Jenkins collection of 19th-century British, French, Italian areas to cross Siegel auction block March 17-19

By Charles Snee

On March 17-19, Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York City will offer the Robert Jenkins collection of 19th-century unused British, French and Italian areas.

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

The 1,171-lot auction features a marvelous array of stamps of the highest quality that will tempt bidders seeking stamps from the areas Jenkins collected.

Andrew Titley, vice president of Siegel International, outlines the significance of the Jenkins collection in his introduction to the sale catalog. Potential bidders will benefit from his insights.

“All philatelists will appreciate the instantly recognizable rarities in the Jenkins collection, such as the Mauritius Post Paid issues, India 4a Lithograph pair, New Brunswick 1sh Heraldic, and New Zealand 2p Chalon First Issue,” Titley said. “They are undeniably scarce and highly desirable, particularly in the condition Mr. Jenkins set as his standard.

“What might be overlooked by all but the most experienced collector or dealer are the stamps needed to fill those nagging empty spaces in a collector’s album, many of which carry modest catalogue values. Do not let catalogue values fool you. These stamps are often more elusive than the iconic rarities.”

Titley also points out that the Jenkins collection features numerous stamps that don’t capture the spotlight in terms of catalog value.

“While studying the Jenkins sale and deciding how much to bid, we advise clients not to base their limit strictly on catalogue value,” Titley said. “Instead, ask yourself how many times have you seen offered an unused example of a particular stamp — and, if you are unsure, ask us.”

Among the seven Mauritius stamps in the Jenkins collection is an unused 1848 2-penny Queen Victoria stamp on yellowish white paper (early impression, Scott 4a) from position 8 in the sheet of 12.

Siegel notes that the stamp has original gum and is barely hinged. As can be seen in the first picture above, the stamp possesses large to full margins on each side and features what Siegel calls a “razor-sharp impression on fresh paper.”

In the lot description, Siegel provides a helpful summary of the origins of these early Queen Victoria stamps from Mauritius:

“While postal services in Mauritius date back to 1770s, it wasn’t until 1846 that inland mail service was organized. Joseph Osmond Barnard, a local printer and engraver, was contracted to produce two stamps. He engraved both stamps on a single plate with the inscriptions ‘Post Office.’ It is believed 500 were printed and were sold out almost immediately. For second printing, from which the example offered here came, were engraved directly onto two copper plates of twelve (four rows of three), one for each value with the inscription ‘Post Paid.’ The plates wore away relatively quickly, creating the different listed impressions. As far as we are concerned, the early impressions in unused condition are just as rare as the earliest impressions.”

Accompanying the stamp are a 1967 expertizing certificate from Alberto Diena and a 1979 expertizing certificate issued by the British Philatelic Association. According to Siegel, the stamp once graced the Tatiana and Port Louis collections.

In unused condition, the stamp is valued at $35,000 in the Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940. That value is italicized to indicate an item that can be difficult to value because it trades infrequently in the philatelic marketplace.

Siegel is offering this unused Mauritius 1848 2p Queen Victoria stamp on yellowish white paper (early impression) with an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.

Early issues of France are among the highlights of the last day of the auction on March 19.

A particularly desirable stamp is an unused (without gum) 1849 1-franc pale vermilion Ceres (Scott 8c) that Siegel describes as having “radiant color on bright paper.” France collectors refer to the stamp as the Vervelle issue.

Siegel points out that the stamp is rarely found completely sound (no faults) and with four margins.

“This issue is nicknamed for a French stamp dealer named Ernest Vervelle, who bought an ungummed sheet of the stamps in 1895 from the printer Anatole A. Hulot,” Siegel said in the catalog listing. “These are typically found with thins to varying degrees — so much so that Yvert makes specific mention of this. To find one with four margins and completely sound is quite remarkable.”

The stamp comes with a 2006 expertizing certificate from noted French specialist Roger Calves.

In addition, the stamp once resided in the Napoleon collection of extraordinary stamps of France, which Siegel sold Dec. 16-17, 2024. During that auction, the stamp realized $17,110, inclusive of Siegel’s 18 percent buyer’s premium.

Against a Scott Classic Specialized catalog value of $20,000, Siegel estimates this unused (without gum) France 1849 1fr pale vermilion Ceres stamp at $7,500 to $10,000.

Full details of Siegel’s sale of the Jenkins collection of 19th-century unused British, French and Italian areas, including a downloadable version of the 237-page catalog and online bidding options, are available on the Siegel website at www.siegelauctions.com.

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