Worldwide Stamps and Postal History continued...

Very fine unmounted mint positional block of four with full original gum.

A scarce positional multiple with this printing variety.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £90+.

The British Indian Ocean Territory was created as a crown colony on 8 November 1865 when it comprised the Chagos Archipelago, previously administered by Mauritius, together with the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches, previously administered by Seychelles. The islands are used mainly by the UK and the USA as an airbase occupied by military personnel and a few private contractors.

The first stamps used from 17 January 1968 were Seychelles stamps overprinted “B.I.O.T.”

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Very fine unmounted mint block of four with full original gum . Neat marginal annotation bottom right in margin does not detract from quality of piece.

A rare overprint error and most attractive in this positional form.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £90+.

The British Indian Ocean Territory was created as a crown colony on 8 November 1865 when it comprised the Chagos Archipelago, previously administered by Mauritius, together with the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches, previously administered by Seychelles. The islands are used mainly by the UK and the USA as an airbase occupied by military personnel and a few private contractors.

The first stamps used from 17 January 1968 were Seychelles stamps overprinted “B.I.O.T.”

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A brilliant quality mint strip of three with original gum (lower pair are unmounted mint, which is exceptional to find for this).

A most unusual multiple and very scarce with only 480 examples printed of the basic stamp.

Accompanied with a copy of the Royal Philatelic Society (RPS) certificate of authenticity (1980) for a block of nine from which this strip originated.

The term British Levant has been adopted by stamp collectors to describe the stamp issues from various British Post Offices within the former Turkish Empire.

These overprints of British stamps were originally prepared for use by a civilian post office to be set up on Mouth Athos, Northern Greece. When the project was abandoned, they were placed on sale at the Army Field office in Salonica.

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A brilliant quality unmounted mint block of four with full original gum , which is exceptional to find for this. Minor bends and one shortish perforation, but remains of very fine appearance.

A very scarce block, with only 480 examples printed of the basic stamp.

Accompanied with a Royal Philatelic Society (RPS) certificate of authenticity (2010).

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £760++.

The term British Levant has been adopted by stamp collectors to describe the stamp issues from various British Post Offices within the former Turkish Empire.

These overprints of British stamps were originally prepared for use by a civilian post office to be set up on Mouth Athos, Northern Greece. When the project was abandoned, they were placed on sale at the Army Field office in Salonica.

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A fine and fresh mint example with large part original gum.

A rare and most appealing variety in particularly pleasing fine condition.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £400.

The term British Levant has been adopted by stamp collectors to describe the stamp issues from various British Post Offices within the former Turkish Empire.

Following the depreciation of the Turkish piastre against sterling in 1894 it was decided to issue stamps surcharged in Turkish currency to avoid speculation.

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A very fine unmounted mint example with full original gum (hinged in margin).

Only 480 examples were printed of the basic stamp, and this is an exceptional example of a most interesting printing variety.

Accompanied with a Krzysztof (Chris) Ceremuga, Philatelic Expert of Australia certificate of authenticity.

The term British Levant has been adopted by stamp collectors to describe the stamp issues from various British Post Offices within the former Turkish Empire.

These overprints of British stamps were originally prepared for use by a civilian post office to be set up on Mouth Athos, Northern Greece. When the project was abandoned, they were placed on sale at the Army Field office in Salonica.

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A brilliant quality mint block of four with original gum.

Only 480 were originally sold, and they are especially rare in a multiple.

Accompanied with a Royal Philatelic Society (RPS) certificate of authenticity (1971).

Provenance: Stanley Gibbons handstamps on reverse.

The term British Levant has been adopted by stamp collectors to describe the stamp issues from various British Post Offices within the former Turkish Empire.

These overprints of British stamps were originally prepared for use by a civilian post office to be set up on Mouth Athos, Northern Greece. When the project was abandoned, they were placed on sale at the Army Field office in Salonica.

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Brilliant and fresh quality with original gum, (the lower pair are unmounted), with folded horizontal perforations as always seen.

Only 1,446 were sold of this issue and it is very scarce in a block.

Provenance: Includes Stanley Gibbons handstamps on reverse.

The term British Levant has been adopted by stamp collectors to describe the stamp issues from various British Post Offices within the former Turkish Empire.

These overprints of British stamps were originally prepared for use by a civilian post office to be set up on Mouth Athos, Northern Greece. When the project was abandoned, they were placed on sale at the Army Field office in Salonica.

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A brilliant and wonderfully fresh unmounted mint block of four with full original gum.

Only 1,352 sold of the basic stamp issue.

A superb and rare multiple.

Provenance: Ex Sir Gawaine Baillie (Sotheby 16/11/2006, lot 350).

Accompanied with a British Philatelic Association (BPA) certificate of authenticity (1979).

The term British Levant has been adopted by stamp collectors to describe the stamp issues from various British Post Offices within the former Turkish Empire.

These overprints of British stamps were originally prepared for use by a civilian post office to be set up on Mouth Athos, Northern Greece. When the project was abandoned, they were placed on sale at the Army Field office in Salonica.

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Brilliant and fresh quality unmounted mint, with full original gum.

Only 1,352 were sold of this issue and very scarce in this exceptional condition and as a block of four.

Accompanied with a Royal Philatelic Society (RPS) certificate of authenticity (2010).

The term British Levant has been adopted by stamp collectors to describe the stamp issues from various British Post Offices within the former Turkish Empire.

These overprints of British stamps were originally prepared for use by a civilian post office to be set up on Mouth Athos, Northern Greece. When the project was abandoned, they were placed on sale at the Army Field office in Salonica.

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A fine and fresh unmounted mint positional pair with full original gum.

A real rarity as only one sheet existed and especially desirable in this positional form and in such exceptional quality.

These stamps of Great Britain were overprinted by Army Printing Services in Cairo for use in territory occupied by British Forces in Eritrea, Italian Somaliland, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and some of the Dodecanese islands.

Provenance: Ex Rossi (W&W 08/06/2005, lot 187)

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A very fine unmounted mint, with full original gum, upper marginal block of 4, upper left stamp showing variety "No stop after M" (R1/17).

A rarity in this se-tenant form, with only the equivalent of 81 sheets originally being sold.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £364+.

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A stunning quality block of 4 showing variety 'No stop after A' on upper right stamp (R2/13). Very fine and attractive as unmounted mint with full original gum.

Total sale of this value equivalent to only 109 sheets, and extremely scarce in a block.

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A vertical pair showing upper stamp overprint type M2 (13½ mm long, regular lettering and square stops) and lower stamp overprint type M2a (13½ mm long, rough lettering and round stops).

Lovely fresh unmounted mint pair with full original gum (upper stamp with minor gum disturbance).

These stamps of Great Britain were overprinted by Army Printing Services in Cairo for use in territory occupied by British Forces in Eritrea, Italian Somaliland, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and some of the Dodecanese islands.

A very scarce stamp.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £325.

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A remarkable unmounted mint complete sheet with full original gum. A few trivial marginal tone specks (just affecting position 1), otherwise very fine with perfect gum (showing no evidence of the backing disturbance that often spoils this issue).

A rarity in this form and in such fine condition.

A very important philatelic rarity being a complete sheet of the highest value denomination of the first stamp issue from Brunei, which was the subject of much philatelic debate. When these "Star and Crescent" design stamps were first issued in 1895, they were considered as bogus or, at the very least, an issue made for philatelic purposes only.

Consequently, this led to a lot of research on the subject and in 1933 the original agreement between Sultan Hashim and J.C. Robertson, dated 20 August 1894 was published. The agreement made clear that the stamps fulfilled a genuine postal purpose.

Although it is clear that Robertson and his partners had intended to exploit the philatelic sales for their own financial benefit, the agreement does testify, along with collaboratory evidence, that the stamps were used by the Sultan for his postal service.

However, because Brunei did not belong to any local or international postal union, the stamps were only valid for use within the state or on mail to Labuan or Sarawak. Although most of the covers which have survived are addressed to Robertson's associates, there are enough commercially used covers and cards which still exist to prove that there was, indeed, a postal service.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £1,400+.

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A rare block in used condition.

Accompanied with a British Philatelic Association certificate of authenticity (2013).

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £900+.

The Burma Independence Army, formed by Aung San in 1941, took control of the Delta area of the Irrawaddy in May 1942. They reopened a postal service in the area and the Japanese authorised them to overprint local stamp stocks with the Burma emblem of a Peacock.

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Very scarce in a used block, particularly in such fine condition.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £340++.

The Burma Independence Army, formed by Aung San in 1941, took control of the Delta area of the Irrawaddy in May 1942. They reopened a postal service in the area and the Japanese authorised them to overprint local stamp stocks with the Burma emblem of a Peacock.

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Very scarce in a used block, particularly so fine.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £260++.

The Burma Independence Army, formed by Aung San in 1941, took control of the Delta area of the Irrawaddy in May 1942. They reopened a postal service in the area and the Japanese authorised them to overprint local stamp stocks with the Burma emblem of a Peacock.

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Very scarce to find in a used block.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £280++.

The Burma Independence Army, formed by Aung San in 1941, took control of the Delta area of the Irrawaddy in May 1942. They reopened a postal service in the area and the Japanese authorised them to overprint local stamp stocks with the Burma emblem of a Peacock.

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Very scarce in a used block.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £300+.

The Burma Independence Army, formed by Aung San in 1941, took control of the Delta area of the Irrawaddy in May 1942. They reopened a postal service in the area and the Japanese authorised them to overprint local stamp stocks with the Burma emblem of a Peacock.

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A fine mint example with large part original gum.

A rare error of the "Cameroon Expeditionary Force" issues as only three sheets originally existed.

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A fine unmounted mint example with full original gum.

A very rare surcharge error as only one left half sheet of 50 originally existed and fewer surviving examples.

The albino impressions at the top of the stamp, with the three sets of stops are very clear on the reverse.

A quite spectacular quality example of an interesting surcharge error of the "Cameroon Expeditionary Force" issue.

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A very fine unmounted mint marginal example with full original gum. A lovely example of this beautiful stamp and the albino impressions with clear offsets on reverse.

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A fine and fresh unmounted mint strip of four with full original gum. Some folded perforations and centred to the right, but still a lovely and very scarce positional piece.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £320+.

This very attractive series of definitive stamps feature a contemporary portrait of Queen Victoria and maple leafs in each of the corners.

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A fine unmounted mint example with full original gum. Typical centring for this issue but very fresh.

A scarce block in such fine condition.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £320+.

This very attractive series of definitive stamps feature a contemporary portrait of Queen Victoria and maple leafs in each of the corners.

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