Canadian Stamp Auctions

21 March, 2007 - Vance Auctions Ltd.

One of the things most collectors admire is stamps with large borders. Stamps that have them tend to stand out in auction catalogues and in any collection. We found a beauty in this auction:

Lot 4945 Scott 53 Catalogue $15 Realized $34

Imperforates from the Maple Leaf and Numeral sets

There seems to be no shortage of these imperforates. Here is how a number of them have done at auction in the past ten years:

Scott 19 - Unusually well centered

This stamp comes from the “Cents Issue” of 1859. As we have noted so often, the stamps of this set come with a very narrow borders and are almost always off center. That’s what makes collectors notice a stamp like this one. It’s a beauty!

3¢ Numeral – Large Borders

Lot 5039 Scott 69 Catalogue $35 Realized $83

Oh my! This stamp is apparently hinged and a bit off center. Why is it than that it stood out so much? We noticed in right away. So obviously did the auctioneer who described as “an amazing example …hugh margins”. If it had been a little bit more centered and NH, it would’ve been one in a million.

2¢ Map Stamp

There’s only one way to describe the prices that these imperforate map stamps have been attracting in recent years, that is … "Ho hum!”. What’s so surprising about the above pair is that it actually attracted a great price, one which we think is well deserved. In fact, it’s a new record price.

Article by Bill Longley on the Map Stamp

There’s a great article on the 2¢ Map Stamp by Bill Longley in the latest edition of The Canadian Philatelist, the Journal of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (May/June 2007 at page 154). In it, Bill looks at how collectors at various level of expertise, from beginner to expert, could carry out a programme of research on the map stamp. It’s a fascinating article, well written and supported by a number of helpful images

20¢ Harvesting

Lot 5288 Scott 157 Catalogue $100 Realized $98

Lot 5289 Scott 157 Catalogue $100 Realized $182

If ever you wanted to see the same stamp bid on twice so you could make a comparison, here’s your chance. The above 20¢ from the Scroll Set is very popular and often comes well centered, like the above two. The stamp is beautifully engraved and takes us back to a time when more people worked on the farm. What obviously distinguishes these two is the size of their borders. The second one with the large borders received a price twice as big!

Cameo Imperforate blocks

Lot 5362 Scott 195c-200a (the set) Catalogue $3600 Realized $3900

This is the 5th set of imperforate cameo blocks for which we have recorded sales in the past three years. Prices for the earlier sets ranged from $2,100 to $2,750. Clearly the price realized in this sale was a strong advance over past prices.

2¢ Registered – Deep rose carmine

Lot 5601 Scott F1b Catalogue $250 Realized $740

This is a beautiful NH copy of the rare rose carmine shade with deep rich colour. The price is obviously a strong one and at first we thought it was a new record. However on checking we discovered that a year ago a copy sold for just under $2,000. However, looking at the prices over the last 10 years reveals that this is the fourth best price in that period and that’s quite an accomplishment.

For more information on the sale, please click on the highlights button

This sale had 4 new record prices: