This fourth edition of the Stanley Gibbons St. Helena and Dependencies catalogue lists and prices the stamps of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha as well as St. Helena itself.  Now in a new format and easier to use than ever.   The comprehensive level of detail will be familiar to users of the Commonwealth and British Empire 1840-1970 catalogue.

Below you can find the catalogues key features:

1. Comprehensive priced listing of all stamps from early issues of St. Helena (1856) to date.

2. New varieties include the 1½d ‘Line through C’ and 8d ‘Shamrock’ on 1924 Ascension and the ½d ‘Damaged value tablet’ 1922 St Helena, as well as new discoveries, such as the inverted watermark on the St Helena 1903 `½d.

3. New handy size and format – more attractive layout, and easier to use. 

4. Now including more comprehensive introductory section to improve ease of use and to guide readers through the catalogue.

5. Fully illustrated in colour.

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published March 8th, 2011

Hong Kong auction house ‘Interasia’ will hold its largest stamp auction in a luxury Hotel in the Island from Saturday to Monday, with a presale estimate of over $6.45 million, according to the organizer.

The auction will include both rare Classic China stamps from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and 600 lots issued at the beginning of the People’s Republic of China. A three-strip of the $5 inverted surcharge from the 1897 Red Revenue series, which is valued at $619,000-710,000, is expected to set a world record to become the most expensive Classic Chinese stamp multiple ever sold at auction. Another highlight is the unique four-block 1968 “Chairman Mao’s Inscription to Japanese Worker Friends,” with presale figures estimating it at up to $1,032,000.

The issuance of the stamp was cancelled later but a few had been released from a post office in Hebei, according to the organizer. The owner of this stamp, Ng Siong Tee of Singapore once won a Gold Medal at the International Stamp Exhibition in Beijing in 1999, with his own collectio n of Cultural Revolution (1966-76) issues.

“As a philatelist, we are seeing in the People’s Republic stamps a level of interest and excitement that (read more)

published February 25th, 2011

A very rare block of Hong Kong stamps featuring Queen Victoria was sold through a major philatelic auction house for a record 821,000 US dollars

The philatelic items in questions were a a block of four 1865 stamps with a face value of 96 Hong Kong cents (approximately 12 US cents) each. The reason for the stamps being so valuable other than the fact that these stamps are almost 150 years old is that these stamps were misprinted in an olive colour.

According to auction house Spink, the stamps were bought by an anonymous buyer

A Spinks spokesperson said “The price is the highest ever paid for a single lot of stamps in Hong Kong. The stamps were sold as part of a two-day auction of rare stamps, coins and bank notes.”

At the same auction, a 1908 Qing Dynasty 1-dollar bank note sold for the equivalent of 308,000 US dollars, a world auction record for a classic Chinese bank note, the auction house said.

published January 24th, 2011

Have you ever wondered how much money people can spend for collectibles, stamps, antiques, arts and all those old stuffs from every corner of the world? Collectors from all over the world are always looking for something rare and precious for their collections and they are willing to spend thousands and sometimes up to million dollars per collectible. One of the best examples of rare collectible can be 1847 China Japan gold traders’ stamp which is considered as most expensive and rare stamps of all time and a good investment for collectors. In this article I will mention about what is China Japan gold traders stamp and benefits of investing in it.

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published December 5th, 2010

The Falkland Islands Philatelic Study Group (FIPSG) has, for some months, been trying to compile a basic mint collection of stamps to form the Falkland Islands National Stamp Collection to be housed in the Falklands Museum, after it was found that the collection bought previously was incomplete; Stanley Gibbons is pleased to announce that they will be donating the last stamp missing from the collection; a 1933 £1 Centenary.

“The 1933 £1 Centenary (the top value of a wonderful pictorial set of 12) is simply one of the most handsome and recognisable stamps of the British Empire,” said Stanley Gibbons Director of Philately, Dr Philip Kinns.

“The central design is the finest portrait of King George V, himself a stamp collector, ever to appear on a postage stamp, and the colour of the frame and superb quality of production enhance the noble effect.”

Every collector, whether of Falkland Islands or British Commonwealth, aspires to own one, but its desirability is such that it will always be beyond the reach of most, the current catalogue prices being £2000 unused and £2750 used; as such it is the most valuable ‘basic’ stamp (read more)

published November 13th, 2010

Stanley Gibbons Investment Director Keith Heddle explains how the simplest of mistakes can make an ordinary stamp extraordinary. 

It is one of the intriguing and enduring aspects of philately that tiny errors can not only turn a humble stamp into a highly-prized collectors item but also result in huge earning potential.

Take the 1935 Great Britain 2d Prussian Blue. This is one of Stanley Gibbons favourite errors as we had a direct involvement in its evolution.

A businessman discovered this stamp, which never should have existed, in 1935. Knowing Stanley Gibbons to be the authority on all things philatelic he called our office, explaining that he had seen some stamps in a Post Office that were a different shade than the rest of the stock and he asked our advice.

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published August 27th, 2010

The famous Chinese stamp called “The Red Lady in a Green Dress” with a presale estimate of 8 million Hong Kong dollars (£700,000 approx) is up for auction in Hong Kong, the day after tomorrow.

International Auction House based in Hong Kong, Interasia Auctions will hold a Chinese stamp auction on July 31 to Aug. 1. The auction boasts of over 2,200 lots of stamps and postal history and is expected to realize more than 45 million dollars which should be a record for Asian Philately.

Collectors worldwide are looking forward to seeing the results of such a magnificent philatelic event which will prove one more time that investment in rare stamps are proving to be a winner for many collectors.

The 1897 Red Revenue Small 2c (stamped over its original 3c value) Green Surcharge, is known by collectors as the “The Red Lady in the Green Dress,” due to its green postmark over the red stamp. (read more)

published July 30th, 2010

Last weekend the 2010 Rarities of the World stamp Auction (Sales 989) by Robert Siegel in the US once again gave proof to the world that the demand for stamps (especially rare ones) is higher than it has ever been in recent years despite the World Financial Crisis

A superb quality example of the 2 cents Inverted Jenny was being auctioned with a list price of $55,000 US .

It was a magnificent copy due to its beautifully centering with perfect margins, bright colours and clear impressions of vignette and frame. The item in question completely surpassed everyone’s expectation and despite the listing price of $55,000 US sold for the impressive amount of $105,000US

To check all the results please visit Siegel Auctions in the US

published June 24th, 2010

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Madame Joseph (c.1900 – after late 1940s) ^[1] was a stamp dealer active in London in the early part of the twentieth century and who has since been revealed to be a major supplier of stamps with forged cancels. In conjunction with her successors over 400 fake cancels were used dated up to 1967.

Forgery business

Known as Madame Joseph because she went by the surname Joseph and was possibly French or Belgian^[1] (her first name is unknown), Joseph, her accomplices and successors used fake handstamps to turn common unused stamps into more valuable used ones. Some fake cachets, cork cancels, surcharges and overprints were also used. Over 400 fake cancels were used, mainly for British Commonwealth stamps and it is believed that there are probably additional fake cancels that have yet to be discovered. The wooden cancels are thought to have been made in France while the zincograph copper plated implements may have been created originally for use as book or catalogue illustrations.^[1][2]

According to Brian Cartwright there was also a Monsieur Joseph,^[1] however, even less is known about him than his wife and as Madame Joseph was normally responsible for serving customers, the business and fakes have come to be attributed to her. The exact extent of Monsieur Joseph’s involvement in the business has yet to be determined and may be more extensive than previously thought.

The trade was very (read more)

published June 19th, 2010

Finally a jail sentence of 21 months at Her Majesty’s Prison HMP has been issued for a 67 year old stamp forger of Winchester Hill in Romsey, Hampshire, UK. Mr Robert George traded stamps for many years. Unfortunately for his customers and for philately in general, he was not just any other dealer but a  criminal who during many years had altered hundreds of genuine, mostly commonwealth stamps by adding rare postmarks or overprints and then selling them as rarities.

The prosecutor told the judge that Mr Green had sold fraudulent stamps to many collectors but mentioned that one unsuspecting collector had purchased from him over £30,000 in the last 18 months. This unsuspecting collector was the one who informed the police.

Stamps affected includedthe GB 1d red-brown, Togo 1s and other commonwealth rarities.  This types of crime have occured in the past, such as the story of Madame Joseph, but until now few people were actually convicted with prison sentences.

published June 16th, 2010

Regency Auctions from Beverly Hills, California in the USA  are auctioning a very RARE special printing stamp, missing from even the most advanced collections from the US. The stamp in question is the US number 202, 1880 SPECIAL PRINTING OF 1879 PERRY 90¢ DULL CARMINE

The auction house describes the stamps as follows; deep rich luxuriant color. Sound, unused no gum as issued, fine example of this valuable stamp. (1974 PF Cert). Cat $45000, This example is extremely well-centred which makes it even more appealing for the very serious collector as it is notoriously known for being off-centered.

(read more)

published June 16th, 2010