Napoleon was a complex character

When, at the age of eleven, I was solemnly measured against the previous year's champion and solemnly acknowledged as the shortest boy in the school there was at first a feeling of achievement, that I was "special". It lasted only until the first blows rained in, of course, and in the long run has not affected me at all. Absolutely. Glad I did not choose that moment to tell my tormenters about the stamp collecting, though. Anyway I am pretty sure that Chris Lawrence is shorter than me nowadays if things ever turn nasty again.

It has long been the British way to belittle Napoleon's achievements as those of a small man "just showing off", and this is not the place to mount the Bonapartist defence. However, the choice of "Napoleon" to name an exceptional collection of Saint Helena stood out as entirely appropriate, for the Emperor and his island of exile will be forever connected. When the island finally takes off as a tourist destination on completion of the long awaited airport (expected 2015) there will be many who will flock to see the remote destination where the great man spent his last days.

The "Napoleon" collection deserves its grand connection, containing as it does a number of significant postal history rarities. Among these are the earliest known Saint Helena censored cover as well as the earliest "T" tax marking and registration label from the island. One particular eye-catching item is the interesting 1816 letter from Lt. George Dunlop sent from ship "off Madeira" and with a fine strike of the rare "PORT/BRITISH" marking. Lieutenant Dunlop was a surgeon with the 66th Regiment of Foot and en route to the island as part of the guard for the Emperor.

When Dunlop arrived he would have been surprised to find that Napoleon was in fact not short at all, being 5 ft 7 in (1.7m) tall - the average height for the period and still the optimum height for a man today.

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End of Year Quiz

As announced on this website homepage the Grosvenor office is currently shut for the Christmas break and our first sale of 2012 - British Empire & Foreign Countries on March 8th - is now closing for the receipt of consigments. As we reflect on 2011, a year in which our 100,000th auction lot was described, this would seem an appropriate time to reflect on the hidden backgrounds of members of the Grosvenor team - and what might have been.

So, before Grosvenor came along  - True or False ?

1. Chris Lawrence was a milkman.

2. David Boyd was a professional magician under the name "The Great Boydini" (see right)

3. Charles Napper was a research scientist (but definitely not a vivisectionist).

4. James Grist was a waiter at a Butlins holiday camp.

5. Stuart Billington was a personal shopper in the Men's Department of the John Lewis department store.

6. Andrew Claridge was a porter in a mental hospital.

7. Andrew Williams performed contemporary dance on the Covent Garden Piazza.

8. Nick Mansell was a civil servant in the D.H.S.S.

9. David Bristow played in midfield for Brighton & Hove Albion football club.

10. Tristan Brittain was a Children's Television presenter.

11.  Glyn Page worked for a national newspaper.

12. Nick Kerridge was a Customs officer.

The correct answers are 1. True, 2. False (sadly), 3. True (so he says), 4. True, 5. False (it is just the way he walks), 6. True (excellent training for later dealings with other Great Britain dealers), 7. False (this remains just an unpaid hobby), 8. True (but not a very good one), 9. False, 10. False (he just dresses like one), 11. True, 12. True (for further confirmation see "Underground London" by Stephen Smith, p. 100 in which Nick discusses his favourite drugs and firearms)

All of the above join me in wishing a Very Happy New Year to all our clients !

JG