Specialist valuer Andy Bowden shares his thoughts on our latest auction of stamps, postcards and cigarette cards.
“Welcome to the fourth stamp and postcard auction of 2024 at 1818 Auctioneers. On this occasion, there are just over 100 lots. More importantly, we are in our new home upstairs in the new saleroom, so please come see us and view the lots!
“This auction sees some 30 or so lots of postcards, trade and cigarette card lots, including a fine collection of Blackpool postcards, along with some larger lots of general topographical material for Cumbria, Lancashire and overseas. Trade cards include a nearly complete set of the A & BC 1964 Beatles cards (Lot 819) and a range of the Caperns Birds cards (Lot 822). Caperns were bird food manufacturers and suppliers based initially in Bristol. Also in this lot are many earlier cigarette card sets, and part sets from Carreras and Gallaher.
“Our stamp lots include the usual mix of flat sets, individual items, and ranges of one-country collections, including Singapore (Lots 834, 838, 871 and 872) and Malaysia, to name a couple. There is a wonderful range of GB material, with a beautiful unmounted mint collection housed in stock books from 1960 through to 2023 (Lots 879, 880 and 881)
“Finally, within the stamp lots, there is a single vendor collection of Queen Victoria to George V sets and high values; this includes the scarce Basutoland 1934 1d scarlet overprinted “Official” used (Lot 851). It comes with an RPS certificate, and as far as we are aware, it is one of just over 20 examples known to be used. ”
