1860 2½p Dull Rose, No Watermark, Perf 14 Appealing used pair with better centering than normally seen, bright fresh colour, showing a centrally struck oval grid "10" (William's Creek) in upright position, VF (Image)

Cat. Value 700 $

1871 50c on 3p Violet, Perf 14 Bright fresh mint single, centered a bit low but perforations well clear of design on three sides and showing an unusually full, dull streaky original gum associated with DLR printing of that time period; a nice stamp, Fine OG (Image)

Cat. Value 1800 $

1869 5c on 3p Bright Red, Perf 12½ A well centered unused example with bright colour on fresh paper, some uncleared perf discs as often seen, F-VF (Image)

Cat. Value 2000 $

1862 (September) Bluish envelope "Per United States Mail via New York", showing faint large oval Post Office "Coat of Arms" Victoria, V.I. handstamp (R. Lowe HS-4) denoting 2½p colonial postage had been paid for leaving the colony of Vancouver Island, San Francisco 22 SEP 1862 transit, rated "1/2½" to collect in England (equal to 24 cent rate from California to UK), London OC 30 62 CDS in red and Stonehouse OC 30 62 arrival CDS backstamps; overall light wrinkling but a very scarce cover which either travelled via Panama or through the Wells, Fargo route via Salt Lake City (Butterfield's southern route being closed due to ongoing American Civil War), Fine and rare (Image)

Estimate 250 $

Wells, Fargo & Co. "Victoria, Vancouver Island" printed in frank in black on white envelope in clean condition to San Francisco, showing clear Simon Leiser Commission Merchant, importer of General Merchandise Victoria, B.C. advert handstamp on back, bearing 3c orange Small Queen, Montreal printing, perf 12 tied by light Wells, Fargo & Co SEP 8 Victoria cancel in violet (R. Lowe HS-34), paying the 3c letter rate (effective February 1875), VF and attractive (Image)

Estimate 300 $

1870s Wells, Fargo & Co. Paid "Over Our California and Coast Routes. Victoria, Vancouver Island" paste-up white envelope bearing a nicely centered and lightly cancelled 6c yellow brown, Montreal printing, perf 11½x12 block of four, tear on top left stamp and a single tied by oval Well, Fargo & Co. with Victoria (undated) handstamp in blue, same-ink oval PAID marking alongside. A rare usage of Small Queen multiple from British Columbia and in remarkable state of preservation, VF (Unitrade 39b)

The oval Well, Fargo & Co. / Victoria handstamp, listed in Robson Lowe handbook as HS-34 has been reported without date within the oval in 1873 - the same year when the Montreal printings, perf 11½x12 came into use. (Image)

Estimate 1000 $

Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. 1p Victoria Head Engraved die essay, stamp size, printed in black directly on white card (0.008" thick). Much scarcer than the more available plate essays on bond or hard paper, VF; 2008 Greene Foundation cert. (Minuse & Pratt E-Ba)

Other known colours available, namely rose, maroon, green, blue & violet are always plate proofs on bond or hard wove paper, originating from sheetlets of nine. The proof in black, as the one offered here, is invariably a die essay (stamp size) and is always printed directly to a noticeably thick card. (Image)

Estimate 750 $

Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. 6p Viking's Head Engraved plate essay printed in green on white wove paper (0.004" thick), VF and attractive (Image)

Estimate 600 $

Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. 6p Viking's Head Engraved plate essay printed in bluish green on white wove paper, fresh and large margins, VF
(Image)

Estimate 600 $

1891 (circa.) 2c Queen Victoria Canadian Bank Note Company engraved Die Essay printed in brown on card mounted india paper measuring 33 x 34mm. A fabulous item, destined for a serious exhibit collection, VF (Minuse & Pratt 36E-A) (Image)

Estimate 2000 $

1891 (circa.) 2c Queen Victoria Canadian Bank Note Company engraved Die Essay printed in dark yellow orange on india paper 30 x 33mm. A striking coloured essay, rare, VF and appealing (Minuse & Pratt 36E-A)
(Image)

Estimate 2000 $

1891 (circa.) 2c Queen Victoria Canadian Bank Note Company engraved Die Essay printed in green on india paper 30 x 33mm, choice and rarely offered, VF (Minuse & Pratt 36E-A) (Image)

Estimate 2000 $

1891 (circa.) 3c Queen Victoria Canadian Bank Note engraved Plate Essay block of eight, printed in orange red on card mounted india paper, displaying the entire CBN imprint (inverted) in lower sheet margin. Extraordinary and visually striking plate essay multiple which had been prepared by the Canadian Bank Note company and never issued, VF (Minuse & Pratt 37E-Ab) (Image)

Estimate 3000 $

1857 3p Beaver Lower right corner margin plate proof strip of three, printed in red on india paper, originating from Pane B (Position 98-100) and showing nearly complete plate imprint at foot, VF and attractive (Image)

Cat. Value 1050 $

3p Orange Red Trial colour plate proof block of four on india paper with horizontal SPECIMEN overprint in carmine, blocks are scarce, VF (Image)

Cat. Value 2000 $

1857 ½p Rose Top right corner plate proof block of ten (2x5) on card mounted india paper with vertical SPECIMEN overprint in green and full ABNC imprint at right; lightly oxidized on left side. Documented Major Re-entry on Position 60 (in the sheet of 120 subjects) showing prominent doubling in "HALF" among other traits, VF (Unitrade cat. as proof singles; no premium added for plate variety and imprint) (Image)

Cat. Value 3000 $

½p Queen Victoria Trial colour plate proof strip of three printed in brown with vertical SPECIMEN overprint in carmine; shows the complete Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, New York imprint in left sheet margin. Originating from the untrimmed plate of 120 subjects and very scarce, thus as most existing plate proofs of the Half penny are from the trimmed plate of 100 where left side of the sheet imprints were removed. A nice item destined for a serious collection, VF

Top positional proof from the strip (Pos. 73) has bottom outer frameline completely missing. (Image)

Estimate 750 $

1858 ½p Deep Rose An appealing plate proof block of eight with sheet margin at top, printed in a deeper shade on card mounted india paper, VF (Image)

Cat. Value 2400 $

1858 ½p Deep Rose An appealing plate proof block of four in a deeper shade than the issued colour, on india paper; top right proof showing the Major Re-entry (Position 22 in the plate of 120 subjects) with very strong doubling in and around "CANADA POST", in "ON" of "ONE", in bottom frame among other places, a desirable block for the specialist, VF (Unitrade cat. as normal proof singles) (Image)

Cat. Value 1200 $

1857 7½p Green Lower left plate proof block of sixteen in the issued colour on card mounted india paper, with bright colour and clear impression, full Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, New York imprints at left and foot. A beautiful positional block of great eye-appeal, VF (Image)

Cat. Value 7000 $

1857 7½p Green Plate proof block of four printed in near issued colour on card mounted india paper, bright shade and in choice condition, VF (Image)

Cat. Value 1400 $

7½p Queen Victoria Trial colour plate proof pair printed in black with vertical SPECIMEN overprint in carmine on india paper; a choice and scarce proof pair, VF (Image)

Cat. Value 1000 $

1855 (November 6) Cover from Belleville to New York, via Kingston, bearing an outstanding sheet margin example of the 6p slate violet on handmade laid paper, large margins on other sides including part of adjacent stamp at top, showing very prominent laid lines, tied by light concentric rings in BLUE and same-ink partially legible double arc dispatch of Belleville, exchange office "CANADA" handstamp in red and Kingston NO 7 transit on back. Sheet margin examples of the Pence issue on cover are rarely encountered; a wonderful cover, XF (Unitrade 2)

Expertization: 1989 Greene Foundation and 2014 BPA certificates (Image)

Estimate 2500 $

1856 3p Deep Red on Medium Wove Paper, Imperforate A beautiful mint example of this difficult shade with well clear to large margins, exceptional colour and large part dull white original gum quite lightly hinged. A very scarce mint stamp, F-VF OG; 2019 Greene Foundation cert. (Image)

Cat. Value 3400 $

1857-1858 3p Red on Medium Wove Paper, Imperforate A very scarce unused single on medium wove paper with the Major Re-entry (Pane A; Position 80) prominently shown owing to the deep colour and bold impression; small fault at lower right, still Fine and desirable. Listed in Unitrade but currently unpriced as unused; 2018 Greene Foundation cert. (Image)

Estimate 1000 $