada to early Zeppelin mail and signed pioneer aviator mail. We continue to welcome consignments for our Winter 2026 sale, and invite discussions both for consignment and outright purchase of collections.

Finally, we wish to thank those who joined us at BNAPEX 2025 in Vernon, British Columbia, where it was a pleasure to meet collectors from across Canada and beyond, and we look forward to connecting again at STAMPEX in London, United Kingdom, from October 22nd–25th at the Business Design Centre—please stop by our stand if you are attending!

Best of luck with the sale,

-The Sparks Auctions Team

Lot 388, Canada 1916 black Grand Trunk Pacific Railways Telegraph Co frank, sold for C$885

by

Lot 388, Canada 1916 black Grand Trunk Pacific Railways Telegraph Co frank, sold for C$885Lot 388 Canada #TGT6a 1916, black Grand Trunk Pacific Railways Telegraph Co. frank, with black diagonal slash across the serial number tablet (unlisted re-entry), numbered “1” by red overprint, mint without gum, a striking and unusual variety, fine to very fine. van Dam C$500, sold for C$750.00 plus 18% buyer’s premium.