Around the houses

Warwick & Warwick, United Kingdom ~ February 2010

The world’s first postal order issued in 1881 (1s) has been sold at auction in Great Britain by the original owner’s family. The order was sold for £4,485 (US$7,000) nearly twice its guide price. On January 1, 1881, Arthur Bull bought the one-shilling order, bearing the serial number 000001, from the Lombard Street post office in London. He never cashed it, keeping it in a leather case, which was passed down for two generations. Finally, his grandson’s widow agreed to auction it. According to Warwick & Warwick, the auctioneers, only five other postal orders from 1881 bearing the same serial number exist today.

Cavendish Philatelic Auction, United Kingdom ~ March 2010: The Smith Collection

The ‘Smith’ Collection saw most countries 100% sold with the hottest demand for the 120 Malta lots; many lots sold for double and treble estimates; the 1830 oval “LAZARETTO/MALTA” (lot 136) reaching £2,800 ($4,250), and the spectacular pictorial letter-sheets (lots 149/150) realising more than 4 times estimate at £2,800 ($4,250) and £2,570 ($3,900) respectively, while the unique 2/- Brown Pair (lot 192) fetched £4,680 ($7,100). The highest prices of the day came, however, for ‘Cinderella’ items; the Hertford College Oxford local issue Essays reaching previously unknown levels at £7,000 ($10,600) and £6,400 ($9,700) (lots 243/4), with tremendous demand across the board for the College Stamps. Likewise the section of British Columbia & Vancouver Express covers (lots 23-51) were a sell-out with most lots doubling estimates and more, the top price of around £1,000 ($1,500) being paid for the BC&V SG3 cover (lot 41). Then there was the off-cover ‘Lady McLeod’ 5c Blue (lot 91) at £4,400 ($6,600), and the GB ‘Court Bureau’ covers (lots 293/4) at around £2,000 ($3,000) and £2,200 ($3,300) each.

Spink, United Kingdom ~ April 2010

The auction of British and British Empire stamps and postal history held at London on 15 and 16 April broke interesting number to mention. There were four interesting lots which made healthy numbers, however much lower than catalogue's price. The most notable lots were:

• Line Engraved Proofs and Essays Cancellation Trials 1840 1d. black Plate Ia, a horizontal pair lettered GI-GJ with large balanced margins (1228) had an estimate of £100,000-£120,000 ($152,000-$182,000) made £85,000 ($130,000).
• 1840 One Penny Black Plate Ia BF, good to large margins, on entire from London to Paisley, tied by two clear strikes of the red Maltese Cross, dated on reverse in manuscript "London 6 May 1840" and overstruck by clear strike of the B (evening) code B/my-6/1840 c.d.s. (1230) with a catalogue price of £125,000 ($190,000) made a healthy £44,000 ($67,000).
• 1840 One Penny Black Plate V CJ-CK horizontal pair, with large part original gum, large balanced margins (1284) with a catalogue price of £45,000 ($69,000) made £16,000 ($24,000).
• 1840 One Penny Black Plate VII MC-ME horizontal strip of three (MD showing constant variety), large part original gum, large balanced margins all round (1309) with a catalogue price (pair + single) of £56,000 ($85,000) made £14,000($21,000).

Siegel Auction, United States ~ April 2010: The Louis Grunin Collection of Illustrated Covers

More than 70% of the auctioned pieces were sold most of them for above of estimated prices. Mulready caricatures and the Ocean Penny Postage lots made very good prices. Notable to mention a Barnabas Bates Illustrated "Cheap Inland and Ocean Postage" propaganda cover sent to Cleveland O., 3c Dull Red, Ty. II (11A), large margins to slightly in, tied by well-struck dark blue "Troy N.Y. Jun. 27" circular datestamp (1579) made $13,500 from an estimate of $2,000-$3,000.

Source
1. "World’s first postal order auctioned". Union Postale. Bern, UPU, March 2010. Pag. 29.
2. 2010, Cavendish Philatelic Auction website. Consulted 29/Apr/2010.
3. 2010, Spink website. Consulted 28/Apr/2010.
4. 2010, Siegel Auction website. Consulted 28/Apr/2010