Linn’s managing editor Charles Snee reported the recovery of a block of three of the 1845 5¢ New York postmaster’s provisional stamp, once part of a block of 10 that was stolen from the Benjamin K. Miller collection in 1977.

When this cover was listed on eBay in mid-September, it didn't take long for some knowledgeable collectors to recognize this piece of postal history for the gem that it is: an early trans-oceanic survey cover for a Pacific route that included Midway Island, which would become famous as the location of a pivotal 1942 naval battle during World War II.

The upcoming sale offers worldwide single lots and collections, with special attention given to Asia, Germany and German states. Additional items showcase topicals, Europe and more.

This month marks my fifth anniversary writing the monthly auction report for Linn’s Stamp News. That’s 60 columns, totaling more than 100,000 words (enough for a decent-sized novel), all about our favorite hobby.

The firm of Daniel F. Kelleher offered the Donald A. Kuske collection of the Panama Canal Zone on Sept. 9 at its headquarters in Danbury, Conn.

The Oct. 16-17 auction from Schwarzenbach Auktion Zurich includes an example of the 1845 2½-rappen Basel Dove stamp used on a folded letter. The Basel Dove is the only stamp issued by the canton of Basel in Switzerland, and it is cherished for its attractive three-color design (it was the first stamp printed in three colors) and its embossed image of the white dove in the center, the first stamp worldwide to depict a bird.

Regency-Superior will conduct its stamps, coins and autographs auction No. 114 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel, 5711 W. Century Blvd., in Los Angeles. Regency-Superior, the official auctioneer for the show, will offer United States and worldwide single stamps, multiples, covers and large lots, with plate blocks, back of the book material and much more.

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York City will offer three outstanding name collections from its headquarters at 60 E. 56th St. in Manhattan, beginning Sept. 29.

The next Postiljonen international auction will take place Oct. 1-2 at the firm’s offices in Malmo, Sweden, offering top Scandinavian classics, along with a selection of worldwide stamps and postal history, larger lots and collections.

Sam Houston Philatelics will offer stamps with scarce varieties from Germany and German colonies in its next public auction on Sept. 19. The sale is being held in conjunction with the Greater Houston Stamp Show, which takes place Sept. 18-20 at the Humble Civic Center in Humble, Texas. The sale also features United States material and the firm’s signature specialty, U.S. duck stamps.

The upcoming public auction by Holabird’s Western Americana Collections is filled with historical objects, including Montana postal history, Hawaii flight covers, express covers, postcards and much more. The first part of the auction is taking place in three sessions from Sept. 25-27. The auction will continue with three additional sessions Oct. 2-4.

The unique block of six unissued 2-penny King Edward VIII stamps of Australia, whose fascinating origin and provenance were detailed in Linn’s issue dated Oct. 20, 2014, around the time of the block’s sale, has been broken up. The block had lain in the Vestey family’s possession ever since it was fresh off the presses in 1936, when the 1st Baron Vestey received it as a memento from an Australian politician.

An impressive range of elusive errors and varieties from the Canal Zone, the onetime United States territory surrounding the Panama Canal, will be offered by the firm of Daniel F. Kelleher at its offices in Danbury, Conn. on Sept. 9. The stamps are from a specialized collection formed by Donald A. Kuske, a retired chemist who grew up in North Dakota.

A United States Postal Service spokesman notes that the agency recently decided to reduce the number of its contract printers.

Two important China stamp error rarities are featured in the Sept. 9-10 public auction by Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers in their New York City galleries. Many other desirable stamps and covers from the United States and around the world are also being offered during the two-day sale.

The recent series of auctions offering material from the collection of Canadian philatelist Ron Brigham has been an eye-opening experience, with wonderfully deep explorations of the stamps themselves revealing the history behind each issue.

A striking 1867 mixed-franking cover combining stamps from Hamburg and Prussia is featured in the upcoming auction by Wurttembergisches Auktions­haus of Stuttgart, Germany.

The Sept. 2 public auction by James T. McCusker will take place at 10 a.m. at the McCusker auction gallery, 804 Broadway in Raynham, Mass. The auction includes postal history and ephemera, United States and worldwide stamps and covers, postal stationery, collections and accumulations.

The Harmer-Schau auction at the American Philatelic Society Stampshow in Grand Rapids, Mich., offers a broad array of United States and worldwide stamps and covers, as well as collections that highlight selected material from a number of specialist collectors. The auction is taking place in three sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 20-22.

The American Philatelic Society will present Stampshow, the nation’s largest annual postage stamp event, Thursday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 23, in Grand Rapids, Mich. at the DeVos Place Convention Center, 303 Monroe Ave. NW. The show will offer a bourse of more than 120 dealers, many meetings and seminars, and more than 15,000 pages of collectors’ exhibits.