Whenever this topic comes up, I remember this collection that Siegel sold in 2016. Mystic purchased it for $850,000 with tip.
Quote:A VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT WORLDWIDE STAMP COLLECTION.
Offered intact from a collector's estate, by order of the trustee
This collection in 33 Scott Specialty albums is the result of at least three decades of dedicated collecting by one of those rare individuals who set out to complete the world. Excluding the United States and Possessions, which are not part of this collection, virtually every country is represented for the years stamps were issued up to the mid- 20th century. There are tens of thousands of unused and used stamps carefully mounted with hinges or in hingeless mounts. Hundreds of countries and thousands of completely filled pages are contained in this massive collection, which is offered intact, according to instructions received from the trustee of the deceased collector's trust.
It is impossible to describe every significant item in this collection, but the following overview will convey the "flavor" of the collection, as well as the scope and depth of representation. The Scott Specialty albums are arranged by geopolitical categories, and this overview follows that arrangement.
We begin with the two volumes of Great Britain, British Europe and Oceania, in which there is a valuable collection of Great Britain, including several scarce or rare ten-shilling, one- and five-pound Victoria issues, most of the George V and VI sets complete, a choice unused "V.R." Official and many of the other scarce Officials. The value of the Great Britain collection alone is in the mid-five figures. In addition to Great Britain there are solid collections of Australasia, including Australian States (an excellent showing of used classic issues, especially New South Wales and New Zealand) and Australia pound-value Kangaroos (mixed used and unused). Noteworthy scarce stamps among the Pacific Islands include Fiji Times Express and "VR" overprints, New Britain overprints, North Borneo (including Japanese Occupation), North-West Pacific Islands overprints and an unusually complete collection of Samoa Express stamps.
The next volume is dedicated to British America, including Canada and Maritime Provinces, and Caribbean and Latin American colonies. There is substantial value in the Canadian Pence and Large Queens issues, and Newfoundland is the most valuable of the Maritime Provinces. Dominica features the rare 1886 1p on 4p Green (14; SG 18) on piece, a major world rarity. Among the more valuable country collections is Turks Islands, featuring a selection of the scarce or rare surcharged issues. British Guiana boasts two of the typeset provisional issues.
Rounding out the British Colonial and Commonwealth countries are two volumes of British Africa and two volumes of British Asia.These albums are packed with complete sets and high-denomination George V and George VI issues, as well as the myriad overprinted issues from stamp-issuing entities in Africa and other colonial outposts. Madagascar is especially strong in Consular issues. The Mafeking Siege is represented by some of the scarcer provisionals. All together, the British Africa is a formidable collection worth six figures on its own. The British Asia collection is a bit lighter in the more valuable issues, but its total value is still in the mid-five figures, with Ceylon, India and Malaya dominating.
Next we come to the vast collection of Europe and European Colonies, contained in seventeen volumes, many of which are bulging with filled pages. Naturally, France and Germany dominate, with the classic issues well-represented and German States featuring a Saxony First Issue. Italian States are surprisingly complete and in excellent condition, including a choice Savoy Cross on piece. The undisputed highlight of the collection will be found in Switzerland, where a sound and Very Fine Double Geneva is located (with von der Weid certificate). This rare gem is a $20,000-$30,000 item and would satisfy the most discriminating collector.
The volumes containing Scandinavia-Finland (one), Latin West Indies (one), Central and South America (five) will impress the viewer with their completeness and many scarce issues. Two volumes of Independent Countries of Asia have most of the value concentrated in China, where a 5c Large Dragon Wide Spacing and Red Revenues light up the pages. There is also a separate collection of People's Republic of China contained in two three-ring notebooks, which is worth several thousand dollars (it contains the Year of the Monkey stamp).
Regarding condition, this is most definitely not a "spacefiller" collection. The better stamps in this collection are at least Fine and more often Very Fine. It contains stamps that were bought at auction and from dealers at significant percentages of catalogue value. Some of the sets are mixed unused and used, and minor faults in some of the classic issues should be expected, but sound Very Fine stamps with catalogue values in excess of $500.00 will be found throughout. There are a large number of expert certificates, and we detected very few problematic stamps.
Our conservative estimate is based on the fair market value of the stamps if they were offered in typical individual lots and small country collections. The estimate does not reflect the extraordinary opportunity to acquire a worldwide collection of this vast scope and depth in one lot. Filling page after page with the sets and scarce issues found in this collection took decades and, if attempted incrementally, would take an equal amount of time. For someone who loves stamps -- the entire world of stamps -- and wants a "turn-key" worldwide collection on which to build, this is a unique opportunity. Needless to say, for a dealer with the means to make a substantial investment, its acquisition within, or even above, our estimate range holds certain potential for a substantial resale profit.
NOTICE REGARDING LOT 3946 IN SIEGEL SALE 1143
Special presale registration will be required in order to bid on lot 3946. This lot will only be released to the winning bidder after payment in full in cleared funds has been made. Prospective bidders who wish to examine lot 3946 must make an appointment for viewing.
REGISTRATION/APPROVAL/PAYMENT: To register and receive approval for bidding on lot 3946, please contact Colleen Stellato at Siegel Auction Galleries by telephone at 212-753-6421 or email
colleen@siegelauctions.com. Prospective bidders on lot 3946, even if known to our firm, must allow at least three full business days for approval. References (trade and personal) may be required. The Siegel firm reserves the right to require a deposit prior to bidding or to refuse bids from anyone whom Siegel, in its absolute discretion, does not deem to be a bona fide bidder for lot 3946, even if the bidder has been approved by Siegel or Stamp Auction Network to bid on other lots. The successful purchaser of lot 3946 must make arrangements for payment in cleared funds (including sales tax or customs duty) within ten business days of the sale. Delivery charges, if any, will be invoiced separately and must be paid before delivery.
VIEWING: Viewing of lot 3946 will be by appointment only under Siegel's close supervision. To schedule an appointment, please contact Andrew Titley at Siegel Auction Galleries by telephone at 212-753-6421 or email
andrew@siegelauctions.com. Prospective viewers should allow at least two hours to examine the entire lot. Siegel reserves the right to rotate viewers during a viewing session.
IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE NOTICE, ALL CONDITIONS OF SALE WILL BE APPLICABLE TO THE OFFERING OF LOT 3946.
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E. 500,000-750,000 745,000
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Posted 01/20/2023 11:12 am
