This is the second extract in a series of articles about philatelic rarities taken from the Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps, vol.2, pp.2-10, published by David Feldman in 1996. It details the known history of every Perot First Issue stamp that is known to exist. It has been updated since the book’s publication with the most recent auction results known to us.
I
Printed in red on bluish wove paper, dated 1854. The stamp is cut into a rough octagon; none of the design is infringed. Two ink smears cover parts of the letters “W.B.” in the signature (which have been “lightened” or removed), pass between the B and E of BERMUDA and cover the R in that word. The stamp is stuck on the back of an entire lettersheet, addressed to “B. Wilson Higgs, Esqr., St. George’s”. The letter is dated in April 1855.
1855: Received by the addresse.
18(??): Found by Louis Mowbray, a St. George’s resident, among his grandmother’s effects.
1897: Submitted to Alfred Smith & Co.
1897: They returned the letter to Bermuda.
? date: Acquired by Phillip la Rénotière von Ferrary.
1922 (Nov 15): Auction: Gilbert Ferrary sale 5, lot 122, Fr.35’250 (£556), bought by Maurice Burrus
1963 (Jul 24): Auction: Robson Lowe sale 2293 Burrus collection of Bermuda, lot 478, realised £11’000, was bought by Mario Tomasini.
1973 (Apr): The Tomasini collection was bought by Stanley Gibbons Ltd.
1973 (Oct 4): Auction: Stanley Gibbons lot 5, realised £50’000, was bought by an American collector.
1980 (Apr 5): Auction: Robert A. Siegel sale 560, lot 368, realised $210’000 (£99’012), was bought by Duane Garrett and Dr. Leonard Kapiloff.
1991: Certified by the British Philatelic Association
1991 (Jun 13): Auction: Christie’s Robson Lowe, London, sale 4550, lot 1079, realised £203’500, bought by Dr. C. C. Chan.
1996 (Apr 23) Auction: Robert A. Siegel, the K. L. collection, sale 776, lot 11, realised $374’000, bought by an agent for “a major collector of British Empire rarities”.
1996 (Nov 28-Dec 2): At Anphilex ’96, New York, as Aristocrat of Philately No. 6, it was exhibited as being on loan from J. V. (Houston, Texas)
II
Printed in black on bluish-grey paper, dated 1849. The stamp, which is defective and has been extensively repaired, is cut round, but irregularly cut, so that the tops of the letters HAM are infringed, and the bottoms of the letters of BERMUDA are missing. The stamp is ised on the front of a piece of the original letter which is addressed to “Henry E” [Higgs, St. George’s]
1849: Henry E. Higgs received the stamp on a letter.
1898: Found in Bermuda by an Englishman while going through some papers in the office where he was working.
1898 (Apr): B. W. Warhust bought the piece.
191(0?): David Field bought it for £150.
1914: Sir Harold Reckitt bought it for £250.
1927: David Field bought Reckitt’s collection.
1929: Sold by David Field fir £550 to a collector who preserved his anonymity.
19(??): Acquired by Capt. T. R. Clutterbuck.
1933: On his death, the stamp passed to his son, Sq.-Ldr. T. M. C. Clutterbuck.
1954 (Feb 8): Auction: H. R. Harmer sale 2430 lot 91 realised £950, bought by H. E. Wingfield & Co. on behalf of Sir Andrew Clark.
1962 (Jan 29) Auction: H. R. Harmer Sir Andrew Clark collection, lot 1, realised £3’200, bought by William Fraser on behalf of M. H. Ludington.
1974 (Jan 16): Auction: Robson Lowe sale 3813, lot 1, unsold.
1974: Acquired by Dick Perreault.
1978 (Nov): Acquired by Baron Stig Leuhusen for $70’000.
2003 (Oct 29): Auction: Spink Baron Stig Leuhusen collection lot 44, estimate £40’000-50’000, unsold.
2006 (Jun 1): Auction: Spink lot 14, realised $88’000
III
Printed in black on bluish-grey paper, dated 1849. The stamp is cut round, but irregularly cut, so that the top of the N and the foot of the D are infringed.
1904: Acquired by Philipp la Rénotière von Ferrary
1922: Auction: Gilbert Ferrary 5, lot 121, realised 18’213fr, bought by Arthur Hind
1934 (May 7): Auction: H. R. Harmer Hind 2, lot 90, realised £165, bought by Richard Roberts
193(?): Acquired by Alfred H. Caspary
1957 (May 14): Auction: H. R. Harmer Caspary 9, lot 189, realised $4’200, bought by Vahan Mozian
19(??): Acquired by Claude Cartier
1977 (Apr 21): Auction: Stanley Gibbons sale 5438, lot 22, realised £30’000, bought by Baron Stig Leuhusen
1986 (May 27) Auction: Stanley Gibbons sale 5642 lot 16, realised $143’000 (£95’975)
1989: Acquired from Stanley Gibbons by David Springbett
2005 (Jun 15): Auction: Spink Edward Gilbert collection, lot 227, realised £116’000, bought by David Pitts
IV
Printed in red on thick blue wove paper, dated 1856 (the only example). The stamp is cut square, but badly cut, so that the tops of the letters TON are missing, it has a small thin and a few faint bends.
19(18?): Numbers IV, V, VI, VII and VII were found in Bermuda among some old business correspondence belonging to a retired merchant whose business was at St. George, by Miss Frances Trott
1922: Number IV, together with numbers V, VI and VII were offered on behalf of Miss Trott by her nephew, Dr. William E. Tucker for £50 each to Richard Roberts who bought the four stamps
1923 (May): Arthur Hind bought number IV at the London International Philatelic Exhibition
1934 (May 7) Auction: H. R. Harmer Hind 2, lot 91, realised £145, bought by Tom Allen
1935: Bought by Mr. Howell
1937: Tom Allen bought it again on behalf of King Carol of Rumania
1937(?): Disappeared en route to King Carol
1948: Was offered for sale in Paris
1964: Acquired by Georges Behr
1964: Acquired by Sir Henry Tucker
1979 (Apr 24): Auction: Harmer’s of New York Sir Henry Tucker collection part 2, lot 34, realised $75’000 (£36’284)
1981 (Feb 18): Auction: Stanley Gibbons Auction Galleries New York 2, lot 104, realised $77’000 (£34,071)
1981: Acquired from Stanley Gibbons by Baron Stig Leuhusen for £30’000
2003 (Oct 29): Auction: Spink Baron Stig Leuhusen collection lot 45, estimate £50’000-60’000
2005 (Jun 15): Auction: Spink Edward Gilbert collection, lot 228 realised £60’000
V
Printed in black on blusih-grey paper, dated 1848. The stamp is cut rounfm but irregularly cut, so that parts of all letters are missing.
19(18?): See Biography IV above.
1922 (Oct): Passed into the Royal Collection.
VI
Printed in red on white paper, dated 1853. The stamp is cut round, but irregularly cut, so that the top of the left vertical stroke of the H and the foot of the E are cut into. Although the margin at some other points is negligible, no other letter is infringed.
19(18?): See Biography IV above.
1922: Acquire by Alfred H. Caspary.
1957 (May 14): Auction H. R. Harmer Caspary 9, lot 190, realised $5’000, bought by Vahan Mozian.
1969: Acquired by Claude Cartier
19??: Acquired by Sir Humphrey Cripps
2011 (Jun 28): Auction: Spink Chartwell collection lot 6, realised £95’000 plus 20% commission, bought by David Pitts
VII
Printed in red on bluish wove paper, dated 1854. The design is doubly struck; this is particularly visible in the letters AMILTO. The stamp is cut in a rough octagon; none of the lettering has been affected by the cutting but there is a small piece missing from the top margin and the top of the T is infringed.
19(18?): See Biography IV above.
1922 (Oct): Passed into the Royal Collection.
VIII
Printed in black on bluish-grey paper, dated 1848, the stamp is cut into a rough octagon. This is a slight thin.
19(18?): See Biography IV above.
1921: Given by Miss Trott to her nephew, Englesbee Seon.
19(??): Acquired by E. Stowe Williams, a cousin of W. B. Perot.
1935 (Oct 8): Auction: Puttick & Simpson sale 7328, lot 26, realised £455, bought by Tom Allen.
193(?): Bought by Major T. Charlton Henry
1961(?): Sir Henry Tucker bought the T. Charlton Henry collection of Bermuda
1963: Sold privately through angeny of H. R. Harmer to Lars Amundsen.
1967 (Dec 10): Auction: Stanley Gibbons Amundsen collection, lot 65, realised £5’2550, bought by George Ulrich, the owner of Ward issue no. 1, Perot’s second issue no. 4 and later Thies issue no. 1.
1989 (Jun 26): Auction: Temple Bar Auctions Ltd., Guernsey, George Ulrich Bermuda collection, lot 14, unsold.
1993: Bought (from Ulrich estate) through a British dealer for an amount in excess of $75’000.
IX
Printed in red on thick white paper, dated 1853. The stamp is cut round, but none of the letters are infringed. There are several ink-stains on the face: one stain runs across HA; there is another in the diagonal stroke of N, a third beneath the 18 and covering the top of B in the signature, yet another beneath BE, and others in R, M and between UD. There is slight thinning to the right of the right-hand cross between HAMILTON and BERMUDA, but the thinning does not extend to the design. The stamp has part of its original gum. Numbers IX and X once formed a horizontal pair but they were very lightly joined and were separated in 1934.
1853: Together with no. X, was bought from W. B. Perot by John Harvey Darrell, Chief Justice of Bermuda.
? date: Together with Darrell’s papers, passed to his grandson, Captain M. D. James.
1934 (Dec 31): Auction: H. R. Harmer sale 723 lot 132, realised £150, bought by Charles Nissen.
193(?): Passed into the Royal Collection
X
Printed in red on thick paper, dated 1853. THe stamp is cut round, but none of the letters are infringed. THere is a slight thinning on the left of the left-hand cross between HAMILTON and BERMUDA, but the thinning does not extend to the design. Numbers IX and X once formed a horizontal pair, but they were very lightly joined and were separated in 1934.
1853: See Biography IX above
1934 (Dec 31): Auction: H. R. Harmer sale 723 lot 131 realised £310, was bought by Thomas Allen
1935: Major T. Charlton Henry bought the stamp
1960 (Oct): Sir Henry Tucker bought the T. Charlton Henry collection of Bermuda
1978 (Oct 17): Auction: Harmers of London Sir Henry Tucker Collection Part 1 lot 59, realised £32’000
1982 (May 21): Auction: David Feldman in Zurich, lot 10167, realised SFr150’000 (£41’209)
1984: Offered for Private Treaty Sale by David Feldman, lot 30005
1989: Bernard Behr: Private Treaty Sale lot 903, for £80’000 through David Feldman SA to an unnamed buyer.
XI
Printed in black on bluish-grey paper, dated 1848. (The following description is taken from the Harmers 1989 auction catalogue: “With margins clear of all letters all round, used on reverse of letter to Henry E. Higgs at St. Georfes, from N. J. Butterfield (once Mayor of Hamilton) at Hamilton, dated March 28 1848, the letter contains interesting comments about a leaking ship and the crew’s unwillingness to sail in her. The stamp with a few faint age stains was additionally used as a seal and was damaged when the letter was opened. The stamp has subsequently been skillfully restored and is of fine appearance.”
1848: The letter was received by Henry E. Higgs
192(?): B. V. S. Smith acquired the letter with some correspondence of the Higgs family
1960: Sir Heny Tucker bought the letter
1978 (Oct 17): Auction: Harmers of London, Sir Henry Tucker Part I collection, lot 58, realised £22’000
1981 (Feb 18): Auction: Stanley Gibbons Auction Galleries New York 2, lot 103, realised $46’200 (£20’442)
198(?): Acquired by Baron Stig Leuhusen
1989 (May 24): Auction: Harmers of London sale 4544 lot 1129, failed to reach reserve. Subsequently place privately at £40’000, and later acquired by Robert W. Dickgiesser
1999 (Oct 26): Auction: Cherrystone Auction Galleries, Robert W. Dickgiesser collection, lot 21, estimate $45’000