Jun 24, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 166 Page: 1 Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD The British Post Office in Siam From 1858, the British operated a postal service out of their consulate in Bangkok. Strait Settlements stamps were used until 1882, after which the same issues overprinted with a capital 'B' were made available. Most values are scarce to rare, and dangerous forgeries exist. We gratefully acknowledge Michel Houde from Canada for his assistance in checking the material from high-resolution scans. While it is often difficult to assess such material without physical inspection, Michel has applied his acknowledged expertise to making a detailed study of the stamps. He has identified those he believes have forged overprints, those he considers genuine, and those that are "suspect". That information is reflected in our descriptions. Lot 1 1 F A B1 UNOVERPRINTED STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS: 1867-72 Wmk CC 24c blue-green, neat 'BANGKOK/ FE8/84' cds. Unrecorded by Gibbons used in Thailand. 400 Lot 2 2 F C C2 UNOVERPRINTED STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS: 1884 '8/Cents' on Wmk CC 12c blue SG 74, rounded corner at upper-left, neat 'BANGKOK/MR12/84' cds with the distinctive frame-break above the 'G'. Unrecorded by Gibbons used in Thailand. [This stamp was issued in February 1884] 300 Lot 3 3 V C UNOVERPRINTED STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS: 1882 Wmk CA 8c orange SG 52, trimmed perforations at top & left, superb part-strike of the undated '[US CONS]ULATE/[BAN]GKOK/*' cachet in blue, another indistinct cancel. Gibbons states that Wmk CA values to 8c "are known used at Bangkok in 1883 & 1884", after the 'B' Overprints were issued. 200 Lot 4 4 V A B1 UNOVERPRINTED STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS: two part-strikes of the undated 'US CONSULATE/BANGKOK/ * ' cachet in blue on Hong Kong Wmk CA 10c mauve SG 36, also with a bars cancellation. 400 Ex Lot 5 5 *WO STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 selection of mint/unused (8, including CA 4c rose) and used (9, including CA 2c brown & 4c rose) values to 24c, condition rather mixed but generally of fine appearance, Cat 87,300 baht (= $A2910); SG Cat £2950+. (17) 500 Jun 24, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 166 Page: 2 The British Post Office in Siam (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Ex Lot 6 6 *WO STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': The 'B' remainders consisting of an array of forged overprints ranging from the amateurish to the highly convincing including 2c rose with Double Overprint, 12c blue with Double Overprint, 'TWO CENTS' on 32c & an overprinted Straits Settlements 3c Postal Card that is considered to be bogus, and several stamps that may be genuine, variable condition. Excellent reference material that demands close inspection. (49) 400 Lot 7 7 G (A-) C1STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1885 '[crown]/32 CENTS' on East India 2a orange-yellow Hobby #B1 (SG 1), pulled perf at upper-right and apparently repaired at upper-left, 'H & SBCo' security handstamp in red & an indistinct cancellation. Cat 2,200,000 baht (= $A73,333) but unpriced used by Gibbons (Cat £35,000 mint). A great rarity, if genuine. At the least, an attractive spacefiller. The chance of this stamp being genuine must be considered highly implausible However, the 'B' appears to be genuine. Having said that, the Bangkok branch of the Hong Kong & Shangai Banking Corporation opened only in 1888, some three years after the 'B' Overprints were withdrawn, on 30th June 1885, the day before Siam joined the Universal Postal Union. 100 Lot 8 8 F A C1 STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 Wmk CC 2c brown H #B2 (SG 2), faint "checkerboard" cancellation & light part-strike of the undated 'US CONSULATE/BANGKOK/ * ' cachet, Cat 60,000 baht (= $A2000); SG Cat £1500. 1,000 Lot 9 9 * A B1 STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 Wmk CC 5c purple-brown H #B4 (SG 4), Cat 9,000 baht (= $A300); SG Cat £400. 200 Jun 24, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 166 Page: 3 The British Post Office in Siam (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Lot 10 10 O A/B STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 Wmk CC 8c yellow (undated Singapore cancel), 10c slate (thinned, but very attractive, Bangkok cds), 12c blue wing-margin example (pulled perf at lower-left, light strike of the undated ovoid 'BRITISH CONSULATE/ [arms]/BANGKOK' cachet) & 24c blue-green (undated Singapore cancel) H #B6-9 (SG 6-9), Cat 24,000 baht (= $A800); SG Cat £1000. 300 Lot 11 11 W A- C1 STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 Wmk CC 4c 30c claret H #B10 (SG 10), unused, Cat 3,200,000 baht (= $A106,666); SG Cat £45,000. RPSofL Certificate (1914) states "the overprint 'B' is forged". An attractive "spacefiler". [An unusual opportunity to obtain an ancient "Royal" certificate with the signatures of the early luminaries Bacon, Castle, Hausberg, Hall & Yardley] 100 Ex Lot 12 12 * A/B STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 Wmk CA 2c brown to 8c orange H #B13-19 (SG 14-20), a few minor defects but generally fine & of very fresh appearance, unused or large-part o.g., Cat 52,500 (= $A1750); SG Cat £1880. (7) 750 Ex Lot 13 13 F A/B STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 Wmk CA 2c rose (creased), 5c blue, 6c lilac & 8c orange H #B14 & 17-19 (SG 15 & 18-20) plus Wmk CC 24c blue-green H #B9 (SG 9), all with Bangkok cds, Cat 5000 baht (= $A660); SG Cat £563. (5) 250 Ex Lot 14 14 O A/B STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 Wmk CA 4c rose, 5c blue, 8c orange & 10c slate (3, one with a rounded corner) H #B15 17 19 & 20 (SG 16 18 20 & 21) cancelled with part-strikes of undated cachets of the British Consulate, US Legation, Windsor Rose & Co (2), Windsor & Redlich, or The Borneo Company, Cat 30,000 baht (= $A1000); SG Cat £740. (6) 400 Jun 24, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 166 Page: 4 The British Post Office in Siam (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Lot 15 15 * B C1 STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS OVERPRINTED 'B': 1882-85 Wmk CA 8c orange as H #B19 (SG 20) with a faint but obvious second Inverted 'B' at centre-right, minor thins, large-part o.g., Cat 7000+ baht (= $A233); SG Cat £180. After overprinting, sheets were stacked back-to-back or face-to-face. This sometimes resulted in minor ink-transference causing "varieties" such as this] 100 1883 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) First Issue Ex Lot 16 16 P A/B PROOFS: Exhibit page with imperforate plate proofs in unissued colours on wove paper or card of varying thicknesses comprising 1 att in brown & in sepia, 1 sio in brown, 1 sik in steel-blue & a pair in dark blue, 1 salung in red-lake (2, on different stocks), pair in pale blue & block of 4 in blue (the first unit with a repaired internal tear), and the unissued 1 fuang in carmine & in black (2, on different stocks, one with a repaired thin), generally fine to very fine. (17 units) 1,750 Lot 17 17 P A A1 PROOFS: Waterlow sheetlet of 9 in brown comprising vertical columns of 1 solot, 1 att & 1 sio, each unit with 'WATERLOW & SONS LTD./SPECIMEN' overprint and small security punch at lower-left, exceptional centring, ungummed. [Waterlow produced numerous sheetlets from many administrations - including New Zealand & North Borneo - as printers' samples to demonstrate the quality of their work. The similar sheetlet in Feldman's "Thailand" sold for €2868] 2,000 Lot 18 18 P A B1 PROOFS: 1 sik similar sheetlet of 9 in dark blue, well centred, ungummed. [The similar sheetlet in Feldman's "Thailand" sold for €2868] 2,000 Jun 24, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 166 Page: 5 1883 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) First Issue (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Lot 19 19 P A+ A1 PROOFS: 1 salung similar sheetlet of 9 in deep ultramarine on thicker paper, exceptional centring, ungummed. Superb! [The similar sheetlet in Feldman's "Thailand" sold for €2868] 2,000 Lot 20 20 W B A1 PROOFS: 1 fuang - the unissued value - similar but smaller sheetlet of 9 in indigo-violet, the overprint vertical (reading upwards) at left, closed tear in the margin at right & minor crease affecting the sixth unit, ungummed. [This is the only value that exists with the vertical overprint. The similar sheetlet - apparently toned & with a large fingerprint in the margin - in Feldman's "Thailand" sold for €3346] 1,000 Lot 21 21 P A+ A1 PROOFS: 1 fuang - the unissued value - similar sheetlet of 9 in carmine on thicker paper, exceptional centring, ungummed. Superb! [Absent from Feldman's "Thailand"] 2,000 Ex Lot 22 22 *WO ISSUED STAMPS: Extensive remainders in stockbook comprising 1 solot Plate 1 x10 (one used), Plate 2 x10 (one used) & Plate 3 x53 (4 used), 1 att x35 (6 used including a strip of 3 on piece), 1 sio x25 (4 used), 1 sik mint/unused x37 & used x14 including a pair on piece, 1 salung brown-ochre (16 atts) x9 (2 used) & 1 salung brown-orange (12 atts) mint/unused x25 & used x18, '1 Tical' on 1 solot x7 (3 identified as forgeries), 1889 1 att on 1 sio x12 (2 used), also Second Issue set mint & used x2, condition variable but most are fine. Study opportunity. [When Siam joined the UPU in July 1885, the value of the 1 salung stamp was changed from 16 atts to 12 atts, & new printings were in the "brown-orange" shade] (250+) 750 Jun 24, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 166 Page: 6 1883 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) First Issue (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Ex Lot 23 23 **/*W A/B ISSUED STAMPS: Exhibit pages with 1 solot Plate 1 (thinned), Plate 2 x3 shades (one with small thin) & Plate 3 x2 shades (one with no gum) + block of 8 (4x2); 1 att x3 shades (one with no gum) plus marginal block of 9; 1 sio x2 shades (one with Re-Entry in Double-Circle at Upper-Left) plus marginal block of 15 (3x5, some perf separation); 1 sik x2 shades plus marginal irregular block of 8; 1 salung (16 atts) brown-ochre; & 1 salung brown-orange (12 atts) plus marginal block of 9; between F&O #1-5B (H #1-5) complete plus shades, most with large-part o.g., the blocks with some units unmounted, Cat 53,700++ baht (= $A1790++).