ONE PENNY: Plate I (No Clouds) Soft White Paper 1d crimson-lake SG 1, margins just touching at the base to good; 1d carmine SG 2, 2½ margins; 1d reddish rose SG 3 horizontal pair [11-12], virtually full margins, small scissor-cut at the base between the units, BN '32' (rated R) of Berrima; and 1d brownish red SG 4, close even margins, minor defects; Hard Bluish Paper 1d pale red SG 5, fault at U/R, BN '26' of Shoalhaven; and 1d dull lake SG 6, margins close to good, untidy cancel; Cat £3775+. Excellent reference for all the listed shades of the first issue. BPA Certificate (1973) for SG 4.
(Qty 7)
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1218
Symbol: #
Cat No: 5 [Pos 16]
ONE PENNY: Plate I (No Clouds) on Hard Bluish Paper 1d pale red SG 5 [Pos 16], very fine impression with close even margins, unused, Cat £15,000. Ex Robert Jenkins. RPSofV Certificate (2010).
Fine & attractive unused Sydney Views are very scarce as a class, with specific SG numbers each being of extreme rarity. Most examples are defective, have incomplete or added margins, and/or are unattractive.
ONE PENNY: Plate I (No Clouds) on Hard Bluish Paper 1d pale red SG 5 [23] marginal example from the base of the sheet with margins good to enormous, faint guarantee handstamp on the reverse, unused & remarkably fresh, Cat £15,000. Superb! Ex Baron Ferrary, Victor Frankenstein and 'Carrington' (Mark Dankin). Chris Ceremuga Certificate (2012) states "Extremely rare in unused condition" and "Superb quality example". [Sold at our auction of 7.2.2014 for $20,385. Superior in quality & appearance to the mint 'Besancon' (I) marginal example, that sold for SFr15,125]
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) Hard Toned White to Yellowish Paper 1d vermilion SG 7, margins just clear - at lower-left - to large, light bars cancel of Sydney, Cat £400. Superb!
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) Hard Toned White to Yellowish Paper 1d carmine SG 8 with unlisted Strong Double Impression, margins close to large, untidy cancel fortunately clear of almost 50% of the design, Cat £400 plus a significant premium for the variety. Superb! [Gibbons describe the shade as dull carmine. This is a rather bright shade]
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) Hard Toned White to Yellowish Paper 1d carmine trio of varieties No Trees on Hill SG 8a (a rather worn impression so we are not convinced this is the variety), good even margins; Unshaded Hill SG 8b, margins good to large, untidy cancel partly clear of the variety; and No Clouds SG 8c, margins just shaved - at L/R - to good; Cat £2400.
(Qty 3)
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) Hard Toned White to Yellowish Paper 1d crimson-lake SG 9, a rather bright shade, margins close to good, bars cancel of Sydney, Cat £400. Superb!
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) Hard Toned White to Yellowish Paper 1d crimson-lake SG 9 horizontal pair [9-10], margins close to good, very lightly cancelled, Cat £800+. Superb!
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) Hard Toned White to Yellowish Paper 1d gooseberry red with No Trees at base of hill SG 10a, margins close to good, BN '89' (rated R) of Kempsey, Cat £800. Superb!
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1226
Symbol: #
Cat No: 11b [7]
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) on Hard Bluish Paper 1d carmine with Unshaded Hill SG 11b [7], margins clear to just touching (at lower-right), tiny central pinhole, Cat £25,000. Chris Ceremuga Certificate (2007) states "Great rarity in unused condition with variety" & added in pencil "only example known to me thus". [The unused 'Besancon' (III) example - without variety - sold for SFr6050]
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) Hard Greyish or Bluish Paper 1d dull carmine SG 11, margins just clear - at lower-right - to good, central rust spot that just shows through to the face, unused, Cat £17,000. RPSofV Certificate (2021).
ONE PENNY: Plate II (Clouds) Hard Toned White to Yellowish Paper 1d dull carmine with No Clouds SG 11c, margins close to good, untidy but light cancel largely clear of the variety, Cat £800. Superb!
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1230
Symbol: #
Cat No: 15 [3]
TWO PENCE: Plate I (Vertically Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d greyish blue SG 15 [3], a brilliant earliest impression with good even margins, a couple of tiny defects mentioned only in the interests of complete accuracy otherwise superb, unused, Cat £21,000. A wonderful example of this rare and important stamp. Ex Baron von Ferrary, 'Hamilton' and 'Carrington' (Mark Dankin), where it was the front cover illustration. BPA Certificate (2012). It is a measure of how inconsequential the tiny imperfections are that they attracted no comment on the certificate. Nor did the presence of the unlisted variety 'SICFOPTIS' for 'SIC FORTIS' (spelling error & one word instead of two). Almost certainly unique with the variety. [Sold at our auction of 7.5.2013 for $23,300. 'Besancon' had no unused example of SG 15. His unused Plate II 2d SG 21, Cat £18,000 - sold for SFr19,360]
Skilfully engraved by John Carmichael, the Plate I 2d is by far the most attractive of the 'Sydney Views'. This is believed to be the finest surviving unused example of the few recorded. It was stated in the 'Carrington' catalogue "No other unused example has been located showing an impression as early as this one".
TWO PENCE: Plate I (Vertically-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d grey-blue SG 15, margins close to good, light & indistinct numeral cancel clear of most of the design, Cat £600.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1232
Symbol: F
Cat No: 16 [5]
TWO PENCE: Plate I (Vertically-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d deep blue SG 16 [5], margins close to large with outer framelines except at right, light & indistinct numeral cancel, signed in pencil by Peter Holcombe, Cat £700. [Peter Holcombe identified this as an intermediate state but all the cloud details etc are present]
TWO PENCE: Plate I (Vertically-Lined Background) Intermediate Impressions 2d grey-blue SG 16b, margins good to large with outer framelines except at left, indistinct numeral cancel, Cat £350.
TWO PENCE: Plate I (Vertically-Lined Background) Intermediate Impressions 2d deep blue SG 16c [5] marginal stamp from the top of the sheet, margins good to huge with outer framelines except at left, traces of writing-ink on the reverse & a tiny thin spot in the margin only at lower-right neither of which detract from the superb appearance, Cat £14,000. Chris Ceremuga Certificate (2013) states "Extremely rare in unused condition..superb-looking example". ['Besancon' had no unused example from the Intermediate State of Plate I]
TWO PENCE: Plate I (Vertically-Lined Background) Worn Impressions 2d dull blue SG 18, good even margins with outer framelines at right & the base, untidy bars cancel of Sydney, Cat £190. Superb!
TWO PENCE: Plate I (Vertically-Lined Background) Worn Impressions Retouched 2d grey-blue SG 19 with Extensively Retouched Spandrels, large even margins with outer framelines at left & base, light BN '2' of Parramatta largely clear of the retouching, Cat £300.
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d indigo SG 21, margins close to good with outer frameline at the base, indistinct numeral cancel, Cat £375. Superb!
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1238
Symbol: F
Cat No: 21e [8]
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d indigo with No Whip SG 21e [8], margins good to large with outer framelines at the top & right, indistinct BN cancel largely clear of the variety, Cat £500+ for the cheapest shade. A superb & beautiful stamp. Ex Guy Hutson: sold at our auction of 20.4.2015 for $475.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1239
Symbol: F
Cat No: 21g [13]
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d indigo with 'CREVIT' Omitted from the Motto SG 21g [13], large even margins with outer framelines on all sides & rare thus, part-BN cancel largely clear of the variety, Cat £1000+ for the cheapest shade. A marvellous example of this important error. Acquired at a Sydney auction in 2014 for $1440. Chris Ceremuga Certificate (2014) states "superb example").
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1240
Symbol: F
Cat No: 22 [12]
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d lilac-blue SG 22 [12], margins good to large with outer framelines at top & right, light BN '8' (rated RRR) of Hartley, Cat £1300. Superb! Ex Guy Hutson. RPSofV Certificate (2021). An unusually fine example of this rare stamp. [Sold at our auction of 7.5.2013 for $1105. The superb "Carrington" example, also with BN '8' sold for $1322]
In our opinion, the descriptor "lilac-blue" is misleading & unsatisfactory. The predominant colour is grey & the shade is more correctly "bluish slate" or "blue-grey".
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d grey-blue SG 23, margins good to large with outer frameline at the base, BN '38' (rated R) of Queanbeyan, Cat £325.
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d bright blue SG 24, margins good to large with outer framelines except at the base, indistinct cancel leaves the image largely unobstructed, Cat £325. Ex John Bell (NSW): sold at our auction of 8.5.2013 for $338.
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d bright blue SG 24, 2d bright blue SG 24, margins good to large with virtually complete outer framelines & rare thus, neat bars cancel of Sydney, Cat £325. Superb! Ex John Bell (NSW): sold at our auction of 8.5.2013 for $512.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1244
Symbol: O
Cat No: 24d [4]
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d bright blue with No Whip & the Inner Circle Intersects the Fan SG 24d [4], margins close to good with outer frameline at left, untidy BN cancel largely clear of both varieties, Cat £650.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1245
Symbol: F
Cat No: 24g [13]
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Early Impressions 2d bright blue with 'CREVIT' Omitted from the Motto SG 24g [13], a beautiful shade on bluish paper, margins close to good outer framelines at the sides, light BN cancel clear of the variety, Cat £1000.
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Intermediate Impressions 2d dull blue, margins good to large except at right where the design is just shaved, unused, Cat £11,000. Ex George Boucher. RPSofL Certificate (1944). [For Plate II, Gibbons list only Early & Worn Impressions. However, specialists recognise that, again, there is an Intermediate State, showing only minor wear to the design. SG 25 is the Worn State, Cat £11,000. The rather similar 'Besancon' (I) example with variety Fan as Plate III & full margins sold for SFr14,520.
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Worn Impressions 2d bright blue SG 25, good even margins with outer framelines at left & right, BN '61' of Gresford, Cat £180.
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Worn Impressions 2d Prussian blue SG 26, margins good to large with outer framelines except at the top, light BN cancel, Cat £200.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1249
Symbol: G
Cat No: 26a [1]
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Worn Impressions 2d Prussian blue with Fan as in Plate III & Shading to the Sides SG 26a [1], margins good to large with outer framelines on all sides & rare thus, BN '88' of Port Macquarie, Cat £450.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1250
Symbol: G
Cat No: 26f/27
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Worn Impressions 2d Prussian blue vertical pair [10/22], the upper unit with Pick & Shovel Omitted and the lower unit Retouched SG 26f/27 with huge sheet margins at both the top & the base, the side margins just shaved in places, excellent colour, bars cancels of Sydney, Cat £775++. A remarkable se-tenant pair. Ex George Ginger (1945). [Technically, all 2d Sydney Views are marginal examples. However, even singles with one sheet margin are rarely seen & a "complete vertical column", such as this, is a great rarity. Sold at our auction of 20.4.2015 for $1425]
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Worn Impressions Retouched 2d Prussian blue SG 28 horizontal strip of 3 [14-16] all with the Second Retouches on these units, large margins with outer framelines virtually complete & rare thus (especially in a multiple), small fault at the base of the first unit otherwise superb, three very fine strikes of BN '7' of Penrith, Cat £750. A famous strip. Ex Michael Stevens (1938), George Boucher Part II (1972) & Dr WRD Wiggins (1981).
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Worn Impressions Lower Row Retouched 2d dull blue with Whip Omitted SG 28e [20] with Extensive Retouching of the Spandrels, good even margins with outer framelines at left & the base, BN '85' of Drayton (Moreton Bay District), Cat £400.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1253
Symbol: F
Cat No: 28g [13]
TWO PENCE: Plate II (Horizontally-Lined Background) Worn Impressions Lower Row Retouched 2d Prussian blue with 'CREVIT' Omitted SG 28g [13], margins good to large with outer framelines virtually complete & rare thus, superb BN '2' of Parramatta largely clear of the variety, Cat £600. Superb! [Sold at our auction of 20.4.2015 for $570]
TWO PENCE: Plate III (Undated & Single-Lined Bale) 2d ultramarine with Fan with Six Segments SG 29b, margins close to good with outer frameline at the base, light BN '36' (rated R) of Braidwood largely clear of the variety, Cat £650.
TWO PENCE: Plate III (Undated & Single-Lined Bale) 2d ultramarine with Whip Omitted SG 29a, margins good to large with outer frameline at right, untidy BN cancel clear of the variety, Cat £425.
TWO PENCE: Plate III (Undated & Single-Lined Bale) 2d dull blue with Double-Lined Bale SG 30c, margins good to large with outer frameline except at the base, light BN '48' of Tarcutta largely clear of the variety, Cat £375.
TWO PENCE: Plate IV (Double-Lined Bale) 2d Prussian blue with Waves Omitted below the Ship SG 32e, margins close to good with outer frameline at the base, BN '11' (?) of Canowindra largely clear of the variety, Cat £300. [This variety appears on Plate IV only & this is the first example we have offered]
TWO PENCE: Plate IV (Double-Lined Bale) on Stout Vertically-Laid Paper 2d ultramarine SG 34, margions close to large with outer framelines at right & the base, neat BN '61' of Gresford, Cat £275.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1261
Symbol: F
Cat No: 34d [13]
TWO PENCE: Plate IV (Double-Lined Bale) on Stout Vertically-Laid Paper 2d ultramarine with Retouch outside L/H Margin-Line at the Base SG 34d [13], good even margins with outer framelines except at the left, bars cancel of Sydney well clear of the variety, Cat £450. Superb! [Another variety that occurs only on Plate IV]
TWO PENCE: Plate IV (Double-Lined Bale) on Stout Vertically-Laid Paper 2d Prussian blue with Unshaded Hill [12], good even margins, faint numeral cancel, Cat £450. Superb!
TWO PENCE: Plate IV (Double-Lined Bale) on Stout Vertically-Laid Paper 2d Prussian blue SG 35 with part-Papermaker's Watermark '18...', margins good to large with outer framelines at the top & base, minor shallow thin, Cat £300++. Stamps with fragments of the 'SAUNDERS' or 'RUSHBY' papermaker's watermark are very scarce.
TWO PENCE: Plate IV (Double-Lined Bale) on Stout Vertically-Laid Paper 2d Prussian blue with Fan with Six Segments SG 35b, good even margins with outer framelines except at the left, bars cancel of Sydney well clear of the variety, Cat £450. Ex Guy Hutson. Superb!
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1265
Symbol: #
Cat No: 35c [Pos 2/10]
TWO PENCE: Plate IV (Double-Lined Bale & Circles in Stars) on Stout Yellowish Vertically Laid Paper 2d Prussian blue with No Clouds SG 35c [Pos 2/10], margins good to large with outer framelines at left & the base, unused, Cat £18,000. Superb! Ex 'VP Manwood'. RPSofL (1983) & Chris Ceremuga (2015) Certificates, the latter stating "Great rarity in unused condition - only example known to me...superb example". [The unused 'Besancon' Plate IV stamp with No Waves SG 35e, sold for SFr22,990]
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1266
Symbol: F
Cat No: 35f [24]
TWO PENCE: Plate IV (Double-Lined Bale) on Stout Vertically-Laid Paper 2d Prussian blue with 'PENOE' for 'PENCE' SG 35f [24], margins good to huge with outer framelines at top & right, fine BN '38' (rated R) of Queanbeyan, Cat £475. Superb!