CAVENDISH’S NEW SEASON –

FORTHCOMING CAVENDISH 60JUBILEE AUCTIONS

January 25th 2012; The ‘Frank & Peter Thompson Collections’ of Classic Great Britain inc.
Treasury Essays, Rainbow Trial sheets, two unique original Rowland Hill hand-written reports on
the 1840 issues & their cancellations, superb Line Engraved & Surface Printed, fine KEVII (with
Die Proofs), KGV (with superb Seahorses & 1935 Prussian Blues), etc. [This catalogue online now.]

TO BE FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY:-

January 25th 2012; Worldwide Auction featuring G.B. (with the 1839 “Pre-Treasury Essay”
Cover, a 1d Black Imprimatur, etc.), and much more. [See the separate catalogue online now.]

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March 7th 2012; The ‘Frank & Peter Thompson Collections’ of G.B. Postal History (an Original
Dockwra cover, superb Transatlantic Mails, Liverpool, Derbyshire, etc.), Accountancy Markings
of the World, U.S.A. Stamps (with Proofs & Essays) & U.S.A. Covers (Postmasters’ Provisionals,
etc.), Canada, Malaya, and superb early Picture Postcards (the latter totalling c.15,000 in all!).

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March 8th 2012; An outstanding WORLDWIDE auction of almost 900 lots including, the TONY GOODBODY collection of RAILWAYS OF THE WORLD  (c. 130 lots),  the final section of the GEOFFREY OSBORN BERMUDA,  the  ‘REX’  collection of GB QV issues and the GEOFFREY FORD specialised collection of GB 1 ½ d issues.

THE FRANK & PETER THOMPSON COLLECTIONS. 

It is most unusual for a father and son both to be avid collectors of stamps and covers, but the late Frank Thompson and his late son Peter Thompson (both of Dronfield in Derbyshire and both involved in the family farm and butchers business) were equally well known during their lives as advanced students of both philately and Postal History. Peter inherited his father’s collections (which were mainly formed during the 1950s and early 1960s) in 1993 and kept them intact while continuing to add to his own collections on an almost daily basis, until his own sudden death this year. Frank joined the Postal History Society in 1965 and is thought to have attended Cavendish’s auction No.1 on 23^rd Jan. 1952. The photo above shows Frank (seated at left) beside Ron Ward, while Robson Lowe is standing; it was taken in c.1965 at the Sheffield Philatelic Society. Peter was a member of the American Stamp Club of G.B. from c.1970, and was well known as the man who sat at the front of Cavendish’s Auctions - especially when they featured U.S.A., Transatlantic, Liverpool or Derbyshire material - and was never outbid! Coincidentally, one of the family butcher shops was next door to Totley Rise Post Office in Sheffield. 

Frank Thompson was very well known as the owner of an Original Dockwra cover (one of only a handful outside our national museums), which will feature in Cavendish’s 7^th March 2012 auction, but it is less well known that he was also Martin Willcocks’ first editor of the ‘Dockwra’ section of the early 1970s British Postal History catalogue. Martin and Frank were good friends and worked together for many years trying to record and analyse the 110-year development of the distinctive triangular marks of the London “Penny Post”, even before Barrie Jay became involved in the same task. In addition to Frank’s comprehensive collection of London Dockwra marks, he also formed an important collection of the local posts of Edinburgh (with a very rare 1^st-Type Straight-line Peter Williamson 1d Paid mark) and good collections of general English Postal History with an emphasis on Registered mail.

 However, it was Frank’s collection of Great Britain Classic Issues, and in particular his superb holding of Treasury Essays and unique items connected with the ‘Rainbow Trials’ period, that were his greatest treasures. The Postal History collections (and the stamps of Malaya and the U.S., etc.) will be offered in a second ‘named’ Cavendish auction on 7^th March 2012, while this catalogue includes the Great Britain stamps and Essays.