380th Auction

3d. on Rabaul, fresh color, usual perfs small corner crease, position 2, tied by Gibbs type 8 oval "RABAUL JUN 12 1915 (NEW BRITAIN) to small piece, 

3d. on Rabaul, position 5, in combination with Australia Kangoroo ½d. green and horizontal pair 1d. red, tied by Gibbs tpye 8 cancel "RABAUL JUN 11 1915" to cover to Switzerland with two strikes of straight-line censor mark "PASSED BY CENSOR" alongside, with Sydney transit and Lausanne arrival mark on reverse, R-label with straight top, ½d. some nibbed perfs, an attractive and scarce cover

3d. on Manus (serif), fresh color and good perforation, position 3, mint never hinged, two almost invisible creases, as often encountered on this stamp with just approx. 25 printed from this setting, signed Hoffmann-Giesecke BPP

Provenance: 208th. Heinrich Köhler Auction (1973)

3d. on Stephansort (No. 970), fresh color and mostly good perforation, used with cds. "STEPHANSORT", very minor toning, attractive and rare, certificate BPA (1983)

3d. on Herbertshöhe, fresh color and good perforation, position 5 with additional damage to the "R", without gum, small imperceptible tear at top, otherwise fine. Probably only one sheet from Herbertshöhe (no. 701-750) was overprinted with this setting, a "Kieta" stamp from the same field is illustrated in the handbook of Robert M. Gibbs from page 60

3d. on Rabaul, fresh color, no bracket before "Deutsch", unused, somewhat tropicalized, few short perfs, still quite attractive, a scarce variety, signed Holcombe with opinion (1994)

Provenance: "Fontane" (23. HBA 1994)

"No stamps available" endorsedment on cover with adjacent Gibbs type 8 cancel "RABAUL MAY 7 1915 NEW BRITAIN" addressed to New-South-Wales, on upper left with further endorsedment "Garrison Duty Kaewieng" and "Captain M..." at lower left, small parts overwritten, opened out for display, vertical fold and light aging, an interesting and rare cover

Reference: depicted in G.R.I. by Robert M. Gibbs, page 137

1d. on 3 pfg. brown, fresh color and good perforation, position 8 with variety "1 and d spaced", tied by cds. "STEPHANSORT 13" to Captain J.P. Frey (who was responsible for the Treasury) in Rabaul, fine and scarce, opinion Holcombe (1994)

1d. on 3 pfg. brown, fresh color and good perforation, position 8 with variety "space of approx. 1 1/3mm between 1 and d.", tied by Gibbs type 8 cancel "RABAUL NEW BRITAIN MAY 25 1915" to cover addressed to The Assistant Postmaster, fine

1d. on 5 pfg. green, block of six, fresh color and good perforation, positions 2-4, mint never hinged, some perf seperation first vertical row, a fine and attractive multiple

1914, ½d. on 3 pfg., horizontal pair tied by cds. "APIA 18.9.14" to wrapper to Germany, small spot at left, otherwise fine and scarce usage, signed Bothe BPP a.o.

1914, ½d. on 3 pfg. with clear double print, unused, very fine and scarce, signed Bothe BPP a.o. (Gibbs 1d)

1914, ½d. on 3 pfg. with overprint variety "Comma after I", unused, with almost invisible hinged remainder, very fine, certificate BPA (1975) (Gibbs 1c)

1914, ½d. on 3 pfg. with overprint variety "Comma after I", tied by cds. "APIA 15.9.14" to piece, fine, certificate BPA (1994) (Gibbs 1c)

1914, ½d. on 5 pfg. with double overprint with variety "1 to the left of 2 in ½", unused, slightly toned, otherwise very fine, according to Gibbs only one printed, certificate BPA (1984) (Gibbs 2eb)

1914, ½d. on 5 pfg., vertical pair from the lower left sheet margin, the lower stamp with overprint variety "Comma after I", the variety mint never hinged, the upper unused, very fine, certificate BPA (1984) (Gibbs 2c)

1914, ½d. on 5 pfg. with overprint variety "Comma after I", tied by cds "APIA 15.9.14" to small piece, fine

1d. on 10 pdf. with clear double overprint, used with cds. of Apia, thinning at upper left, otherwise fine, scarce variety, certificate RPSL (1968) (Gibbs 3a)

2½d. on 20 pfg. in combination with Samoa 2d. mauve, tied by german cds. "APIA" to registered official envelope bearing red printed "seal" "POST AND TELEHGRAPH DEPt. NEW ZEALAND" on reverse, to Melbourne with "REGISTERED SYDNEY" transit mark, small abhrasion at right, a very fine and scarce entire with only a few registered items known in that period

2½d. on 20 pfg. as tete-beche pair, the left stamp with inverted overprint, unused, the normal stamp upper left perf small thin, otherwise fine, with only 10 double prints known as pair especially attractive and rare, signed Kilian BPP with certificate (1983) (Gibbs 4e+4)

2½d. on 20 pfg. as tete-beche pair, the left stamp with inverted overprint, tied by cds. "APIA 15.9.14" to small piece, with slightly toned perf tips, otherwise fine, with only 10 double prints known as pair especially attractive and rare, signed Grobe and certificate BPA (1978) (Gibbs 4e+4)

2½ on 20 pfg. with overprint variety "Comma after I", unused, slightly shortened perf at right, otherwise fine and attractive, scarce with only 40 printed, signed Zumstein and opinion Holcombe (1994) (Gibbs 4c)

2½ on 20 pfg. with overprint variety "Comma after I", tied by cds. "APIA 15.9.14" to small piece, very fine and attractive, scarce with only 40 printed, certificate RPSL (1990) (Gibbs 4c)

2½d. on 20 pfg. with clear double overprint, unused, affixed to small piece, very fine, certificate BPA (1982) (Gibbs 4d)

2½ on 20 pfg. with clear double print, the first impression with variety "no fraction bar", used with cds. of Apia, small thinning at upper left corner, otherwise fine and very rare, certificate RPSL NZ (2000) (Gibbs 4d)

3d. on 25 pfg. with variety "Value 3d. above GRI" due to major overprint shift, used with small part of Apia cds., minor thin at top and pulled perf at bottom, otherwise fine and striking variety of which only 1 column (= 9 such stamps are believed to have been printed), certificate Ceremuga (2001) (Gibbs 5 Note 2)

3d. on 25 pfg. with clear double overprint, tied by cds. "APIA 15.9.14" to small piece, fine, this overprint was printed as presumably part of the "Unofficial Issue" of Jimmy Ah Sue, executed with the original printing types, an interesting item

3d. on 25 pfg. with clear double overprint, unused, very fine and scarce with only 10 printed, opinion Holcombe (1988) (Gibbs 5b)

3d. on 30 pfg., variety error "3d. instead of 4d", fresh color and good perforation, unused, very fine and rare with only 10 examples believed to be printed, certificate PF (1972) (Gibbs 6a)

4d. on 40 pfg., variety error "4d. instead of 5d", fresh color and good perforation, without gum, very fine and rare with only 10 examples believed to be printed, certificate Holcombe (1992) (Gibbs 7a)

Provenance: Collection Marquess of Bute (Robson Lowe, 1959)

6d. on 50pfg. tied by english cds. "APIA MR 15 -9 " to registered local cover with straight-line censor mark "Passed by Censor", cover with vertical fold, otherwise fine

6d. on 50 pfg. with clear double overprint, unused, very fine and scarce with only 9 printed, signed and certificate BPA (1978) (Gibbs 8b)

6d. on 50 pfg., vertical se-tenant pair with lower stamp showing variety "inverted 9 for 6", mint never hinged, fine (Gibbs 8,8a)

6d. on 50 pfg., vertical se-tenant pair with lower stamp showing variety "inverted 9 for 6", tied by cds. "APIA 12.9.14" to small piece, fine (Gibbs 8,8a)

9d. on 80 pfg., marginal block of four with marginal unscription "SAMOA", tied by four strikes of cds. "APIA 12.9.14" to piece, fine and attractive, signed Kilian (Gibbs 9)

1 "Shillings" on 1m., fresh color and good perforation, unused, tiny thin at top, otherwise fine, a scarce stamp, signed Diena and Champion (Gibbs 10)