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Detail from a lot of 61 mint sheets of North Korean stamps issued between 1948-1950 to mark the anniversary of its liberation from Japan, estimated at £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400). Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

Part II of extraordinary postal history collection slated for July 19 auction

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Detail from a lot of 61 mint sheets of North Korean stamps issued between 1948-1950 to mark the anniversary of its liberation from Japan, estimated at £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400). Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions
Detail from a lot of 61 mint sheets of North Korean stamps issued between 1948-1950 to mark the anniversary of its liberation from Japan, estimated at £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400). Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

LONDON – The second offering from a remarkable postal history collection assembled by John Newell, described as “a former British journalist and presumed diplomat” who gained access to some of the world’s most secretive countries during the Cold War era, appears at Chiswick Auctions on Wednesday, July 19.

The first part of the John Newell collection proved a sell-out when presented in London in the spring. From the 1950s to the 1980s, John Newell spent time in places such as North Korea, China, East Germany, Russia, Tibet, Zanzibar, Alaska and Panama for both work and leisure. At certain times, many of these areas were largely off-limits to westerners. The collection is being dispersed across the two sales without reserves.

Detail from a lot of 61 mint sheets of North Korean stamps issued between 1948-1950 to mark the anniversary of its liberation from Japan, estimated at £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400). Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions
Detail from a lot of 61 mint sheets of North Korean stamps issued between 1948-1950 to mark the anniversary of its liberation from Japan, estimated at £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400). Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

Part two, taking place on July 19, again features a large number of stamps and items of postal history relating to North Korea. A lot of particular interest will be a series of mint sheets of stamps issued in North Korea from 1948-50 to mark the anniversary of liberation from Japan. Collectively these stamps, a total of 61 sheets in five different designs, have a catalog value of more than £80,000 (about $104,600). They are offered as a single lot with an estimate of £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400).

Detail from a lot of 61 mint sheets of North Korean stamps issued between 1948-1950 to mark the anniversary of its liberation from Japan, estimated at £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400). Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions
Detail from a lot of 61 mint sheets of North Korean stamps issued between 1948-1950 to mark the anniversary of its liberation from Japan, estimated at £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400). Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

Director Matthew Caddick said, “This superb collection boasts some extremely rare lots. In relation to the Korean stamps in particular, the collection represents both a quantity and quality that’s seldom seen on offer all in one place.” The sale has been cataloged with specialist sale-partner Argyll Etkin of Wardour Street, London.

Other rare material from Asian territories includes a comprehensive collection of Chinese Tuva mint stamps issued between 1926-43 and an archive of military covers from Russian Vladivostok. A postcard of the city of Chita, sent to the UK from the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1912, is an individual highlight. Postmarked 263 to London, the message reads: “Our train stopped and sat on the line as something happened and we waited there for 4 hours. We are already 8 hours late.”

postage stamps