360 / Mai 2015 London

1858 (July 21): 54 parale blue on greenish horizontally laid paper, a superb unused example with close but clear margin at right and huge margins on the other three sides, of excellent colour and appearance with tiny nick in right margin and slightest of vertical bends. A great rarity, surprisingly there are less unused examples of the 54 pa. than the 81 pa. known, with just 25 recorded thus. Illustrated and discussed in Heimbüchler, Vol. 1 on pages 300 and 301. A rare stamp for the classic specialist. Cert. Heimbüchler (2015) Gi = £ 21'000/Mi = € 22'000 Provenance: René Berlingin (March 1984), lot 12784.

1858 (July 21): 81 parale blue on blued wove paper, a fresh unused example of this rarity with large margins all round and of excellent rich colour, slightest ironed crease and scuff on face of no great significance, there being but 35 unused examples recorded of which 1 is cut round, 15 with major faults and at least 5 housed in museum collections. A rare and most attractive stamp of impeccable provenance. Illustrated and described in Heimbüchler Vol 1, pages 364, 365. Cert. Heimbüchler (2015) Gi 3 = £ 40'000/Mi = € 42'000 Provenance: Harold Wilson Harmer Rooke Auction (Jan 1942) Lars Amundsen (Feb 1969), lot 469

1858 (Nov 1): 5 parale black on white wove paper, Type I, a superb mint example of excellent definition, large margins all round, with typical somewhat yellowish large part original gum. An extremely rare stamp in perfect pristine quality, Heimbüchler records just 6 mint examples. Illustrated in Heimüchler Supplement on page 71, fig. 117. Signed A. Diena. Certs BPA (1961), Heimbüchler (2015) Gi 11 = £ 24'000/Mi = € 32'000

1858 (Nov 1): 40 parale blue on bluish wove paper, a superb used vertical tête-bêche pair from the centre positions of the sheet of 32 subjects, with huge margins all round and of fine delicate colour, cancelled solely by italic RECEPISSE (registered) handstamp in blue-green (Kiriac fig. 1471). A much under-catalogued variety in this describer's opinion, a delightful classic rarity. Just two, perhaps three examples recorded, a beautiful and rare pair in pristine quality and of impeccable provenance. Certs A. Diena (1970), Heimbüchler (2015) Mi = € 9'000 Provenance: Rothschild Edwardo Cohen Peter Brodtbeck Marcel Kottelat Fritz Heimbüchler.

1858 (Nov 1): 80 parale bright red on bluish wove paper, two examples in a horizontal pair with large margins all round, of excellent colour and definition, used on small piece tied by framed FRANCO / TEKOUTCI handstamps in blue-green (Kiriac fig. 320). A rare and most attractive piece, illustrated in Heimbüchler, Vol. 1 on page 140, fig. 169. Cert. Heimbüchler (2015) Gi 7 = £ 2'400/Mi = € 2'600

1872, Prince Carol 5 Bani vermilion, type 8, very fresh colour, unused with original gum, as usual for this colour variety decentered, otherwise very fine and flawless; a rare stamp, especially in this condition Certificates Hunziker (as type 5) and Dr. Gmach BPP (2013) Scott 50a