Canadian Stamp Auctions
Commentary No. 106 - 17 April, 2008
Scott 2201i - Year of The Pig
According to “Details”, the publication of Canada Post, people born in the Year the Pig are considered to be kind and caring in nature, with a jovial and easy going character that belies their resistance and tenacity. Pig people are dependable, extremely determined and perfect friends. But beware - pigs love luxury and can be susceptible to excesses of pleasure!
On January 5, 2007 Canada Post issued the Year of The Pig stamp as part of its series honoring the Chinese New Year. Two denominations were issued as shown in this souvenir sheet:
In addition to the 52¢ and $1.55 singles and the above souvenir sheet, there was an uncut press sheet of 12 souvenir sheets.This commentary focuses on the “missing gold and rainbow foil colour” variety of the 52¢ stamp and the history of prices it received at auction during the past year. As you’ll see in the details that follow, the prices have varied considerably. Trending down for most of 2007 and then seeming to recover during the first part of 2008.
Here is an illustration of the variety and the prices paid for it at auction:
Single copy
Prices Paid at Auction
What we see by way of a trend is a steady decline through most of 2007, with the price falling from $675 to $130, followed by a recovery starting in December, 2007 from $230 to the most recent price in 2008 of $379.
Inscription Blocks
Prices Paid at Auction
There seems to be little trend here. The average price at auction for an inscription block during the past year was $788. This works out to $197 per stamp. It doesn’t make a lot of sense that the stamps in the inscription blocks would sell for less than the single stamps, but strange as it may seem, that is the case.
Complete Sheet
Price Paid at Auction
There are 25 copies in each sheet which means that each of the copies in the sheet sold for about $60. This is quite the bargain, considering that there were 4 inscription blocks in the sheet and these would normally command a premium. But as shown above, the stamps in these inscription blocks seem to sell at a discount to the individual stamps, at least for now.
ConclusionWe think Unitrade states it best in its 2008 Catalogue when it states:
"Copies exist missing the gold and rainbow foil colours; the editors are unable to put a price on them at present due to confusion in the market. Beware of fakes."
We couldn’t put it better, but hopefully the above analysis will help collectors place their bids for this variety in future with a better idea of what is happening in the market.
