A signature auction featuring all the important Die Proofs and Essays of Ceylon Telegraph Stamps from the De La Rue Archives and a general sale featuring stamps and postal history of the world.
Both auctions will be held at the official Stanley Gibbons Auctions website.
The very idea that a collection of Ceylon Telegraph stamps could run to 22 volumes seems inherently unlikely, but this was, indeed, the extent of the Taprobana Collection. This is not a case of simply acquiring and showcasing gems, although there are plenty of those, but of serious and detailed study.
Almost 50 years ago, the owner was able to purchase all the important die proofs and essays from the De La Rue Archives without them ever having come onto the open market. Therefore, this will be the first time that these important items, absent from both the Royal and Tapling collections, will have been seen publicly. The collection covers all aspects from Indian Telegraph stamps used in Ceylon to the 1910 surcharges, the latter including the remarkable matched plate number examples of the rare 5rs and 10r.
The catalogue should prove to be a unique and valuable record of a collection that is unlikely to be surpassed, or even equalled, and Stanley Gibbons is delighted to have been chosen to permit its dispersal.
Featuring some wonderful items to pore over as the days get shorter-- an offering of the quality material that you would expect to see from a Stanley Gibbons auction.
Huge strength in classic Great Britain is clear from going through the catalogue. A favourite of Head of Auctions Tom Hazell is the very fine used GB 1902 5d Board of Education Official.
The star of the show: The 1854 Penang to Mauritius cover (lot 1263), which graces the cover of this catalogue. This is arguably the most important item that we have handled in many years and are honoured to be entrusted with handling this philatelically and historically significant item.
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