Unique unused Australian error stamp in Spink sale expected to top $18,000

By Michael Baadke

The Spink auction firm in London, England, will present three distinct auctions during the course of three days, April 19-21. The sales include the Foxley collection of Barbados, part I of the David Pitts collection of Bermuda, and Australian material from the Arthur Gray collection of Queen Elizabeth II predecimal issues.

The Gray collection sale “abounds with some of the most delightful die proofs, issued stamps, extremely rare errors, hand-drawn and annotated essays exhibiting stunning artwork and vivid depictions of Australian wildlife, and of course, Queen Elizabeth II,” according to Spink.

One of the errors on offer is the unique unused example of the 1955 3½-penny YMCA Centennial stamp with the red YMCA triangle emblem omitted. The only other known example is used on cover, and described by Spink as defective.

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The stamp in this auction, with part original gum, has a tiny natural inclusion in the circle at left, some slight soiling “mainly on reverse,” and a few gum creases.

The stamp, listed as Scott 283a in the 2018 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue with a value of $25,000, is offered with a 1974 RPS certificate. Spink provides an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000 (approximately $18,630 to $24,800), citing the Stanley Gibbons catalog value of £26,000.

The David Pitts collection sale is the third in a series offering material from the Pitts collections of used British Empire, and includes postal history, stamps, and cancellations.

Auction catalogs have been prepared for each of the three Spink sales, and the lots can be viewed online, where online bidding opportunities also are available.

Additional information is available from Spink London, 69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 4ET, England.