I have all been involved with stamps nearly my life. My first collection was accumulated as a child of ten with my friends in the neighborhood. When I was done with him, I had more than 3,000 stamps in my collection and sold for the princely sum of 7.50 in 1958. I do not remember what I did with the money. I think I treated my family for dinner in the neighborhood of hamburger.
I gave my hobby for about seven years and took it back as an adult. Where beforeI collected everything I could find, I started for the stamps in better condition and records for research. The first of these that I bought from the Vatican for the feast of Christmas 1962 and all 50C paid.
Although a little ', was the first conscious and purchase only the beginning of a career that would mean spending several thousand dollars. Over the years I have bought many single stamps and collections. The best purchase I've ever had turned one hundred and fifty areSpending a dollar 60 to $ 500 per sale.
My first serious interest in stamps was as a general collector of British colonies. In particular, the stamps of Malta. This interest has led to a lifelong interest in the island and the letter of Cellini Masterpiece under the pseudonym of John Raymond. Another of my interests is the Papua New Guinea. Papua is a large island in the South Pacific and the scene of many battles during the Second World War. British stamps issued in 1901 forthe territory of British New Guinea.
These eight stamps were known as a native boat and were Lakatoi rosette on a number of cards called printed with a watermark which is like a flower with four leaves. Early printer is not very careful, because the paper has been gutted in presses, so may the watermark, which has more petals on the one hand, appears in two places. They also used thick and thin paper. Most of the stamps were printed on watermarked paper printed with horizontalShort petals upwards. It was half a penny to the price of sending letters within the colony, half a crown sent sent for heavy packages, to be paid in Australia, the UK and around the world. One brand, the 2 / 6 is mounted vertically on thick paper with the watermark rather rare and expensive brand.
In 1906 the British separated from the rest of Papua New Guinea on prints and other signs bearing the word "Papua" in large serifed. Most of the thin paperStamps apparently exhausted, the watermark portrait and landscape. The 2 / 6 paper thin horizontal and vertical watermark are common and sell for a hundred dollars. The watermark portrait, on the other hand, is a rarity and catalogs for 6,000 pounds in the Stanley Gibbons catalog. It 's the scarcest stamp of Papua and missing in most collections. There is also a popular brand and if they offer price was enormous.
In 1995 I was still afull-time trader, and made regular buying trips through the Midwest and East. I had to stop at a stamp auction house in the Midwest and went through the crowd, which were organized for display in small bins. I was pleased to see the prints and Papua eagerly inspected the set. E 'was untouched, was easy to bend and, as such, in excellent condition for collectors. Eagerly went to the 2 / 6 and held against the light with my pliers. It 'was the thick paper.
A good start.
Icould not say whether the watermark has been placed vertically or horizontally, and I asked to borrow a tray of immersion fluid and a watermark. The shell is black and when the liquid is poured over the stamp, the stamp paper and the watermark is transparent.
I could not believe my eyes. I had to get another stamp from the set to compare, but there it was. Watermark upright!
I looked at the woman who gave me a curious look of the games has been found. He would get a copy ofGibbons control and stamp it. If so, is my discovery and someone else may decide to offer it.
I carefully replaced the stamps used in their support and handed the book to her. The sale was almost three weeks away and I could not wait until then. Or I could go home and another trip or to an agent bid for me.
I opted for the agent. I gave him an 'offer of one thousand five hundred dollars for the game to beat anyone he wanted the stamps, butdo not know the difference. My biggest concern is that one of the largest collectors of Papua in the world has been a local and if he has got a look at the stamp, I would never buy in a position to do so. I could only hope he is not a copy of the catalog, or if he did, he did not show up to watch the game.
The next 20 days were the longest of my life. On the night of the sale I called the agent. He said the starting price was 75.00. I did not sleep that night and called againEarly in the morning. I won the race to 150, plus 10%. A stamp collector British Oceania had run with the price for me. The auction house would be my postage stamp of the next day.
The package came registered mail three days later. I contacted the specialist in Papua, but had a copy and did not want another. The day after I sent him from the British Philatelic Association for a certificate. From there you should be included in Christie's sale of rarity. Four months latersold for 3,800 pounds or approximaterly 6,500 US.
Now you may ask why the auction house wasn't aware of the value of the stamp. For one thing, the house catalogued the stamp using the Scotts catalog. Scotts is the standard American catalog and usually only lists a value for the most common variety. The watermark variety is listed in Gibbons, which is British, which includes many other color and watermark varieties than the Scott catalogue. Another reason the stamp may have been overlooked descriptor is that auction, with thousands of stamps every day to see. Even if he (in this case means the sex is right, I only describe a woman) has a catalog Gibbons, most do not take the time to look varieties as possible. In short, it is one of the things that makes the hobby so fascinating. Who is a valuable antique, you know the feeling.
Happy hunting!
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