Canadian Stamp Auctions

24 March, 2007 - Eastern Auctions Ltd.

This Eastern sale started off with a beautiful 12d trial collar die proof selling for a record price. As Unitrade notes, these proofs come in various colours, this one being the bluish green one:

Lot 428 Scott 3TC Catalogue $7,000 Realized $4,750

The $7,000 catalogue value seems a bit on the high side. Previously the top price realized was $3,360 set in late 2006. Thus, this is the second new record price for this variety in the past four months.

Early Pence issue

Lot 436 Scott 7 Catalogue $1,500 Realized $1,600

Lot 441 Scott 11 Catalogue $1,100 Realized $1,300

Lot 442 Scott 13 Catalogue $8,250 Realized $7,500

Each stamp has its special features. Scott 7 has large margins, Scott 11 has a nice clear date stamp from 1864 and Scott 13, while cut close, had full clean original gum.

Scott 83 - New record price

Lot 507 Scott 83 Catalogue $575 Realized $2,200

This is a remarkable price for a stamp which is not that rare. Over 15 million copies were issued. During the past seven years, the record price of $1,300, set in 1999, went unbeaten. Then in 2006, a copy of the stamp sold for $1,320, then another for $1,456 and now the price has jumped to $2,200. We have noted that the 10¢ stamps in a number of the early sets, from the Small Queens to the Admirals, are doing exceptionally well

Scott 90iii – the “Original Imperforates”

Lot 510 Scott 90iii Catalogue $15,000 Realized $7,000

This marginal block of 40 was described by Eastern as an exceptional rare multiple, believed to be the biggest in existence, an important showpiece of the Edward VII set, said to come from Plate 1 or 2. These are the rare plates, as opposed to plates 13 and 14 from which the more common 2¢ imperforate pairs (Scott 90a), originate. This same block previously sold at auction for $4,250 in 1991.

From comments in sales of this variety over the past twenty years, it is understood that Plate 1 is a darker shade and Plate 2, a paler shade. The marks between the stamps have been described as having been added by Jarrett so that the stamps on both sheets could be plated. According to John Jamieson of the Saskatoon Stamp Centre, the marks on Plate 1 are red, while those on Plate 2 are black

Thus it would seem that the above block with black marks is from Plate 2 and so it must be the paler shade. Eastern notes that the small area of light staining and thinning in the lower right corner comes from where the block had been affixed in a record book.

74¢ Wapiti on Rolland Paper

Lot 607 Scott 1177i Catalogue $900 Realized $725

According to Unitrade, there are only 200-300 copies known of this stamp on Rolland paper. This means 4 to 6 sheets of 50. That’s rare! The Unitrade value is $900. We have previously only recorded the sale of 3 single copies and one block since the stamps were issued in 1988. In the past three years, the prices realize that auction have climbed from $622 to $790 and then down a bit to the present $725 in this sale. This is quite a special stamp. By way of contrast, the regular stamp on Harrison paper has a catalogue value of $2.50.

For more details of the sale, please click on the highlights button.

This sale had 9 new record prices: