A 1913 £1 Australian "Roo" First Watermark stamp with a rare CA monogram is set to lead Mossgreen Auctions' April 30 sale in Victoria, Australia.
 Roo stamps are highly collectible, and the CA monogram enhances this example's desirability |
The "Roo", or Kangaroo and Map stamps of 1913 are Australia's first proper issue, with the colonies that had previously issued their own stamps uniting under the nomenclature of "Australia" for the first time.
As the first issue, the Roo stamps are highly collectible. There were three watermarks used on the stamps, with the First Watermark issue - sometimes known as the Broad Crown - the most desirable of the three.
The example at auction's selvage bears a CA monogram, which is only found on five mint examples, warranting the $84,257-112,343 estimate. One of the five is housed in the Australia Post Archival Collection, leaving only four available to collectors.
The most recent example of the stamp seen at auction came as part of the Hugh Morgan Collection, which was sold in London in November 2012. Estimated at £30,000-40,000, it made £78,000 ($130,760) - a 95% increase.
The auction is solely dedicated to the impressive Australia collection of Julien Sterling, with a CA monogrammed 10 shilling stamp from the same issue, in mint unhinged condition, expected to bring the second highest bids at $75,895-93,619.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a stunning selection of stamps for sale, including some of the finest from Great Britain and the Commonwealth.
