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Cavendish December 2020 Catalogue Results

Cavendish_Sale_833_Lot_251 Cavendish_Sale_833_Lot_493 Cavendish_Sale_833_Lot_582 Cavendish_Sale_833_Lot_751 Cavendish_Sale_833_Lot_910 Cavendish_Sale_833_Lot_1157


With the ever present threat of Covid hanging over us, Cavendish's recent two day auction saw a record number of on-line bidders participating in a highly successful venture.

Setting a precedent for what was to follow lot 2 (eight volumes of chiefly QEII British Commonwelth) realised £1700 aginst an estimte of £1200. Only two of the first hundred lots failed to find a buyer with a number of them fetching well over estimate (noteably lot 63 - a collection of KGV / KGVI Pacific Islands) making £550 against an estimate of £200.

Day one continued with a highly eclectic range of collections and single item lots from all over the world and was to see a good number of high relisations. Leading the way was a collection of New South Wales (lot 188) which was knocked-down at £700 - more than double the catalogue estimate, whilst a 19th century range of Austria (lot 202) fetched £500 aginst an estimate of £250. A significnt collection of Bulgaria (lot 236) in two printed albums sold for £1200 and an early to modern collection of China (lot 266) sold for more than three times our estimate of £100.

The Canada section was highlighted by an 1897 Jubilee set (minus the $3 value, lot 251) which attracted a hammer price of £500, and a collection of Cuba (lot 275) soared to a realistion of £480 against a pre-sale estimate of £300. Country collections continued to sell well with a French Colonies range in two albums (lot 352) making £420 and a fascinting collection of various occupation issues of Greek Islands peaking at a more than double estimte price of £460.

A superb two album collection of Iraq (lot 492) reached £480 against an estimate of £300 whilst the rare 1931 25r Violet Official fine used (lot 493) sold for a mouth-watering £1250 (half S.G. catalogue price). A fine KGVI Malayan States Japanese Occupation collection (lot 582) rated at £500 excelled with a hammer price of £700 and the strong section of St. Vincent featured several pleasing results. Somaliland also saw a high degree of solid realisations including the mint 1903 3r Brown and Green "missing I" variety (lot 751, sold for £340) amongst the highlights.

The first day of the sale concluded with some spectacular results including a fine collection of Uruguay (lot 823) making a highly commendable £750 against an estimate of £300, and a range of Venezuela fetching £320 (lot 826, est. £220).

Day two of the auction comprised a large Great Britain range plus a specialised collection of United States. The former saw some splendid realisations commencing with a QV-QEII collection (lot 840) selling for £1900 (est. £1200) followed by a collection of 1d Reds (lot 910) making £550 (est. £200). A "Stock Exchange" forgery with impossible lettering (lot 1155) made £600 and an 1896 4d Vermillion mint plate 15 example (lot 1157) was knocked down at £420. A lightly cancelled KGV £1 Dull Blue-Green (lot 1167) fetched £380, and a scarce 1922 9d Pale Olive-Green mint watermark inverted (lot 1168) closed at £480. QEII also sold well with the 1973 Explorers 9p "Missing Rivers" variety unmounted mint (lot 1213) selling for its estimate of £400 and the 1969 Guernsey 3d unmounted mint with Block CA watermark (lot 1236) soaring to the giddy heights of £600 (est. £220).

The sale concluded with a strong section of USA which saw some more spectacular results with an 1857 1c Deep Blue (type V) marginal mint block of 12 (lot 1607) selling for a remarkable £1300 and an 1890 2c Deep Lake imprint unmounted mint block of 12 (lot 1625) making £400 against an estimate of £260.

All-in-all the auction was very competitive with the extensive ensemble of postal and on-line bidders contributing to make a large number of tremendous realisations. We can honestly say that, Covid notwithstanding, the philatelic market is currently very buoyant and Cavendish looks forward very much to this trend continuing in the New Year.