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Auction: 24026 - British Guiana Part 1 - The Simon Greenwood Collection
Lot: 47

British Guiana
1850-51 "Cottonreels"
The unique and iconic 1851 "Cottonreel" cover
One of the Greatest Gems of Worldwide Philately
The "Weill Cover", One of the Great Gems of Worldwide Philately
2c. black on rose Type B, a magnificent vertical pair, initialled "E.D.W." on 1851 (26 Nov.) entire letter to "Edward Gordon Esq., Plant. Good Hope", cancelled by "demerara" double-arc d.s.. The pair is of excellent colour for this stamp and cut square with good to large margins on three sides, close at left with frameline of lower stamp just impinged upon. As is inevitable for any old domestic letter of this colony, there is slight age staining.

Ten examples of the 2c black on rose are known, including four single stamps off cover and three pairs on cover. However, only six examples, on cover or off cover, are available to collectors, as the remaining four include one pair on cover in the Royal Philatelic Collection, and two single examples off cover - one in the British Library in London, and the other in the Post and Telecommunications Museum in Bonn, Germany.

Of the three pairs recorded, the other two are not in the outstanding state of preservation of the pair on the "Weill Cover", as one is extensively repaired - in the Royal Philatelic collection, and the other, on the "Miss Rose" entire letter, is cut round and with parts of the frame line missing.

The finest known of the three pairs on cover, and therefore it can uncategorically be stated that the "Weill Cover" is "sans parell" in terms of quality. With the exception of this pair, the other eight surviving examples are cut round, and as a result, this is unique. It exhibits the rarest value of the "Cotton Reels" and is, undoubtedly, together with the unique "Cotton Reel" combination franking, one of the two most important covers of British Guiana. One of the top three covers of the British Empire, as well as an extraordinary rarity of philately in general, which must be ranked as one of the top fifteen philatelic gems of the world. S.G. 1, £650,000 off cover for cut round; unpriced for cut square. Photo

Note:

The 2-cent was issued to cover the local letter rate for Georgetown's Penny Post, a service that proved to be unpopular and saw little use. As a result, no surviving examples of town post usages are known. It is believed that the stamps were printed using four tubes arranged in a straight line, producing a strip of four with each press operation.

This piece is known as the "Weill Cover", a name it acquired due to Raymond H. Weill, one of its previous owners. Raymond H. Weill was a renowned American stamp dealer and philatelic expert, widely considered one of the most influential figures in the stamp-collecting world. Along with his brother Roger Weill, he founded Raymond H. Weill Co., a prestigious stamp dealership based in New Orleans. The firm became famous for dealing in rare and high-value stamps or iconic philatelic gems, such as the British Guiana 1c Magenta and the Mauritius "Post Office" stamps. Their reputation was built on a combination of integrity, deep knowledge of philately, and exceptional service to clients. The prestigious "Weill" name associated with this cover reflects the importance of this philatelic gem.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue values two cut round off-cover stamps at £650,000, while the cut square stamp, due to its great significance and rarity (only recorded on this cover), is unpriced -for rare stamps, Stanley Gibbons may estimate prices based on past trends, but in reality, actual sales could either exceed or fall short of these values-.

provenance:
T.M. Gordon (son of addressee) inherited his father's papers, 1861

E.C. Luard, British Guiana, 1897

Stanley Gibbons, London, 1897 (£650)

Carl Willadt, Pforzheim, 1897

P. Kossack, Berlin, 1897

Baron Otto von Transehe-Roseneck, Russia, 1897 (20,000 marks)

P. Kohl, Chemnitz, 1899

Stanley Gibbons, London, 1900

Philip la Renotière von Ferrary, 1901 (£1,000)

Maurice Burrus, bought in Ferrary sale, 23 June 1921, lot 32 (210,000 francs plus 17½% government tax)

Raymond H. Weill Co., bought in Burrus sale, Robson Lowe, London, 25 November 1963, lot 3 (£25,500)

Mr. P, 1964

Raymond H. Weill Co., 1969

"Great" collection, Robson Lowe, London 26 March 1970 (£75,000)

Raymond H. Weill, 1975 (S.F. 450,000)

Christie's Robson Lowe, rarity sale, Zurich, 22 November 1989

Purchased by Simon Greenwood in the above sale (S.F. 510,000 - £181,000)


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Sold for
£240,000

Starting price
£240000