Collectors are eagerly examining the extensive collection of 1,500 lots featured in Eastern Auctions’ May 22-25 sale, which has a strong focus on Canada and British North America.
“Understandably, collectors are very good at containing their excitement leading up to the sale,” says Yohann Tanguay, Eastern’s chief describer. “The number of requests for printed catalogues is higher than usual, and the feedback received so far has been very positive. To quote a client’s observation about our upcoming general sale: ‘There is certainly nothing ‘general’ about this sale!’”
Highlighting the auction’s extensive offerings, Tanguay adds, “In addition to a significant collection of Cyprus and worldwide lots, there are over 1,200 lots focused on British North America and Canada, featuring several prestigious collections.” He notes there is a diverse range of stamps, multiples, and specialized postal history drawing keen interest.
Among the 1,500 available lots, there are numerous gems, including:
Lot 309: An 1851 New Brunswick, bright red violet on blue wove paper (Scott #3), with a catalogue value of $45,000. Eastern describes it as a “beautiful and rare mint example with full original gum,” noting that less than six have survived.
Lot 379: The 1897-1901 Royal Family original set of six large die proofs in issued colours on India paper, sunk on large cards. Described as “a fabulous set of great rarity,” the lot has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-plus.
Lot 379.
Lot 450: A 1932 Newfoundland inverted $1.50 (SC #C12a) on $1 Dornier DO-X flight surcharge, a “beautiful, post office fresh mint example of the famous inverted surcharge error,” with a catalogue value of $60,000.
Lot 450.
Lot 536: A “fabulous” fur trade cover letter written on Aug. 27, 1837 by Donald Ross, the chief trader at Norway House, and addressed to John Stuart, chief factor at the Hudson Bay House in London. Described as “in an excellent state of preservation,” this rare and appealing fur trade cover has a pre-sale estimate of $2,500-plus.
Lot 536.
Lot 666: An 1859 10-cent (SC #16) black brown from the first printing. Eastern calls it “a key stamp very seldom encountered this nice,” with a catalogue value of $9,000.
Lot 666.
Lot 758: A major rarity of the Large Queen series, the finer of only three known single two-cent bisect covers, with a pre-sale estimate of $3,500.
Lot 758.
Lot 981: An 1893 Willow Weeds 50-cent mint block of 16, remarkably well-centred with bright colour on fresh paper. The auction house describes it as “very impressive indeed, in fact mint multiples are seldom seen larger than a block of four, a spectacular showpiece in every sense,” with a pre-sale estimate of $5,000-plus.
Lot 981.
Lot 1010: An extraordinary 1872 letter from Kingston, Ont., to a surgeon in India, bearing the first Ottawa one-cent orange, three-cent red, a single, and a pair of six-cent dark yellow browns, all cancelled by the fancy hollow “Star of Kingston.” This lot has a pre-sale estimate of $6,000-plus.
Lot 1010.
Lot 1048: An 1897 $4 purple Jubilee in mint, never-hinged condition. Described as “a superb, post office fresh mint single of this challenging stamp, with fabulous true pastel colour on fresh paper, beautifully centred with full unblemished original gum,” with a pre-sale estimate of $8,000.
Lot 1048.
Lot 1170: A July 1, 1926 Patricia Airways (SC #CL13i) with the inverted “Red Lake” marginal inscription in error, with a catalogue value of $6,000.
Lot 1170.
Online viewing and bidding are available at easternauctions.com.
Live viewing sessions at Eastern’s Bathurst, N.B. office are scheduled for May 21-25. Live bidding for Session 1 begins Wednesday, May 22, with the remaining three sessions following each day. Live bidding for each auction session starts at 1:30 p.m. ADT.
Editor’s Note: several of the key rarities offered in the four-day sale were previously featured by Canadian Stamp News (Vol. 49, No. 3, “May sale replete with Canadian rarities”).