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Auction: SW1013 - The Collector's Series
Lot: 111

An incredible exhibition collection, elegantly written up on circa 320 pages, extensively researched, including a well-balanced selection of sensational and important rarities, featuring stamps used and unused -also with multiples and complete sheets- and postal history. The collection is devoted to the first issue (circa 300 pages), whereas about 20 pages are dedicated to the second and third issues (only including postal history for these periods), which constitutes an excellent basis for an advanced collection on these issues. A wide array of philatelic aspects are covered, making up a highly comprehensive traditional collection, including plate errors, early printings, shades, large multiples, exceptional frankings, complete sheets, paper varieties, dry embossed seals, rare revenue paper or "papel sellado" franked and carried through the post, covers used twice with different frankings originating from different localities, bisects on cover, rare shades, early and late usages, transatlantic mail, an incredible and wide array of cancellations, etc. Among the highlights, these are the most significant: The two examples recorded of the earliest philatelic usages in Ecuador (two adhesives showing c.d.s. dated 4.1.1865), as well as the earliest cover known sent abroad. (It has been impossible to establish which is the earliest cover carried inland, since some legal wrappers, showing handstamps without date, show early penciled dates which are not possible to confirm with full confidence; the external mail generally exhibit c.d.s.'s and was infrequent). The collection boasts of including the three most celebrated covers of Ecuadorian philately: -Probably the most important item of Ecuadorean philately: a large cloth carried through the post from Riobamba to Quito and franked with 4r. block of 17 (the largest used multiple known of the most important first-issue value), representing the largest recorded franking in the classic period. Ex Longhi. -The famous judicial wrapper bearing a 4r. block of four, undoubtedly the most important highlight in the Bustamante collection. -The 1r. yellow on blued paper in block of six on entire to Lima, which belonged to the famous Caspary collection. This may be considered, as well as the previous item, as two of the five most important items of Ecuador. Other important rarities are stated below (the rare cancellation usages are mentioned later), being classified as it follows into the four values: 1/2r. blue: block of four from the first printing with dry embossed seal (multiples from this printing are very rare), first-printing strip of nine on wrapper, the largest multiple (block of 42) known with the extraordinary "Bath" embossing, four of about ten complete sheets known, one cover and one cover front addressed to transatlantic destinations (the latter shows an extraordinary combination, to our knowledge unique in the first issue, with Italian postage dues), an exceptional cover sent abroad and franked at 1/2r. carried overland to Peru, the extraordinary combination of 1/2r. (2) and 1r. yellow (3) on private external correspondence (to our knowledge unique, one of the top gems of Ecuadorean postal history), "Roland Frérès" watermarks, the largest used multiple of this value (with the added significance of being applied on judicial document carried through the post). 1r. green: one of five unused blocks of four known (the second largest multiple), the earliest dated (2.2.1865) cover known -to our knowledge-, the 1r. green example on quadrillé paper, block of four on wrapper, single bisect on private covers, the largest multiple known (block of 7) containing a bisect usage (it was applied on judicial wrapper), one postal fraud (as far as one can say, unique for this value), several covers exhibiting the largest possible strip of this value, the private correspondence bearing same-denomination 1 real values in different colours green and yellow, the cover sent abroad at double rate and only bearing 1r. green adhesives. 1r. yellow: two bisects on 1r. yellow on private cover (unique), the double-bisect usage (on cover) for any stamp in the first issue, multiples on wrapper featuring dry embossed seals, largest frankings/multiples known for rare bistre or cinnamon shades (early printings), five half-sheets (blocks of 45), unused blocks of 25 and 20 in scarce olive shades, 1r. single and bisect on private cover (as far as one can say, unique), olive shades on covers, used block of 24 (one of the largest used multiples known for any value in the first issue), trial printed on green paper and used on private cover (the only example so far in existence demonstrating the postal usage of a trial in the first issue), 1r. yellow single-franking on private correspondence, an extraordinary franking on judicial wrapper including 1r. yellow and two 1r. green (same denominations in different colours), one of two complete sheets known printed on quadrillé paper, two transatlantic covers and one cover to United States, block of 16 on judicial wrapper, private cover bearing strip of four, one of the very few and visually-impressive Ecuador-France mixed frankings on cover (this having the added significance of bearing 1r. on quadrillé paper, ex Dale-Lichtenstein), unused block of six on quadrillé paper and possessing dry embossed seal, block of 11 on quadrillé paper on wrapper (to our knowledge, the largest used multiple), eight covers franked by the scarce 1r. yellow on bluish paper including one bearing the largest multiple known (mentioned among the three most important covers of Ecuador). 4r. red: the earliest recorded usage on cover, unused blocks of four including one printed on both sides, dry embossed seals, 35 covers/wrappers/cover fronts including single bisect on covers, the famous cover to Cuba bearing a single franking (ex Olgieser), other single frankings sent to Chile (scarce) and Peru, multiples on cover including strips of four and five -and the blocks of four and seventeen, previously stated among the three most important covers of Ecuador-, an extraordinary franking on private correspondence at triple external rate featuring single 4r. and 1r. green pair, rare three-colour frankings (4). Usages: This collection features, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive assembly dedicated to cancellation usages in the first Ecuadorian issue. Several examples are unique or with fewer than five examples recorded. Below we present a list of the significant usages divided into six categories: In manuscript on stamps and/or covers -most of these usages are of high interest as a result of having been applied on early items with first printings. The localities included are: Cuenca, Riobamba, Ambato, Chimbo, Alausí, Portoviejo (unique on cover), Jipijapa, Babahoyo (unique on cover), Esmeraldas, Ibarra, Naranjal, Santa Rosa (unique on cover), Cariamanga (all except one of the covers known), Zaraguro, Zozoranga (also on cover, extremely rare), Tusa, Guaranda, Manta, Píllaro, Naranjal, Tulcán and Manglar Alto. C.d.s.'s on cover (the great majority with repeats): Azogues, Babahoyo, Tulcán, Montecristi, red "Ibarra/Franca" used to tie the franking on cover (extremely rare thus), Esmeraldas, Guano, red "Jipijapa" without date, red "Pujili/Franca", "Plileo/M.C." without date (two items so far known), Patate (unique). C.d.s.'s on stamps: Cayambe, "Vinces/Franca", "Daule/Franca", red "Santa Elena/Franca", (Pre-adhesive) handstamps on cover: hexagon of Ambato, "Pelileo/M.C.", framed "Latacunga", blue "Ibarra/Franca" (probably the only cover known). (Pre-adhesive) handstamps on stamps: Cuenca, "Otavalo/Franca" (on single stamps), Guano (on adhesive), Daule (on adhesive). Mute fancy cancels on cover (including duplicates in some cases): flower of Pelileo, red lozenge of Ibarra on cover, framed "Latacunga", "P.I." of Quito. (Other mute cancels recorded are exhibited in stamps off cover). A small section is dedicated to the second and third issues, featuring postal history with significant items being: two covers sent to a transatlantic destination (a very scarce characteristic in the second issue), large frankings, external mail to Chile and United States (second issue), "De Oficio" framed handstamp used on adhesives on wrapper, and three-colour franking in the third issue. A considerable number of items are accompanied by certificate, with those issued by the renowned expert Brian Moorhouse being by far the most frequent; others include Asociación Filatélica Ecuatoriana and Holcombe. The collection embodies a remarkable number of items which also graced the collections of Funkhouser, Dujmovic, Ayora, Saá, Hubbard, Gebauer, Bustamante, Longhi, Olgieser, Goeggel and Lund. We would like to mention, as a highly valuable feature, that it includes the most consistent part and the majority of items gathered in the famous Longhi and Olgieser collections. This collection, conscientiously formed with discernment, undoubtedly ranks as one of the most important ever formed on the first issue of Ecuador, at the same time being, with all probability, the most significant in existence. Such an amazing assembly would easily require decades of search to be gathered. As not having been exhibited as a whole before, it enables the purchaser to present an unprecedented selection of pages making up a sensational exhibit, deserving of a prestigious international large gold medal status.

Estimate
€350,000