Sparks 56th Auctions Spring 2026 - Stamps & Postal History of the World

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Great Britain

Great Britain Autographs

Great Britain

Lot 64

300.00 CAD

Live

Pre-Confederation Quebec 1856 (April 4), Montreal to Cobourg, folded entire franked with 1854–57 Great Britain 1d red-brown, perforated

Pre-Confederation Quebec 1856 (April 4), Montreal to Cobourg, folded entire franked with 1854–57 Great Britain 1d red-brown, perforated 16, Plate 12, Die II, lettered M-C, tied by target cancel, with Montreal double split-ring despatch c.d.s. and Cobourg arrival backstamp (8 Apr), the adhesive additionally "tied" by a vertical filing fold, fine and most unusual; with 2021 B.P.A. certificate.

Lot 394

1,100.00 CAD

Live

Atlantic Packets, Cunard Line, 1862 (February), "A97" mail boat cancel, cover franked with 6d lilac, tied by good strike of the "A97"

Atlantic Packets, Cunard Line, 1862 (February), "A97" mail boat cancel, cover franked with 6d lilac, tied by good strike of the "A97" barred numeral cancel, used by ocean mail clerks on board the Cunard Line's "Europa", which departed Halifax on February 2, the cover traveling to Tunbridge Wells, England, via Queenstown (17 Feb) and Liverpool (18 Feb), with next-day c.d.s. arrival backstamp, seal cut from reverse, a rare usage.

Great Britain Autographs

Great Britain Pre-philately

Great Britain Autographs

Lot 640

150.00 CAD

Live

1910 (September), Maurice Tétard, pioneer aviator signed postcard, depicting the pilot and his Bristol biplane, signed in violet

1910 (September), Maurice Tétard, pioneer aviator signed postcard, depicting the pilot and his Bristol biplane, signed in violet "Aérodrome de Brooklands Angleterre, September 1910" with his name below, a choice signed early aviation card. Maurice Tétard was a French aviation pioneer and professional exhibition pilot active circa 1909–1911, flying Blériot-type monoplanes in long-distance demonstrations and international aviation displays that helped popularize early powered flight. In 1910 he was active on the British exhibition circuit, including flying meetings at Brooklands, then the principal centre of aviation in Britain, where Continental pilots showcased altitude, endurance, and passenger-carrying flights.

Great Britain Pre-philately

Lot 686

120.00 CAD

Live

1720 (Dec. 20), folded letter from William Stukeley, Grantham to London, struck on reverse with clear Bishop Mark, addressed to Peter Le

1720 (Dec. 20), folded letter from William Stukeley, Grantham to London, struck on reverse with clear Bishop Mark, addressed to Peter Le Neve, Norroy at the Heralds Office, extremely attractive, a very fine better from this famed antiquarian, the first President of the Royal Society of Antiquaries. The enclosed three-page letter from Stukeley, widely regarded as a founding father of modern field archaeology for his later work at Stonehenge, is written from his "Palace" in Grantham. He provides an account of his early Roman investigations, including the discovery of a "brass coyn of M. Aurelius" and his observations of the "great Ermin street". He reflects on the ruins at Belvoir and describes the local landscape as a "fine champaign" far superior to the "filthy streets of London." The recipient, Peter Le Neve, served as the Norroy King of Arms. The letter is further enhanced by a hand-drawn coat of arms within the text.

Lot 687

150.00 CAD

Live

1813 (February 25), War of 1812, blockade-runner mail, London to New York, diverted via Newport, Rhode Island, stampless entire, with

1813 (February 25), War of 1812, blockade-runner mail, London to New York, diverted via Newport, Rhode Island, stampless entire, with commercial contents, privately carried with manuscript vessel directive "p Brutus" at lower left, entered the mails with black circular NEWPT R.I. (15 May) c.d.s., manuscript "53" rate marking on face, slight staining at left and vertical fold, otherwise fine; this letter was carried by the ship Brutus, which avoided the British blockade of New York by landing at Newport, with the mail thereafter despatched overland; the 53-cent rate represents a triple-weight inland fee plus the standard ship fee.

Lot 688

300.00 CAD

Live

1818 (November 7), London to Hartford, Connecticut, transatlantic letter with anti-slavery contents, sent by prominent Scottish

1818 (November 7), London to Hartford, Connecticut, transatlantic letter with anti-slavery contents, sent by prominent Scottish philanthropist and abolitionist Zachary Macaulay to the Rev. T.H. Gallaudet, pioneer of American deaf education, struck with red circular London / Paid (7 Nov) dispatch datestamp, manuscript 4/5 British packet rate paid at the London G.P.O. - a charge so substantial that the issue of postal rates is discussed in the enclosed letter - black manuscript "25" for the American inland rate due on delivery in Hartford, fine-very fine and fresh. Macaulay's five-page letter discusses education for the deaf and provides a firsthand report on the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle, where Macaulay submitted an address to the European sovereigns to declare the slave trade as piracy, a necessary step as Portugal and Spain continued the traffic under their flags despite Britain's formal abolition in 1807. He records the Emperor of Russia's visceral response: "I take shame to myself before God that we should have left this great work unfinished at Vienna... I should be the most ungrateful of men, if I did not labour with all my might to liberate those who groan under a worse oppression." The Emperor pledged to use all his influence to join in this "work of justice and humanity." Beyond global politics, Macaulay mentions his son — likely the future historian Thomas Babington Macaulay - pursuing his studies at Cambridge, and references the cooperative efforts of the Duke of Wellington and Lord Castlereagh in the abolitionist cause.

Great Britain

Lot 690

250.00 CAD

Live

1851 (July 17), maiden voyage of the Inman Line "City of Manchester," stampless folded letter, with commercial contents, struck with "6" in

1851 (July 17), maiden voyage of the Inman Line "City of Manchester," stampless folded letter, with commercial contents, struck with "6" in blue octagon, to Philadelphia, endorsed "per City of Manchester", interior dated July 17, carried on the maiden voyage of the Inman Line "City of Manchester", docketing arrived in Philadelphia on 15 August, very fine and scarce, ex Booth. The Inman Line began by carrying cargo and passengers to Philadelphia. A shift to New York and the Civil War resulted in the US Post Office relying on the company for mail service. Most was carried via American steamship. In 1867, they obtained a British mail contract, though new competition resulted in its gradual decline, and it was eventually taken over by the American Line.

Lot 691

2,500.00 CAD

Live

1852/54, the Sir John Franklin Search Expeditions, balloon-dropped message, on paper, printed on the H.M.S. "Assistance", double-sided, on

1852/54, the Sir John Franklin Search Expeditions, balloon-dropped message, on paper, printed on the H.M.S. "Assistance", double-sided, on front reading "Provisions left in H.M.S. North Star at Beechey Island. / Provisions, House and Steam Launch, at Port Leopold. / Spring Parties searching by Sledges, in the direction of / Jones's Sound and along the North Shore of Melville Island. / H.M.S. Resolute and Steam Tender at Bridport Inlet, Melville / Island. H.M.S. Investigator, found by Resolute at Bank's Land. / Smith's, Whale, and Jones's Sound, have been examined by / Commander Inglefield, in the Screw Steamer Isabel. but no / traces found. Letters from England by her. / W.W. May Lieut. & Commanding Officer. / [H.Briant, Printer H.M.S. Assistance.], and on reverse 'Despatched by a Balloon, from H.M.S. Assistance, / Captain Sir Edward Belcher. / In Winter Quarters Lat 76,51 0 N Long 97.0.0. W. / To Sir John Franklin, June 23, 1853.' Trivial light discoloration, otherwise remarkably fresh. An exceptional rarity. Sir John Franklin had set off to discover the Northwest Passage in May 1845 and vanished into the unknown. Several relief expeditions were despatched in the hope of establishing the fate of the explorers, one method adopted being the message-carrying balloon. Vanessa Histon, in “Publishing and Printing On Board Ship” (Dec. 1985) writes: "oiled silk balloons were filled with hydrogen (made by pouring sulphuric acid onto zinc filings) and to them were attached slow matches, about five feet long. Pieces of coloured paper and silk on which were printed details of the searchers’ position and intended routes, were attached to the matches with thread. As the balloon sailed along and the match burned, the papers were detached, and it was hoped that their bright colours against the whiteness of the snow would attract the attention of any survivor’s of Franklin’s party.” The searches proved fruitless. Franklin had died in June 1847, and the surviving members of the expedition abandoned their ice-locked ships in April 1848, perishing during the overland march that followed. It was later established from the position of their remains that some of the men had traversed the final undiscovered link of the Northwest Passage, achieving the object of their voyage.

Lot 696

300.00 CAD

Live

1867, cover from the H.M.S. Scout, Vancouver, British Columbia, to Monkstown, Ireland, from Midshipman Edward Henry Bayley, franked 7d for

1867, cover from the H.M.S. Scout, Vancouver, British Columbia, to Monkstown, Ireland, from Midshipman Edward Henry Bayley, franked 7d for the 6d Officer's letter with the additional penny for transit via the Panama Canal, carried to Panama via the Pacific Mail Steamship Co., collected by the Tyne in Colon on June 5, transferred in St. Thomas to the Tasmanian on July 1, arriving in Southampton on July 14, despite the hazards of a yellow fever epidemic in St. Thomas, reverse with London (15 Jul), H&K Pact (15 July), and Monkstown (15 July) backstamps, fresh and fine. Captain Edward Henry Bayley, C.B. (1849–1904), entered the Royal Navy in 1863 and rose through the ranks to Captain in 1894, serving with distinction across the Empire. His commands included HMS Mohawk on the Cape Station, where he was wounded during a landing at Dominica in 1893, HMS Pelorus, which he brought to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Review in 1897, and HMS Aurora on the China Station, where he and his men fought ashore during the Boxer Rebellion, for which he was made a Companion of the Bath and awarded Prussia’s Order of the Red Eagle.

Lot 699

80.00 CAD

Live

1874 (December 29), Waterford, Ireland, to Conception Bay, Newfoundland, insufficiently prepaid cover, franked with 2d blue and 1d red (Sc

1874 (December 29), Waterford, Ireland, to Conception Bay, Newfoundland, insufficiently prepaid cover, franked with 2d blue and 1d red (Sc #29 Pl. 5, #33 Pl. 131) tied by Waterford (29 Dec) 445 numeral diamond barred obliterator duplex cancellation, black boxed INSUFFICIENTLY / PREPAID handstamp on arrival, crossed-out blue manuscript "4½" deficiency replaced by bold blue "12" (cents) for the converted rate due from the recipient, Harbour Grace (13 Jan, 1875) transit c.d.s. on front and ST. JOHNS • NEWFOUNDLAND (14 Jan) arrival backstamp, Bank of Ireland embossed seal on reverse, some edge fraying and light stains in places, else fine; an elusive destination.

Lot 706

80.00 CAD

Live

1943 (April 23), censored cover to a British Prisoner of War in Japan, unfranked envelope with multiple Japanese red and violet handstamps,

1943 (April 23), censored cover to a British Prisoner of War in Japan, unfranked envelope with multiple Japanese red and violet handstamps, PC 90 censor tape affixed along the left edge, addressed to a British POW care of the Japanese Red Cross in Tokyo, the soldiers unit suggests he was captured in Java, with return address on back flap, apparently from his wife in Derby, United Kingdom, trivial wear from handling, of superior quality to what is often found, very fine

Lot 809

100.00 CAD

Live

1845 (March 21), Isle of Mull to New York, stampless transatlantic letter with slavery content, from Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland to

1845 (March 21), Isle of Mull to New York, stampless transatlantic letter with slavery content, from Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland to New York, carried by the Cunard steamer Acadia, struck with sharp boxed Tobermory datestamp (21 Mar), prepaid in manuscript “1/-” for the British packet rate, transiting London with red Paid datestamp (3 Apr) and black oval backstamp (4 Apr), blue manuscript “12”, full black wax seal on reverse, quite fresh and very fine. A fascinating family and ecclesiastical letter from Mary Macleod to her cousin, the Rev. John Neil Macleod, including forceful commentary on the contemporary controversy surrounding the Free Church of Scotland, condemning the “strife and contention” of the Disruption and questioning acceptance of funds from American slaveholders, asking how they could denounce brethren at home while “resorting to such a place to get Money.”

Lot 816

70.00 CAD

Live

1852 (August 31), Dennistoun, Wood, & Co, forwarded from Brazil, stampless folded letter to New Orleans, datelined Rio de Janeiro, and

1852 (August 31), Dennistoun, Wood, & Co, forwarded from Brazil, stampless folded letter to New Orleans, datelined Rio de Janeiro, and endorsed internally "pr. 'Plato' via New York", franked with 3c Washington, tied by crisp New York c.d.s., reverse with choice strike of oval "FORWARDED BY / DENNISTOUN, WOOD, & CO / NEW-YORK", very fine.

Lot 817

120.00 CAD

Live

1852-1853, four Gold Rush period letters to California via Panama, incoming from Great Britain, from the Gibb Correspondence to San

1852-1853, four Gold Rush period letters to California via Panama, incoming from Great Britain, from the Gibb Correspondence to San Francisco, sent at the height of the Gold Rush, each with route directive identifying a named ship - the Northerner (25 Aug 1852), Tennessee (11 Jan 1853), Columbus (21 May 1853), and Golden Gate (18 Jul 1853), the covers further displaying a range of Glasgow Paid octagonal datestamps, black Paid handstamps, green Liverpool transit diamonds, all with clear strikes, a fine-very fine and interesting quartet, the Tennessee later being wrecked at Tennessee Cove in April 1853, while the Golden Gate was lost to fire in 1862.

Lot 818

90.00 CAD

Live

1853 (February 1), Gibb correspondence cover from Glasgow to San Francisco, stampless folded letter from Wellpark Brewery, carried via

1853 (February 1), Gibb correspondence cover from Glasgow to San Francisco, stampless folded letter from Wellpark Brewery, carried via Panama, struck with bold orange-yellow Glasgow Paid octagonal datestamp (1 Feb) and red Paid transit marking, endorsed “via Panama,” the interior with manuscript arrival docket “Recd p Str California 25 Mar / 53,” some typical light wear, otherwise fine-very fine. An interesting Gold Rush period commercial letter, the contents lamenting the “severe loss” occasioned by the detention of the Hindostan at Valparaiso and seeking details of that prolonged delay, while further instructing their San Francisco agents to realise the “best price attainable” for consignments of bottled liquor and strong ale owing to the depressed local market.

Great Britain

Great Britain Picture postcards

Lot 832

200.00 CAD

Live

1870s (circa), "The Rare Pony Express Stamp", stamp art Christmas card, from the firm of H. H. & Co, with an interpretation of the

1870s (circa), "The Rare Pony Express Stamp", stamp art Christmas card, from the firm of H. H. & Co, with an interpretation of the famed "Horse and Rider" Pony Express issue, partially illustrated in red ink, with the balance of the designed fashioned from a cut-out Great Britain 1d red, printed "The Rare Pony Express Stamp" / "Wishing you / A Merry Christmas / and A happy New York", some light edge wear, a charming card.

Great Britain

Great Britain Picture postcards

Lot 838

300.00 CAD

Live

1916 (December 22), wreck of the steamer Athos, torpedoed by U-boat, cover from Yokohama to Bordeaux, France, with corner card of The Abe

1916 (December 22), wreck of the steamer Athos, torpedoed by U-boat, cover from Yokohama to Bordeaux, France, with corner card of The Abe Shoten, showing severe water staining, salt encrustation, and deterioration from prolonged sea immersion, the reverse extensively reconstructed with six strips of official brown French Postes et Télégraphes salvage sealing tape citing Art. 483, manuscript “Accident en mer” on reverse, with partial violet circular cachet beneath the repairs, an extraordinary maritime disaster survivor. The Athos was torpedoed on 17 February 1917 by German submarine U-65 off Malta while carrying Chinese labourers and other passengers in wartime service to France, the sinking resulting in heavy loss of life. Mail recovered from the wreck is extremely scarce.

Great Britain Picture postcards

Lot 961

Video

500.00 CAD

Live

Great Britain, 1882/1909, collection of more than 400 postcards with squared circle postmarks, including a few geometric cancels, displayed

Great Britain, 1882/1909, collection of more than 400 postcards with squared circle postmarks, including a few geometric cancels, displayed on stock sheets and in an album with basic postmark identifications noted, about a third of the cards loose, accompanied by some useful reference literature, condition mixed in places though better than usually encountered and fine to very fine overall, light tobacco smell, a desirable grouping for the specialist and a ready-made dealer stock for resale.