LONDON.- July will be a busy month for stamp collectors, Spink London will be holding four stamp sales! On the 12th July, from 10am, collectors will have the opportunity to acquire some rare and fascinating items from the Ronnie Winchester Collection of the Australian State of Victoria registered mail, 1847-76, alongside fine sections of Belgium, Cape of Good Hope rectangular issues with some magnificent items which disappeared from the market years ago, fantastic Griqualand West with fabulous mint blocks, covers, etc.

There is one particular lot from the Ronnie Winchester collection that will capture collectors’ attention when perusing the catalogue. Lot 1022 is an 1858 (11 Aug.) envelope from Eaglehawk to France, bearing Woodblock 6d with Octagonal 1/- vertical pair and singles, all cancelled by crisp Barred Numeral “136”, showing Sandhurst transit d.s. (11.8), oval-framed “PD”, “Crown/REGISTERED” h.s. and Registered London oval d.s. (18.10), all in red, handstruck “d6”, Calais entry d.s., “CHARGE” h.s. and, on reverse, despatch, Melbourne and French transit datestamps; the envelope with four wax seals cut away on reverse. A spectacular and rare franking from a small post office. Lot 1022, estimated: £2,000-2,500

The sale also contains some quality material from the Anglo-Boer War, and lot 1111 is sure to be very popular. It is an envelope (complete with letter) from Benjamin Weil via the northern route rate of 1/- to his wife at Cape Town and showing, on reverse, part Green Point and Bulawayo (14.4) datestamps with On Cape of Good Hope, 3d. on 1d. carmine strip of four, thrice cancelled and tied on 1900 (4 Apr.). The letter contained within declares: “Well I wrote a few days ago a long letter. I regret to say I hear the runners will (not) be able to carry out their commission as the Boers have caught them so I am trying my luck again today”. A fine siege letter from an important survivor, Brian Gardner’s “A Victorian Legend”, describes how Benjamin Weil was in “Mafeking for more than half a year, clothed and supplied the defence force, and organised communications with the outside”. A very interesting item from a very interesting time in history. Lot 1111, estimated: £1,200-1,500

One of the star lots from the sale is lot 1328 and is almost certainly the largest recorded block of Griqualand West, “G” overprints, 4d. blue with outer frame-line. It forms an irregular-shaped wing-margin block of twenty-two and is valued at £10,000 – 12,000. Lot 1328, estimated £10,000 – 12,000