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Few collections are more complete, expansive or as painstakingly assembled as the Hay Morgan Collection of KG V Commonwealth, recently offered to the market by the philatelic specialists at Stanley Gibbons Baldwins.
Split into three sales, with over 1000 lots it was an enormous undertaking not only for the collectors, but also the experts who described, authenticated and valued the exceptional array of material; the collection contains almost every mint Commonwealth stamp issued during King George V’s reign – including most of the major errors, many plate examples, important proofs, numerous sets and stamps in blocks, as well as some rare covers.
Similar to many philatelists, the British collector inherited his passion for stamps from his father, a dedicated lifelong collector with a primary interest in King George VI Commonwealth stamps. The collection commenced in the early 1980s, initially concentrating on Nevis after the collector's honeymoon there with his wife. Over time, it was progressively broadened to encompass the entire King George V Commonwealth.
Exceeding £1,000,000 in total auction and private treat sales is no mean feat, but given the quality of the material. Iain Murphy, SGB co-CEO, explains why collections such as this are a privilege to handle, way beyond the monetary value.
“We are of course thrilled with a seven figure result but beyond that, it’s always a privilege to auction Signature collections such as Hay Morgan. A life’s work for a passionate collector translates into a fascinating and varied auction series which captures the imagination of bidders the world over.” – Iain Murphy, co-CEO, Stanley Gibbons Baldwin’s
Highlights from the auction series
The collection covered every corner of the globe, with something for every commonwealth collector. Below we have shared some of our highlights from the series;
Lot 104, the 1912-25 1000r purple/red, from upper left corner with plate number '1', superb o.g. Mounted in margin only. A magnificent positional example of this very rare and spectacular high value, which seldom appears on the market, it is a true showpiece of Commonwealth philately. Estimated at £20,000 – 25,000, the item ultimately sold for £33,600 including fees.
Lot 124 – Falkland Islands 1933 Centenary 5s black and yellow-orange block of 4. 1933 Centenary 5s black and yellow-orange, upper right corner block of 4 from the small second printing, fine o.g. with three stamps remaining unmounted, a rare positional piece. Estimated at £8,000 – 10,000, the item sold for £18,000 including fees.
Lot 215 – KUT 1925 colour trials x10. 1925 series of eight 1s colour trials, perf 14 on Script wmk paper (wmk upright) in the colours adopted for the additional 1925 values to the 1922-27 set, in brown (2s50), grey (4s), orange-yellow (7s50), purple and yellow (£3), black and magenta (£4), red and green (£20), purple and grey (£75) and red and black (£100), plus a further two examples in blue and magenta, and magenta and grey, presumably rejected colour combinations for the new £4 (issued in black and magenta) and £75 (issued in purple and grey) values, odd blemishes (short perfs, '£4' with tiny surface mark) nevertheless a spectacular and extremely rare series, part to large part o.g. ('4s' without gum). Estimated at £4,000 – 5,000, the item sold for £12,000 including fees.
Lot 152 - 1912-21 500r green and red/green, wmk MCA, very fine unmounted o.g. A splendid example of this major rarity and especially desirable in this exceptional condition. Robson Lowe opinion. After spirited bidding the lot achieved a total sale value of £40,800.
Lot 238 1922 Malaya-Borneo Exhibition 3c rose-lake, horizontal pair from pos. 8-9 of an early setting, the left stamp variety Raised stop after '1922', the right stamp error ‘EXHIBITCN.’ with stop, large part o.g., toned, and slightly faded blue opt as often found on this value, but believed to be the only known se-tenant pair. One of the greatest rarities from this fascinating and popular issue. The lovely pair eventually smashed a pre-auction estimate of £5000, reaching a total sale value of £10,200.
Lot 145 - 1912-21 set of 14 to 5r, imperforate horizontal pairs in the issued colours on gummed watermarked paper, large part o.g., several cut close and 3r cut into at top left, nevertheless highly attractive and very rare. The item outperformed it's estimate with a total sale value of £8,400 vs a low estimate of £4000.
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