The Osborn collection of rare stamps of the world was sold by Cherrystone on 7 February. Among the highlights was a very fine example of the 1850 2½r black and red ‘Winterthur’ issue from Switzerland (lot 3329). This colourful stamp was released by the Zurich postal administration to pay reduced postage for local mail in the larger towns of the cantons of Zurich, Zug, Schaffhausen and Thurgau. An unusual feature of the stamp is the ornamental design between the stamps. As the Federal local post appeared throughout Switzerland on 5 April 1850, this issue was in use for only a very short time. This unused example, in its original colours and including the complete dividing ornaments on all four sides, sold for $5,000.
SOLD FOR £3,973
The Spink auction variety on the fifth stamp. The stamps were cancelled by a ‘grill without end’ obliterator, and there was an adjacent neat despatch and London transit circular datestamp of 1 October. Just one of 12 examples of a 1fr on cover, it reached £32,000.
