Spink London auctions Jan. 20-21 features Great Britain, Guadalajara

By Jay Bigalke

Spink will conduct three auctions Jan. 20-21 in London that present collectors with opportunities to acquire interesting Great Britain and British Empire items, as well as specialized items from a Guadalajara collection.

On Wednesday, Jan. 20, the 14th part of the Lionheart collection of Great Britain and British Empire, consisting of 316 lots, will cross the Spink auction block.

Included in the Lionheart offerings is an example of the 1856 British Guiana 4¢ stamp (Scott 14) with postal clerk E.D. Wight’s “E. D. W.” initials. This stamp is described by Spink as being cut to shape as an octagon and bearing a “central strike” of a Feb. 12, 1856, Demerara datestamp. The stamp is estimated at £7,000-£9,000 (approximately $9,500-$12,000 in late December 2020).

British Guiana Scott 14 used is valued at $25,000 in the 2021 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940, with the figure appearing in italics to indicate an item that can be difficult to value accurately.

A standout item in the Thursday, Jan. 21 sale of the “Stamps & Covers of Great Britain, including the Windsor Collection,” which contains 530 separate lots, is an 1860 cover from the United States to Great Britain that is addressed to Queen Victoria.

The cover was sent Aug. 27, 1860, from Concord, N.H., and addressed to “Victoria, Queen, Great Britain.” Spink describes the cover as “a beautiful three colour franking and a highly desirable item of both historic and philatelic importance.” The cover is franked with eight stamps of the U.S. 1857-61 issue.

Spink states the following about the cover: “During 1860 Queen Victoria was represented by Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales in the undertaking of a royal tour of Canada. The Queen herself remained in the United Kingdom to attend to domestic affairs, this being a long voyage. The Prince’s tour would set the tone and format for all royal visits to come. This extraordinary cover addressed to Queen Victoria harkens back to this important royal visit. It is possible that the contents, no longer present, reported details of the Prince of Wales’ progress to the Queen.”

This cover was a part of the Ryohei Ishikawa collection that was sold by Christie’s in 1993. Spink is offering the cover with an estimate of £15,000-£20,000 ($20,250-$27,000).

On Thursday, Jan. 21, Spink will offer a specialized collection of Guadalajara, Mexico, provisional issues.

One of the items in the sale is an 1867 4-real blue stamp with serrated perforations (Scott 19B) and a “Franco en/Guadalajara” cancellation. Spink estimates this stamp at £15,000-£20,000 (roughly $20,250-$27,000).

For additional information, contact Spink London, 67-69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury WC1B 4ET London, England or visit the Spink website.

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