U.S., worldwide stamps and covers in Sept.14-17 Kelleher Flagship sale

By Charles Snee

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions will present an extensive array of United States and worldwide stamps and postal history during a four-day sale to be held Sept. 14-17 at its gallery in Danbury, Conn. Each day of this Flagship Series sale will commence at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

The auction includes more than 2,200 lots and features material from the late William S. Langs, the Johan Strauss collection of Germany and Europe, the David Gillette and Thomas Helliwell collections of quality U.S. issues, and the Cohiba collection of Cuba. Also up for bids are the properties of 42 other consignors, according to Kelleher.

British Commonwealth, British North America, worldwide stamps and covers, and U.S. postal history are the focus of the first day of the sale, Sept. 14.

The Sept. 15 session includes U.S. essays and proofs and stamps. On Sept. 16 the auction continues with U.S. stamps, and the sale concludes Sept. 17 with more U.S. stamps, Confederate States, U.S. possessions and United Nations.

Sixteen lots of British Commonwealth material open the Sept. 14 session. Of particular note is a handsome complete set of 12 of the Falkland Islands 1933 Centenary issue (Scott 65-76).

The stamps, ranging in denomination from ½-penny to £1, commemorate the 100th anniversary of the permanent occupation of the Falkland Islands as a British colony. The £1 rose and black stamp picturing King George V is illustrated here.

Each stamp in the set has original gum and is lightly hinged. Kelleher describes the set as “wonderfully fresh and nicely centered” and “a marvelous example of this iconic set.”

Kelleher lists this Falkland Islands 1933 Centenary set with an opening bid of $1,100 and an estimate of $2,000 to $3,000.

For comparison, a complete unused set in very fine condition is valued at $4,800 in the Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940.

One of the more eye-catching items of U.S. postal history is a multicolor, front-and-back advertising cover of the International Stock Food Co. of Minneapolis, Minn., sent to Virginia City, Mont., in 1906.

The cover is franked with a 1903 1¢ blue Benjamin Franklin stamp (Scott 300) with a Minneapolis precancel.

Accompanying the cover are the original contents, which include a two-page sales letter on International Stock Food letterhead and an illustrated International Stock Food return envelope.

According to Kelleher, the letter provides a detailed description of a product called “International Sheep Dip.”

“It is an established fact that ‘International Sheep Dip’ will stimulate the growth of the wool, strengthen the fibre and cause it to be so uniform that when it reaches the market it will be attractive and command the best prices,” the June 7, 1906, letter states.

Kelleher estimates this multicolor International Stock Food Co. advertising cover with original enclosures at $250 to $350 and lists it with a minimum bid of $130.

Included in the extensive grouping of classic U.S. stamps is an early 20th-century rarity: an unused 1908 2¢ carmine George Washington type II horizontal coil stamp with gauge 12 perforations (Scott 322).

Kelleher describes this stamp as having original gum that is previously hinged, along with “intense color that jumps off the paper.”

Accompanying the stamp are 1981 and 2021 Philatelic Foundation expertizing certificates, with the latter assigning the grade of very fine-extra fine 85. Kelleher notes that the 1981 certificate was for a pair; the stamp on offer in this sale is the left stamp from the pair.

Against an estimate of $6,000 to $8,000, Kelleher lists this unused 1908 2¢ carmine George Washington type II horizontal coil with an opening bid of $3,000.

An unused example of Scott 322 in the grade of very fine-extra fine 85 is valued at $8,250 in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers.

Kelleher has prepared a single 448-page catalog for the four-day auction. The catalog is available for viewing and download on the firm’s website, with online bidding options available.

For additional information, contact Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions, 22 Shelter Rock Lane, Unit 53, Danbury, CT 06810.

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