The Right to be Choosy
The Right to be Choosy
The September auction week at Grosvenor achieved a pleasing final sale total of £841,405.
Bermuda was the leading country from the Langton Hill Collection, presented as a single auction. Many important items appeared for sale, the 1620 and 1628 letters sent to England by John Hanmer [lot 166], the first being the second earliest in private hands, sold for £16,120. The used example of the 1875 1d. on 1s. with surcharge inverted [lot 301] achieved £9,840 and is one of just two known, both of which have faults.
Tobago of quality is more rarely offered at auction and here the enthusiasm of response was more even. An attractive mint copy of the 1879 £1 mauve sold for £3,600 whilst the 1886-89 1/2d. on 21/2d. with surcharge omitted, surviving in a mint pair with the normal stamp [lot 1027], reached £3,600 despite some creasing.
The second day of selling began with a reassuringly strong response to the section of Miscellaneous & Mixed Lots and over the next two days the countries of the world continued to delight or disappoint in fairly equal measure.
The Australian States have a strong following that can usually be relied upon and sometimes generates extraordinary results. From Tasmania the 1858 cover to Hobart franked by a handsome 2d. Chalon pair and with dated “PORT ARTHUR/POST OFFICE” and Hobart “PRE-PAID” arrival marks [lot 1748] reached an impressive £2,400.
The section of East Africa included the collection of the late Ben D’Souza, one of the founder members of the East Africa Study Circle, and this was very well received. One notable item from this collection was the 1931 flown cover from England to South Africa [lot 2125] with “THE GLEN KIDSTON LONDON-CAPETOWN FLIGHT/LOCKHEED VEGA G-ABGK” printed and the signature of pilot/engineer Owen Cathcart Johns that soared to £4,200.
The results in the Egypt section may have been patchy but this continues to be a popular country. The “Post by the/OVERLAND MAIL/Every Thursday” publicity handstamp in purple seen on the 1923 airmail cover from Cairo to Baghdad [lot 2280] is thought to have been applied by the Iraqi post on arrival in Baghdad and is rare, its £4,560 realisation well merited. Two other covers with handstamps in carmine and red-brown have been recorded.
The following for India also remains very strong. A particularly beautiful strike of the “CARE OF MR WAGHORN/ALEXANDRIA” cachet on an 1837 entire letter from London to Calcutta [lot 2633] showing also the framed “BOMBAY/STEAM LETTER/Bearing” marking rose strongly to £6,240.
A strong finish to the week was created in the U.S.A. section by the £9,225 paid for the 1875 reprints of the 1857-60 set without gum as issued but with some perf. faults [lot 3469].
Through the week prices proved unpredictable as collectors showed themselves not just choosy in regard to quality but increasingly selective in their needs. In common with other collectible markets too reliant on generations that are now passing, philatelic auctions will expect to adjust their lotting and estimates accordingly to maximise results.
Realisations quoted include buyer’s premium. For further information please contact Tom Margalski or Verity Smith at the Grosvenor London office.