Tag Archives: Varieties

February 29, 2016 · 1:34 pm

February 2016 Ebay Report

Top 5 Items of the Month

30.35After a lazy start to 2016 I’m going to try get back in to the rhythm of doing my monthly eBay reports. We’ll see how long it lasts…

First up is a scarce Qua-Iboe River cancel from Niger Coast on an overprinted 1/2d vermilion which sold for £30.35.

52.10 mnhNext up are two blocks featuring constant varieties listed in the Stanley Gibbons Specialised Volume 1, although neither were highlighted by the vendor. The 4 1/2d block shows the variety “broken bar to fraction” (SG K34h) which affects the fraction bar on the right “1/2” on the lower left stamp in this block. Catalogued at £90, it sold for a respectable £52.10 so a couple of people must have spotted it.

67.09However the variety featured on this block of 1 1/2d was a much better buy. The lower right stamp in the block shows the variety “retouch left of tablet and around large figure 1” (SG K29f) which catalogues at £600 for a mounted mint example. So I was rather happy to pick it up for £67.09.  Stanley Gibbons are currently offering a mint nh interpanneu block of 8 with this variety for £1’200! In fact if I hadn’t had been studying the catalogue the day bidding finished I probably would have missed it.

29.70 FebThis block of 12 6d Jubilees is a scarce used multiple, but what it more interesting is the cancellation. Without my references in front of me, I think that the “FPO / 43” cancellation was used during the Boer War. So even with the faults (some splitting and creasing), I think the right person would pay more than the £29.70 it realised.

93.78This attractive franking is on a printed envelope from the stamp dealer H. G. Hanson in Cardiff. Funnily enough I recognised this cover as I described it for a David Feldman SA auction and it sold a couple of years ago for €180. I don’t know if the buyer then was the same as the seller now, but it only sold for £93.78 this time.

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September 6, 2015 · 3:03 pm

July 2015 Ebay Report

Top 5 Items of the Month

Baltasound mailbag sealWell I hope you have been enjoying the summer as much as I have. Holidays and stamp exhibitions (and some work in between) have taken up a lot of my time and energy, so excuse this post for being over a month late.

I start with a 6d purple on rose with a cancel I have featured before on my blog; the Baltasound mail bag seal. As it was meant to stamp wax, the strike in ink on the stamp creates negative impression. As far as I know, no covers exist, so it is likely that stamps like this were created by favour. I’ve only ever seen it on the Jubilee issue, and even so, not on the values issued after 1887 such as the 4 1/2d, 10d, 1/d blue-green and 1s green & carmine. This example sold for £42.00.

72.18 julThis usage of the 1s green and carmine and 1/2d blue-green on a parcel address label sold for £72.18, despite the fact that it’s a bit grubby and not particularly nicely cancelled. A strong price in my opinion even in view of the scarcity of 1s usages.

British Bechuanaland postal stationery card VryburgVying for bargain of the month is this British Bechuanaland postal stationery card sent from Vryburg and uprated with a 1/2d vermilion. By no means scarce, it’s certainly more valuable than the £18.65 it sold for.

Office of Works with chamfered O varietyThis was another good buy. This Office of Works overprint on the 1/2d vermilion is showing the variety “chamfered O” on the O in OFFICIAL. Catalogued by Stanley Gibbons at £220 , it sold for only £10.51.

And finally we have one the only item I have bought off eBay in the last couple of months. Destination mail definitely seems to be a favourite of mine (as my tag cloud on the right hand side will prove). Sent to Grenada, I bought this stamped to order postal stationery envelope uprated with Jubilees for £18.65. Bargain!

Destination mail to Grenada

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June 1, 2015 · 11:37 am

Government Parcels inverted overprint “proving piece” up for auction

Government Parcels 1s Green and Carmine Inverted OverprintSpink will be offering part 5 of the “Lionheart” collection on June 17th, which contains the “proving piece” of the inverted overprint of the 1s green and carmine. Although several had been discovered and the variety was listed in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue, opinions changed and in 1916 it was de-listed and all examples regarded as forgeries. That was until the discovery of this example in 1950, clearly tied to a Post Office parcel label, that the Royal Philatelic Society of London granted it a certificate and it was restored to the Stanley Gibbons catalogue. The full story can be read in this extract from the L. N. Williams Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps.

This example was last sold at Cherrystone in 2008 for $20’700. It is being offered in June with an estimate of £10’000-£12’000.

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April 7, 2015 · 7:36 pm

March 2015 Ebay Report

85.20I hope that everyone who had the opportunity had a pleasant Easter holidays. We start this month off with a couple of items where I was unsuccessful bidder. First up is an 1890 Uniform Penny Postage Jubilee envelope sent to Canada, unusually uprated with a 4d and a 4 1/2d Jubilee paying three times the UPU rate plus registration fee. Apart from being an attractive franking, it has the added interested of a Canadian customs instructional label. It sold for £85.20.

69.50Next we have a rare usage of a “Manchester Philatelic Society War Fund” charity label which I believe was to raise funds for the Boer war. It’s actually the first example I have seen on cover and it’s extra nice that it has the 1/2d vermilion and the 1/2d blue-green. It has some little faults, but I should have bid it up past the £69.50 it realised. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in a dealer’s stock at £150+.

1887 3d purple on yellow offset varietyThis interesting variety sold for only 40.62. It shows an offset, caused by freshly printed sheets being stacked on top of each other and the wet ink being pressed into the reverse of the sheet above. This is not a common variety on the 3d but would have sold for much more if a complete impression of the stamp could be seen.

69.95

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Bechuanaland Protectorate 1/2d vermilion with double “Protectorate” overprint sold for a strong £69.95

46.94And we finish off with an item that I featured in my June 2012 eBay report; a 1s double rate single franking to New Zealand. Back then it sold for £50.29. This time it sold for £46.94.

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March 4, 2015 · 9:22 pm

February 2015 Ebay Report

Top 5 Items of the Month

160.55We start the month off with this attractive advertising cover from the stamp dealer William Brown of Salisbury. In my ever-expanding “Related Info” section, I have started an encyclopaedia-type listing of famous 20th century stamp dealers and personalities (by started, I mean I have done two…), so you can find out more about William Brown here. Even though it is “tainted” with two 1d lilacs, it is still a very attractive cover and deserving of the £160.55 paid for it. I picked up an even more attractive example (although of different design) from a dealer at Stampex for £140 which goes to show that dealers aren’t always overpriced!


44.51This attractively used Niger Coast 1/2d sold for £44.51 due to the dot between “R” and “S” of “RIVERS”. I’ve not seen this variety before, so I’ll be on the look out in the future to see if this proves to be a constant variety.

51.95

 

 

This cover has a very scarce single usage of the 9d sent to the USA. Unfortunately it was reduced at the left and top, but that didn’t stop it selling for £51.95. Probably paying 3 times the UPU rate with a late fee of 1 1/2d because I don’t think it’s philatelic.

43.10Blocks of the 1s green aren’t rare, but this example with a fresh colour is surely worth more than £43.10!!

21.17Finally we have a postcard sent from Jersey, with a 1/2d blue-green pair cancelled in transit by a French Granville cds, with a French “Boite Mobile” (or Mobile Box) hexagonal datestamp adjacent. Unfortunately the stamps are a little discoloured, but it still sold for £21.17.

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June 21, 2014 · 3:05 pm

May 2014 Ebay Report

Top 5 Items of the Month

481.39We start May’s report off with this very attractive used block of 12 of the 1s green with neat “St. Johns Wood / Circus Rd. N.W.” cds. Multiples of the 1s green are by no means rare. The thing that is a huge factor in the price of such a multiple is the freshness of the green, as the colour all to easily becomes washed when immersed in water. This block fetch a very handsome £480.

GB Used in AscensionThis 2 1/2d is scarce because it has a crisp cds of the island of Ascension. All the Jubilee stamps are difficult to find used in Ascension, with the Stanley Gibbons catalogue indicating quite strongly that the 4 1/2d is by far the rarest. This stamp sold for £73.92.

 

 

29.43 This item drew my attention because it has been sent to Guatemala (making it the 3rd example so far that I have recorded with this destination). What makes it even more interesting is that the total franking is 2s4d. Although they all have the “HUTH” commercial perfin which detracts slightly. I was the only bidder and snapped it up for £29.43.

45.86mmI hate shades. I really do. Back in my newbie days of collecting I was caught out by the 2d green and scarlet to the tune of £210. The stamp was sold on eBay by a reputable dealer who had left it on a Stanley Gibbons stock card; proving how difficult these things are. Of course buying over the internet, and relying on your computer monitor’s colours makes this even ore trickier. However I would say with great confidence (now I know better!) that this 2d has the rarer shade of red for the duty tablet. There is a couple of tiny marks on the stamp which put me off bidding (rule number 1: Always go for top quality!) but even so, it’s a very good buy for £45.86,

8.80And finally another item of destination mail. Although far from being a sexy destination, this is only the second cover going to Luxembourg that I have spotted. It sold for £8.80.

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April 29, 2014 · 8:03 pm

March 2014 Ebay Report

55.00 mh var not describedStill have some catching up to do, so here is the March report…

First two items up show varieties not described by the vendor. This 10d has the constant variety “broken triangle” below the Queen’s head. Why this is not listed by SG is beyond me. Even undescribed, this mint hinged example sold for £55.00. Retail about £150.

 

 

32.00mm

This mint hinged 1 1/2d shows a retouched duty tablet at the left side and sold for £32.00. A few years ago I used to pick up items like these two for no premium over a normal stamp. Just goes to show that there are more eBay hunters these days looking for these valuable varieties. However the retail price is still £150+ if you can find one.

 

 

56.80 fake

Next up is a familiar story that I’ve repeated several times. Crude forgeries like this 5d Board of Education which sell for stupid money (£56.80 in this case). For officials, please, please buy from a respected retailer with a RPS or BPA certificate.

206.50 mnh

 

 

 

These panes of 20 of the 4 1/2d are fairly common, but very attractive. If you want one, hold out for a perfect pane with no creases and mnh. This very fine example one sold for £206.50 and is the right price. As is the theme of this month, look out for the catalogued plate varieties for extra interest.

31.90And finally, 1/2d control pairs are proving to still be a highly competitive collecting area. This quite common “L” control in mnh condition sold for £31.90. I think that’s more than what a dealer would charge.

 

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January 8, 2014 · 9:06 pm

December 2013 Ebay Report

Top 5 Items of the Month

83.74iSorry for the slow start to the New Year Ladies and Gentleman! Anyway, we kick off with my surprise of the month. This Washington Station parcel label caught my eye just because I’m from the Newcastle area and have slowly started to collect Newcastle and Gateshead postal history. The label bears a 3d purple on yellow with a beautiful “socked on the nose” (excuse my American) cancel of the Washington Station. Final price: £83.74! Obviously a scarce cancel for the Railway enthusiast. Unless there is a big market for all things Washington…

77.90Next item up is this attractive unmounted mint positional block of the 1/2d blue-green, showing the gutter margin and pin dot. Again the price realised was a pleasant surprise: £77.90. But it is an ideal item for an exhibition display to show the features of a sheet without having to display all 240 stamps.

8.10

 

 

 

This cover is interesting. It was sent in 1956! Deemed invalid for use, the postal worker placed crayon crosses around the stamp and applied “Contrary to regulations”, “TO PAY” and “5d” tax hs  as well as applying a 5d postage due. The last day of use for the Jubilee issue was supposed to be 1st January 1902.

28.95Although this may appear to be a cheap stamp with a great big crease through it, the interesting thing about this item is that it is cancelled by “FIELD POST OFFICE / BRITISH ARMY S. AFRICA” from the Boer War. I’ve seen very few Officials used in the Boer war, so one savvy bidder did well with the only bid of £28.

 

 

34.00And finally, this unmounted mint 2 1/2d purple on blue sold for £34. “Crazy money” I hear you scream. Well I was disappointed in myself for missing out on it. This stamp actually has a constant variety showing a dot just about the tail of the large “2”. This is the fourth example of this variety I have seen (all of which have been this year).

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October 6, 2013 · 3:24 pm

September 2013 Ebay Report

Top 5 Items of the Month

77.75We start this month off with a curious item. The postcard was sent to Sir Chih-Chen Lofengluh, Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary to London. The card, which depicts an image of the man was duly signed and returned in the post according to the message on the back. The sender was the infamous Reginald Bray, tester of the post office’s regulations and autograph hunter extraordinaire. Reginald Bray sent thousands of these to celebrities and politicians of the time, and the items are highly collectable. The vendor of the item didn’t know of it’s provenance, but the distinct style is obvious to those who know. Still, the item managed to fetch £77.50 despite not being described.

341.00Another month and another inverted watermark. This time a lightly used example of the 9d dull purple and blue which sold for £341.00. It is catalogued by SG at £2’500.

 

 

36.91This cover is actually my favourite item of the month (and now part of my collection!). Not only is it an unusual franking in having two stamped-to-order postal stationery dies and three Jubilee values, but it is a scarce destination as it was sent to Java in the Dutch Indies (an island in Indonesia). I think it was cheap at £36.91.

9.38Superb used examples with a central cds don’t come along too often, and I always try to snatch them up. This 1s green and carmine is one of the best I’ve seen on eBay, but only sold for £9.38 (also now part of my collection!). This must have been due to the small image supplied by the vendor and the ever so slightly faded green (which is barely noticeable in the flesh).

29.10And finally we have the 1/2d vermilion paying the late fee on a cover with a nice boxed “LATE FEE / PAID” handstamp. There are many different types of Late Fee handstamp to be found. This on one cover sold for £29.10.

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May 30, 2013 · 10:31 am

May 2013 Ebay Report

Top 5 Items of the Month

51.00 May was a quiet month for the Jubilees on eBay so I only have four items for you…sorry. First up is this attractive British Levant commercial cover sent from Beirut. The 40pa on 2 1/2d is tied by a crisp hooded circle ds on Beirut which is much less common than the cds of Constantinople and Smyrna. What made it that extra bit special, was that the reverse had transit marks of both the British Post Offices at Smyrna and Constantinople! So it sold for an impressive £51.00.

104.00Inverted watermarks on the Jubilee issue don’t pop up often on eBay (except for the 1/2d values). This used example of the 5d purple and blue is catalogued at £1’000 in the latest SG Queen Victoria catalogue. Although described as very fine, a small wrinkle at the lower left obviously put people off and it sold for £104. That’s 10% of the catalogue price…

43.00To compare, the 1/2d vermilion is catalogued at £50 used, and sold for £42.00 this month. That is 84% of catalogue. As the Americans say, go figure…

 

 

 

303.55 mmI’ve chosen this Board of Education official overprint on the 5d purple and blue as another reminder to readers about the danger of forged overprints. Catalogued at £4’500, the fact that the seller was happy to let this mounted mint example go for only £303.55 should be a clear indication. ALWAYS buy these stamps with a certificate. Dealers know this. So if you’re offered one without a certificate of authenticity from a respected expertising committee such as the BPA or RPS, just walk away.

31.70And finally there were several control strips of three just like this one which appeared this month. Prices showing that there is still a strong demand for these items even for the more common O, P and Q controls. This one is slightly more unusual in that it is doubly perforated in the margin. It sold for £31.70 despite some tone spots.

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