Siegel to offer Barwis collection of Victoria postal history Feb. 28

By Charles Snee

On Feb. 28, Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries will present the impressive collection of Victoria postal history formed by John H. Barwis.

The 241 covers up for bids in the sale catalog are broken down into six sections based on which principal route a cover took from Victoria to its destination: via Cape Horn, via Cape of Good Hope, via Suez (and Southampton, Trieste, Marseilles, Brindisi, Naples), via Callao/Panama, via Panama, and to/via San Francisco.

Scott Trepel, president of Siegel, provides some helpful insights about Barwis and his collecting interests.

“John’s fascination with Victoria began while on a business trip to Australia,” Trepel said. “After a mining deal fell through, he passed the time at a stamp shop in downtown Melbourne. In his words, ‘I met a dealer named Rod Perry who showed me some classic Australia, which I bought. He tutored me.’ This introduction led to a serious study of the complex printings of Victoria’s early issues.”

Overall, Siegel’s presentation of Barwis’ Victoria covers looks closely at the history behind them.

“To appreciate the covers, one must follow the torturous voyages they took between the Australian continent and other places around the world,” Trepel said.

“This catalogue is intended to present John’s collection in a manner that highlights history,” Trepel explained. “Sailing itineraries are provided to document the route and travel time needed to carry each letter. The shipping lines and mail contracts are identified, and the ships themselves are named. These are facts that will help bidders understand the magnificent covers in this collection, many of which have graced other important Victoria collections of the past, such as Purves, Perry, Linfield, Peace, Risvold and Forster.”

According to Siegel, individual lots are arranged mainly by route and in chronological order within each route.

Among the 85 covers that traveled from Melbourne, Victoria, via Cape Horn is an 1855 folded letter sent to London, England, and franked with a vertical pair of the 1855 3-penny blue Queen Victoria from the ninth printing (Stanley Gibbons 31b) and an 1855 6d lilac and green Queen Victoria inscribed “TOO LATE” (33). Siegel notes the presence of “some trivial gum toning” on all three stamps.

The stamps are tied by three clear strikes of a “1V” barred oval cancel. A datestamp on the back of the letter (not shown) indicates it was mailed Oct. 26.

Docketing at the top of the cover shows that it was carried aboard the Black Ball clipper Champion of the Seas from Melbourne via Cape Horn to Liverpool, England, where it arrived Jan. 25, 1856. The letter arrived in London Jan. 26, as shown by the red London “PAID” handstamp on the front.

In its lot description, Siegel describes the letter as a “magnificent and extremely rare cover from Victoria to England with the 3-pence Half-Length issue paying the uniform ship rate and the 6-pence ‘TOO LATE’ stamp paying the late fee to expedite placement on the outbound clipper ship.”

According to Siegel, the cover is “one of the highlights of the Barwis collection and Victoria postal history in general.”

Siegel is offering this handsome 1855 folded letter from Melbourne, Victoria, via Cape Horn to London, England, with an estimate of $5,000 to $7,000.

Full details of the Feb. 28 auction of the Barwis collection of Victoria postal history, including a downloadable version of the 125-page catalog and online bidding options, are available on the Siegel website.

For additional information, contact Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, 21 W. 38th St., Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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