Canadian Stamp Auctions

Commentary No. 110 - 17 August, 2008

A Tribute to the Late Bill Maresch

I first met Bill Maresch in 1973 when attending one of his auctions in Toronto. I can remember the excitement of going to my first auction and being in awe of the proceedings. I didn’t dare place a bid until I had been there for at least an hour and even then it was with great trepidation that I raised my hand for the first time. It took me a few years of contact to get to know Bill and to become aware of how knowledgeable and passionate he was about stamps and stamp auctions. In 1975, my wife and I moved to Toronto in connection with my work and this gave me the opportunity to meet with Bill fairly regularly and gain from his wide experience. It was always a great pleasure to visit his office to meet with him and his staff. Three years later I was moved back to Montreal, but fortunately the connection had been made and I stayed in touch until his untimely death this June. One area stamps I always associated with Bill was the Large Queen set. His auctions featured some of the most beautiful examples from this set I have ever seen and so in this tribute to him we present some of the best Large Queens which passed through his hands. Thomas R. Burpee, President Canadian Stamp Auctions Montreal, Canada. R. Maresch & Son The Best of the Large Queens 1995 – 2008 One Half Cent Scott 21 Black, perf. 12 Scott 21a Black, Perf. 11½ x 12 Scott 21b Watermarked Ex Firth & Lindsay Scott 21iii Scott 21vi The “Chignon Variety” On thin paper Grey black shade   One Cent Scott 22 Scott 22a Brown red Watermarked Scott 22b Thin crisp paper The first printing Scott 22i Thick soft white blotting paper One Cent Scott 23 Yellow orange Scott 23a Scott 23var Deep yellow orange The first printing Pale yellow orange on thin soft white wove paper Two Cents Scott 24 Green Scott 24b Scott 24ii Deep green on crisp thin paper Blue green on whiter paper   Three Cents Scott 25 Red Scott 25b Scott 25var Thin paper Imperforate single Ex Lussey Scott 26 Scott 26 Olive green Perf. 11½ x 12 Scott 26a Scott 26iv Perf. 12 Olive green - Perf. 11¾ x 12   Scott 27 Scott 27 Dark brown Scott 27a Scott 27c Yellow brown - Plate 1 Thin paper Scott 27f Black brown on thin paper Scott 28 Scott 28 Blue Scott 28i Scott 28iii Milky blue Brilliant blue on soft white, almost blotting paper. Ex H. Harrison & Siverts   Scott 29 Scott 29 Scott 29a Grey violet Greyish purple, perf. 11½ x 12, with streaky gum   Scott 29d Brown purple, imperforate pair With imprint   Scott 30 Scott 30 Scott 30b Grey Deep blue grey, showing the “Balloon flaw” Scott 30c Deep violet on very thick paper Ex Julian Smith   Scott 30d Scott 30e Greenish grey with script watermark at bottom Deep grayish blue   Scott 30i Slate grey Scott 31 Scott 31 Printed on laid paper Scott 33 Scott 33 Printed on laid paper Please note that the colours of the images which have been taken from various catalogues are at times inconsistent. The Maresch catalogues only became fully coloured in 1995, so our survey has had to begin with that year. We wish we could have started earlier as we have all their catalogues back to 1973, but the images were printed in black and white in those earlier days. The stamp auction business is not an easy one, but that didn’t deter Bill Maresch from following in his own father’s footsteps and then later bringing his two sons Tony and Peter into the business with him. These three generations have a proud history of directing one of Canada’s leading stamp auctioneering firms, one which we sincerely hope will continue to flourish for years to come.