Despite the global restrictions we at David Feldman are continuing to receive excellent consignments for our October and December auctions, as well as being tasked with offering items for sale by private treaty.
With our reputation for having sold more high-quality rarities than any other auction firm, we are delighted to present these eight stunning exhibition items for sale by Private Treaty. For further details on these spectacular Italian States major rarities, read on or download the PDF brochure.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information!
Roman States
THE MOST VALUABLE SINGLE STAMP OF PAPAL STATES
1858, 20 b. yellow, unissued, uncancelled without gum, good to very large margins displaying on three sides the dividing lines between stamps, refulgent color. Two complete sheets of 100 are recorded, of which one is in the Vatican Postal Museum, and only about ten single examples are known, this being probably the finest. One of the rarest and most valuables stamps of all Italian territories. The example presented here has the additional attribute of having been chosen to illustrate this issue in the Sassone catalogue.
Provenance: Discovered by Enzo Diena and Renato Mondolfo, acquired later by Alberto Bolaffi, and at present in a private collection.
Note: The Postal administration of the Papal States, intending to improve the postal service, proposed on March 12th, 1858, the issue of a 20 bajocchi stamp which corresponded to the postal tariff for franking letters to France, valid since April, 1853. For still unknown reasons the stamp produced was never issued, although a certain quantity was cancelled and later destroyed.
Expertise: Enzo Diena (1990) and Raffaele Diena (1993, described then in the certificate, when only this example was known in private hands, as the most important rarity of all Italian philately), signed A. Bolaffi.
Exhibitions: Claridge’s (1997), Monaco ’97.
Illustrated and Listed: Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps.
PRICE ON REQUEST
Papal States
1867, 3 c. grey on chalk surfaced paper, block of 16 (4×4) from the lower left corner of the sheet, featuring one of the four panes of 16 comprised in the sheet, exceptional margins enabling to exhibit the bordering lines of the pane, with full original gum and two hinge remains in horizontal row at base only, an exceptional and very rare multiple. (Sassone €60,000+ for four blocks of four).
Expertise: Signed Colla.
PRICE ON REQUEST
Papal States
THE LARGEST MULTIPLE KNOWN OF THE VALUABLE 1868 3C. GREY-ROSE – ORIGINATING FROM THE ONLY SURVIVING SHEET
1868, 3c grey rose, the extraordinary block of 16 (4×4), including four vertical and four horizontal interpanneau pairs, very fresh and outstandingly preserving its full original gum, except for a small paper adherence impinging on one stamp and a tiny part of an adjoining one, with one horizontal pair having few separated perforations between the two adhesives in lower center of the block (with three or four perforations being also opened in other place), -mentioned for accuracy only and as usually encountered in multiples in this issue when possessing gum and consequently being fragile-, this item being outstandingly fine.
As far as we can say, the largest multiple recorded of this very difficult stamp, of which only one sheet survived, being the second most valuable single issued stamp in the Papal States and one of the charismatic stamps for its rarity in all Italian States.
Note: See the book of the philatelic exhibition held in Palazzo Braschi in Rome “I Primi Francobolli a Roma”, on 9-14 May 1978 -its organising committee was formed by distinguished philatelists such as G. Bizzarri, G. Craveri, Enzo Diena or R. Mondolfo-. This item is illustrated on page 167 (before it had been separated from the complete sheet) in one of the color plates dedicated to “Rarità di Prima Grandezza” (rarities of the first degree). This block of 16 is located in the centre of the sheet, and is the only multiple available to show the crossing of the vertical and horizontal interpanneau (“interspazi di gruppo”), this being the most prestigious and valuable location in the sheet. (To be noted the single perforation in the interpanneau space between panes, in contrast to other few multiples known which possess double perforation).
Expertise: Cert. Bolaffi (2008)
PRICE ON REQUEST
Sardinia
THE UNIQUE LARGEST KNOWN BLOCK OF THE FIRST PRINTING 1851
THE “CASPARY” BLOCK OF SARDINIA
THE UNIQUE LARGEST KNOWN BLOCK OF THE FIRST PRINTING
1851, 40c. carmine rose, first printing, block of twenty (5×4), including four complete horizontal rows of the pane of 25 (the top row missing), showing a prominent misalignment of transfer in position 17 of this block, with margins ranging from large to huge, very fresh with original gum and still preserving eight examples as never hinged, the rest only showing light hinge remains.
Negligible traces of small age stains on back of no importance and not mentioned in the certificate. The largest multiple known of the first printing (this being the most significant state of impression) and, after the “Rothschild” complete sheet of 50, representing the second largest multiple recorded of this value, a museum showpiece combining the fascination of its great rarity and the great beauty of its delightful color and design.
Note: This multiple, presented in one of the auction sales of the Caspary collection, was sold in January 1957 for US$18,000 (the seventh highest hammer price reached at auction in the whole long run of Caspary sales); as a reference, US$20,000 were paid for the famous Baden 9kr. error of color on cover.
Provenance: Alfred H. Caspary
Expertise: Signed (“per esteso”) G. Bolaffi and A. Diena, cert. Bolaffi (1993, as without imperfections)
PRICE ON REQUEST