A multitude of impressive rarities sold at Cherrystone's November sale

By Tim Hodge

Cherrystone’s Nov. 1-2 auction of worldwide stamps and postal history featured one of Poland’s top rarities: the only known cover franked with a block of four of the 1860 10-kopeck stamp (Scott 1). This iconic item of Polish philately realized $80,500, including the 15 percent buyer’s premium.

With only three known examples of Russia’s 1917 7-ruble stamp with inverted center (Scott 134a), it is not surprising that it realized $29,900 in the Cherrystone sale.

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With a great showing of Italian material, including many rarities, Cherrystone sold a set of sheet margin vertical strips of the 1933 Balbo triptychs (Scott C48-C49), never hinged and imperforate at bottom, for $34,500.

An 1859 cover from the kingdom of Sicily bearing an exceedingly scarce usage of the 50-grana stamp (Scott 18) in combination with the 1g, 5g and 10g (Scott 11a, 14 and 16a) found a new home for $27,600.