GOLD. 1813 George III, 7th head Half Guinea. This is the final year that the Half Guinea was issued, soon to be replacedby the Half Sovereign. This coin is in excellent, EF plus condition and retains some of its original mint bloom.

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• A set of invites, passes and ceremonial booklets from Prince Charles’ 1981 wedding to Princess Diana
• Accompanied by a letter from the Office of the Lord Chamberlain
• A fascinating and well preserved insight into the “Wedding of the Century” from a guest’s perspective

Charles and Diana’s 1981 wedding was one of the most widely watched TV broadcasts of all time, with billions tuning in from all around the world. Sadly their marriage was not a happy one and ended in a split in 1992. They were divorced in 1996. Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in 1997.

In the years hence, memorabilia associated with Charles and Diana (and particularly items relating to the wedding) have become highly valuable. Demand has increased following the wedding of their sons Prince William (to Kate Middleton in 2011) and Prince Harry (to Meghan Markle in 2018).

A couple (one of who was an employee of the Duchy of Cornwall) who attended the 1981 Royal Wedding kept these documents as a memento of the day.

The set consists of:

1. A gold bordered invitation (in its original monogrammed envelope)
2. Car parking pass
3. Two tickets for entry to St Paul’s Cathedral
4. Three sheets displaying information on arrival times, dress code and parking
5. Two large “Ceremonial” booklets, laying out the order of the day
6. An order of service containing hymns, prayers and the text of the wedding vows
7. A letter from the Lord Chamberlain’s office with arrangements for post-wedding refreshments

This is the most comprehensive set of guest documentation we’ve come across from the 1981 Royal Wedding. A rare and intriguing collection with huge eye appeal. 

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• An original piece of cake from the "wedding of the century"

When Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981, the world was watching.

The fairytale wedding at St Paul's Cathedral gathered royalty from the four corners of the globe, and attracted an estimated TV audience of 750 million viewers.

Charles and Diana's marriage, and their subsequent separation and divorce, made them one of the most famous couples in 20^th century history.

Today the story of their turbulent relationship continues to fascinate historians and collectors alike.

This small piece of cake from Charles and Diana's wedding comes in a presentation box, measuring 3.25" x 2.5", complete with a bow and an original tag which reads:

"H.R.H. The Prince of Wales / The Lady Diana Spencer / 29^th July 1981".

Previous pieces of Charles and Diana's wedding cake have been known to sell at auction for upwards of $2,800 (£2,130).

Aden 1937 (1 APR) registered 'J. Stephen' cover, SG10/12, from ADEN CAMP to Isle of Man, bearing Dhow 2r, 5r, 10r, tied with individual very fine strikes of circular date stamps on first day of issue, with blue/white registration label at lower left. The 2r with trivial soiling from cancel but most attractive and scarce.

Read our full newsletter on this piece here

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Aden King George VI 1937 “Dhows” ½a to 10r set of 12, SG1/12.

A fine mint lightly mounted set of fresh appearance of this very popular set being the first stamps issued from the former capital of the People's Republic of South Yemen. Aden was only a British Crown Colony from 1937 to 1963.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue price for this set is £1,200.

Aden 1949 Royal Silver Wedding 1½a and 10r, in lower marginal blocks of 4, the 10r with imprint, unmounted original gum. Unmounted Mint. SG30/1

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• Half a letter from Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson to Captain William G Rutherford, commander of HMS Swiftsure
• Signed in June 1805, just over five months before Nelson’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar
• Written amidst the British pursuit of the French fleet to the Caribbean 
• Find out more about this fascinating letter here 

Nelson (1758-1805) was a British naval officer famous for his victories against the French during the Napoleonic Wars. He was known for his superb leadership skills and somewhat unconventional strategies. Nelson was involved in battle almost constantly between 1793 until his death in 1805. During this time he lost the sight in his right eye at the Battle of Calvi in Corsica and lost his right arm at Santa Cruz in Tenerife. Admiral Lord Nelson is remembered as one of the greatest British war heroes in history. He died during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

This is the bottom half of a letter Admiral Nelson sent to Captain William G Rutherford (commander of the HMS Swiftsure) in June 1805. That's five months before the Battle of Trafalgar. Rutherford took command of the Swiftsure in May 1805, after Nelson appointed him to the position during the blockade of Toulon.

The British blockaded the port, intending to draw out the French fleet. But the French, under Admiral Villeneuve, gave the British the slip and escaped through the Strait of Gibraltar – heading west to the Caribbean.

Nelson took several ships (including the Swiftsure) and set off in hot pursuit. On June 4, 1805, the British fleet arrived into Barbados. Nelson had received word from the governor of St Lucia that the French had gone to Trinidad and Tobago. He picked up troops from Barbados, intending to smash the French. But on June 9 he learned the information was incorrect. The French fleet had actually gone north to Martinique. There they'd captured a strategic sea fort (Diamond Rock) and headed home.

Dejected, Nelson ordered the fleet to return to Europe. They dropped the extra troops at Antigua on June 13.

But this 6.5 x 8 inch letter dates to June 4-9, when Nelson still believes he's on the tail of the French fleet. He orders Rutherford to give troops the full complement of food and provisions, to steel them for the battle ahead.

The letter is likely written by a secretary and reads: “…any distinction in victualling them would under the present circumstances be in my opinion very improper, it is my intention as we may soon be in Battle with the Enemy and the stay of the troops on board cannot be many days, that they shall be victualled the same as the respective ships companies.

“It is therefore my direction that you cause the troops who may be embarked from Barbadoes onboard his majesty’s ship under your command to be victualled at full allowance of all species of provisions the same as your ships company during their continuance on board.”

Below Napoleon signs “Nelson & Bronte”.

Spanish King Ferdinand III appointed Nelson First Duke of Bronte in 1799, in thanks for his help in subduing a rebellion in Naples. Nelson was proud of his new title and incorporated it into his signature. He tried out a few different ways of writing it (including "Bronte Nelson of the Nile”) before settling on the current form. He changed his autograph often throughout his life. This is the last variant he used.

The present example is clear and fine. Its connection to a key moment in British naval history provides enhanced appeal.

The flight of Admiral Villeneuve was the last major naval action before the Battle of Trafalgar. After arriving back to the UK in August, Nelson was hailed the saviour of the British colonies in the Caribbean.

On September 2, he was told the French and Spanish had combined fleets at Cadiz. So began the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Swiftsure would play a decisive role at Trafalgar, taking on four French ships and dealing the final blow to the Achille. After the battle it attempted to tow the Redoubtable, the French ship from whence Nelson’s fatal shot came, but cut it free when it started to sink.

Rutherford was a fascinating character and the only American-born commander at Trafalgar.

Born in North Carolina to loyalist parents, who fled to the Caribbean at the outbreak of the American Revolution, he rose quickly through the ranks of the British Navy – taking his first command post in 1794.

Nelson’s signature is in high demand, with letters relating to his naval career particularly sought after. This is a particularly important specimen, directly connected with the last manoeuvres before the Battle of Trafalgar.   

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• A 4.75 x 3 inch album page signed by Albert Einstein in 1925, during a lecture tour of Argentina
• The autograph appears alongside others by several Argentine intellectuals, including Mauricio Nirenstein and Jorge Duclout

Albert Einstein was one of the world’s greatest scientific minds. In the early 1900s he developed the Theory of Relativity, which remains a key tenet of modern physics. A German citizen, he left the country shortly before Hitler seized power and never returned – choosing instead to spend the rest of his life in America. He was instrumental in developing the first atomic bombs in the 1940s, in spite of his lifelong commitment to pacifism. 

Einstein travelled widely in the early 1920s, visiting countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.

In 1922, the University of Buenos Aires invited him to give a series of lectures on relativity. Einstein accepted and made the long journey out three years later, in 1925. He was warmly received in Argentina and gave a number of interviews with the press on a range of subjects - including politics, pacifism and Judaism.

Einstein signed this album page during this month-long trip. His autograph appears in the centre, surrounded by signatures from various Argentine intellectuals.

It’s a beautiful specimen, accompanied by PSA authentication and extensive information on his time in Buenos Aires.

Einstein is among the most sought after signatures on the market. In 2017, a note he signed for a Japanese courier sold for a world record $1.5m.

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Albert Einstein signed letter addressed to Corliss Lamont

For Sale: £8,250

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German born theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner.

The letter, dated January 2, 1954, reads in full: "Dear Mr Lamont I thank you for sending me your excellent statement which I had, of course, already seen. Through your attitude you have rendered the country an important service. There is one point in your statement which I regretted. It is your declaration that you have never been a member of the Communist party. For party membership is a thing about which no citizen has any obligation to give an accounting for. Sincerely Yours Albert Einstein"

Einstein has signed the bottom of the letter in black ink 'A. Einstein'.

Corliss Lamont has typed his reply (Dated January 25, 1954) on the reverse of Einstein's letter, in full:

Dear Dr Einstein Thank you very much for your kind note on January 2nd. You have a real point about my voluntary statement to Senator McCarthy, that I was not a member of the Communist Party. I have worried about this a great deal and I am not at all sure that I should have included that. I am preparing for publication a pamphlet on this whole subject, entitled Challenge to McCarthy. The heart of it consists of a re-write of the enclosed article that was published in The Nation in its special issue on civil liberties in December. Since I discuss the case of Dr Sadowitz and the whole matter of the Congressional inquisitions, I would like very much to include as one appendix of your excellent letter to Mr Frauenglass of May 16, 1953. Since this was published in the New York Times, I presume that you have no objection to me using it. However, I want to check with you specifically before going ahead. Sincerely yours, Corliss Lamont Given

Einstein's links to Germany and Zionism, his socialist ideals, and his links to Communist figures, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation kept a file on Einstein that grew to 1,427 pages.

Corliss Lamont (March 28, 1902 – April 26, 1995), was a socialist philosopher, and advocate of various left-wing and civil liberties causes. As a part of his political activities he was the Chairman of National Council of American-Soviet Friendship starting from early 1940s.

A unique piece of Einstein memorabilia

• A signed copy of Russian author Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s acclaimed 1962 novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) was born in Stavropol Krai in south western Russia shortly after the October revolution.

In 1945, he was sentenced to eight years in a gulag for complaining about the Soviet regime in a letter to a friend. The harshness of the labour camp served to compound his feelings about life under communism.

Solzhenitsyn wrote in secret for many years, including his time in the gulag. Following the death of Stalin in 1952, the climate of repression in Russia began to ease. 

In 1962, he published One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in a literary magazine with the blessing of First Secretary Nikolai Khrushchev. However, that brief window of permissiveness closed soon after. This would be the first and last text Solzhenitysn was able to publish in the Soviet Union.

The rest of Solzhenitsyn’s catalogue was published in the West. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1970 and expelled from the Soviet Union in 1974. In 1990 he was permitted to return to Russia, where he lived out the rest of his days.  

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich follows the titular character through 24 hours in a typical gulag. The text exposes the cruelty of the system and the ways in which it crushes the human spirit.

This is a 1978 Penguin edition of the novel (measuring 4.6 x 7 inches).

Solzhenitysn has signed in blue pen on the title page. It’s dated 1980.

The book is accompanied by a note from Solzhenitsyn’s secretary (presumably in reply to a request) that reads: “I am very sorry, but Mr Solzhenitsyn does not grant any autographs (except on his books).”

This is a rare opportunity to own a signature from one of the most compelling and controversial writers of the 20th century.  

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• A March 26, 1965 clipped front page of Time Magazine signed by Alexei Leonov

Alexei Leonov is a Russian cosmonaut who in 1965 became the first person to perform a spacewalk. In 1975 he commanded the Soyuz capsule on the Soyuz-Apollo mission, the first collaborative mission between the US and the Soviet Union.

A March 26, 1965 front page cover of Time Magazine featuring a cover image of Alexei Leonov’s 1965 spacewalk. Leonov has signed on the white section of the image. Folded but in fine condition.

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• A piece of early history from one of America's greatest financial institutions

William Fargo (1818-1881) was an American businessman who co-founded the famous express firm Wells, Fargo & Co. in 1852.

The company provided financial services to miners, merchants and ranchers during the Gold Rush, and became the biggest mail deliverer, bank, express agency and stagecoach company in the West.

Fargo was also a co-founder of American Express, which began life as a mail delivery company in Buffalo, New York in 1850, before expanding into money order services in the 1880s and becoming one of the world's biggest financial institutions.

Fargo served as the president of American Express from 1868 to his death in 1881. Today, the company is the 22nd most valuable brand in the world, estimated at $14.9bn.

This stock certificate for fifteen shares in the American Express Company was issued to an Edward A. Hastings on May 17, 1873.

It is signed at the bottom by William Fargo as the company president.

The certificate measures 11.5" x 7.5", and features expected stamps and cancellation holes.

Antigua 1938 1s black and red brown (Unused) SG105

1938-51 1s black and red-brown, FRAME PRINTED DOUBLE, ONE ALBINO, brilliant original gum.

The albino impression is 2mm above and 4mm to left of the printed frame, and readily visible in the top margin.

A major KGVI rarity, of which only a few examples are recorded.

An ex Stanley Gibbons stock item.

SG Catalogue Price: £6,000

• An original signed Apollo 11 flight plan
• Autographs from astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins
• Also bearing autographs from other essential members of the mission crew

The Apollo program was NASA’s third foray into human spaceflight and operated from 1961 through 1972. It succeeded in putting the first men on the Moon with the Apollo 11 landing in 1969, a defining moment in human history.

This is an original Apollo 11 flight plan, printed for the ground crew at Houston during the historic flight. It’s identical to the plan Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin used from the moment of launch to splashing down in the North Pacific.

The plan is signed on the cover by Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, as well as other essential members of the mission. These are flight director Gene Kranz, lander CAPCOM Charlie Duke, EVA CAPCOM Bruce McCandless, recovery diver Clancy Hatleberg, post-flight surgeon Dr Bill Carpentier and Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) technician John Hirasaki. The original owner collected the autographs at signings over the years.

An incredible piece of space memorabilia that offers a direct link to the Apollo 11 mission. Another Apollo 11 plan in lesser condition featuring signatures from Aldrin, Collins and Charlie Duke recently sold at Sotheby's for $62,500. 

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• A 4 x 6 inch Apollo 11 crew signed autograph
• Learn more about this item here

A fantastic, full length, colour postcard photograph (approximately 4 x 6 inches) of the astronaut 'Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr' walking on the surface of the moon near a leg of the Lunar Module during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity on July 20, 1969. 

The piece includes an 'Apollo 8' stamp and a black Houston, Texas stamp date 'July 20, 1969'. 

The piece is signed across the lower right portion of the image in bold blue felt pen ink by Neil Armstrong, signed and dedicated across the bottom white margin in bold black felt pen ink 'To Walter Hopferwieser, We came in peace for all mankind, Buzz Aldrin', and signed across the bottom white margin in bold black felt pen ink by Michael Collins. 

A superb image taken by the Commander 'Neil A. Armstrong' with a 70mm lunar surface camera. With a surface crease to the top left corner which does not affect the signatures. Mounted, framed and glazed.

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A rare chance to own one of the notorious Apollo 15 covers (envelopes) carried to the Moon’s surface.

The story

In the spring of 1971, German stamp dealer Hermann Sieger approached Apollo 15 commander David Scott. Sieger offered Scott and fellow Apollo 15 crewmembers Jim Irwin and Al Worden $7,000 each to carry 100 covers to the Moon. The crew agreed, on condition that Sieger would not sell the covers until the end of the Apollo programme. The crew decided to add a further 300 covers to Sieger’s 100 for their own use.

The Kennedy Space Center post office cancelled the 400 covers on the morning of the launch. The covers were then vacuum-packed and stored in a Beta fire-retardant cloth bag and delivered to Scott at the astronauts’ room at the Launch Complex. Scott stored them in a pocket of his spacesuit. The astronauts would later maintain they believed the covers were declared in the manifest of the mission.

After splashdown in the Pacific and rescue by the USS Okinawa, the envelopes were cancelled the same day (August 7, 1971).

Upon receipt of the 100 covers, Sieger went back on his word and immediately began selling them, for $1,500 each. In mid-1972, the world’s press discovered the story. The furore prompted a government investigation that saw the confiscation of the 298 astronaut covers (two had been damaged pre-flight).

NASA stated: "The Apollo 15 crew exercised poor judgment in their actions. Therefore, astronauts Scott, Worden and Irwin will be reprimanded and their actions given due consideration in their selection for future assignment."

NASA's rules didn't forbid Apollo astronauts from carrying items to the Moon for personal profit. In fact, previous missions had done it and NASA had turned a blind eye. But NASA had been embarrassed by the episode so it made an example of the three astronauts. They never flew again.

In 1983, after learning the US Postal Service planned to fly 260,000 covers on a space shuttle mission, Al Worden successfully sued the government. NASA returned the 298 covers to the three astronauts.

This envelope is one of the 298 confiscated covers.

The mission

Apollo 15 (July 26, 1971 – August 7, 1971) was the fourth manned mission to land on the Moon. The mission was notable for the first use of the Lunar Rover, enabling the crew to explore further than previous missions.

Commander Scott and Lunar Module Pilot Irwin spent two days and 18 hours on the Moon, including 18.5 hours outside the Lunar Module.

The crew discovered the Genesis Rock – a 4.5 million-year-old rock, dating to around the time the Moon formed. It was the oldest rock found on the Moon at that point.

During the return to Earth, Command Module Pilot Al Worden performed the first deep space spacewalk.

Irwin suffered a “minor” heart attack during the return to Earth.

Despite the significant scientific achievements of the mission, it is today best known for the stamp scandal that broke following splash down.  

Full details

The envelope measures 6.5 x 3.5 inches. It bears a cachet of the Apollo 15 emblem.

It includes three stamps. A single 10c “First man on the Moon” stamp is cancelled by a postmark from the Kennedy Space Center, dated the morning of launch - July 26, 1971.

A pair of 8c “A decade of achievement / United States in Space” stamps is cancelled by a postmark from the USS Okinawa and dated the morning of August 7, 1971 – the date of splashdown and recovery of the crew from the Pacific.

The cover is signed attractively and clearly in black fountain pen by the three astronauts: Dave Scott, Jim Irwin and Al Worden.

The upper left corner reads: "This envelope was carried to the moon aboard the Apollo 15. #26 of 400 to the lunar surface in L.M. Falcon."

The reverse features the handwritten initials “SNH” of NASA’s general counsel S Neil Hosenball and serial # 075. These relate to NASA’s confiscation of the covers in 1971.

Included is an affidavit signed on July 19, 1983 by Scott, Irwin and Worden, confirming the cover is genuine.

Also included is an October 10, 2011 letter of authenticity from Jim Irwin’s wife, Mary Ellen, certifying the Jim Irwin estate owned the envelope from July 19, 1983 onwards.

A hugely rare, hugely desirable and hugely storied piece of space memorabilia. 

• A globe of the Moon signed by 15 Apollo astronauts, including six of the 12 “Moonwalkers”
• Accompanied by a photograph album of each astronaut signing

Truly one of the most exciting pieces of space memorabilia we’ve ever offered.

The Apollo program was NASA’s third foray into human spaceflight and operated from 1961 through 1972. 

It succeeded in putting the first men on the Moon with the Apollo 11 landing in 1969, a defining moment in human history.

This Moon globe is signed by 15 astronauts, from Apollo 7 (1968) through to Apollo 17 (1972).

Those signatories include: Al Worden (Apollo 15), Dick Gordon (Apollo 12), Charlie Duke (Apollo 16), Ed Mitchell (Apollo 14), Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11), Alan Bean (Apollo 12), Jim Lovell (Apollo 13), Fred Haise (Apollo 13), Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9), Dave Scott (Apollo 15), Gene Cernan (Apollo 17), Jim McDivitt (Apollo 9), Tom Stafford (Apollo 10), Walt Cunningham (Apollo 7) and Ken Mattingley (Apollo 16).

That list includes six of the 12 “Moonwalkers” (Aldrin, Bean, Scott, Mitchell, Duke and Cernan).

The globe measures 12 inches in diameter and rests on a clear plastic stand. It features topographic information on the lunar surface and notes on the Apollo landing sites.

Incredibly, this piece is accompanied by a photograph album showing each of the astronauts signing it. This level of provenance is extremely rare in the industry.

All of the astronauts have signed in black pen on the Moon’s near side (the side facing Earth). Buzz Aldrin has signed next to the Apollo 11 landing site, close to the Sea of Tranquility.

The globe has been very well cared for and the condition is excellent. A wonderful display piece with great eye appeal.  

• Rare Audrey Hepburn signed 8 x 10 inch headshot in her iconic role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Audrey Hepburn began her acting career as a chorus girl in the London’s West End during the late 1940s. Her breakout came in 1951, when she was cast as the lead in Gigi – a hugely successful play on Broadway.

A career in film followed, including Roman Holiday (1953) and Sabrina (1954). However, it’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) for which she is best known. Her appearance in the movie has become an icon of cinema.

Given her reclusive nature, it’s no surprise there are very few Audrey Hepburn autographs around.

Signed headshots are in high demand and those showing her in her iconic role as Holly Golightly are particularly sought after.

This is a fine display piece, in excellent condition. The autograph to the bottom right is large and attractive, signed in black felt tip pen. It’s accompanied by a letter of authentication from industry expert James Spence.

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Western Australia 1855 4d slate-blue mint, Swan, SG3c.

A fine quality mint example of the magnificent and iconic first stamp issue from Western Australia. The Swan was used as it was the emblem of the Colony and a reminder of when it was known as the Swan River Settlement.

Includes large part original gum, with four close to very large margins and horizontal gum creasing not detracting from its quality.

These stamp issues are hardly ever seen with gum and unused prices quoted in the SG catalogue are for examples without gum.

This is a particularly difficult and rare shade and very few examples are known with original gum.

The first 1d Swan stamps were engraved and printed by Perkins Bacon. Later in the year, the 4d values were produced by a local lithographer, Horace Samson by taking an impression of the 1d's swan vignette and adding different frames.

The SG catalogue price is £4,000.