News from Spink

AUCTION OF SIMON RICHARDS COLLECTION OF BRITISH HONDURAS IS A GREAT SUCCESS

A select gathering of clientele gathered at the Spink Galleries on Thursday afternoon, the 27th October at 2.30pm. Only 119 lots were on offer with a low estimate of some £177,000, however, after one and a half hours there were several shocked expressions! This was the first specialised sale of the British Honduras Colony and collectors were anxious to acquire anything of real rarity. Nineteen buyers shared the lots available and the total of £338,243 was a virtual sell out. Almost every single lot exceeded the estimate and a few realisations are listed below.

Mint multiples were in strong demand, thus the 1865 blocks of four of the 1d pale blue and 1d blue, S.G. 1 and 2 rose to £900 and £1000 respectively, some three times the price a central London auctioneer achieved last year for similar items. The 6d and 1/- blocks of four, S.G. 3 and 4 both achieved £2,200.

Lots 24 and 25 were the highlights of the collection. The first comprised a mint block of twelve of the 1/- and 6d in an interpanneau se-tenant block. Catalogued as S.G.4a and listed at £57,000+, it soared to £122,000 with heavy competition to over £100,000. The second was a 1d. and 1/- interpanneau mint block of four with the 1d. value in a pair above a 1/- pair. Despite small faults, from a low estimate of £30,000 and catalogued as S.G. 4b at £52,000, it was knocked down at £68,000. Both lots were ex the Sir Henry Tucker collection.

The first issue was completed with an interesting cover front to the USA bearing a 1d strip of three and a single. The estimate for lot 26 was £1,500 and it sold for £3,200.

The 1872/9 issue included mint blocks of the 1d, 3d, 6d and 1/- values. These greatly exceeded their estimates and sold most handsomely at £750, £1,200, £2,700 and £2,300 respectively (lots 32, 34, 35 and 36). The startling realisation in this issue was lot 33, an imperforate between marginal mint strip of 3 of the 1d value ex the Arthur Hind collection. Here the estimate was from £5,000, but, after spirited bidding, fetched £15,000, greatly exceeding the Stanley Gibbons quoted price as S.G.12a of £5,500+.

The 1888 (1st January) surcharges include the 1872/9 3d value surcharged "3/cents". Lot 47 was an unused example estimated from £3,000 against a Stanley Gibbons catalogue price of S.G.24 at £13,000. This ex Tucker rarity realised £9,000. The following item, lot 48, was an envelope bearing two examples of the "3/cents" surcharges with other values making up the rate to Germany. This almost certainly unique item realised £20,000 from a low estimate of £15,000. The 1888 (March) surcharges included a fine example of the "TWO" in black on 50c on 1/- grey with part original gum, S.G. 35b. Estimated from £8,000, it sold for the full catalogue price of £11,000. Finally, from the 1891 6c surcharges, lot 75 was the "6" in black on 10c on 4d mauve with "6" and bar inverted fine unused with part original gum, S.G. 44a and catalogued at £3,000. Estimated from £1,500, it realised £4,500.

The full list of prices realised is available here and should provide a useful reference for the years to come.