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7 | Current AuctionNov. 27, 2010 
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The 1840 Penny Black
Posted by Ian | Tuesday August 3, 2010 at 5:13 PM
View Lot 710
The World's first stamp was issued by Great Britain on 6th May 1840. The Penny Black remains today the World's most famous stamp.
The history of the Penny Black dates back to February 1837 when Rowland Hill published a pamphlet entitled "Post Office Reform: It's Importance and Practicability". In this paper he illustrated the fact that the cost of conveyance of a letter was very little compared to the cost of its collection and delivery and thus it would be quite fair to all parties to charge a uniform rate of postage irrespective of distance. His views created a great amount of interest and as a result a Committee of the House of Commons was appointed to enquire into the rates and practicalities of charging postage. The Committee reported in favour of Hill's proposals and a Bill was introduced which received the Royal assent on 17th August 1839.
Welcome to the Ace Stamp Auction website. I have made the site as simple to navigate as possible. Down the left side you are able to view;
- Current auction catalogue (usually uploaded 3 to 4 weeks before the next sale)
- Previous auction catalogues including illustrations
- Unsold lots (available for 4 weeks after the last sale)
- Prices realised on these sales
- Terms & Conditions
- Payment options
- Abbreviations used in the catalogue
- Bid form which can be downloaded and completed. Then faxed or posted.
- Catalogue Request, should you prefer a hard copy mailed
Background
I began this public auction format in 2008 following an apparent demand for a regular Western Australian based auction that is held on a frequent basis with pre-determined dates and reasonable estimates for all budgets. In addition, collectors were increasingly tired of paying sizable buyers premiums or commissions which increase the hammer price by up to 17.5%!
Meanwhile vendors were looking for a professional auction service which was both friendly and cost effective with a lower vendor commission than those currently offered by both local WA and Eastern States auction houses. Therefore I have begun with a nominal 15% commission rate to encourage an attractive, interesting and varied range of philatelic material.
I endeavour to offer a cross section of material in the sales to interest a variety of collectors. There is both classic material from the Commonwealth countries including Great Britain through to modern Australian errors that have only just been discovered. Attractive early Australian Kangaroos & KGV along with States material is also available. There is always a selection of the ever popular box lots and collections. As usual careful inspection is recommended! I have also included a section of miscellaneous lots to bring some variety to the auction. They have included unusual Cinderellas, model Post Office delivery vans and letterboxes, stickers, phone cards and even golf balls!
I hope as many collectors as possible can attend the sale on the day. This makes for a lively auction and also gives collectors an opportunity to meet. There is an area where stamp clubs are more than welcome to promote their activities too. I have a stand at the venue offering numerous stamps, covers and accessories & publications for direct purchase on both the Saturday viewing and Sunday Auction days.
Part of this exercise is to introduce the auction process to those who may not have participated in this before and hence we are always happy to answer questions on the day and assist where possible. If you have any queries before the event please feel free to call. Likewise any feedback that will assist in improving the service offered is very much welcome.
In concluding I would like to thank those collectors and fellow dealers that continue to encourage me and offer words of wisdom, the vendors that provide such an array of lots, Marc, the IT guru who streamlines the website, & invoice production, friends who assist on the day, which allows me to remove high buyer's premiums and commissions, and finally my wife Christine for her continued patience and support.
Ian Boulton
