Flick through any stamp auction catalogue and among the details of the lots you will often find "provenance".
That is, the stamp's previous owners.
Being able to document a stamp's history through its past keepers is hugely important in establishing the authenticity of the item. In addition, famous past owners will often add a touch of prestige, and value to a stamp.
Take the Chartwell Mauritius 'Post Office' 2d blue.
It sold for £1.1m ($1.7m) as part of the Chartwell Collection in 2011. In addition to Sir Cyril Humphrey Cripps, its previous owners include such philatelic luminaries as Baron Arthur de Rothschild and Maurice Burrus.
Or the 1856 British Guiana 1c Black on Magenta, once owned by famed US industrialist and stamp collector Arthur Hind, and currently part of the estate of the notorious John du Pont, who died in prison in 2010.
The question I have for you today is this
How would you like to achieve "philatelic immortality"?
You may have a large stamp collection. It may be the envy of your friends. But do you have an item in there that will carry on your name through the generations?
Will a stamp collector, looking through the pages of a 2213 auction catalogue, see your name among the provenance for one of the world's great philatelic items?
It's entirely possible. And you could do worse than start by looking at our stock.
Take this stunning Great Britain 1840 Penny Black mint block of 12. You can add your name to its list of illustrious owners today. And we have other opportunities to ensure your name lives on for centuries as the owner of a rare or unique stamp.
Click here to see all my postage stamps for sale.
Thanks for reading,
Paul Fraser.
