Best of British
The Specialised Great Britain auction held at Grosvenor on November 9th/10th more than satisfied pre-sale expectations with a final sale total of £708,771.
Once again, high prices for a number of collections and selections caught the eye, demonstrating a solid market for larger groupings even when best suited for dealer interest. A collection of mint/unused Victorian surface printed issues [lot 623] excelled with a realisation of £42,160. Few of the rarer mint stamps from this period have survived in perfect condition and percentage realisations of their Stanley Gibbons catalogue values are usually low, varying in relation to the faults they may now carry. Consequently conclusions on underlying trends can be difficult to draw from individual prices but steady demand for ‘abnormals’ is clear. The used 1862-64 watermark emblems 9d. bistre plate 3 [lot 644, S.G. cat. £13,000] rose to £4,960 despite minor toning and a creased corner.
From the line engraved section the 1840 VR 1d. black remains a reliably popular rarity, [lot 401] here rising to £7,440. There was also solid support for a particularly extensive offering of 1d. imprimaturs, the peak price being £1,550 paid for the AL corner example from plate R2 with number and part inscription [lot 521].
A strong section of postal stationery included an unusual offering of Official items from the collection of Alan Huggins RDP, FRPSL, MBE. The only recorded example of the Stamp Office 1868 2d. blue envelope for “H.M.S. Britannia” used from Dartmouth to Paris with added 1d., 2d. and 1s. [lot 213] attracted particular attention and a price of £893.
Queen Elizabeth II errors are subdued at present. One of only two known examples of the complete 1997 Greetings in Art (1st) booklet with gold, blue-green and phosphor omitted [lot 1256] achieved £6,480. The presentation of Wilding lots in the auction was, however, exceptional and featured the fine collection formed by the late Frank Walton RDP, FRPSL including some fine essays. Two stamp sized photographic essays by designer Enid Marx [lots 1139, 1141] both performed well, each reaching £1,056. A captivating pencil sketch by Edmud Dulac of her late Majesty [lot 1133] achieved £397.
Click here for prices realised.
For further information contact Tom Margalski.