spink shreves

Unexpected Treasures: The Case of the International Stamps

A reader recently contacted Unexpected Treasures with a question regarding some international stamps. We aren't experts in philately but luckily, we've got friends in the stamp world. Charles Shreve, President of Spink Shreves Galleries in Dallas, Texas and New York, New York was kind enough to take a look at the pictures our reader sent in.

Luxist reader Beth reports that she received the collection from her grandfather. The stamps included the first one shown above which appears to be an error from Nicaragua. Stamp errors can in some cases be worth millions. The Inverted Jenny is the most famous example of this type of error which occurs when a sheet gets flipped upside down between press runs. The stamp shown at right isn't a true error. Charles Shreve says that it is what is called a freak rather than a true error which refers to an inverted center, a missing color or another major defect. This stamp is a misperforated stamp which is not unusual on this particular series of stamps from Nicaragua, which are called "Seebeck" issues. It has very little commercial value.

Tags: philately, spink shreves, stamp collecting, stamps, unexpected treasures

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A Historian's Collection Heads For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The sale of a historic collection coming up at Spink Shreves Galleries in New York City, January 27 – 29, 2010 tells not just the story of one man's life but of America's years of growth and change. Floyd E. Risvold of Edina, Minnesota died last year at the age of 97 and left behind an extensive multi-million dollar archive of important American manuscripts, maps, letters, early photographs, books and documents tracing America's journey to the Wild West. Pieces were collected over a 50 year period. Risvold participated in expeditions in the West with the Coast and Geodetic Survey in the 1930s and 1940s (that's him pictured at right). Nearly 1300 lots will be sold over three days in six separate sessions.

Items that tell the history of American expansion include a 12-page letter written by John Adams during The War of 1812, a prospector's 1849-era hand-drawn map to the California gold regions and an Indian peace treaty directive to the Secretary of State signed in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln. The auction includes many other items related to the Pony Express and the creation of the U.S. Postal Service, the Alamo, the Civil War, expansion of the railroads and Mormon history including an 1841 letter signed by both Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith, early leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The total pre-sale estimate is $5 million or more. The collection is currently on display in New York City. A set of three hardbound all-color catalogs housed in a slipcase has been produced and sells for $125.

Gallery: A Historian's American Collection

Tags: american history, AmericanHistory, auction, floyd e risvold, FloydERisvold, spink shreves, SpinkShreves

The Philanthropic Philatelist Strikes Again

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Big Givers

We've seen PIMCO founder Bill Gross sells off some of his philatelic treasures for a good cause before, now he's at it again, selling a portion of his stamp collection to benefit a Smithsonian museum. Next month, Gross, who I've dubbed the Philanthropic Philatelist, will sell off two portions of his extensive stamp collection to raise funds for the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Estimated to bring $3 million. many of the 214 Civil War-era Confederate States and early Canadian postage stamps are one-of-a-kind or the finest known.

The auction will be conducted by Spink Shreves Galleries in New York City and online, November 19, 2009. All proceeds of the sale will be donated by Gross and his wife, Sue, to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. Items include a unique 1861 Confederate postage stamp from Mount Lebanon, Louisiana that is the world's only known stamp misprinted with a mirror image of the intended design. In 1999 Gross paid a record $385,000 for the stamp that is still affixed to the envelope on which it was mailed nearly 150 years ago. A mint condition 1851 Canadian 12 pence denomination black stamp depicting a young Queen Victoria of England is estimated to sell for $150,000 or more.

Gross has pledged $8 million to create a 12,000 square-foot gallery in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum's planned, new street level facility in Washington, DC and proceeds from this auction will be part of that donation. "With all sale proceeds being given to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, I hope that all collectors will aggressively participate in these two auctions, not only to add wonderful rarities to their collections, but to help ensure that future generations of collectors will be created and introduced to the hobby we all enjoy," said Gross.

UPDATE: This sale brought in $3.2 million.

Gallery: Bill Gross Auction