At time of writing, today's (January 14, 2010) auction of rare stamps at Spink has not yet concluded, but one or two highlights have come to light already.

One piece which has captured the imagination of bidders demonstrates something of the joy and beauty which stamp collecting can bring. It's a collection of mounted stamps, arranged geographically, spanning a number of countries.

British Solomon Islands stamps from the album

The collection spans seven neat, carefully written up volumes and the sets are in some cases complete, and in good to fine condition. Some of the better represented countries are:

Aden, Ascension, Bermuda, Burma, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gambia, Gibraltar, Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Hong Kong, India, K.U.T., Malaya with Straits Settlements and Trengganu, Malta, Nyasaland, New Guinea, New Zealand, Rhodesia, St. Helena, St. Kitts-Nevis, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Zanzibar.

The album entranced bidders who quickly pushed it out of its £14,000-18,000 estimate range, finally selling for £23,000 (not including premium).

Check back for more news of Spink's auction, or see our exclusive interview with Spink's Dominic Savastono.