Rare 1927 Libya express mail stamp, one of only two known, at March 20-25 Koehler auction

By Michael Baadke

The Heinrich Koehler auction firm will offer worldwide stamps, postal history, large lots, and collections during the March 20-25 auction at the Koehler offices in Wiesbaden, Germany.

The auction is posted online, with online bidding options available.

A key Libya rarity is among the highlights of this six-day sale.

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The 1927 1.25-lira-on-60-centesimo express mail stamp with surcharge in black (Scott E11b) is among the rarest issues of the Italian colonies in the 20th century.

Originally prepared as a dark red and brown 60c stamp issued in 1923 (Scott E6), the stamp received its 1.25-lire surcharge just a few years later, with the overprint applied in blue.

According to the Koehler auction catalog description, just one additional example of this variety in black is believed to exist.

The unused stamp is signed Albert Diena with his accompanying 1958 certificate. It still has its original gum with a small hinge mark.

Koehler quotes a value of €210,000 (roughly $222,400) from the Sassone specialized catalog. The value for an unused stamp in the 2017 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 is $105,000, with the value in italics to indicate an item that can be difficult to value.

The starting bid on the example in this auction is €25,000 ($26,500).

Along with the main catalog of Germany and worldwide philately, the auction includes seven other catalogs, offering mail to the Far East, Swedish postal history and postage due mail, Bavaria 1849-75, Ottoman Empire, German Reich stamp booklets and combination multiples from 1900-21, Sudentenland, and literature.

For additional information, visit the Koehler website or contact Heinrich Koehler Auktionshaus, Wilhelmstrasse 48, D-65183 Wiesbaden, Germany.