Kelleher’s Oct. 7 auction offers Central and South America

By Michael Baadke

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions will offer the Leo Malz collections of Central and South American stamps, postal history, proofs and essays on Oct. 7, at the firm’s offices in Danbury, Conn.

The sale comprises more than 500 lots, including a significant selection of country collections.

Kelleher notes that the strength of this sale is in the philately of Haiti, an area of special interest to Malz, who passed away earlier this year.

One example is Haiti’s 1906 50-centavo claret Pierre Nord-Alexis stamp with inverted 1c surcharge in black (Scott 108a). Described by Kelleher as an exceptional example of this important Haitian error, the stamp has original gum and is signed Bloch in pencil, accompanied by a 1958 Friedl Expert Committee certificate.

The 1c surcharge was normally applied to the 20c orange stamp (Scott 108), while the 50c stamp was usually surcharged with a 2c overprint (109).

The stamp is valued at $950 in the 2020 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940, and it is offered with an estimate of $500 to $750.

The auction also offers numerous examples of airmail issues from Honduras, including a 1925 proof strike of the “AERO CORREO” overprint on the 1c brown Francisco Morazan Statue stamp. Although the faults include a small pinhole and creasing, Kelleher notes that it is just one of four examples of the proof extant. It is featured with an estimate of $1,500 to $2,000 and a lower opening bid.

An intriguing item from Bolivia is the 1,200-boliviano Victor Paz Estenssoro stamp that was printed but never issued before a 1964 coup d’etat ended President Estenssoro’s rule.

The Bolivian government decided to burn the entire holding of these stamps, Kelleher explains, but a few survived destruction, including the charred stamp offered in the Malz collections sale.

Additional details about the auction are posted on the Kelleher website, with online bidding options available. Information is also available from Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions, 22 Shelter Rock Lane, Unit 53, Danbury, CT 06810.

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