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7 June, 2007 - Spink and Son - The "JURA"
Collection
Since the beginning
of 2007, Spink and Son in the UK has had 22 auctions of things people
collect, including stamps, coins, banknotes and medallions. Spink is
a company that has been around for a long time. Founded in 1666, it
has a long history of dealing in collectibles. In recent years it went
public, then was taken private and now is controlled in Singapore.
In 2002 we first
came across this company when it sold one of the most beautiful Canadian
12 Penny Blacks we had ever seen for £55,000. You can see a copy
of this stamp in our Commentary
No. 88.
On June 7, 2007,
Spink offered the “JURA” collection at auction, containing
a number of outstanding early Canadian stamps. We present some of these
in the highlights below. They contain 7 new record prices. But more
significantly, they also contain 6 Canadian stamps for which we have
had no recorded sales at auction in the past 10 years in investment
quality. We do not know who “JURA” is, but whoever you are,
we salute you. Your collection was most impressive!
In the schedule
below, we have used a conversion rate of £1 = $2.10 Cdn.
HIGHLIGHTS
OF THE SALE
Large
Queens
Lot 2010
Scott 21b
Catalogue $7,200
Realized $8,820
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Watermarked
used copy on Bothwell paper. New record price
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Lot 2025
Scott 31
Catalogue $5,000
Realized $3,570
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On rare laid
paper, nicely centered copy
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Lot 2026
Scott 22a
Catalogue $1,200
Realized $3,780
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A
rare multiple, watermarked on Bothwell paper
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Lot 2064
Scott 33
Catalogue $1,500
Realized $1785
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L
On
laid paper, perfectly centered, 2nd best price on record
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Lot 2067
Unitrade 25iv
Catalogue $2,500
Realized $1,218
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L
“Goatee”
plate variety, 2nd best price on record
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Lot 2093
Scott 27c
Catalogue $1,575
Realized $1,470
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“Thin
Paper” variety with part o.g. New record price. The last
time a copy sold was in 1995.
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Lot 2094
Scott 27
Catalogue $1,500
Realized $1,890
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Well centered copy, large part o.g.
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Lot 2103
Unitrade 27ii
Catalogue $1,250
Realized $735
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Used
copy on soft white blotting paper
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Lot 2173
Unitrade 29iv
Catalogue $900
Realized $945
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“Cracked
plate” variety. No previous record of a sale of this stamp
in the past ten years
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Lot 2175
Scott 29d
Catalogue $3,000
Realized $10,920
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Imperforate
block with “pawnbroker” variety. A very rare positional
block of four with only 4 examples possible
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Small
Queens
Lot 2183
Scott 34b
Estimate $2,100
Realized $5,460
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Part
imperforate with inscription. Illustrated in Boggs. Sold in the
Dale Lichtenstein auction and subsequently by Maresch in September
30, 1981 for $1550.
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Lot 2234
Unitrade 36viii
Catalogue $840
Realized $546
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Pair with right
hand stamp showing latent re-entry. Believed to be the only mint
a copy recorded. This stamp will be offered as lot 277 in the
upcoming August 22nd Brigham sale
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Lot 2235
Scott 36f
Estimate $3,150
Realized $6,720
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Double impression,
sole example recorded to date according to Spink. Unrecorded in
Stanley Gibbons. Listed but unpriced in Unitrade.
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Lot 2289
Scott 38iv
Catalogue $1,250 U
Realized $840
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“Straw
in hair” variety, new record price, This is the first copy
sold since 2001.
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Lot 2320
Scott 39var
Estimate $1,680
Realized $3,780
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Yellowish brown,
rare 12½ x 12 perforation. Unlisted in Scott
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Lot 2359
Scott 44i
Unitrade $650
Realized $1,260
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Slate purple pair, issued without gum, a new record price.
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Lot 2360
Unitrade 44ii
Catalogue $200
Realized $147
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Major re-entry,
short perforation at top, only one other copy recorded by us.
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Lot 2423
Scott 46a
Catalogue $1,100
Realized $1,995
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Top margin
pair, unmounted, new record price
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OTHERS
Lot 2435
Scott 51 bisect
Estimate $3,780
Realized $6,300
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A
very rare bisect on cover, dated November 4, 1897.Comes with certificate.
We record only one other copy of this bisect, sold at a Hennok
sale on October 26, 2002 for $850.
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Lot 2478
Unitrade 90viii
Catalogue $2,520
Realized $2,100
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Only two of
these are believed to exist. The pair came with a Sisson’s
letter of 1971 stating “There is no question in my mind
that it is perfectly genuine”.91
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Lot 2491
Unitrade 103i
Catalogue $500
Realized $735
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Major
re-entry in lower stamp (psn. 21). We have recorded only one other
copy in the past ten years
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Lot 2496
Unitrade 111ii
Estimate $315
Realized $357
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Major
re-entry. It has a thin. This is one of only two copies recorded.
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Lot 2501
Unitrade 106xiv
Catalogue $1,500
Realized $2,520
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Experimental
Coil. There is no previous record of the sale of this stamp in
the past ten years.n
1991
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Lot 2514
Scott 139a
Catalogue $300
Realized $672
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One stamp missing
a surcharge. This is a new record price.
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Lot 2555
Unitrade 343i
Estimate $400
Realized $840
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This
last stamp is another one we have not previously seen. There is
no record of a sale of the stamp in the past ten years. Because
of this, we wonder why the estimated value was so low?
The “Samos” Collection 1991
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Now
let’s look at some statistics, dealing first with the stamps we
have not seen at auction in the past ten years and then with the new
record prices.
Stamps
not previously seen at auction
According to our
records, none of these 7 stamps have sold at auction in the past 10
years:
Scott
No. |
Description |
27c |
6¢
Small Queen - thin paper |
29iv |
15¢
Small Queen -"cracked plate" variety |
38iv |
5¢
Small Queen -"feather in hair" variety |
39var |
6¢
Small Queen - perf. 121/2 x 12 (unlisted in Scott, S.G. 86b) |
111ii |
5¢
Admiral - major re-entry |
106xiv |
2¢
Admiral - strip of 4, backstamp Type D |
343i |
15¢
Gannet - imperforate at right margin |
This
sale had 6 new record prices:
Scott
No. |
Description |
NRPs
$
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Previous
NRPs
$ |
21b(u) |
1/2¢
Large Queen - watermarked |
8821 |
5000 |
27c |
6¢
Large Queen - thin paper |
1470 |
- |
36f |
2¢
Sm. Queen - double impression |
6720 |
3420 |
44i |
8¢
Sm. Queen - imperf. violet black |
1260 |
675 |
46a |
15¢
Sm. Queen - imperf pair |
1995 |
1350 |
139a |
2¢
Adm. Pair, one without surcharge |
672 |
551 |
Conclusion
All
in all, this was a remarkable sale. But then, in the last two years
we have seen a surprisingly large number of remarkable sales. We suspect
that as we look back at this period in future years, we will remember
it as being very special. There must be something in the air that
is encouraging the owners of outstanding Canadian collections to put
them up for sale at this time. Most likely, this is happening because
of the huge amount of liquidity that exists around the world in a
small number of hands.
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