Ginsburg collection of Canada, U.S. plate blocks in Oct. 31 Kelleher auction

By Charles Snee

The James Ginsburg collection of high-quality Canada and United States plate blocks will be offered during an Oct. 31 sale by Kelleher Auctions in Danbury, Conn.

The 198 lots of Canada plate blocks will be offered during the first session that will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The remaining 151 lots of U.S. plate blocks will be up for bids during the second session scheduled for 2 p.m.

According to a brief biography of Ginsburg in the sale catalog, Ginsburg is a seasoned attorney who has been practicing law since 1968.

“He is a sole practitioner in Real Estate Transactions and acts as General Counsel for The Bilak Companies, a company involved with the purchase and operations of shopping centers throughout the Western United States,” Kelleher said.

“James’ passion for stamp collecting began when he was 10 years old, being introduced by his uncle, who was a serious philatelist,” Kelleher said. “His father also facilitated his collecting by bringing stamps to him from the post office for his collection which helped him grow his collection. He remembers going to Woolworth’s and the five and dime, where he could buy ‘Lots’ of stamps for mere pennies. These packets ignited his interest even further in stamps, allowing his interest in geography and history to become engaged. As he lived near a post office, he clearly remembers the thrill of the hunt in asking the postal clerk if he would remove the Plate Block from the sheet of stamps, allowing him to purchase it.”

Among the impressive Canada plate blocks in Ginsburg’s collection is a mint, never-hinged top margin plate block of six of the popular 1929 50¢ dark blue stamp (Scott 158) picturing the schooner Bluenose.

“OTTAWA – No. A-3” and “936 Y” are printed in the top margin.

Kelleher describes the 50¢ Bluenose plate block as being “wonderfully fresh and nicely centered.”

In mint, never-hinged condition, a plate block of six of the 1929 50¢ Bluenose is valued at $4,200 in the 2025 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940.

Kelleher is offering this mint, never-hinged top margin plate block of six of the 1929 50¢ dark blue Bluenose stamp with an estimate of $2,500 to $3,500 and an opening bid of $1,300.

(Opening bids are shown with the listings on the Stamp Auction Network website.)

A highlight of the U.S. offerings from the Ginsburg collection is a full top margin with imprint plate block of six of the 1909 $1 violet brown George Washington stamp (Scott 342), the top denomination in the 1908-09 first set (331-342) in the extensive Washington-Franklin definitive (regular-issue) series.

The ornate imprint of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing appears in the margin above the first and second stamps in the top row, and the plate number, 4957, is printed above the third stamp.

Kelleher notes the presence of a light hinge mark in the selvage above the top center stamp. All six stamps in the plate block are mint, never-hinged.

“It is believed that less than ten full top plate blocks [of Scott 342] are believed to exist, including one in the Miller collection,” Kelleher said. “The last full top plate block sold on Stamp Auction Network was back in 2017.”

The 2025 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values an unused (previously hinged) full top margin with imprint plate number block of six of the 1909 $1 violet brown Washington at $20,000. That value is in italics to indicate an item that is difficult to value because it trades infrequently in the philatelic marketplace.

Kelleher lists this full top margin with imprint plate block of six of the 1909 $1 violet brown George Washington stamp with an estimate of $15,000 to $20,000 and an opening bid of $7,500.

Kelleher has prepared two catalogs for the Ginsburg collection of Canada and U.S. plate blocks that are available for viewing and download on the firm’s website, www.kelleherauctions.com, with online bidding options available on Stamp Auction Network.

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