Late last month, Ottawa’s Sparks Auctions held one of its three yearly public sales, Auction No. 23, which was highlighted by Squared circle cancellations as well as classic Canadian material.
The three-day sale was held Jan. 31st-Feb. 2 and presented the largest amount of lots Sparks has ever offered in one sale, with “overall strong results and many notable realizations,” according to auctioneers.
Postal history has been one of philately’s growth areas throughout the last decade, and Squared Circle cancellations are one subject seeing a lot of interest for their wide range and relative affordability.
Lot 3230, an 1893 ‘RICHMOND QUE.’ cancel on postcard, sold for $719, nearly four times its original estimate.
“Ted Kerzner’s Squared Circles were the finest and most comprehensive ever assembled on Canada stamps and covers,” said auctioneers.
Highlights of Kerzner’s Squared Circles include:
- Lot 3077, an 1894 “ST. HILARION QUE.” cancel on letter card, which sold for $690, more than double its pre-sale estimate;
- Lot 3203, two very fine strikes of an 1897 “GRANBY QUE.” cancel, which sold for $1,322, more than double its pre-sale estimate;
- Lot 3230, an 1893 “RICHMOND QUE.” cancel on postcard, which sold for $719, nearly four times its original estimate;
- Lot 3247, an 1894 “STANSTEAD QUE.” cancel on a three-cent Small Queen cover, which sold for $1,380 after a pre-sale estimate of $1,200; and
- Lot 3249, a 1902 “SUTTON QUE.” cancel on a one-cent Numeral cover, which sold for $1,725, more than seven times its original estimate.
CANADA HIGHLIGHTS
Lot 138, a 1903 one-cent blue green Edward VII in XF NH, topped its catalogue value of $315 when it crossed the block for $489.
Elsewhere in the sale, some notable prices were seen in the Canada section, including:
- Lot 72, an 1890 two-cent green Small Queen in Extremely Fine Never Hinged (XF NH), which topped its catalogue value of $300 when it crossed the block for $460;
- Lot 101, an 1897 $3 yellow bistre Jubilee in XF NH, CV also topped its catalogue value of $4,000 when it hammered down for $6,670; and
- Lot 138, a 1903 one-cent blue green Edward VII in XF NH, which topped its catalogue value of $315 when it realized $489.
Panes of the 1926-27 Patricia Airways overprints (Lots 286 and 287) also exceeded catalogue value.
“There were also some exceptional prices among the Canada and BNA from the single-owner Wolfe collection,” said auctioneers.
One such item was Lot 915, a vertical imperf pair of the 1932-37 Newfoundland dog, which topped its catalogue value of $300 when it crossed the block for $546.
POSTAL HISTORY
In postal history, several lots of Vimy related material attracted bidders. Among the most notable items was a lot of three postcards from Adolf Hitler’s visit in 1940.
This lot, Lot 2854, sold for $518. Another Vimy Ridge 1917 first-day cover, Lot 2871, sold for $488.
The next Sparks sale, Auction No. 24, will be held in May 2017.