The
“Pence” stamps of Canada were issued between 1851 and 1859.
They include both imperforate (1851-1857) and perforated stamps (1858-1859).
It is quite rare to find perforated stamps from this period that are
centered because the margins are so very narrow.
It should be remembered that the Scott and Unitrade catalogue prices
had been in decline from 1984 to 1991, before leveling out. Only in
1998 did they begin to recover. They then increased noticeably until
2008 when there was a clear pause in the market as a result of the worldwide
economic slowdown. At the end of this commentary, we compare some of
the 1996 catalogue prices with those of today.
Our sincere thanks to Mr. John Cooper of Montreal for letting us have
the use of his catalogues for this review of an exceptional collection
from the past.
(The prices realized have been converted at the rate of $1U.S. = $1.37
Cdn.)
Here are some of the treasures to be admired from the sale:
Imperforate Stamps
1var
Orange Vermillion
|
|
Lot
7
Superb, sheet margin at left
Realized $1,233
|
2
Brown Purple
|
2
Brown Purple |
|
|
Lot
16
Superb, large margins
Realized $2,192
|
Lot
17
Superb, next stamp showing
Realized $2,603 |
4
Red
|
|
Lot
20
Full OG
Realized $480
|
4a
Brown Red
|
4c
On soft ribbed paper |
|
|
Lot
25
XF, Part OG
Realized $1,780
|
Lot
32
VF NG, huge margin on right
Realized $1,233 |
4d
Orange Red
|
4iv
Red on thin oily paper |
|
|
Lot
38
XF Superb, full OG. large margins
Realized $890
|
Lot
55
Vertical “Stitch” Watermark
Realized $309 |
5
Slate Grey
|
5a
Brownish Grey |
|
|
Lot
63
Suberb, enormous margins
Realized $2,329
|
Lot
66
Superb gem,”the rarest 6d variety”
Realized $2,603 |
5b
Greenish Grey
|
5d
Grey Violet |
|
|
Lot
69
Superb gem, huge margins
Realized $3,082
|
Lot
73
Superb gem, showing imprint
Realized $3,767 |
7
Blue
|
7a
Bright Blue |
|
|
Lot
75
Gem, huge margins
Realized $1,780
|
Lot
81
Superb gem
Realized $1,233 |
8
Rose
|
8i
Lilac Rose |
|
|
Lot
83
Superb, Full OG LH, Ex-Nickle
Realized $980
|
Lot
90
Choice gem, huge margins
Realized $828 |
10
Reddish Purple
|
|
Lot
99
Huge margins, one of finest extant
Realized $6,028
|
12
Red
|
|
Lot
101
XF, well centred, rare for this.
Realized $1,280
|
13
Brown Violet
|
|
Lot
107
Full OG. showpiece, one of the finest
Realized $13,563
|
What
a beautiful collection! It was relatively modest without a Scott 3 and
blocks of four etc.. but it was comprehensive, with a great many varieties,
Its quality was evident throughout, with many in the XF and GEM category.
It clearly would have taken any collector years and years and a great
deal of discipline to put together.
One of the more interesting comments
in the auction catalogue concerned lots 73 and 99, shown above. These
two lots had been sent to the V.G. Greene Foundation for authentication.
When they were returned to their owner with the certificate, the Secretary
of the Foundation stated: “the Scott 5d and 10 are two of the
finest stamps I have seen in some time”. Now for most collectors,
that would be the ultimate compliment!
How
could one compare the catalogue values today with those in 1996? Here
are some examples that illustrate this:
Scott
Number |
Price
Realized
in 1996 |
Catalogue
1996 |
Catalogue
2010 |
1(u)
pair |
1,233 |
1,500 |
2,300 |
2(u) |
2,129 |
1,400 |
1,850 |
4(m) |
480 |
1,250 |
1,500 |
4a(m) |
1,780 |
1,300 |
1,600 |
4c(m) |
1,233 |
2,750 |
4,000 |
4d(m) |
890 |
1,250 |
1,500 |
4iv(u) |
309 |
350 |
350 |
5(u) |
2,329 |
1,000 |
1,500 |
5a(u) |
2,603 |
1,450 |
2,000 |
5b(u) |
3,082 |
1,200 |
1,500 |
5d(u) |
3,767 |
1,900 |
3,000 |
7(u) |
1,780 |
1,150 |
1,750 |
7a(u) |
1,233 |
1,300 |
2,250 |
8(m) |
980 |
650 |
1,000 |
8i(u) |
828 |
800 |
1,000 |
10(u) |
6,028 |
3,000 |
5,500 |
12(u) |
1,280 |
500 |
1,000 |
13(m) |
13,563 |
7,500 |
17,500 |
If
you would like to see our commentaries on other outstanding Canadian
collections, please click here.
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