Pictured is auctioneer Richard W<strong>in</strong>terton with the stamp album conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the 1882 £5 Orange, which is now worth thousands A close-up of the 1882 £5 Orange stamp Stamp of Approval! By Richard W<strong>in</strong>terton of Richard W<strong>in</strong>terton Auctioneers ........................................ Well, what do we have here? A stamp… not just any old stamp – it’s a f<strong>in</strong>e example of an 1882 £5 Orange! The highest value pre-decimal stamp ever to be issued, it has been described as potentially the “culm<strong>in</strong>ation of a collect<strong>in</strong>g career” and is regarded by many philatelists as the holy grail of British stamps! What’s more, it’s part of a stunn<strong>in</strong>g album we’re market<strong>in</strong>g on behalf of a <strong>Lichfield</strong> client <strong>in</strong> our two-day F<strong>in</strong>e Arts & Specialist Sale on March 24th-25th. Ours is an endlessly fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g world and we are always <strong>in</strong>trigued to see what curiosities are out there. Come and see us at The <strong>Lichfield</strong> Auction Centre for general valuations every Tuesday from 9.30am-4pm (9am-12 noon for co<strong>in</strong>s, medals and books). You can also get free advice and appraisals for jewellery and watches at The Hub at St Mary’s <strong>in</strong> <strong>Lichfield</strong> city centre every Monday from 9.30am-12.30pm. For free home visits to assess larger items and provide house clearance quotes, please call 01543 251081 or email office@richardw<strong>in</strong>terton.co.uk. In the 1880s, £5 represented approximately one month’s average salary – that’s £2,000 <strong>in</strong> today’s money and, funnily enough, this stamp today is <strong>in</strong>deed worth thousands! Isn’t it crazy to th<strong>in</strong>k that this little bit of paper could command so much? But it just goes to show that you never know what might be out there – or what treasures you might have tucked away <strong>in</strong> a drawer or up <strong>in</strong> the loft. Curiously enough, it is most unlikely that these large £5 stamps were ever used for postage <strong>in</strong> the regular sense. The Inland Revenue act of 1881 cleaned up the system used for collect<strong>in</strong>g duties and <strong>in</strong>troduced new duties. Part of the act made the use of postage stamps as a method of pay<strong>in</strong>g duties – thus a new high value stamp was required tout de suite! It was decided to modify the similar £5 Telegraph stamp, by replac<strong>in</strong>g the word ‘telegraph’ with ‘postage’, and the £5 Orange was first issued <strong>in</strong> March 1882. So the ma<strong>in</strong> use of these stamps was to show that duty had been paid, for <strong>in</strong>ternal account<strong>in</strong>g purposes or even payment of bulk mail – oh yes, junk mail was a th<strong>in</strong>g even <strong>in</strong> the 1880s! But it’s a very large, attractive stamp and highly desirable to collectors, especially those who specialise <strong>in</strong> Great Brita<strong>in</strong> postage. This one features <strong>in</strong> a beautifully compiled album which also displays an 1840 Penny Black and Two Penny Blue, a Two Shill<strong>in</strong>g Brown and an 1867 Five Shill<strong>in</strong>gs. The album as a whole is guided at £4,500 but could fetch far more, especially consider<strong>in</strong>g that the £5 Orange alone is worth thousands of pounds. View<strong>in</strong>g ahead of the March 24th-25th F<strong>in</strong>e Arts & Specialist Sale takes place on Saturday, March 21st from 9.30am until 12 noon; Monday, March 23 from 10am-4pm and on day of sale from 8.30am. We also hold regular Three Day Home & Interior Sales from Tuesday to Thursday featur<strong>in</strong>g everyth<strong>in</strong>g from jewellery, watches, silver, co<strong>in</strong>s, medals and militaria to pictures, toys, books, technology, ceramics, glass, collectables, memorabilia, household furnish<strong>in</strong>gs, electricals, and antique and modern furniture. Our next trio of Three Day Sales take place on <strong>February</strong> 18-20, March 10-12 and March 31-April 2, with view<strong>in</strong>g on the Saturday prior to sale from 9.30am-12noon, the Monday from 9am-4pm and on sale morn<strong>in</strong>gs from 8.30am. You never know what might catch your eye, so come on down and jo<strong>in</strong> us! Visit us onl<strong>in</strong>e at www.richardw<strong>in</strong>terton.co.uk. 20
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