Canadian Stamp Auctions

25 October, 2006 - R. Maresch & Son

We enjoyed looking at the nicely centered mint copies of the 15¢ Large Queen in this Maresch sale. The auction catalogue focused on the condition of these two examples, calling them "extremely fine", but in this Maresch sale, we also noted the subtle differences in their shades.

15¢ Large Queen - Shade varieties

"Gray Violet"	"Purple"
Lot 1509 Unitrade 29 Catalogue $60 Realized $210	Lot 1510 Unitrade 29i Catalogue $60 Realized $170

Nice prices! Both stamps were very lightly hinged.

1¢ Small Queen - Colour varieties

"Yellow"	"Red Orange"	"Yellow 11 1/2 x 12"
Lot 1551 Unitrade 35 Catalogue $180 Realized $70	Lot 1558 Unitrade 35iv Catalogue $300 Realized $65	Lot 1561 Unitrade 35vii Estimate $200 Realized $190

2¢ Small Queen Jumbo

Lot 1572 Unitrade 36i Catalogue $375 Realized $450

This imprint strip of three is truly remarkable although the stampls are a mix of good and bad. The left stamp is NH. The right stamp has been separated and reattached with a thin hinge strip. The centre stamp, however, is a spectacular jumbo. The combination of the printer's imprint and the jumbo are indoubtedly what drew the bids and resulted in the excellent price.

More Small Queens

Lot 1637 Scott 44 Catalogue $140 Realized $350

Lot 1642 Scott 45a Catalogue $475 Realized $775

The bidders certainly liked these Small Queens with their large borders.

2¢ Jubilee - Prices Consistently Strong

Lot 1708 Scott 52 Catalogue $55 Realized $210

There have been quite a few of these VF NH Jubilees sold at auction in the past year and the prices have been consistently strong with a few exceptions.

$1 Parliament - Unusual Price Variations for imperforate pairs

The prices realized for the sale of these two imperforate pairs surprised us by how different they were.

Lot 1905 Unitrade 159a Catalogue $1,350 Realized $550

Lot 1907 Unitrade 159b Catalogue $1,350 Realized $1100

Both pairs were described as very fine and NH. How can one account for the price differential? The second pair sold for twice the first. According to Unitrade, the same number of each variety were issued. The only explanation we can think of is that the stamp auction market is such a thin market that there may only be 2 or 3 bidders for each lot and sometimes only 1. Where there is little competition, prices can vary substantially. Where there are lots of bidders, prices tend to be a lot more stable and predictable.

An Exceptional Stamp

Lot 1930 Unitrade 203i Catalogue $80 Realized $140

This stamp leaped out of the page in the auction catalogue. What a wonderful cancellation on a well known variety. We envy the new owner, he or she has acquired a winner!

14¢ "White Queen"

Lot 1968 Scott 716c Estimate $4,000 Realized $2,800

The White Queen is a variety that appears fairly regularly at auction. We have recorded 30 copies in the past 10 years. But we have never seen a block like this showing a mix of the regular stamps with the variety. Maresch described it as follows:

"14¢ White Queen,three copies fully missing red, plus two more copies mostly missing red and graduating to full red in spectacular Block of 20, from the 5th and 6th rows of the sheet, multiple has been folded between the top and bottom rows, NH, very fine and RARE. Will make a wonderful display item for demonstrating how this variety happened. Catalogue value meaningless for such a rare and probably unique multiple."

There were so many other lovely stamps, both attractive and rare in this Maresch auction. For further details, please click on the Highlights button.