Lot 176

19th C. World Postage Stamps - Group of 72, British Empire & Colonial

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Lot 176
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19th C. World Postage Stamps - Group of 72, British Empire & Colonial
19th C. World Postage Stamps - Group of 72, British Empire & Colonial
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19th C. World Postage Stamps - Group of 72, British Empire & Colonial

Estimate: $800 - $1,200

Starting Bid: $400

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 6, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

International, various nations and colonial administrations, ca. 1850–1940 CE. A wide-ranging assembly of roughly seventy-two postage stamps, predominantly used and cancelled, gathered across nearly a century of philatelic history. The lot draws its breadth from the far corners of the British Empire and beyond: Newfoundland, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Antarctic Territory sit alongside British Guiana, Jamaica, Gambia, and British South Africa, joined by the princely and coastal issues of India, Cochin (Kerala), and Bhopal. Continental Europe answers with France, Germany, Estonia, Switzerland, and Tunisia, while the New World contributes the United States and Canada. Mounted and loose on annotated collector's leaves, many bear crisp cancellations, engraved vignettes, and monarchical portraits. A single leaf preserves a "S/S Normandie" inaugural-voyage cachet dated 7 June, marking transatlantic maritime history. Size of largest (American Railroads): 1.5" W x 2" H (3.8 cm W x 5.1 cm H).

The geographic spread reflects the reach of imperial postal networks at their zenith. Cochin Anchal and Bhopal were feudatory princely states of British India that operated their own semi-independent postal systems, prized today for their distinctive local typography. Newfoundland issued stamps as a self-governing dominion separate from Canada until 1949, and Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia printed independently before Australian federation unified their posts in 1901. The "Caledonia Railway" and cancellation markings point to specialized parcel or railway franking usage. The S/S Normandie cachet commemorates the French liner's celebrated 1935 maiden crossing from Le Havre to New York, a touchstone of Art Deco-era ocean travel.

Provenance: private Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA collection, by inheritance, collected 1970's

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Item # 199715

  • Condition: Most have been cancelled. All in very good condition.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000