Siegel to auction famous Buccleuch Block of the British 1840 Two-Penny Blue May 28 at Boston 2026 World Expo

By Charles Snee

On May 28, in conjunction with the Boston 2026 World Expo, Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries will offer for the first time at auction the largest known multiple of the Great Britain 1840 2-penny blue Queen Victoria (Scott 2).

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

The famous partial sheet of 48, known as the Buccleuch Block, is named for the Scottish noble family who owned the block from the time of purchase in 1840 until it was discovered and sold shortly after World War II.

According to Siegel, the block cost the fifth duke of Buccleuch about $1.92 when it was purchased at the post office.

The block is being offered 186 years after the Two-Penny Blue was issued and 81 years after it was discovered in 1945.

A fascinating history of the Buccleuch (pronounced buck-loo) family and the iconic block is provided on the Siegel website at siegelauctions.com:

“As the Allies celebrated victory over tyranny in Europe in 1945, the 8th Duke of Buccleuch … instructed his personal secretary, Alexander Martin, to inventory the contents of Dalkeith Palace, a Scottish Ducal Seat in Midlothian, Scotland. In the Palace Library, the Duke’s secretary discovered two large blocks of stamps issued by Great Britain in 1840 and 1841, neatly rolled up and stored in a compartment in an old leather traveling writing desk set on a table. One of the blocks immediately gained fame as the greatest stamp discovery in modern post-war history — The Buccleuch Block. …

“The Buccleuch Block contains the bottom four rows of 12 from the sheet of 240 stamps, individually lettered Q-A through T-L. The plate number ‘2’ appears in the corners (Plate 2 stamps are rarer than Plate 1). The imprint in the bottom margin states the price of the ‘Labels’ per single, row and sheet, gives instructions for affixing the stamp on the letter, and advises care in ‘Wetting the Back’ to avoid removing the ‘Cement.’ The block is extraordinarily fresh and has original gum that has never been hinged by a collector.

“Within one year after its discovery, the Buccleuch Block was sold privately for £6,500 through H. R. Harmer Ltd. to Gordon P. Bailey, a collector in Surrey, England. When the Bailey collection was dispersed, the block was again sold privately. The next owner of record was Renato Mondolfo (1918-1992). In 1985 the block was sold by William E. and Michael Lea, prominent British stamp dealers, to Hassan Shaida, an Iranian collector whose exhibit, ‘Queen Victoria: The Birth of the World’s First Postage Stamps,’ won the Grand Prix National in Stamp World London 1990. Soon after, the entire Shaida collection, including the Buccleuch Block, was purchased by Guido Craveri, a European dealer.

“The Buccleuch Block was one of twenty items displayed in the ‘Aristocrats of Philately’ exhibit at ANPHILEX 1996 in New York City, the Collectors Club centenary event. The block was shown ‘on loan’ from Tito Giamporcaro, and subsequently was acquired by the current owner, a private collector.”

Scott Trepel, president of Siegel Auction Galleries, said that the Buccleuch Block is the kind of discovery that fascinates collectors.

“We all dream of opening an old book or desk drawer and finding a hidden stamp treasure,” Trepel said. “The Buccleuch Block was found just this way.”

Siegel estimates the block will bring $5 million to $7.5 million. Trepel believes the block’s value exceeds that estimate.

“I agree with those who describe it as the world’s most important philatelic item, and I think it is worth at least $10 million,” Trepel said. “I’m excited to see just how far the bidders take it.”

Further details about the Buccleuch Block are available on the Siegel website at www.siegelauctions.com.

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