Collectors of British North America will find major Newfoundland and Canada gems alongside exceptional classic postal history when Eastern Auctions presents General Sale 880 from Aug. 25-27 in Bathurst, N.B.
The 847-lot auction features Newfoundland Pence rarities and proofs, important Canadian classics and specialized collections, as well as standout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia material and one of the most comprehensive collections of the Riel Rebellions ever assembled.
Yohann Tanguay, Eastern Auctions’ chief describer, said the three-day sale is notable for both its breadth and the calibre of material being offered. Newfoundland collectors will find Pence proofs and stamps, 1932 Resources progressive die proofs and seldom-seen imperforate plate-numbered blocks, while Canada is represented from the Pence period through the modern era. More than 200 lots from the Wayne Smith Canadian Numeral Cancel Collection are also included, along with modern errors, semi-official airmails and postage dues.
Newfoundland takes centre stage with several important Pence-era pieces. Lot 164 is an 1857 six-pence Heraldic Perkins Bacon engraved large die proof printed in black on India paper. Formerly in the renowned Dr. Chan Chin Cheung Newfoundland Collection, the proof displays the complete die sinkage area, providing an unusually detailed view of characteristics of the original die. Eastern believes it is one of only a handful known and possibly the largest surviving example. It carries a pre-sale estimate of $7,500 and up.
Lot 174 features an impressive mint block of Newfoundland’s 1862 one-penny violet brown imperforate on thin hard paper. Exceptionally fresh with large margins and retaining a large part of its original gum, the block represents a particularly elusive multiple of this classic Pence issue.
Tanguay, however, singled out Lot 174 as the Newfoundland item collectors should particularly watch. The 1862 one-penny violet brown on thin hard paper is offered as a mint block of four – a multiple far scarcer than the stamp’s catalogue value as a single might suggest. Tanguay’s research identified only four surviving blocks of four, with no larger multiples recorded. Formerly in the Dale-Lichtenstein and John C. Chapin collections, the block carries a pre-sale estimate of $3,000 and up.
Canada’s classic issues provide another cornerstone of the auction, with the Aug. 26 session devoted to nearly 350 lots ranging from the Pence issues through Small Queens. Among the highlights is Lot 312, an 1858 Three Pence Beaver mint corner-margin pair printed on soft horizontally ribbed paper. Eastern describes it as by far the finest of just three known pairs and the only known mint multiple. The pair, which has passed through the Charles Lathrop Pack, Amos Eno and Highlands collections, carries a pre-sale estimate of $25,000 and up.
For Tanguay, Lot 320 is the Canadian classic that stands above the rest. The 10-pence Cartier mint pair retains unusually clean original gum and a freshness seldom encountered on early Canadian stamps nearly 170 years after printing. Its pedigree includes the Dale-Lichtenstein, Henry Hussey, Carrington and Highlands collections. Tanguay described the pair as “the epitome of a popular Canadian classic stamp,” while its catalogue value stands at $56,000.
New Brunswick postal history adds another dimension to the sale. Lot 84, from the famed Boyd correspondence, was mailed from Chatham, N.B., to St. John’s, Nfld., bearing three-pence and six-pence stamps that together prepaid the inland and packet postage. According to the Arfken and Firby census, only three prepaid eight-pence currency covers to Newfoundland are recorded. The other two use a six-pence stamp with a bisected six-pence, making Lot 84 the only known cover with the distinctive three-pence-and-six-pence combination. It is estimated at $4,000 and up.
Nova Scotia contributes several major BNA rarities, including Lot 123, the celebrated 1857 One Shilling Heraldic formerly owned by Alfred Lichtenstein. The imperforate stamp displays enormous margins, vibrant reddish-purple colour and a substantial portion of the “T.H. Saunders” papermaker’s watermark – an unusual feature on the key value of Nova Scotia’s Pence issue. After reviewing decades of major auction catalogues, Eastern said it could locate no comparable mint or unused example. With a pedigree also including Frederick R. Mayer and C.M. Jephcott, the stamp has a catalogue value of $80,000.
Another Nova Scotia showpiece combines philately with an extraordinary journey. Lot 137 was mailed from Sydney, Cape Breton, on Feb. 28, 1852, to Peshawar, India, now in present-day Pakistan. The cover bears a six-pence yellow green alongside a pair of first-printing One Shilling Heraldics. Only three covers bearing the franking to India are known, with Eastern identifying this example as the earliest of the three and the second-earliest known use of Nova Scotia’s One Shilling Heraldic on cover. Described by Eastern as “one of the Crown Jewels of Nova Scotia philately,” it carries a pre-sale estimate of $50,000 and up.
Canadian postal history takes on a broader historical dimension with Lot 607, the Camellia PLC Collection of the Riel Rebellions. Offered intact with a pre-sale estimate of $50,000 and up, the extensively researched exhibit chronicles both the First Riel Rebellion of 1870-71 and the 1885 North-West Rebellion through covers, postal cards, correspondence, photographs and related material. Highlights include three covers from the First Riel Rebellion and three examples of the sought-after “Canadian Republic” Riel Essays.
At the heart of the exhibit is Ed Richardson’s celebrated North-West Rebellion collection, supplemented by additional material assembled by Camellia PLC over many years. It features 18 covers – including seven two-cent Small Queen Soldier’s Letter Rate covers listed in the Arfken census – 10 postal cards, soldiers’ correspondence, military letters providing first-hand accounts of the uprising and more than 20 large-format historical photographs. Five earlier covers add context, including an 1838 Soldier’s Letter describing the Lower Canada Rebellion and what Eastern describes as the earliest known Manitoba cover bearing a Canadian stamp.
General Sale 880 will be conducted in three sessions at Eastern Auctions’ offices at 132 Main St. in Bathurst, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Atlantic Time each day from Aug. 25-27. Public viewing will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 24 and from 9 a.m. to noon before each auction session. Collectors unable to attend in person can participate through Eastern’s live online bidding platform, with Tanguay encouraging bidders to explore the complete catalogue before the first lots cross the auction block.
Click here to view the entire auction, where advance online bidding is open.