Canadian Stamp Auctions

2 December, 2009 - Vance Auctions Ltd.

This was one of the last sales of 2009. As usual, Vance's auction catalogue was packed with goodies, beautifully laid out with the stamps easy to see and the descriptions clear and to the point. We admired this 1/2 pence stamp from 1857:

It was described as having four large margins, a light CDS cancel, a gem in XF condition, with a 2004 Greene Foundation certificate. Vance put an estimate of $1,500 on it and it sold for $1,580. Wouldn't it be impressive if all estimates could be that good!

7¢ Numeral

Lot 5884 Scott 81 Catalogue $300 Realized $420

It may be our imagination, but it seems that the 7¢ stamp in many of the early sets is consistently better centered than the other denominations. Of course, only a careful study would support this.

Although not perfect, the centering of the above stamp was definitely good enough to attract our eyes and those of a number of serious bidders. It was VF NH.

Quebec Tercentenary

Lot 5953 Scott 98 Catalogue $82 Realized $98

Lot 5962 Scott 100 Catalogue $375 Realized $385

Early Canadian stamps that are perfectly centered will usually sell for well more than their catalogue values. But if their centering is less than perfect and the stamps are VF NH like the above, they will often sell for around their catalogue values. That is, unless there are any imperfections in which case they will go for less than catalogue, sometimes a lot less.

We thought that the two stamps shown above were good examples of early stamps that are VF NH and just a bit off center. We noted that the Scott 98 stamp sold for $98. It’s kind of interesting to think that this might have been in the bidder's mind when he sent in his bid. Years from now, it should be easy for him to remember how much he paid for the stamp.

Slightly Damaged Imperforate Pairs

Lot 6386 Unitrade 764ai Catalogue $375 Realized $410

Lot 6387 Unitrade 775i Catalogue $350 Realized $280

We find these particular imperforate pairs so attractive and have been watching them at auction for a number of years. The fact they have wrinkles, creases and gum bends comes as no surprise as this is the case for most if not all copies that have come to auction.

The 14¢ Captain Cook pair, issued in 1978, has been offered at auction 16 times in the past 10 years and in 13 of those cases, wrinkles and creases were mentioned. The highest price paid was $1,111 back in 1999 and that was for a pair with wrinkles.

The 30¢ Christmas pair, issued the same year, has been offered at auction 13 times in the same period. In 12 of those cases, creases were mentioned. The highest price paid was $1,197 back in 1999 and that was for a pair with creases.

One might guess that someone at the printers found these two crumpled sheets that had not yet been perforated and sneaked them out the back door. But if this is so, we wonder where the stamps were stored between 1978 when they were issued, and 1999, when they appeared at auction.

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Vance's next auction will be held on January 27, 2010

Happy New Year to All our Viewers!