The Many Delights of June in London

The June auction week at Grosvenor produced a highly satisfactory total of £708,989.

First to be offered was the remarkable Collection of Malta formed by John Birkett Allan on June 3rd, a landmark sale with its sale catalogue of 1,376 lots certain to become an invaluable work of reference for years to come.

Many individual results caught the eye, including the important order issued in 1798 by Napolean Bonaparte [lot 51], one of only three examples of mail composed by the general during the week he was in Malta en route to Egypt, climbing to a price of £15,600.

An attractive disinfected entire letter to London with markings including the framed “CALCUTTA/STEAM LETTER” datestamp, double oval “PURIFIE AU LAZARET/MALTE” and oval “Care of/Mr Waghorn/Suez” cachet [lot 286] selling for £5,400. Showing the only recorded example of the first Wavy Line cancellation on a Great Britain embossed 6d. [lot 442] produced a price of £5,040.

There was strong interest also in village cancellations with a 1919 cover from Garbo in Victoria [lot 1197] reaching £6,960 and the 1904 cover sent from Xeuchia to Valetta [lot 1216] soaring to £10,800.

The two day sale of British Empire & Foreign Countries that followed on June 4th – 5th contained many varied delights.

Huge enthusiasm was created for the ‘Bellapais’ collection of Cyprus with many collections selling for multiples of their estimated value. Among unusual items that excelled was the 1953 3pi. registration envelope showing the emergency endorsement “Posted at Tent P.O/Paphos/Subsequent to Earthquake” [lot 457] subject to strong competition and reaching £1,674.

Rare early covers were to be found in the Dr Simon Kelly collection of Ethiopia. Top price here went to a cover to France [lot 542] from the 1867-68 Abyssinia Expedition franked by two India 4a. and with “PAID-ONLY/TO ENGLAND” and the red unframed circular “FILED FORCE POST OFFICE ABYSSINIA” markings. This reached £3,240.

Also very uncommon was a presentation of Pitcairn Islands postal history that included a 1926 stampless cover to the U.S.A. [lot 1155] which climbed to £3,472, and showed “Mailed at Pitcairn Island,/South Seas/No stamps available” cachet, this being a ‘proving’ item demonstrating that the marking was created in the Canal Zone for all incoming mail from Pitcairn.

The David Quick collection of Nigeria was very well supported. Addressed to Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie, founder and Chairman of the Royal Niger Company which secured British claims to the lower Niger and Northern Nigeria, an attractive 1899 cover from Lokoja with Great Britain 1d. tied by type 8 cachet with type 4 Burutu cachet alongside [lot 1115] was a highly desirable item that entirely deserved the £922 price paid.

For the stronger ‘classic’ collecting countries demand remains strong and more predictable. Australian kangaroos were jumping and a striking mint block of seven of the Cape of Good Hope 1d. brownish red [lot 1242] did well at £2,170. Due to its connection to one of the heroes of the ill-fated Captain Scott expedition to the South Pole a 1902 stampless “On Service” Anglo-Boer War cover with enclosed letter sent by Lt. Lawrence Oates to his mother at the family home in Essex [lot 1254] sold very well for £1,500.

Realisations quoted include buyer’s premium.

For further information please contact Tom Margalski or Verity Smith at the Grosvenor London office.