1860 2½d reddish rose, the deep and pale shades, each part o.g. SG 2-3, £900 (Image)

1860 2½d reddish rose, two used examples, one clipped at left but the other showing a good part of the Dietz Express cancel in blue. SG 2/3 (Image)

DISASTER MAIL: 1899 1ct green postcard to England carried by the ''S.S. Labrador'' which hit Mackenzie Rock off the Hebrides in thick fog, bearing Toronto d/s for FEB 16 and boxed ''Damaged by Immersion in Sea Water'' h/s and ''Too Late'' h/s, scarce. (Image)

Canada: 1914 envelope from Canada to England, with stamp floated off, carried by S.S. "Empress of Ireland'' which sank in the St. Lawrence River in under fifteen minutes after being rammed by small Norwegian collier 'Storstadt', the damage was as such that over one thousand passengers and crew were claimed by the sea despite there being enough lifeboats for all aboard; only four were successfully launched. Bearing ''Recovered by divers from wreck of S.S. Empress of Ireland'' cachet in blue and Ottawa Dead Letter Office oval d/s in violet. Scarce. Lot includes two picture postcards of the ship. ? ? The Norwegian collier caused considerable damage to 'The Empress', if she had kept her engines running her bows might have plugged the hole she made, instead the ship back away, leaving a gapping wound on the ships side. The ships dynamo as was rendered useless leaving the ship in darkness and the radio managed to last long enough for the S.O.S messages to be transmitted. Under five hundred passengers survived in life boats and rescued by ships how had responded to the S.O.S. The Canadian Post Office held out not hope for salvage of the ships cargo and items from the depths, however insurance claims from passengers for their valuables led to some of them including mail being recovered by divers. (Image)

Vancouver Island. 5c rose two mint examples with part o.g., different shades, and a used example with part POST OFFICE PAID cancel in grey-blue; and three used 10c blue, each with a different cancel in blue. Small faults but generally good. SG 13-14 (Image)

1897 Jubilee issue, values to 50c with CDSs, a very difficult group to assemble. Victoria B.C. on 1c added to postal stationery card (card creased), 2c, 6c and 20c (2), plus 5ct flag cancel; part New Westminster on 1c, matched with ppc of tram on Columbia St; 3c with Nainamo, ppc of The Crescent; ½c, 2c, 5c and 50c Vancouver; and a further ½c with CDS. SG 121/134, £748 (without any premium for choice CDS examples) (Image)

1897 Jubilee $1 lake, fine used with part CDS. SG 136, £550 (Image)

1897 Jubilee $4 violet, fine used with neat violet part CDS in each upper corner and at base. SG 139, £700 (Image)

1897 Jubilee $5 olive-green, fine used with neat part Toronto CDS. SG 140, £700 (Image)

1928-29 50c 'Bluenose', upper left corner block of 4 IMPERFORATE VERTICALLY with large part 'OTTAWA - No.A-2' imprint, fresh unmounted o.g. Rare and spectacular in this positional form. Only 250 pairs existed (= ten panes of 50), making this one of ten possible plate blocks. [Insignificant marginal bend at top left corner mentioned for accuracy]. (Image)

1942 War Effort 1c, 2c and 5c imperforate horizontal pairs, o.g. with the 1c and 5c unmounted, fine and fresh. SG 375-6, 381 (cat £1125, see footnote) (Image)

1868 to c 1983 mint and used collection, presented in three albums, mint including 1868 6c blackish brown, 1897 Diamond Jubilee values to 50c, 1898 Maple Leaf in all 4 corners to 10c, 1898 to 20c, 1903 to 50c (age marks), Quebec Tercentenary to 20c, coil and booklet stamps, 1928 to $1, 1930 values to $1, 1942 to $1, used including 1859 17c deep blue, 1864 2c rose-red, 1868 values to 15c, 1870 values to 6c, 1897 Jubilee values to $5, 1897 to 10c, 1898 to 20c (2), and later to c1983, 1935 2d S Jubilee on Tonga Tin Can mail card, and a selection of commercial mail and a few FDCs. Large catalogue value, mixed condition with some good to fine. (hundreds) (Image)

1952-2009 mint collection, neatly presented in six red Lighthouse hingeless albums, including 1997 fauna to $10, commemoratives, miniature sheets, definitives, booklets, coil stamps etc. rich in thematics. Large catalogue and face value. Lovely fresh lot, condition fine unmounted o.g. (hundreds) SG 441/MS2635 (Image)

1939-52 mint collection in green Devon album, mostly plate blocks (82); also booklet panes (3) and singles (19). Mostly of the plate blocks are War Effort including the set, (50c selvedge thin), many unmounted including the $1. Duplicated low values, all different numbers, a few better positions noted including a 4c cracked plate. Also Peace $1 Plate block unmounted and the 1950 'G' overprinted set of thirteen unmounted (Image)

1859-1974 mint and used collection (few hundred) in red Simplex album with a few Small Queens, Widow Weeds pair, 20c with CDS (centred low), mint Jubilee values to 50ct (very mixed), 1897 6c mint, 1898 values to 8c mint, 1903 7c (2) mint and 50c CDS-used, 1911 set mint, few coils, 1926-8 commems etc mint, 1928 values to $1 (heavy hinge) mint, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1935 and 1942 sets mint. Some mixed condition but will repay careful viewing. Also a few BWI odds and ends (Image)

1868 to 1974 mixed mint and used collection in two albums including mint, 1868 15c deep reddish purple, unused no gum, with BPA certificate (1939), 1889 10c carmine-pink part o.g., double heads to 5c and 10c, 1908 Quebec 5c and 20c, 1915 20c and 50c War Tax overprints, 1950 10c to $1 'G' overprint, used a range of large heads to 15c, small heads values to 10c, 1897 double heads values to 50c, KEVII values to 10c, Nova Scotia 3d pale blue. Very mixed condition still some good to fine, careful inspection will reward (hundreds) (Image)

1859-2000 collection (hundreds) in green album, almost all used. Ranges of 1859s, Large and Small Queens (mostly quite nice), Jubilee ½c, 8c and 10c, good KG V and a strong run of issues KG VI/QE II through to the 1990s; very high catalogue value (Image)

1860 set of six in horizontal Plate Proof pairs on India paper, mounted on card (save for the 5c). Very fresh. For SG 7/19 (Image)

1865 24ct blue block of four with full o.g. and 12ct chestnut on medium white paper o.g. block of four, both fine. SG 30, 33, £480 (Image)

1932 Princess Elizabeth 6ct imperforate, ungummed, unpunched proof sheet of one hundred in black; and 5ct Caribou Die I two similar proof sheets, one in black, the other in pink. Fine, save the lower right pink stamp torn. SG 214, 225 (Image)

1932 Queen Mother 7ct imperforate, ungummed, three unwatermarked proof sheets of one hundred in dark grey (margin torn close at left), washed-out pink and red-brown (issued colour), fine for these, without punch holes. For SG 226 (Image)

1932 Queen Mother 7ct imperforate, ungummed, two unwatermarked proof sheets of one hundred in dark grey and black, fine for these, without punch holes. For SG 226 (Image)

1937 7c Coronation perf 13 (comb), large part og, lightly toned, attractive example of this scarce perforation variety, SG 259d (Image)

1941-4 Second Resources 5ct violet perf 12½, unmounted o.g., printed double. SG 280ac, £750 (Image)

Revenues. 1940s Caribou ungummed proof sheets of twenty-five, with punch holes at each internal corner; some creasing, almost entirely confined to the selvedges. 50ct indigo, $1 dark yellowish brown, $2.50 yellow, $5 green, $20 deep purple-brown, $50 orange and $100 lake-purple. A wonderful group (Image)