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Auction: 26015 - "The Treasure of the Eagles" Collection of Albania - Part I
Lot: 3189

(x) Partisan Liberation of Berat (1943)
Berat. 1943, 25q. on 15q. red, overprinted with five-pointed star within the silhouette of a double-headed eagle, unmounted mint with original gum. Very rare and fine, this being the first overprint type used of Berat.

provenance: Robert Ballauri
This lot was illustrated in an article by Robert Ballauri in the "Koleksionisti" magazine (issue 2/98).
Note: Martin Erler, a Luftwaffe officer attached to the German command in Albania, based on his firsthand experience in the field, stated in a 1949 article published in the magazine "Globus" that stamps (including this value) were found in small quantities when the Germans took Berat; he further noted that they appeared shortly thereafter on the collectors’ market at prices ranging from 400 to 1,500 gold francs each (exorbitant prices for the time).

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Estimate
£150 to £300

Starting price
£120