Satisfaction Guaranteed
The satisfaction of completeness?
There’s nothing more satisfying than securing that final stamp you needed to complete a set.?
The sense of accomplishment
Only by completing the set do you get to appreciate the full range of designs, colours and themes of a particular issue.
Through studying stamps
The complete set
Usually (but not always) the highest value denomination is the rarest and hardest to find in the set.
This is because there would have been less demand for higher value stamps and therefore less would have been printed. Also, it is far more likely high value stamps would be used, meaning they are difficult to find in mint condition.
The whole is worth more than the individual parts…
You would expect to pay a premium to obtain a complete set for any particular stamp issue.
Bizarrely, Stanley Gibbons apply a discount in their catalogue pricing for complete sets.
In other words, the individual stamps comprising a set are worth more than the catalogue value for the complete set!
This makes no sense, whatsoever.
It is a clear market pricing anomaly you can benefit from.
My view is that collecting complete sets is a valuable investment
I have looked through our entire stockholding and selected for you my top 10 favourite stamp sets we currently have available.
Let us begin…
1. A symbolic set of stamp art
Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika 1960-62 set of 16 to 20s violet-blue and lake "Flowers, Animals and Local Motives", SG183/98.?
A superb unmounted mint set with full original gum.
A beautiful set of stamps designed by the renowned artist Michael Goaman and printed by De La Rue.
The stamps feature the Queen’s portrait flanked by images of locally grown crop plants and fauna. The three territories are also represented by tiny symbolic emblems – lion, crane and giraffe.
The combined catalogue value of the individual stamps in the set is ￡86.20.
PRICE: ￡70 (19% discount)
2. The Gate of Heavenly Peace
China 1950 People's Republic of China General Issues Tien an Men complete set of 7, including varieties, to $2,000 brown-olive, People's Printing Works printing, perforations 14, SG1459/63.?
A fine mint set with beautiful fresh colours.
The $200 stamp in the set is particularly scarce.
The stamp issue features the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Peking, widely used as a national symbol. It was first built during the Ming dynasty in 1420.?The tower has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
The combined catalogue value of the individual stamps in the set is ￡226.45.
PRICE: ￡200 (12% discount)
3. Paying homage to the King
Newfoundland 1910 (15 Aug) "Guy" set of 11 to 15c (the 6c type "A"), litho printing, perforations 12, SG95/105.?
A fine mint set with part to large part original gum. Odd small faults as often seen (9c bend, 15c tiny thin and wrinkle), but, overall, an attractive set with fresh colours.
A most appealing stamp issue from Newfoundland, the Province of Canada. The highest value denomination in the set being reserved to pay homage to the current reign at the time, King George V. Beautiful classic designs as follows:
1c green - King James I
2c rose carmine - Arms of Colonisation Co
3c olive - John Guy
4c violet - Endeavour (Immigration Ship), 1610
5c bright blue - Cupids
6c claret - Sir Francis Bacon
8c bistre brown - View of Mosquito
9c olive green - Logging Camp, Red Indian Lake
10c purple slate - Paper Mills, Grand Falls
12c purple red brown - King Edward VII
15c black - King George V
The combined catalogue value of the individual stamps in the set is ￡573.
PRICE: ￡350 (39% discount)
4. The story of an island captured in stamps
Falkland Islands 1938 (3 Jan) set of 18 to ￡1 black and violet, SG146/63.?
A fine quality mounted mint complete set of this stunning King George VI pictorial stamp issue.
This album page shows how you can present a complete set of a particular stamp issue for the best effect.
The combined catalogue value of the individual stamps in the set is ￡754.05.
PRICE: ￡400 (47% discount)
5. The rare first airmail stamps of South Africa
South Africa 1925 'Air' set of 4 to 9d green, right marginal blocks of 4, each showing value numeral, SG26/9.?
A fine and fresh mint set of blocks with large part original gum. The 6d and 9d blocks each include two unmounted mint stamps. The 1d block with marginal re-inforcement. Overall, a very fine and most attractive set.
A very scarce set in this matching positional form.
The Union of South Africa?airmail stamps depict the de Havilland DH.9 biplane,?a British single-engined bomber developed and deployed during the First World War.
South Africa was slow to introduce an air mail service to speed up the delivery of local mail. Eventually, in 1925, the Civil Air Board in South Africa decided to institute a three monthly Experimental Air Service between Cape Town and Durban, to establish whether such a service could be provided economically and reliably.
This set of four Air Mail stamps was specially printed specifically for the Experimental Air Service that was inaugurated on 2 March 1925. The 9d was the highest denomination in the set. These stamps were only valid for the carriage of mail on the foregoing service.
The use of the 1925 Airmail stamps was discontinued at the end of June 1925 but remained for sale in Pretoria until 31 October. After that all residues of stamps, as well as the printing plates were destroyed.
领英推荐
PRICE: ￡475
6. Unique set of the first Empire stamps from Pakistan
Pakistan 1948-56 type 13 'Khyber Pass' 10r magenta, 15r blue-green, 25r violet, each in an IMPERFORATE horizontal pair, SG41/3.?
Very fine unmounted mint pairs with full original gum. The 15r has a trivial marginal scissor cut. The 25r is from the left corner of the printing sheet.
A wonderful presentation of the complete set in this design and?unique?in this form.
The Khyber Pass pictorial stamps were part of the issue of the first definitive stamps of Pakistan after joining the British Commonwealth.?
PRICE: ￡750
7. The history of a country on stamps
Canada 1908 Quebec Tercentenary set of 8 to 20c, in used blocks of 4, SG188/95.?
A fine used set of this visually stunning portrayal of history in a set of stamps. There are some slight faults (two 15c with defects, one 20c with corner crease) and mostly with heavyish cancels (10c with barred ovals, 7c, 15c, 20c with 'R' in ovals), but a rare and remarkable assembly.
1/2c - King George V and Queen Mary when Prince and Princess of Wales
1c - Jacques Cartier and Samuel Champlain
2c - King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
5c - Champlain's House in Quebec
7c - Generals Montcalm and Wolfe
10c - Quebec in 1700
15c - Champlain's Departure for the West
20c - Cartier's Arrival before Quebec
The combined catalogue value of the individual stamps in the set is ￡1,977.50.
PRICE: ￡850 (57% discount)
8. The famous ‘head against foot’ Victorian errors
Grenada 1883 Set of 7 to 1s pale-violet,?tête-bêche?vertical pairs, SG30a/36a.?
An exceptionally fine and fresh mint set with original gum.
The 1d value is very scarce and the 1 shilling?tête-bêche pair?is a true Queen Victorian rarity in this form and in such exceptional condition. Most other known examples suffer from condition issues.
These “head against foot” stamps are among philately’s most renowned errors, known as?tête-bêche.
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is ￡2,455+.
PRICE: ￡2,250 (8% discount)
9. An iconic set of exceptional quality
Hong Kong 1903 set of 15 to $10 slate and orange/blue, watermark CA, SG62/76.?
Brilliant quality with original gum. Exceptionally fresh, with only the barest traces of hingeing. This has the appearance of a 'new issue' set which has never been separated.
A rare opportunity to acquire this iconic set of King Edward VII stamps in such exceptional quality.
I believe there is potential for future growth in value with early signs the Chinese stamp boom is crossing over into?Hong?Kong?stamps.
The combined catalogue value of the individual stamps in the set is ￡3,386.
PRICE: ￡3,000 (11% discount)
10. World famous set of disaster stamps
St Helena 1961 (Oct 12) Tristan Relief Fund set of 4, SG172/75.?
A very fine quality set, unmounted mint with full original gum.
Only 434 complete sets were sold and they were withdrawn from sale on 19 October after just one week. Most were used, and this has become recognised as one of the key British Commonwealth philatelic items of the Queen Elizabeth II reign.
In October 1961 violent volcanic activity on the small island of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic led to an evacuation of the population.
The authorities on the neighbouring island of St Helena, some 1,400 miles to the north-east, established a Relief Fund, and a supply of Tristan da Cunha stamps were surcharged “ST. HELENA Tristan Relief” with an amount for the fund.
Unfortunately, only the Colonial Office in London was permitted to authorise new stamps. This fact was clearly unknown to the Governor, and the issue was withdrawn. These are among the rarest of modern stamps as only 434 sets were sold.
Accompanied by a British Philatelic Association (BPA) certificate of authenticity (1965) and original Colonial & Foreign Stamp Co. Ltd. invoice (1977).
The combined catalogue value of the individual stamps in the set is ￡8,550.
PRICE: ￡8,000 (6% discount)
The Top 10 Stamp Sets Collection?
It is unlikely you will be successful in buying this complete collection from me today.
It is probable certain sets will sell quickly when this e-mail hits.
The total collection is available for the value of ￡16,345 ($20,500).?
If you e-mail me quickly, it is possible I might manage to reserve the whole collection for you before it is broken up.
To secure the collection, please respond to me [email protected].
Alternatively, give us a call on +44(0)1534 639998 or message us to +44(0)7700702962.
The famous author and philatelist, Ayn Rand summed up nicely the passion of philately:
“The pleasure lies in a certain special way of using one’s mind. Stamp collecting is a hobby for busy, purposeful, ambitious people… because, in pattern, it has the essential elements of a career, but transposed to a clearly delimited, intensely private world.”
I’m lucky, both my hobby and career are the same!
Kind regards
Mike Hall, CEO
PS. NB. The St Helena Tristan Relief Fund set featured above is one of the rarest Queen Elizabeth II stamp issues in the entire British Commonwealth. A wonderful set with a great back story to add to your collection…
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