Sale 1259 — Worldwide Stamps and Postal History
Sale Date — Tuesday-Thursday, 21-23 June, 2022
Category — Newfoundland
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1857, 2p Scarlet Vermilion (2; SG 2). Ample margins to just touching outer frameline, strong color and impression, neat grid cancelVERY FINE. A HANDSOME USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 2-PENCE SCARLET VERMILION.
With 1983 Greene Foundation certificate. Scott $7,000.00. SG £6,500. Unitrade C$12,500.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1857, 3p Green (3; SG 3). Original gum with natural offset, minor h.r., unusually large margins all around, bold color and strong impression, Extremely Fine, a rare original gum example, with 2017 Greene Foundation certificate, Scott $800.00, SG £2,000, Unitrade C$1,200.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1857, 3p Green (3; SG 3). Mostly large to full margins, strong color, Very Fine, a surprisingly challenging used stamp, with 2019 Greene Foundation certificate, Scott $575.00, SG £425, Unitrade C$800.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1857, 4p Scarlet Vermilion (4; SG 4). Mostly large margins to clear at bottom left, brilliant color, light strike of grid cancelVERY FINE. A SCARCE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 4-PENCE SCARLET VERMILION.
With 2015 Greene Foundation certificate. Scott $4,250.00. SG £3,500. Unitrade C$7,000.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1857, 6p Scarlet Vermilion (6; SG 6). Unusually large margins all around, strong impression, neat grid cancelVERY FINE AND CHOICE USED EXAMPLE OF THE 6-PENCE SCARLET VERMILION. PARTICULARLY SCARCE IN THIS CONDITION.
With 2017 Greene Foundation certificate. Scott $5,000.00. SG £4,750. Unitrade C$7,000.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1857, 6-1/2p Scarlet Vermilion (7; SG 7). Unused (no gum), three ample margins, just touching frameline at left, strong color and crisp impression, a Fine example of this scarce unused stamp, with 2017 Gratton certificate, Scott $5,000.00, SG £4,500, Unitrade C$3,500.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1857, 8p Scarlet Vermilion (8; SG 8). Large margins all around, strong shade and sharp impression on fresh paper, Very Fine and choice, with 2017 Greene Foundation certificate, Scott $475.00, SG £950, Unitrade C$800.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1857, 1sh Scarlet Vermilion (9; SG 9). Ample to close margins, clears all around, deep rich shade and a strong impression, light grid cancelVERY FINE AND ATTRACTIVE USED EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 1857 ONE-SHILLING SCARLET VERMILION.
With 1975 R.P.S. certificate. Scott $9,000.00. SG £9,000. Unitrade C$15,000.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1860, 3p Green (11A; SG 11). Mint N.H. triangle block of four, large to full margins all around, deep rich shade on fresh paper, Extremely Fine and handsome block, catalogued as singles, Scott $800.00, SG £480 as hinged, Unitrade C$1,440.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1860, 4p Orange (12; SG 12). Large balanced margins all around, grid cancel, Extremely Fine, a handsome used example, with 2012 P.F. certificate, Scott $1,350.00, SG £1,100, Unitrade C$1,800.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1860, 6p Orange (13; SG 14). Full balanced margins all around, bright shade on fresh paper, strong impression, neat grid cancel, Very Fine, with 2017 Greene Foundation certificate, Scott $1,100.00, SG £800, Unitrade C$1,600.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1860, 1sh Orange, Handmade Paper without Mesh (15; SG 15). Three tight margins, touching outer frameline at top, wonderfully fresh color and unusually strong impression, grid cancel, Fine and handsome example of this rare classic stamp which is generally found with tight to touching margins and plagued with faults, with 2010 Gratton certificate, Scott $12,000.00, SG £12,000, Unitrade C$6,000.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1887-96, 3c Umber Brown, 3c Violet Brown (51-52; SG 52, 65a). Both Mint N.H., impressively well-centered with wide margins, excellent colors, Extremely Fine Gems, surprisingly rare in this premium quality, No. 51 with 2013 Gratton and No. 52 with 2018 Gratton certificates, Scott $450.00, SG £205, Unitrade C$900.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1887-94, 5c Dark Blue, 5c Bright Blue (54-55; SG 53, 59a). Blocks of four of each, original gum, minor h.r., No. 55 with imprint selvage at bottom, bold colors, well-centered, Very Fine and scarce pair of blocks, No. 54 with 2013 Gratton certificate, catalogued as singles, Scott $1,200.00, SG £800, Unitrade C$1,600.00
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NEWFOUNDLAND, 1887, 1894, -1/2c Rose Red, -1/2c Black (56, 58; SG 49, 59). Mint N.H., each exceedingly well-centered and fresh, Extremely Fine Gems, both with 2021 P.F. certificate, Scott $50.00, Unitrade C$120.00
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NEWFOUNDLAND, 1897, 3c on 1c Gray Lilac, Ty. III (77; SG 82). Well-centered, fresh color, lightly cancelled, Very Fine, Scott $700.00, SG £500, Unitrade C$1,000.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1897, 1c on 3c Gray Lilac, Types I-III (77a; SG 80-82). Se-tenant block of four, top stamps Type I, bottom left Type II and bottom right Type III, original gum, two h.r. reinforcing a few separated perfs, uncharacteristically rich color, Fine-Very Fine, a scarce and desirable se-tenant block showing all three types, with 2018 Greene Foundation certificate, Scott $1,750.00, SG £960 as singles, Unitrade C$2,850.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1910, 2c Carmine, Perf 11.8 x 11.4 (88c; SG 110). Original gum, lightly hinged, fresh color, Fine and scarce perforation variety, with 2017 Greene Foundation certificate, Scott $725.00, SG £450, Unitrade C$500.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1919, 15c Prussian Blue (124b; SG 139a). Mint N.H., intense shade on bright paper, well-centered, Very Fine, accompanied by a normal example to show the distinct difference in shades, Scott $600.00, Unitrade C$800.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1920, 3c on 15c Scarlet, Type I Surcharge (128; SG 145). Mint N.H., exceptional centering, bold color on bright paper, Extremely Fine Gem, a stunning example, with 2017 Greene Foundation certificate, Scott $350.00, SG £250, Unitrade C$600.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1929, 3c on 6c Gray Black, Ty. II, Inverted Surcharge (160a; SG 188a). Original gum, lightly hinged, bold color and intense impression, Very Fine and scarce, only 75 examples printed, with 1951 P.F. certificate, Scott $1,000.00, SG £950, Unitrade C$1,400.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1929, 3c on 6c Gray Black, Ty. II (3mm Spacing) Surcharged in Black (160 footnote; SG 188b; Unitrade 160ii). Original gum, lightly hinged, well-centered, fresh and Very Fine, a rare trial or first printing which was produced but never put into use, only 50 were printed, with 1980 P.F. certificate, Scott $1,400.00, SG £1,000, Unitrade C$1,750.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1941-44, 3c Rose Carmine, 10c Brownish Black, Reverse Offset on Gum (Unitrade 255iv, 260i). Two Mint N.H. singles, 3c with selvage at top, each showing strong and complete offset on gum side, 3c particularly well-centered, Very Fine and scarce, only 200 of the 3c printed, Unitrade C$637.50
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1919, 3c Red Brown, Hawker Air Post (C1; SG 142). Original gum, lightly hinged, exceptionally well-centered, especially since nearly all other examples are centered slightly to top, rich color on particularly fresh paperEXTREMELY FINE GEM EXAMPLE OF THE FAMOUS NEWFOUNDLAND 1919 HAWKER AIR POST, SCOTT NO. C1. NO MORE THAN 87 UNUSED CAN EXIST. THIS IS EASILY ONE OF THE FINEST WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED WITH SUPERB CENTERING.
This flight famously ended with a controlled crash landing in the ocean after about 13 hours of flying. Postmaster J. A. Robinson of St. John's overprinted 200 stamps for the special flight. No more than 87 unused stamps can still exist, though the actual number of surviving copies is probably quite lower. In addition to these, 95 were used and 18 were defective and subsequently destroyed.
With 1996 E. Diena and 1997 P.F. certificates. Scott $25,000.00. SG £22,000. Unitrade C$40,000.00. From the Porter W. Venn II Estate
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1919, 3c Red Brown, Hawker Air Post (C1; SG 142). Well-centered, tied by "St. John's Nfld. Apr. 12, 1919 2-PM" machine cancel on cover to West Malvern, England, manuscript "per Aeroplane", official seal affixed to back flap and cancelled by London circular datestamp, cover with small tear at bottom, stamp has been lifted and replaced to original position (likely due to water damage from flight)VERY FINE. A DESIRABLE AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE NEWFOUNDLAND AIR POST ISSUE. ONLY 95 STAMPS WERE USED AND FEWER STILL ARE KNOWN ON FLIGHT COVERS.
This flight famously ended with a controlled crash landing in the ocean after about 13 hours of flying. Postmaster J. A. Robinson of St. John's overprinted 200 stamps for the special flight. No more than 87 unused stamps can still exist, though the actual number of surviving copies is probably quite lower. In addition to these, 95 were used and 18 were defective and subsequently destroyed.
With 1971 B.P.A. (not mentioning stamp being lifted) and 1983 E. Diena certificate. Scott $25,000.00. Unitrade C$35,000.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1919, $1.00 on 50c Scarlet, Air Post (C2, C2a, C2b, C2ii). Block of four, containing normal (pos. 2), without comma (pos. 3), without comma & period (pos. 1) and small comma after "Post" (pos. 4, with minor pencil on gum), original gum, lightly hinged, bold color, Very Fine, the small comma variety is unlisted in Scott but is equally as rare as the without period & comma, each having 400 examples printed, with 2018 Gratton certificate, catalogued as singles, Scott $1,110.00, Unitrade C$1,950.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1927, 60c Black, De Pinedo Air Post (C4; SG 163). Original gum, h.r., excellent centering, bold shade and sharp impressionVERY FINE AND CHOICE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 1927 DE PINEDO AIR POST STAMP OF NEWFOUNDLAND. ONE OF THE KEY AIR POST RARITIES OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND THE WORLD WITH ONLY 33 UNUSED POSSIBLE OF THE 300 PRINTED.
Francesco de Pinedo was an Italian aristocrat who first served in the Italian military, and flew aerial reconnaissance missions in World War I. In 1924 he transferred to the newly-formed independent Italian Air Force. He soon requested a leave of absence, and flew 35,000 miles to Australia and the Far East before flying back. On his return he was appointed lieutenant colonel by Benito Mussolini for his achievement for Italian aviation.
In 1927 De Pinedo embarked on his next venture, with the backing of Mussolini and Italo Balbo, the minister of Italian aviation: a double crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. He selected a Savoia-Marchetti S.55 catamaran flying boat, named Santa Maria in honor of Columbus. He first flew down the west coast of Africa before crossing to Rio de Janeiro, where bad weather forced them down. After some time in South America, they headed north, landing in New Orleans on March 29. In early April they landed near Roosevelt Dam in Arizona, where a spectator threw a match into the water, igniting gasoline on the surface which consumed the plane in flames.
A substitute plane was shipped from Italy to New York. The ever-fastidious De Pinedo returned to New Orleans to restart his flight, going to Chicago, Montreal and Trepassy, Newfoundland, which was the final stop before recrossing the Atlantic.
De Pinedo departed Newfoundland for the Azores on May 30, 1927. Strong headwinds caused the Santa Maria II to run out of fuel and land in the ocean 200 miles short of the Azores. Towed by passing ships to the Azores, they refueled and then backtracked to the point of their ocean landing to resume their trip, traveling to Lisbon, Barcelona and finally Rome, where Mussolini promoted him to General. In 1933, De Pinedo was killed on takeoff when attempting a non-stop 6,000-mile flight from New York to Baghdad.
This stamp was issued for use on mail carried aboard the De Pinedo return flight to Europe. A total of 300 stamps were overprinted for this special flight. Of those, four were damaged and destroyed. 66 copies were presented to de Pinedo and government officials with between 225-255 used on covers. It is believed that only 33 unused are possible. Attesting to its rarity, we have offered only two other unused examples in the last 25 years (Passano Collection, Sale 778 and "Scarsdale" Collection, Sale 1243).
Signed "J.A.R." (likely J.A. Robinson, the P.M.G. who signed the Hawker stamps). With 1960 P.F. certificate. Scott $45,000.00. SG £42,000. Unitrade C$70,000.00. From the Porter W. Venn II Estate
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1927, 60c Black, De Pinedo Air Post (C4; SG 163). Excellent centering, tied by "St. Johns, N'Fld. May 20, 1927" machine cancel on cover to London, England, usual faint strike of "Trepassy, Newfld, MY 21 27" circular datestamp, Rome machine cancel in transit on reverse, cover missing backflapVERY FINE. AN IMPORTANT NEWFOUNDLAND RARITY AND ONE OF THE KEY AIR POST RARITIES OF THE WORLD. IT IS THOUGHT ONLY 300 WERE PRINTED, WITH ONLY 75-100 WHICH STILL EXIST USED OR ON COVER.
This stamp was issued for use on mail carried aboard the De Pinedo return flight to Europe. A total of 300 stamps were overprinted for this special flight. Of those, four were damaged and destroyed. 66 copies were presented to de Pinedo and government officials with between 225-255 used on covers.
Ex "Highlands". With 1971 B.P.A. and 2019 Greene Foundation certificates. Scott $22,500.00. SG £13,000 as used. Unitrade C$30,000.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1930, 50c on 36c Olive Green, Columbia Air Post (C5; SG 191). Position 4 in the setting, original gum, very lightly hinged, precise centering, deep intense color and a superbly detailed impressionEXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 1930 COLUMBIA AIR POST. RARELY ENCOUNTERED IN SUCH CHOICE CONDITION.
The Newfoundland government overprinted 300 copies of the 36c "Caribou" issue for use on this flight. Only 100 were actually used: 65 from St. John's and 35 from Harbour Grace. After flying 2,650 miles, the plane was forced down at Tresco Island, off the coast of England. The "Columbia" was able to finish the flight, landing at Croydon Airport on October 13.
Signed Raybaudi. With 1978 Nussbaum and 1996 B.P.A. certificates. Scott $9,000.00. SG £6,000. Unitrade C$12,000.00. From the Porter W. Venn II Estate
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1930, 50c on 36c Olive Green, Columbia Air Post (C5; SG 191). Mint N.H., position 1, fresh color on bright paper, small dealer handstamp on reverseFINE AND RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1930 COLUMBIA AIR POST STAMP OF NEWFOUNDLAND.
The Newfoundland government overprinted 300 copies of the 36c "Caribou" issue for use on this flight. Only 100 were actually used: 65 from St. John's and 35 from Harbour Grace. After flying 2,650 miles, the plane was forced down at Tresco Island, off the coast of England. The "Columbia" was able to finish the flight, landing at Croydon Airport on October 13.
With 2018 Greene Foundation certificate. Scott $13,000.00. SG £6,000 as hinged. Unitrade C$12,000.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1932, $1.50 on $1.00 Blue, DO-X Air Post, Dramatic Slanting Surcharge (C12i). Original gum, lightly hinged, clearly showing upwards slant of surcharge, bold color, Very Fine, Unitrade C$900.00
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1933, $4.50 Balbo Air Post (C18; SG 235). Mint N.H., position 4, particularly well-centered with wide margins, strong color on bright paper, Very Fine and choice, small backstamp, with 1969 P.F. certificate, Scott $475.00, SG £275 as hinged, Unitrade C$900.00, from the Porter W. Venn II Estate
NEWFOUNDLAND, 1933, $4.50 Balbo Air Post (C18; SG 235). Excellent centering, tied by "St. John's, Newf'd, 26 Jul. 33" circular datestamp on registered first day flown cover to London, England, Italian and Newfoundland backstamps, Extremely Fine, Scott $800.00, Unitrade C$1,100.00