May 11-12 Stanley Gibbons auction offers India and area

By Michael Baadke

The next Stanley Gibbons auction, slated for May 11-12 at the firm’s London, England, offices, has its focus on India and related areas, with significant attention on revenue proofs, trial printings and considerable additional uncommon material.

Collectors will also find stamps, postal history (including airmail and rocket mail covers), larger lots and more.

The auction brings together items from the respective collections of Geoff Rosamond and Peter Kent, as well as stock formerly held by London stamp dealer Oswald Marsh.

“The mixed lots in this sale are packed full of potential as the vast majority of the material has not seen the light of day for at least 25 years or more,” the auction firm said.

While many of the individual lots in this sale are presented with estimates of £100 or less, there are also some rarities that will cross the auction block.

Perhaps the most significant of these is the 1896 ½-anna black on blue green stamp of Duttia, known to stamp collectors as one of India’s feudatory states. Stanley Gibbons describes the unused stamp as ranking amongst the finest of the five examples of this issue the firm has recorded. These are delicate stamps, and this one has what is described as a couple of minor thin spots from hinge removal, but it also possesses four large margins.

The stamp is accompanied by a 2021 BPA certificate.

This Duttia rarity is listed with an estimate of £18,000 to £20,000, the equivalent of roughly $25,000 to $28,000.

A top-notch selection of revenue stamp proofs is similarly found with a range of price estimates. Many have a spectacular appearance yet are reasonable and appealing acquisitions for a collector with a broad interest in India material.

The 1930 proof of a 60-rupee court fee stamped paper for Cochin, another feudatory state, is intricately designed and printed in blue and pale brown orange. It measures nearly 8 inches across and is listed with an estimate of £120 to £180 ($165 to $255).

The lots from this sale of India and area can be viewed online, with online bidding options available.

For additional information, contact Stanley Gibbons Auctions, 399 Strand, London, WC2R 0LX, England.

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