British American Bank Note Company Advertizing Sheet, in black and green on India paper measuring 208x130mm and showing a mourning Queen Victoria, Jacques Cartier (Scott #208) and other vignettes, engine turned scrolls, value tablets and a variety of other engravings used to sample their printing capabilities. This was printed while the company operated in Montreal, likely before their services were secured to print Canada's Small Queens, and could have been used to help secure this contract. The sheet is hinged onto a black cardboard and has a vertical crease and minor edge tears, still a lovely exhibition item and possibly unique. (Image)

Est. $ 3,000

1892 Canada Bank Note Company Limited Full Business Card, in blue, on watermarked paper measuring 188x97mm and depicting a mourning Queen Victoria plus a woman in full winter dress holding snowshoes, plus a variety of other lavish ornaments, etc. as a sample of their printing capabilities. A lovely and probably unique piece which tells part of the story of a company who failed to obtain the printing contract for Canada's Small Queens. Very fine, fresh and a must have for any serious Small Queen collector. (Image)

Est. $ 1,000

c1891 1c Queen Victoria Engraved Essay, in yellow, imperforate on India paper, prepared by the Canadian Bank Note Engraving & Printing Company, very fine. (Minuse and Pratt #35E-Aa) (Image)

Est. $ 300

c1891 2c Queen Victoria Engraved Essay, in blue, imperforate on India paper, prepared by the Canadian Bank Note Engraving & Printing Company, very fine. (Minuse and Pratt #36E) (Image)

Est. $ 300

c1891 3c Queen Victoria Lithographed Essay, in vermilion, imperforate horizontal pair on smooth surfaced paper, prepared by the Canadian Bank Note Engraving & Printing Company, very fine. (Minuse and Pratt #37E) (Image)

Est. $ 500

½c to 10c group of six values with SPECIMEN overprints, including ½c, 1c, 2c, 5c, 6c and 10c values, each overprinted with a diagonal 2x14.5mm unserifed "SPECIMEN." in purple, reading down. 1c, 6c and 10c values with original gum (hinged) and other values without gum, overall fine or better. These stamps are believed to have been produced for the 4th UPU Congress held in 1891 in Vienna, as the 8c, 20c and 50c values issued in 1893 are not known with this specimen overprint. It is also believed that only one sheet of each value was overprinted. A rare group. (Image)

Est. $ 1,500

1c to 10c set of eight values with SPECIMEN Overprints, complete to the 10c, each overprinted with a diagonal 3.5x17mm serifed "SPECIMEN" in purple, reading up. 6c and 10c without gum with the rest having original gum (hinged). A rare group with less than five complete sets having been recorded. (Image)

Est. $ 1,500

½c to 50c set of ten SPECIMEN Overprints, eight values complete to the 10c, each overprinted with a diagonal 2.5x15mm serifed "SPECIMEN" in purple, reading up, of unknown origin. With original gum, hinged, 20c with a thin and a few other values with small flaws, overall fine.

Provenance: Harvey Poole (2014), excluding 1c value (Image)

Est. $ 500

Group of three Specimen overprints of unknown origin, with 3c orange red (pulled perfs) and 5c grey, each overprinted with a diagonal 2x11mm non-serifed "SPECIMEN." in purple, reading down. Also a 6c yellow brown with different horizontal overprint in red, small faults, fine appearance. (Image)

Est. $ 200

1882 ½c black Plate Proof, horizontal pair on India paper. Very fine. (Unitrade 34P) (Image)

Unitrade $ 1,200

1882 ½c black on creamy wove paper, imperforate, mint right margin horizontal pair, with disturbed gum, margin thin at lower left corner, hinged, very fine appearance. (Unitrade 34a) (Image)

Unitrade $ 800

1882-97 ½ black, imperforate pair with 5c green RLS imperforate upper right corner single (minor crease in margin) from plate 1 position 5, used on 1c green postal stationery, paying the 7c registered letter rate to the United States. Mailed at Como, Qué. (MAR.20.1905 broken circle), to Newtonville, Mass. Boston and New York datestamps on back. A rare and desirable use of these imperforates together on the same cover. Very fine. (Unitrade 34a, F2c, U9)

Illustrated in Canada's Registered Mail 1802 - 1909 by Harrison, et al, p.195.

Provenance: Horace Harrison (2003) (Image)

Est. $ 1,000

1882 ½c black on yellowish paper, on horizontal mesh paper, mint bottom imprint block of twelve showing full Type V inscription, nicely centered, with major re-entries on plate positions 96 and 98. Never hinged, fresh and a very fine positional block. (Unitrade 34, 34vi, 34vii) (Image)

Unitrade $ 1,200

1882 ½c black on yellowish paper, two mint blocks of twelve with full Type V plate inscription, each showing major re-entries. Includes right margin imprint block of twelve showing major re-entry from plate position 49, centered to bottom, plus bottom margin imprint block of twelve showing major re-entries from plate positions 96 and 98, quite well centered. Mint hinged with reinforcement. (Unitrade 34, 34vi, 34vii)

Provenance: Ted Nixon collection. (Image)

Est. $ 250

1882 ½c black on yellowish paper mint, with well balanced margins and full original gum, never hinged, fresh and extremely fine. (Unitrade 34) (Image)

Unitrade $ 75

1880-97 ½c black on grayish paper, mint with full shiny gum, hinge remnant. A huge stamp, very well centered among four large margins. Very fine. (Unitrade 34) (Image)

Est. $ 75

1882-97 ½c black, perforated 12, mint block of fifteen with full shiny gum, four stamps very lightly hinged, balance never hinged. A lovely and fresh block, very well centered throughout, with many extremely fine stamps. Natural gum skips on third and fourth rows, very fine. (Unitrade 34) (Image)

Unitrade $ 945

1882-1897 ½c black, mint block of eight, with full shiny gum, never hinged. Fresh, with deep rich colour and well centered. A lovely block. Very fine. (Unitrade 34)

Provenance: Ted Nixon collection. (Image)

Unitrade $ 600

1882-1897 ½c black, on thick white paper, mint block of six, with full shiny gum, four stamps are never hinged, with upper right and lower left stamps lightly hinged. Fresh, with deep rich colour and very well centered. A lovely block. Very fine. (Unitrade 34ii)

Provenance: Ted Nixon collection. (Image)

Unitrade $ 720

1882-1897 ½c black, on yellowish paper, two mint blocks of four with full shiny gum, one on horizontal wove paper (lower left stamp never hinged), other on vertical wove paper (bottom stamps never hinged). Both blocks are fresh and very fine. (Unitrade 34) (Image)

Unitrade $ 375

1882 ½c black on creamy wove paper, mint upper marginal gutter block of eight, with deep rich colour. Full original gum, never hinged and fresh. Catalogued as two very fine gutter pairs plus four fine singles. A striking block. (Unitrade 34iii) (Image)

Unitrade $ 2,070

1882 ½c black on grayish wove paper, mint gutter block of eight, with deep colour and fresh. Full shiny yellowish original gum with evidence of having once been very lightly hinged on top gutter pair only, leaving the well centered bottom gutter pair plus four other stamps never hinged. (Unitrade 34iii) (Image)

Estimate $ 500

1882 ½c black on whitish paper, mint horizontal pair, imperforate between. An exceptionally very well centered pair, with large even margins all round, full original gum, hinged. Our research indicates that this is the best centered pair in existence. Accompanied by a 1986 Greene Foundation certificate. Extremely fine. (Unitrade 34b) (Image)

Unitrade $ 1,500

1870 1c trial colour plate proof, in black, on card-mounted India paper. Large margin at bottom, showing part of next stamp. Very fine. (Unitrade 35P)

Provenance: Bill Simpson (1980), George Arfken (1990), Michael Roberts (2006) (Image)

Unitrade $ 600

1870 1c orange Plate Proof, block of four on card-mounted India paper, deep rich colour, large margins and extremely fine. Proof blocks of the Small Queens are rare, and are worth a significant premium over the price of four singles. (Unitrade 35P)

Provenance: Bill Simpson (1996), Ted Nixon (2012) (Image)

Est. $ 3,000