Presenting: The Former Singapore Philatelic Museum Collection Part II

This auction presents a stunning selection of rare proofs, intriguing essays, fascinating covers, and exceptional plate blocks which together tell the philatelic story of the Straits Settlements from 1902-1946 and that of the Three Kings. In August we interviewed Commonwealth Specialist and sales specialist for the auction, Robert Smith about the anticipated second part of this auction series.

Q What is the inspiration behind the name of this auction?

Part 1 focused exclusively on the stamps and covers from the reign of Queen Victoria. Part II is titled ‘The Three Kings’ after the sale's main focus on the reigns of Edward VII, King George V, and King George VI.

This period is characterised by a series of long sets, in one case including more than 20 stamps. Commemorative issues were few and far between but did include the 1922 Malaya-Borneo Exhibition set. The vast majority of stamps were issued for a specific reason with most being everyday stamps used for letters and parcels.

Q – What can we expect from part two of this collection?

The collection has a strong focus on archival material, beginning with a small group of essays, followed by an excellent range of die proofs and various colour trials, which were used to decide the final colour combinations for each value, along with a substantially complete collection of stamps from this era in mint condition, In addition, there are also De La Rue’s file copies that were kept as part of their reference collection. Each item is unique as De La Rue only kept one of each. Finally, there are a few items of postal history with an emphasis on local postmarks.

(Lot 3, 4, 5, 6)

Q What are the highlights from this collection?/ What are the highlights from the collection, and what makes each unique?

The 1922 Malaya-Borneo Exhibition $1 plate block of 8 (Lot 138) is a very interesting item. When this value was overprinted for the exhibition a few sheets from the obsolete 1912-23 issue on multiple Crown CA watermarked paper were included along with the then current 1921-33 $1 on Script CA watermarked paper. Positional blocks on the earlier paper are thus extremely scarce and the block we have for sale also includes three of the catalogue-listed constant varieties which further enhance this items desirability.

Another highlight is the 1912-23 $100 black and carmine on blue (Lot 110), an upper left corner example with plate number. Only a handful are known to exist and this is the first example I’ve had the pleasure of describing.

A final highlight is the original die proof of the head plate as used for the high-value stamps of KGV in the so-called ‘Nyasaland’ design (Lot 11). This is a very important proof as it formed the basis for the high value stamps of Bermuda, Leeward Islands, Nyasaland, and Straits Settlements. It will certainly be of interest to collectors and exhibitors.

Q Are there any notable errors or misprints in Straits Settlements stamps that collectors should be aware of?

The most notable error in the auction comes from the 1906-07 set (Lot 79), which was created by overprinting on stamps of Labuan. The 4c on 18c value is known imperforate between the top row of stamps and the margin, and the collection includes a mint block of four. The other major error is the 1921-33 5c brown which is known with the face value ('5c') omitted, but it is not included in the collection.

Q How do Straits Settlements stamps compare to those from other British colonies in terms of design and collectability?

Straits Settlements stamps are highly collectable. The one thing that truly differentiates this area is that the stamps include several ultra-high values. In terms of British Colonial stamps, only Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika (KUT) had postage stamps with higher face values. Very few were actually used for postal purposes, with their main use being for revenue purposes Mint examples are very rare, as the number of collectors who could possibly afford to purchase a $500 stamp in 1912 was tiny. As a result, these are now amongst the most desirable of all British colonial stamps. In terms of design, stamps of the Straits Settlements are unusual in that, particularly for the issue of King Edward VII and George V, individual sets made use of up to seven different key-type designs whereas most other colonies had to make do with just two or maybe three designs for any given set

Q Do any of these items have an interesting background?

Items from the De La Rue archives are extremely interesting and this auction includes a fair amount of such material. The essays prepared for the King Edward VII are a prime example, in that the portrait used for the essay was not ultimately adopted. These essays were created to show the Crown Agents authorities and the Straits Settlements government the printer’s proposals based on the criteria provided to them. The essays were provided to both the Crown Agents and the local government so that they could comment and suggest changes where appropriate.

Q What are your personal favourites within this collection?

A 1910 postcard from Penang to London (Lot 189) which was posted from the Eastern and Oriental Hotel, with a KEVII 3c red stamp cancelled by the very scarce 'E & O HOTEL / PENANG' temporary postmark. My other favourite item is the 1912-23 $100 black and carmine on blue paper from the upper left corner of the sheet with plate number '1' (Lot 110).

Q What unusual items are in the collection?

Lots 17, 18 and 19 feature unadopted King Edward VII essays, which are highly unusual in that all three essays feature a portrait of the King that was never adopted for use. These three essays were prepared in anticipation of a change of production method from two-plate printing to single-plate printing, which would have had significant cost-saving measures given the large quantity of stamps that were anticipated to be printed.

Summary:

This sale represents a wonderful opportunity for collectors. The items offered in Part II haven’t been available on the open market for at least 30 years. The first sale was a stunning success with every lot finding a new home, and we anticipate that the second sale will be similarly successful, once again highlighting the strength of the market for stamps and covers of the Straits Settlements.

Visit 399 Strand, London, WC2R 0LX to view selected Lots in the Baldwin's auction space from Monday – Saturday, 09:30 - 18:00.

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