LONDON.- Spink and Son, as a key sponsor and the official auctioneer of the International World Stamp Exhibition, present the exceptional sale of ‘The “Sentosa” Collection of Straits Settlements, Malayan States, Labuan, North Borneo and Sarawak’. A fine assortment of philatelic items and postal history. Not since the days when Robson Lowe sold Dr. Wood’s Collections of Malaya and Borneo in 1964 and 1965 has such an outstanding collection come onto the open market.

The “Sentosa” collection abounds in essays, proofs, specimens, stamps with many multiples and selected covers. Each Colony and State is well represented by a number of rarities, many of which have not been on the market for 40 or 50 years. The provenance list is extensive, with items from such famous collections as Dr. Wood, Charles Taylor, George Dyer, and in even more recent times, Patrick Cassels, Richard Tompkins and Walter Bickly.

From within the sale, two lots stand out exponentially; lot 260 is an 1892 – 94 “THREE CENTS” on 32c. carmine-rose, an interpanneau L-shaped strip of three, and the upper stamp with surcharge omitted, fresh and fine mint. When Whitfield King Ltd. obtained the double pane with the upper pane without surcharge they attempted to make six interpanneau pairs but this block shows why only five can now exist. All the known pairs are creased in the interpanneau margin. Unique in this format and one of the major rarities of Straits Settlements philately. S. G. Cat £42,000. Estimated: S$40,000-50,000

The sale also boasts an entirely unique item, lot 264 is a “THREE CENTS” on 32c. carmine-rose, an example from the top right corner of the pane with surcharge omitted, centrally cancelled by Singapore c.d.s. on 1895 (31 Dec.) envelope registered to Warwick, showing registration d.s. at left and oval Registered London d.s. (24.1) tying the stamp. This item is the only known used example of this variety. A magnificent exhibition centrepiece and one of the great rarities, not only of the Straits Settlements but also of later Queen Victoria period of the British Empire. S.G. 94a. Estimated: S$60,000-80,000

PROVENANCE: Dr. F.E. Wood, December 1964, Charles Taylor, May 1981

The sale will take place during the prestigious International World Stamp Exhibition on August 16th – 17th 2015, in Singapore. Although one of many Spink sales taking place during the exhibition, it is by no means the least. The Exhibition and all of the Spink sales will be covered live by a dedicated Spink reporter on all of our social media sites and on the New Spink Blog! Estimated to set many new World Records, this sale is not to be missed.