An 1849 one franc tete beche pair was the top lot at Spink in Geneva on January 25, selling for $177,814 against an estimate of $81,834 - an increase of 117.2%.
The lot comprised two stamps facing one another ("tete beche"), an error that only occurred at position 35 on the first plate. Only four unused examples are known to exist, with the present specimen among the best of them.
 The error only appeared at position 35 on plate one of the 1849 Ceres issue |
It features large margins on clean paper combined with strong colours and a detailed impression.
The 1849 series were the first stamps to be released in France, and feature the Roman goddess of plants, Ceres, who was selected as the postal emblem of the republic.
An 1851-1852 Tuscan two solidi scarlatto su azzurro made $20,517 against an estimate of $13,639 - up 50.4%.
It is considered among the finest examples of its type, due to its clear margins and intense colouring.
An 1871 "post-paid" cover sent from the Falkland Islands to Grimsby made $15,045.
It features a clear frank marking with a solid circular date stamp, along with a red "London/Transit" stamp and a "Black Frank" strike.
It originates from the correspondence of George Travis, who became the British postmaster in 1873.
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