A sale of US postal history and world stamps is to be highlighted by a collection of rare covers on April 26-29, 2012.
The four-day sale will cover over 4,000 lots, which will be led by the United States portion. Of particular note are two lots from the Danish West Indies, a former colony that was sold to the US in 1916.
 1863 Rose of Washington cover |
The first of the two, a Spanish West Indies Mailboat "D26", will sell for between $20,000 and $30,000.
The cover was posted at Santo Domingo, before arriving at St Thomas in the former Danish colony. It was then sent by British packet to New York via Havana. During the extraordinary journey, the stamp acquired a rare "D26" cancellation. One of two covers known, the "D26" barred oval cancellation is only found on 20 other British stamps.
The second lot from the Danish West Indies is a horizontal strip of five 1869 2c brown stamps, sent from Christiansted to New York. This lot is set to sell with an estimate of $15,000-20,000 due to rarity; around 90% of all letters sent on this route during the period are franked with a single 10c stamp.
Perhaps the most intriguing lot in the sale comes from an exciting 1863 2c "Black Jack" pair. Charles Magnus' renowned "Rose of Washington" design features on the cover, with a special fold-out enclosure.
This fantastic cover is set to make $10,000-15,000 in the auction. The sale will also see collections from the British Commonwealth and part two of the Barbara Fosdyke Ray Collection of Liberia.
Paul Fraser Collectibles is pleased to present our own collection of rare stamps. Chinese collectors will want to view our block of four Hong Kong 96c Olive-Bistre stamps. Only 48 unused examples in existence make this a brilliant opportunity to boost your collection.
