Eubanks collection of Great Britain, British Commonwealth in April 1 Siegel Auction

By Charles Snee

The impressive collection of Great Britain and British Commonwealth stamps and covers formed by Gordon Eubanks will be sold April 1 by Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York City.

The sale will be conducted in two sessions, the first beginning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time and second at 1:30 p.m.

Among the more than 500 lots in the auction are stamps and postal history in outstanding condition that Eubanks methodically acquired over many years.

Siegel’s sale of the collection is being conducted in association with Charles F. Shreve, director of Siegel International in Dallas.

In his introduction to the catalog for the auction, Shreve introduces prospective bidders to Eubanks and provides some background on the collection.

“Philatelists around the world know Gordon as a major collector of United States classic issues and winner of the 2016 Grand Prix National at World Stamp Show-NY,” Shreve said. “Many might be surprised to see his name on a collection of British stamps and covers.”

“Gordon started this collection years ago as a way to get back to basics with albums he could try to fill with stamps from the far-flung British Empire of the 19th and early 20th centuries,” Shreve said. “When he was not busy writing up one of his award-winning exhibits, Gordon found pleasure in filling albums with issues he remembers as a kid collecting stamps. The result is shown in this sale catalogue.”

The sale opens with 26 lots of Penny Black and Two-Penny Blue stamps and covers. The 1840 Penny Black and 1840 Two-Penny Blue, which feature a portrait of Queen Victoria, are the world’s first adhesive postage stamps.

One of the more interesting Penny Black covers is a June 13, 1840, letter mailed locally to Portman Square in London that is accompanied by the original enclosure that mentions an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria.

Siegel provides a partial quote from the enclosure that reads, “ … it really is quite shocking to think of the latest attack upon the Queen. This is one of the consequences of their misplaced mercy in remitting the just punishment due to rebels and murderers; if this man is not hung the Queen will be remembered ere long … ”

According to Siegel, “the writer is referencing Edward Oxford who on Jun. 10, 1840, waited for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to take their daily carriage ride, he proceeded to shoot from his two pistols but missed, he was eventually sentenced for high treason but was found not guilty on the grounds of insanity, he was ultimately released under the condition he moved to Australia where he changed his name, married, and even became a respected figure and author.”

Siegel is offering this Penny Black cover and its fascinating enclosure with an estimate of $500 to $750.

A standout rarity among the Canadian Provinces offerings in the afternoon session is a mint, never-hinged Newfoundland 1927 60¢ airmail stamp overprinted “Air Mail DE PINEDO 1927” (Scott C4).

The underlying stamp is the 1897 Henry VII stamp (Scott 74) from the set of 14 (61-74) issued to celebrate the 60th year of Queen Victoria’s reign.

In its lot description, Siegel provides essential background for understanding the individual named in the overprint:

“Francesco de Pinedo was an Italian aristocrat who first served in the Italian military and flew aerial reconnaissance missions in World War I. In 1924 he transferred to the newly formed independent Italian Air Force. He soon requested a leave of absence and flew 35,000 miles to Australia and the Far East before flying back. On his return he was appointed lieutenant colonel by Benito Mussolini for his achievement for Italian aviation.

“In 1927 De Pinedo embarked on his next venture, with the backing of Mussolini and Italo Balbo, the minister of Italian aviation: a double crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. He selected a Savoia-Marchetti S.55 catamaran flying boat, named Santa Maria in honor of Columbus. He first flew down the west coast of Africa before crossing to Rio de Janeiro, where bad weather forced them down. After some time in South America, they headed north, landing in New Orleans on March 29. In early April they landed near Roosevelt Dam in Arizona, where a spectator threw a match into the water, igniting gasoline on the surface which consumed the plane in flames.

“A substitute plane was shipped from Italy to New York. The ever-fastidious De Pinedo returned to New Orleans to restart his flight, going to Chicago, Montreal and Trepassy, Newfoundland, which was the final stop before recrossing the Atlantic.

“De Pinedo departed Newfoundland for the Azores on May 30, 1927. Strong headwinds caused the Santa Maria II to run out of fuel and land in the ocean 200 miles short of the Azores. Towed by passing ships to the Azores, they refueled and then backtracked to the point of their ocean landing to resume their trip, traveling to Lisbon, Barcelona and finally Rome, where Mussolini promoted him to General. In 1933, De Pinedo was killed on takeoff when attempting a non-stop 6,000-mile flight from New York to Baghdad.”

Siegel also provides a helpful census to highlight the stamp’s scarcity:

“This stamp was issued for use on mail carried aboard the De Pinedo return flight to Europe. A total of 300 stamps were overprinted for this special flight. Of those, four were damaged and destroyed. 66 copies were presented to de Pinedo and government officials, and approximately 225 to 255 were used on covers. It is believed that only 33 unused are possible.”

Siegel notes that the stamp once resided in the Evergreen collection and has been lightly signed in pencil by noted experts E. Diena, A. Diena and Bolaffi. The stamp is accompanied by a 2020 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

In mint, never-hinged condition, Newfoundland Scott C4 is valued at $60,000 in the Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940. The value is in italics to indicate a stamp that can be difficult to value because of limited market data.

Siegel lists this mint, never-hinged Newfoundland 1927 60¢ airmail stamp overprinted “Air Mail DE PINEDO 1927” with an estimate of $40,000 to $50,000.

Full details of the April 1 Eubanks Great Britain and British Commonwealth collection auction, including a downloadable version of the 109-page catalog and online bidding options, are available on the Siegel website.

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