In London this week, the Spink Shreves auction called its stamp offerings the “Pearls of Arabia,” and the real pearl was the 1866 first issue cover of the Egyptian Post Office in Jeddah, an entire letter to Suez known as the ‘Crown Jewel of Saudi Arabia philately.’ It sold for $97,000. The high estimate had been $41,000.Also on the block was a Sudanese 1948 Arab Postman and Camel 10m. rose-red and black stamp with the center rider and camel inverted. It is used with a slight central tear, but the colors are bright and is an important stamp for Sudan collectors as well as the legion of inverted center stamp collectors. It sold for $42,000.
Egyptian “Crown Jewel” Stamp Doubles Estimate
October 21, 2011
Stolen Pony Express Letter For Sale
February 26, 2013If you didn’t know better you’d think the Pony Express was a Hollywood creation, skinny, tough boys riding from Missouri over the Sierra Nevadas to California in 10-days. A stamp for a one-ounce letter cost about $50 in today’s dollars. One stolen in an Indian attack and later recovered is coming to market next month at R.A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York.
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Inverted Jenny May Glide To $450,000
November 1, 2012Even those with little interest in stamps often have heard of the 1918 24-Cent Inverted Jenny, which typically achieves a staggering price. The latest one to appear at auction comes from the illustrious Merlin Collection of U.S. stamps, which Robert A. Siegel will offer in New York on November 28-29. Only one sheet of 100 stamps was produced. This stamp occupied position 48 on the sheet, and is expected to sell for $450,000.
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English Postage Stamped By Nazis
August 27, 2012Americans often forget the Nazis occupied the English Channel Islands near Normandy from 1940 to 1945, building massive fortifications and four concentration camps. Eighteen King George VI Jersey Island stamps overprinted with a Swastika will be sold by Spink and Son in London next month. High estimate is $40,000.
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Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
By Malcolm Welford, Vintage Car Specialist
