A quality collection of British stamps from 1840-1970, including some rare examples, is expected to fetch around £10,000 at a Shropshire fine art auction house later this month.The collection, which includes a Penny Black, 2d Blues, the Embossed set, most of the Queen Victoria and Edward VII values to £1 and the iconic £5 Orange and £1 Postal Union Congress , will go under the hammer at Halls Fine Art’s books, coins and stamps auction in Shrewsbury on July 24.
The 2d Blue was the world’s second official postage stamp while the first £5 Orange was not a postage stamp but issued to cover the cost of sending lengthy telegrams. Another collection of a dozen Penny Blacks, one from each plate, carries a pre-sale estimate of around £3,000 while two specialised lots of good quality Stanley Gibbons investment stamps are valued at up to £350 and £1,200, respectively.