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Glen Stephens
Monthly "Stamp
News"
Market Tipster Column
September 2007
According to the August 13 “Linn's Stamp News” he did
anyway. The dealer is a member of
stampboards.com
- Jay Parrino
from Kansas.
Scott
catalogue for a MUH single is $US375,000 in VF grade (80) which
this is, so the buyer appears to have paid about triple Scott.
The Million Dollar 24c Jenny
I
understand this is THE highest price paid for any USA stamp, at any
time – just beating the figure obtained at auction for the famous
1868 1c “Z Grill.” (Although the owner of that paid $US2.97million
for the block 4 he swapped that for!)
The “Z
Grill” sold at auction in 1998 for $US935,000, and like the British
Guiana 1c, and the Swedish “Tre Skilling Yellow” would all get MUCH
more than $1 million each if sold today.
This
“Inverted Jenny” just sold was number 68 in the one sheet of 100
discovered. This stamp is not especially “rare” – just famous.
Bill Gross
who I wrote about last month still owns 4 mint blocks of 4 of the 6
known “Inverted Jenny” blocks, even after his block 4 "trade" for
the “Z grill.”
Another
dealer had 2 copies, and a European dealer displayed yet another
block of 4.
Dealer sells stamp for a million dollars.
Apparently he sold it to someone in the
entertainment business for $US1,000,000. It was a MUH
USA 1918 24c “Inverted Jenny” airmail.
In this case the numerical grade of 80
is not important (not a high grade at all) .. being MUH original
gum is what was the selling point I deduced.
When I attended “Pacific 97” in San
Francisco I took a photo (and published it locally) of dealer Harry
Hagendorf holding up one of three BLOCKS of 4 of this stamp
on his stand for sale!
Eighteen examples on sale in one place does
NOT make it “rare” by any definition. Scarce - yes, famous - yes,
but many stamps are known with only 1 or 2 copies existing. THEY are
"Rare".
But it is all VERY good publicity for stamps
in general.
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One invaluable service that stampboards.com offers is a sounding board for the many dodgy sellers that inhabit eBay.
There are sadly a good number of folks who knowingly offer material that is not what it is alleged to be. Even when advised it is fake.
The majority of sellers on eBay are honest, but the ones who are not certainly deserve the very bad press they get.
Stampboards.com highlighted this recently when a seller called “danagirl*” offered something worded exactly as below as lot 260128285634
***BEAUTIFUL ROSS SMITH VIGNETTE??IS IT A COPY?? NOT SURE, IT IS MUH=$$$+(**L@@K**ONLY 576 MADE OF THE ORIGINAL,VERY SCARCE ITEM IF REAL)***
This crude unwatermarked reprint is a free giveaway type item from “Stamp News” to new subscribers. It has a retail value of a dollar or so.
Members of stampboards contacted this danagirl* seller well before the sale ended - advising it was a common reprint, and suggested he/she added that info to the auction write-up so as to inform bidders. Seller did nothing.
Some clueless buyer using the handle “vto3gold” bid this rubbish up to $152.50. And then left positive eBay feedback to the seller!
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I am not sure how many times I have typed this in my “Stamp News” articles over the decades - but here we go again.
The 1920 Ross Smith vignette if genuine is watermarked – with the well known “2nd Watermark” Wide Crown over A – appearing numerous times on each sheetlet. They are crisply printed, and are in a distinctive deep steel blue.
Stampboards.com has a number of threads listing up all sorts of fakes and cons and woefully described Australian material offered on eBay.
Often some very well known eBay sellers are featured in these lists, and regular eBay buyers are well advised to glance over the listings there – you may get a surprise! |
Superb Banknote Book
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I was privileged to be invited to
the launch of a very interesting book recently.
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A CENTURY OF NOTES
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The launch was a most lavish affair that I know cost very many $10,000s to stage.
Ian Macfarlane, ex Governor of the
Reserve Bank (1996-2006) made the main speech - and wrote the book
foreword.
Melbourne stamp dealers Richard and
Andy Juzwin flew up for the launch. Kevin Duffy, 3 times ex
President of ASDA/APTA was there, as he retains a keen interest in
banknotes - as indeed do many stamp collectors and dealers.
There is a surprisingly large
"cross-over", as banknotes - like stamps BOTH appeal to many of the
same collectors due to their superb engraving. |
A MASSIVE
TOME
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A huge work, 100s of pages
thick, on heavy gloss paper, in a heavy duty slipcase. The book
weighs in at 3½ kilos - or 6 pounds for our American readers.
The ULTIMATE coffee table book!
A full mint sheet in the case of the Harbour Bridge issue, and a Registered cover with a block of the 5/-!
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Weighs 6 pounds
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A large number of banknotes are illustrated that were never issued, including different £1,000 values. The book had the full support of the Reserve Bank in respect to archive access etc.
It is the first time many of these photos have been published together. |
A “ROYAL”
MESS
| The one article I loved most was the set of "Royal" banknotes that staunch monarchist Sir Robert Menzies was determined our decimal currency would be named in 1966. |
.jpg)
A
Royally *DUMB* name for a currency!
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Thanks goodness the Cabinet and/or common sense apparently
over-ruled him! The full set of printed and prepared “Royal”
notes are illustrated in the book.
We got THAT close to this silly name being inflicted on us. Finished notes were even prepared. Imagine paying 5 "royals" for a beer! My thanks to the Reserve Bank Australia for supplying me these photos above – I do not believe they have ever been published in any magazine before. The book has a strong section on the pre 1901 banknotes. Along the way, some of the more obscure and intriguing note issues of Australia post 1901 are outlined, such as the fascinating Hay Internment Camp WW2 issues, the WW1 Rabaul military issues, and the notes issued on Fanning Island Plantations etc. |
$600,000 Banknote “1”
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I personally love the Australian banknotes issued in the 1913-1930s era. illustrated nearby is "Number 1" in any banknote catalogue for Australia.
A large accountancy firm has
ordered a quantity off John Pettit as Christmas gifts for good
clients.
The production of the book is a decade long passion of the Dauers and John Pettit. They had an art designer working on it for ages – who even flew out from Florida for the launch with the Dauers.
The quality of the colour images is just superb.
Retail supplies are expected to arrive from the USA around the time this magazine is printed. A perfect Father’s Day gift to hint at! |
Plastic Fantastics
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The popular new stamp bulletin board stampboards.com had a very interesting discussion this week about the stamps of Bhutan that were actually vinyl 33 rpm records.
I must confess I had never heard of or seen these strange items before. An American member was seeking information about these items.
A NSW member Ken Pullen not only came up with a photo of the set of 7 different coloured record stamps, but he also showed the new issue sheet that related to them!
Photos of both sides of that April 1973 new issue bulletin are posted up on stampboards.com
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Sold for $US402.50
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It outlines that the issue price of the set of 7 was $US4. First day covers were 25c extra!
They were stated to be the world’s first stamp set that played music. I do not doubt it.
I found it fascinating. Ken says he has played the records on a phonograph and they certainly do work.
One stamp has the national anthem of Bhutan on it. Others had national folk songs etc.
Ken tells me he purchased his set in 1990 for just $A25. |
Catalogued $US346
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Here is the amazing thing – in the current 2007 Scott catalogue the set of 7 is a valued at a whopping $US346 mint or used.
And if you think that is absurd, the stampboards website points out a set recently sold on eBay for $US402.50.
That is more than a mint 5/- Sydney Harbour Bridge stamp. That eBay auction attracted 24 bids starting at $34.99.
I learn something new about stamps every day – I had never seen this set before, much less knew it worth more than a mint 5/- Harbour Bridge! |
$US199.99 on cover
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I noticed a single stamp on Registered cover to India offered for sale on eBay as I typed this for $US199.00 – lot 140071334431 – that is around the price of a used 5/- Bridge!
I saw a news piece that Bhutan will issue the world’s first CD Rom stamps in 2008 – so maybe order a few of these and tuck them away if you like a gamble. |
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Time and Temp in Sunny Sydney! |
GLEN $TEPHEN$ Full Time Stamp Dealer in Australia for over 25 years.
Life Member - American Stamp
Dealers' Association. (New York)
Also Member - Philatelic Traders' Society. (London) ANDA. (Melbourne) American Philatelic Society, etc
"Lothlórien4 The
Tor Walk, CASTLECRAG (Sydney), N.S.W. 2068 |
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