Top 10 philatelic sales of the first half of 2020

The first half of 2020 has been very difficult for many of us. The world has suffered the severe pandemics, the name of which COVID-19. Due to numerous restrictions imposed, the majority of auctions were postponed or canceled. After quarantine measures were eased, the philatelic houses have begun to conduct their sales in an online format and the collectors could bid via the auctioneers’ websites.

Nevertheless, a few great sales have been conducted during this period and many interesting philatelic items have found their owners. The most valuable purchases are described in our ranking of “Top 10 philatelic sales of the first half of 2020”.

24c Inverted Jenny stamp, one of America’s most recognizable error stamps, appeared at Siegel auction in March. The item was originally part of the plate number and arrow block of eight, and then it was the part of the unique bottom arrow pair. In a very fine condition, this sound and choice example of the famous stamp has not been offered at auction since 1950.

Siegel described this lot as follows: “Position 28, the eighth stamp in the third row of the sheet of 100 purchased by William T. Robey on May 14, 1918, original gum, lightly hinged, fresh and bright colors, attractive centering and margins.” Featuring slightly disturbed original gum, rich colors, and a good centering this spectacular lot fetched $230,000.

'Medio Real' error of colour stamp, 1859 – the most important item in Venezuelan philately,  was offered at Spink auction on April, 26. The lot was a part of the spectacular “Lugano” collection of Venezuela. The stamps with the nominal value ½r were printed in yellow colour, and only 2r values – in red colour. Due to some error ½r "Medio Real" was released in red shade.

This mistake made the stamp very famous and expensive. It was part of H. R. Hammer and Ferrary extensive collections. The lot “possessing excellent margins all around and clearly showing the frame lines, coming from Position 37 on the sheet, very fine used by a clean strike of "Correos/ Dic 9/La Guaira" double circle cancel in blue” was sold for €180,000, or roughly $211,800. 

5c Blue vertical pair on cover tied together by "Indianapolis Ind. Dec. 20 11:30AM 1908" duplex datestamp was addressed to "A. M. Travers Esq., Post Office Department, Washington D.C.". Only four rolls of 1,000 experimental 5c Blue coil stamps were produced, and the vertical format was never repeated. The cover with this rare pair was sent by William Pirtle Herod, an Indianapolis attorney from a prominent political family. He didn’t even realize the pair was so important as like most philatelists at the time, he probably did not regard experimental coils as separate issues. Herod affixed a special note to the cover that says: "Note the 2 imperforate 5c stamps.

Only 13000 of such were issued and less than 10000 were used for postage purposes. A.M.T. Dec 21, 1908." The item appeared at Siegel auction as a part of the “2020 Rarities of the World” sale on July 1. The vendor gave the following comment on this item: “This is the first time the stamps have been reunited on this cover in more than half a century. We regard this as one of the greatest covers in all 20th century United States philately”. This phenomenal lot fetched $110,000.

5c + 5c "Inverted Double Geneva" stamps on cover was auctioned by Siegel on July 1. Double Geneva was the first stamp issued by the Canton of Geneva, on October 1, 1843. The majority of these valuable items were cut from the sheets in the normal left-right configuration. There are very few "Inverted Double Geneva" pairs extant in either horizontal or vertical format.

The stamps attached to this cover are of a superb quality. Siegel described this lot as follows: “the pair are in absolutely perfect condition with large balanced margins all around, detailed impression on incredibly fresh paper, cancelled by light central strike of red rosette cancel on a petite 1845 folded letter to a lady in Bourg de Four (Old City of Geneva)”. The cover was sold for $105,000.

1848 Mauritius 1d orange block of six appeared at David Feldman auction that took place in April, 2020. This is the largest known multiple of the earliest impression and of the entire Post Paid issue. The lot is described as “spectacular block in its rich bright shade clearly shows, amongst other characteristics of the earliest impression the ‘sticky print’ and uneven inking of the beginning period.”

In a very fine condition, the block bears a rare blue numeral ‘1’ of Mahebourg cancellation and features some usual toning. Considered as an outstanding item of phenomenal importance, this lot fetched GBP 80’000 or roughly $104,682.

1c Blue, Ty I is one of the most spectacular philatelic items in the US philately. It appeared at Siegel sale of “The Edward Morton Collection of Outstanding Quality U.S. Stamps” on April 8-9, 2020. Many consider 1c Blue, Ty I as the scarcest stamps of all United States stamps regularly issued prior to the 1868 Grills. The item offered by Sigel is the only of the 1,000 positions used to print imperforate one-cent stamps that show the complete design. This is also the finest specimen cancelled in red.

The example sold here features large right and bottom margins, where there was very little space between it and the adjoining stamps. That is why the stamp is regarded as a true rarity. Being one among the two or three finest sound off-cover examples known, the item was sold for $90,000.

This is the only example of 5c Blue Hawaiian Missionary on cover, 1851. It was offered at Siegel’s “2020 Rarities of the World” sale that took place on June 1. Ten 5c Missionary covers (one of which was in a famous Bill Gross collection) exist today, but this one contains a sound 5c Missionary stamp without any defects. This cover was carried on the American brig Zoe, which cleared Honolulu on October 22, 1853, and arrived in San Francisco on November 9 (the datestamp was applied the next day). From San Francisco, it was sent to Panama City on November 28, and then it arrived in New York on December 12.

Admiral William Reynolds, U.S. Navy, addressed this enveloped to his older brother James L. Reynolds, at Lancaster. Siegel described this lot as “a sound example of this rarity, featuring huge top sheet margin, large margins at right and bottom, slightly in at left showing about half of frameline, blue printing ink on back shows through at upper left, free of any faults or repairs, slight wrinkling typical of pelure paper and mentioned only to emphasize the extraordinarily choice condition of this stamp.”  Considered as an outstanding cover of the worldwide classic philately this spectacular lot was sold for $80,000. 

The finest of the three recorded tete-beche multiples of the Republic of Argentina, 15c Blue Tete-Beche vertical pair was offered at Robert A Siegel’s “2020 Rarities of the World” sale held on June 30 – July 1. The inverted 15-centavos stamp appeared because the lithographic plate contained one inverted cliché, the first stamp in the second row (Position 8). The pair was purchased shortly after its issuance by the Duke of Polignac, a member of the French aristocracy.

Siegel described this lot as: “Vertical pair from the top left corner of the sheet, comprising Position 1 and the inverted cliche Position 8, original gum, large margins on three sides and large to clear at right, bright color and fresh paper”. 15c Blue Tete-Beche vertical pair managed to fetch $75,000 at this auction.

A rare block of four of the United States stamp error popularly known as the CIA Invert appeared at Cherrystone auction that took place in June. The 1979 $1 Rush Lamp and Candle Holder stamp with engraved brown ink inverted was named so when it became known that the error was discovered in a post office purchase by employees of the international spy agency. This is a fresh and never-hinged block, perfectly centered with wide margins all around, and signed in pencil by experts including Bolaffi and Diena.

Only three known blocks of four of this popular error are known to exist today, significantly undervalued given its rarity. "CIA" Invert block of four was sold for $60,000 at this auction.