Dear Collector,

Welcome to our catalogue number 89.

Despite the credit crunch we continue to see good demand at all price levels indeed the more elusive and rare pieces continue to attract strong interest. It may just be coincidence but in general we are finding that an increasingly greater percentage of lots are sold directly at their ‘Buy’ prices.

As usual the list commences with a range of collections, which are always worth a look and cover all areas of the globe. We also mention our unique thematic listing at the front of the catalogue which identifies the lot numbers of the most commonly collected themes and can save considerable time spent searching the list. Don’t forget that we also have a large thematic stock in our London shop which you can browse through at your leisure whenever you are able to visit us at 79 Strand. The shop also has an ever-changing range of collections and album pages for sale with stock literally changing on a daily basis. A steady flow of regular shop callers confirms that there is much of interest to be found.

The Great Britain section contains a large number of mint 1859 Penny Red plates in generally very fine condition for these. A fine used Orbs watermark Victorian £1 and a mint 1840 two pence blue are just two highlights. The usual good selection of high values and material from all reigns can be found as usual. The 1979 Miniature Sheet MS1099cwith Gold (Queen’s Head) omitted is an item we have not offered since list 28!

The Commonwealth section has a good selection of new material from the Australian States, and there is a superb used 1918 Red Cross set of North Borneo. There is a nice sheet from the Indian Feudatory state of Kishangarh, complete sheets are very rare. There is also a complete sheet of the 2d Falkland Islands from the reign of Queen Victoria which is in very fine condition and is an impressive item with Bradbury Wilkinson printers imprint at base. We have also broken down a good King George V Canadian collection with several items in this list.

Our foreign section contains an outstanding German colonial Yacht type used in Kiaoschow SG8a with BPA certificate. This is a rare stamp indeed and not an item we have ever offered before. Belgium also contains several useful items from a collection and there is a good showing of Berlin also. Indeed most German colonies and areas have something of interest. As ever, the photos give an indication of both the range and quality on offer.

See you at Stampex on our stand number 19.

As usual you can place your bids here online or alternatively fax, phone or email your bids to us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Happy hunting,