The 'stamp auction of a lifetime' continues at Spink The ‘finest and most attractive Penny Black stamp cover in existence' was among this sale's extraordinary lots...
News-Antique.com - Jun 29,2011 - Following yesterday’s World Record price for a stamp auctioned in the UK (see: http://news-antique.com/?id=798953&keys=Stamps-Chartwell-Collection-Spink), Spink’s London sale of the legendary Chartwell Collection continued today (June 29) with a number of rare and highly coveted philatelic specimens.
1) The ‘finest and most attractive Penny Black cover in existence' – sold for £348,000 ($0.56m)
This was only the second time this cover has appeared in public. The last time was back in 1942.
Incredibly, this piece was later "rediscovered" in the 1980s, hidden in a metal deed box wrapped in a newspaper. It could easily have been thrown away in the rubbish.
Spink described the piece as "extraordinarily fresh and... in superb condition with such large margins... This iconic cover is, without question, one of the most important and most desirable covers British philately."
See Paul Fraser Collectibles’ full report here: http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/section.asp?catid=80&docid=7316
2) Penny Black 'earliest registration' stamp brings $345,100
The Penny Black, issued in 1840, was the world's first adhesive postage stamp. Specimens today sell for hundreds of thousands at auction.
This version for sale at Spink wasn't just "mint" but came from the Penny Black's first-ever registration sheets - the final imprimatur version of the stamp before it went to print.
Equivalents of the specimen can be found in the Royal Collection. From Sheet One, Plate One (registered on April 15, 1840) it sold for £216,000 ($345,131).
See our full report here: http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/section.asp?catid=80&docid=7322
3) 'One of the finest Penny Black plate number stamp pieces' sells for $479,300
Blocks of Penny Blacks are rare. But plate blocks are even rarer... Which explains why a plate block of four Penny Blacks from plate seven sold for £300,000 ($479,349) in part two of Spink's Chartwell Collection auction.
Spink stated that the lot's "outstanding freshness and quality" ensures "this is without doubt one of the finest plate number pieces extant.”
See our full report: http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/section.asp?catid=80&docid=7306
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Notes for Editors:
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