SPINK LONDON | Spink has been honoured with the privilege of handling some exceptional collections in the past, and we are very pleased to add the Derek Diamond collection of New Zealand to the list. On the 6^th July, Spink will be auctioning the first part of his fantastic collection in London. Derek Diamond served as Chairman of the New Zealand Society of Great Britain between 2002 and 2012. We hope that this will be an exciting and eventful sale to honour a man so dedicated to the humble hobby that is philately.    

In his professional life, Derek was Professor of Geography at the London School of Economics and specialised in Town Planning. Following his retirement, he was elected an Honorary Fellow of the LSE and greatly relished the annual dinners for the Honorary Fellows at which he met the great and the good of the academic world. He was an Honorary Vice-President of the Town and Country Planning Association.

He was a man of enormous energy and drive who participated to the full in anything to which he committed himself. Derek was evacuated to New Zealand during the Second World War and during his stay he was introduced to philately when an elderly neighbour gave him a packet of New Zealand stamps which included some 1898's. His interest in the country continued with his stamp collecting and his chief preoccupation was with the 1898 First Pictorial issue of New Zealand. This interest covered all aspects of the issue from essays entered into the design competition to the postal usage of the stamps. The outcome of this interest was the book 'The 1898 Pictorial Issue of New Zealand' which was published to much acclaim in 2014. The book well illustrates both his academic approach to collecting and his belief that everything is a part of a story and that the fun is to be had by elucidating and telling the story to a receptive audience. He also had a sideline collection of the 2d Chalons which is being offered in the present sale.

From the section of 1855-73 Chalon 2d proofs within the sale, comes an exceptional 1855 Blue Paper  2d. blue strip of five with clear to large margins all round, the left-hand two pairs cancelled with complete strikes of the "10" obliterator (Wellington) and the right-hand stamp with a part strike. An exceptional multiple. S.G. 5, £1,500+.

Lot 7, estimated: £1,000 - 1,200

Also amongst the more interesting items is lot 351, a 3d. yellow-brown, compound perf. 11x14 cancelled by part Otahuhu 7 June 1902 datestamp. Not only is it a very fine example, it is also the sole recorded example of a compound perforation on Pirie paper. E9ba, $12,500; S.G. unlisted.  This remarkable stamp was discovered by Colin Hamilton in 1977. It has been suggested that as a note of explanation a sheet of the perf. 11 unwatermarked paper was detected without vertical perforations and put aside, later this single sheet was given its vertical perforations in the new perf. 14 machines then engaged on the 1⁄2d. stamps.

Lot 351, estimated: £5,000-6,000

For more information, please contact David Parsons

Tel: +44 (0)20 7563 4072 | Email: [email protected]

SPINK LONDON | 69 Southampton Row | Blooms bury | London | WC1B 4ET

About Spink

Spink is the world's leading auctioneer of stamps, coins, banknotes, medals, bonds & shares, autographs, books and wine.  Since its foundation in 1666, the Spink name has become synonymous with tradition, experience and integrity. Holder of royal warrants and numerous records for prices achieved at auction, Spink offers an unparalleled range of services to collectors worldwide.  Headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland, Spink holds over 70 auctions a year.  Catalogues can be accessed through the Spink website (www.spink.com) or via the Spink App for iPhone and iPad.