Auction of the Philatelic Library of Yves Vertommen
Iconic works in superlative quality
It has been a year since the noted philatelist and philatelic bibliophile, Yves Vertommen (30 July 1957 - 2 July 2024) of Luxembourg (Figure 1) left us; he was just 67.
I first read of Yves in 2013 when I received the just-published Milestones of the Philatelic Literature of the 19th Century by Wolfgang Maassen and Vincent Schouberechts. Many of the beautiful books illustrated in it, especially in the chapter ‘20th century philatelic literature’ were from his collection. Over the years, we communicated over emails, the last of which I received on 6 June 2024. The only time I met him was at Stockholmia 2019 (Figure 2).
Yves was a very serious collector of the ‘Médaillons’ stamps of Belgium. And of philatelic literature, of course. Over 40 years, Yves built up a magnificent collection of some 19th but mainly 20th century handbooks. With a discerning eye for quality, Yves paid much emphasis on condition and completeness.
Maison Williame of Brussels
The family entrusted the auction of Yves’ stamps and books to Brussels-based Maison Williame (=House Williame). The firm was founded in 1925 by Ursmar E.G. Williame. In 1995, they took over another renowned company, Maurice Baeten. In recent years, most of the large collections in Belgium have been sold through Williame.
The firm is now run by Williame’s maternal grandson, Pierre Kaiser (1957- ) (Figure 3). Kaiser started his philatelic career in 1975 at the side of his grandfather. Later, he worked with the well-known specialist, Jean Baete. After his grandfather’s death, Kaiser started running the firm, with some help from his father, Jean Kaiser.
Pierre Kaiser is an A.I.E.P. (Association Internationale des Experts en Philatélie) Expert on Belgium and Congo and issues authenticity certificates for its stamps and postal history. He is also a member of many respected philatelic institutions such as the l’Académie Royale de Philatélie de Belgique (The Royal Academy of Philately of Belgium), Académie de Philatélie Européenne (European Academy of Philately), and Club de Monte-Carlo. In recent years, he has let go of all his staff and now labours alone to receive and lot consignments, scan or photograph them, produce his auction catalogues, and all post-auction work like billing and shipments. His sister comes in and helps him twice a week. All auctions are conducted exclusively online on a platform developed in-house.
Auction of the Vertommen Philatelic Estate
Williame auctioned the first part of Yves’ stamps collection on 12 April 2025 (Figure 4). Including fees, it realised a very good €600,000.
His library of philatelic literature came up for sale on 28 June 2025 (Figure 4). Comprising 384 lots, the descriptions were written by the well-known bibliophile and Yves’ long-time friend, Vincent Schouberechts of Meise, near Brussels. There were very few lots containing more than one title; this meant that buyers could choose to bid on lots of their interest without being saddled with surplus books.
I was initially surprised to see the low estimates. When I met him, I specifically raised this issue. Kaiser told me that he generally keeps estimates low to encourage bidder interest.
While not many knew of the sale initially, over time the word spread (I found out from Jan Vellekoop of Netherlands) and Kaiser registered many new clients for bidding online. When the auction began, I noticed about 95 bidders logged in. For most of the sale, that number was more than 50.
The lots in the auction were split under seven parts as follows:
Lots 1-53: Belgium
Lots 54-62: Congo
Lots 63-77: Specialised auction sales from Belgium
Lots 78-190: European countries (in alphabetical order)
Lots 191-307: Foreign countries (in alphabetical order)
Lots 308-353: Miscellaneous (such as fakes and forgeries, bibliography, maritime, etc.)
Lots 354-384: Important name sale catalogues
I will now go about discussing each of these sections. Obviously, I will not be able to cover every lot and will use my own judgement on which ones to talk about. If your favourite work is missing, I apologise in advance!
The realisations I quote are without the buyers’ premium: 20% for European buyers and 16% if the lots were being exported out of the EU.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will use plenty of them. The photos of the books on the shelves were clicked when I was on a holiday and visited Brussels in June 2025. The photos of the individual lots are courtesy the auction house.
Sections 1-3: Belgium, Congo, and Belgium Sales (Lots 1-77)
Starting with the Belgian section, the first lot which reached triple figures was the three-volume Catalogue Willy Balasse des timbres de Belgique et du Congo belge (=Willy Balasse’s catalog of stamps from Belgium and the Belgian Congo). Published by the famous dealer and auctioneer in 1949 (two earlier editions came out in 1935 and 1940), this is the deluxe edition numbered 92/100 (Figure 5; 8th to 10th from left) and realised €150.
The previous lot, which was the ordinary edition from the same year, fetched €50 only (Figure 5; 5th to 7th from left).
Jean-Baptise Moens (1833-1908) of Belgium is considered one of the earliest stamp dealers in the world. While dealing in books was his main business, he may have started selling stamps sometime in the 1850s; the exact date is unknown. From 1862 onwards, he authored and edited numerous catalogues, handbooks, and journals. However, not many know that the real person behind Moens’ writings was his business associate and brother-in-law, Louis Hanciau (1835-1924).
One of the very few works published posthumously under Hanciau’s own name was lot 24: La Poste Belge et ses Diverses Marques Postales 1814-1914 (=The Belgian Post Office and its Various Postal Marks 1814-1914) (1929). This book is still referred to by marco-philatelists and a second edition was published in 1981. Yves’ attractively bound copy in half leather went for €170.
Another lot which seems to have caught bidders’ eyes was Résumé des circulaires des Postes de 1830 à 1867 (=Summary of Post Office Circulars from 1830 to 1867) (Figure 6). This is the second edition in four volumes. Estimated at €50/100 (the first number is the start price and the second the estimated price), the winner took it for €640.
Lot 31 was the star of this section: Collections Patrick Maselis, copie des collections en syllabus; Collections en traditionnelle dont Epaulettes et Médaillons Vol. 1/5, Entiers postaux vol. 1/3, Histoire postale vol. 1, Postes annexes vol. 1/16 (=Patrick Maselis Collections, copies of the syllabus collections; Traditional Collections including Epaulettes and Medallions Vol. 1/5, Postal Stationery Vol. 1/3, Postal History Vol. 1, Postal Annexes Vol. 1/16). Estimated at €100/200, the lot fetched €1,100. No doubt, someone valued this multi-volume work for the wealth of information on Belgian philately and postal history it must contain.
Similarly, in the small section on Congo (Figure 7), it was Maselis’ collection of that country which made the highest realisation of €200.
In the specialised auction catalogues of Belgium, lot 64 was The Finest Collection in the World of Mint, Belgium Epaulette and Medallion Types (Figure 8). This fetched a mind-boggling €480!
Section 4: European Countries (Lots 78-190)
Coming to Europe, lot 90 comprised two books by Gary S. Ryan. The first was The Cancellations of Hungarian Post Offices on the Stamps of Austria (1980). The other was Rarest Mixed Frankings of Hungary (1992) (Figure 9; in blue and brown with ‘R.P.S.L.’ in gold lettering). The former was 220/400 whereas the latter was unnumbered (135 numbered copies were printed). This set went for €130.
The eight paper-back volumes of Austrian Post Offices Abroad by S.D. Tchilinghirian and W.S.E. Stephen plus the revised edition of Part 1 surprised on the upside by bringing in €300 (Figure 10).
Lot 94 was the deluxe edition of Henrik Mouritsen’s bilingual work (Danish and English) Danish Postal History 1875 -1907 (2019). The six volumes were purchased by some lucky buyer for just €320 (Figure 11). When published a few years back, it had cost €499. Weighing more than 10 kg, it comes with its own slipcase.
The first Crawford Medal winner for the most valuable and original contribution to philatelic literature in book form was Hugo Griebert’s The Stamps of Spain 1850 to 1854 (1919). It covers the classic Spanish stamps and includes descriptions of varieties, transfer errors, and obliterations. The copy in this sale was bound in half leather and contains 14 plates (Figure 12; 4th from left). It went for €180.
Recently in the news for having won the 2025 Crawford medal, Tomas Bjäringer and Mårten Sundberg’s Tête-Bêche Rarities from the Oval Issue of Finland (2024) appeared in lot 101. Bound in leather with a slipcase, it is an edition of 112 copies only (Figure 12; the blue book in the middle). Priced at £290 on publication, it sold out quickly. The hammer price of €420 is therefore quite appropriate.
Amongst French books, those by the renowned French postal historians - Michèle Chauvet (Figure 12 right) and Raymond Salles (Figure 13 left; the eight paperback volumes on French maritime) - fetched good prices as usual.
Coming to British books, lot 128 was Léon Dubus’ bilingual work Les Oblitérations de Londres - London Cancellations (1969) (Figure 13; the two maroon books on the left and to the right of the white one). It is not easy to find this, and the buyer was not wrong in bidding €320.
One of the most important works of British philately is Charles Nissen’s The Plating of the Penny Black Postage Stamp of Great Britain 1840 (1922). This Crawford Medal winner includes 40 plates describing the position of each stamp in the 11 plates used to print the world’s first postage stamp. That the work is still very useful can be confirmed by the fact that reprints were made in 1998 and 2008 by Stanley Gibbons; even these sell for hundreds of pounds. Yves’ copy is very attractively bound in two volumes, one containing the text and the other the plates (Figure 14). It deservedly went for €1,200.
Alan W. Robertson’s superb The Maritime Postal History of the British Isles in three volumes along with Colin Tabeart’s Robertson Revisited (1997) went for just €140! Robertson’s work, though almost 70 years old, is much used by postal historians even today. Since Robertson issued this work in parts over years and even sent out regular updates in the form of additional pages to subscribers, ‘complete’ copies are hard to find. Given Yves’ collecting instincts, I am sure his copy is complete. Another point to note is that Tabeart’s update sells for €75-100 in retail. Therefore, the €140 number for this lot is puzzling.
All respectable philatelic libraries contain a copy of one of the most beautifully produced books of all time: The Royal Philatelic Collection (1952) by Sir John Wilson. The full Moroccan leather edition sold for €440. If one considers that it was priced at £63/US$ 180 when published more than 70 years back, this realisation may seem a pittance. But as I have argued in the past, there are just too many copies going around and the book will always remain a ‘dog’!
Lot 158 contained the two volume De Emissie Charlotte de face (1921-1926), De Laatste der Luxemburgse Klassieke. (=The Charlotte de Face Issue (1921-1926), The Last of the Luxembourg Classics) (2022) by Voerman et al. It was published in an edition of just 20 copies. Five copies were numbered I to V (Roman numerals) for the four authors (one of who is my fellow bibliophile, Jan Vellekoop) and the typesetter and was bound by the prestigious Dutch Boekbinderij Phoenix. 15 copies for sale were numbered 6 to 20. The latter were priced at €230, below the cost of production. Yves’ copy went for €260.
A book that always fetches good prices is Swedish Letter Rates to Foreign Destinations 1855-1895 by Billgren et al (1986). It appeared as lot 172 and did not disappoint by going for €420.
Paul Mirabaud and Axel de Reuterskiöld’s path-breaking work on the stamps of Switzerland was published in January 1900 in an edition of 500 copies in three languages: German (150 copies), French (200), and English (150). While Mirabaud, a Paris-based banker, is shown as the first author, it was an open secret even then that the work was of Reuterskiöld. Mirabaud financed the project and spared no expense. Handmade vellum paper was used and the 14 plates of superlative quality were in colour! All three versions were on sale here as lots 179-181 (Figure 15). They went for €1,200, €950, and €1,050 respectively. In recent years, the price of this work has been consistently on the decline and these realisations confirm that trend.
Finally, The Stamps of Turkey by Adolf Passer (1938) is one of the highlights of the philatelic literature of that country (Figure 16). It contains 78 photographic plates, which are often missing. Yves’ two volumes, one with the text and one with the plates, are superbly bound in half-leather. It is no surprise that it fetched an excellent €640.
Section 5: Foreign Countries (Lots 198-307)
The Philatelic Society of London published The Postage Stamps, Envelopes, Wrappers, Post Cards and Telegraph Stamps of The British Colonies, Possessions and Protectorates of Africa between 1895 and 1906. With 52 plates (one of Mauritius being in colour), the copy here (Figure 17 middle; in brown) is handsomely bound in half leather and was earlier in the collection of another great bibliophile, Herbert Clark. It is difficult to find the three volumes with all their plates intact. No wonder, it got a respectable €360.
Another favourite work of philatelic bibliophiles is a book published by the Geographical Survey of Egypt: A Short Note on the Design and Issue of Postage Stamp prepared by the survey of Egypt for His Highness Husein Emir & Sherif of Mecca & King of Hejaz (1918) (Figure 17 middle; in black). The introductory page and 12 colour plates show the early designs used for the essays and final stamps. Over the years many copies have been vandalised: the plates removed, cut up, and sold as proofs. It was published in an edition of 200 numbered and 100 unnumbered copies. The copy on sale here is likely an unnumbered one. Further, the description stated that the first three pages were disbound. These may have led it to realise a lower-than-usual €620.
The next lot was an important 20th century work: The Postage Stamps of Buenos Aires (1925) by Frank J. Peplow. Ex Manchester Philatelic Society, the copy is numbered 24/100 and bound in full leather; plates IV to VII are reprints. This Crawford medal winner brought in €420.
I noticed the deluxe edition of Brian Peace’s Australian Wreck Mail (1997) for the first time. It is the first edition bound in half leather with a slipcase (Figure 17 middle; to the right of the blue book on Victoria). Since a second updated edition was published in 2013, the lowish number of €95 is perhaps understandable.
With a few exceptions, second editions tend to lower prices of first editions since the information contained in the latter are superseded making them less useful to philatelists. I have written about it in the past giving the example of Moubray and Moubray’s British Letter Mail to Overseas Destinations. This book is the only one to have won the Crawford medal for its first and second editions!
George S.F. Naiper’s The Stamps of the First Issue of Brazil (1923), another Crawford medal winner, usually goes for healthy prices. The copy on sale here (Figure 17 right), number 194/200, was hammered for €460.
History of Postal Cancellation of China by Paul Ke-Shing Chang (1989-1995) in 10 volumes (Figure 18) went for €750, a realisation right on the mark.
Peter A.S. Smith’s Egypt Stamps & Postal History (1999) caught my eye (Figure 19 middle). Widely considered as the ‘bible’ of Egyptian philately and postal history, this is the deluxe edition bound in leather. Only 25 autographed copies were produced and this is number 15. Some fortunate buyer snagged it for €300.
Books on the United States followed. R.H. White’s Encyclopedia of the Colors of United States Postage Stamps (Figure 20 middle) in four volumes is generally sought after and retails for about US$ 300-500. However, here it went for just €120.
Philip Cockrill’s works on Liberia and Ethiopia had better luck and saw €240 (Figure 20 middle). These very limited editions are beautifully bound in leather and will surely enhance the buyer’s bookshelf.
F.W. Webb’s Hong Kong and the Treaty Ports of China & Japan (1961) is a must-have for every Hong Kong collector. It is always in demand and retails for US$ 300-500. It sold for €190 (Figure 20 right; in red cloth). My article on this fantastic work can be read online.
One of the most iconic books of Indian philately is the rare The Postage and Telegraph Stamps of British India by L.L.R. Hausburg et al (1907). Here, it was accompanied by the 1916 and 1922 supplements. Bound in half leather (Figure 20 right; in black), it went for just €420.
The Half-Anna Lithographed Stamps of India 1854-1855 by E.A. Smythies and D.N. Martin (1928) is another rare and eminently useful book. It is usually seen bound in the blue cloth-covered boards supplied by its publisher, the Philatelic Society of India. If someone put a gun to my head and asked me to point out the single best monograph on Indian philately, I would select this path-breaking work. I am always surprised as to how it did not win the Crawford. It was hammered for a very respectable €440 (Figure 20 extreme right).
Some of the most beautiful and valuable pieces of philatelic literature are on Japanese stamps.
Lots 254-57 (Figure 21 left) were four famous works by Dr. Soichi Ichida, regarded as one of Japan’s greatest philatelists. In order, they were:
The Cherry Blossom Issues of Japan 1872-76 (1965 first edition)
Sumiroku (The Six Sen Violet Brown Native Paper of 1874) (1968)
Aoichi (One Sen Blue Native Paper 1872-73) (1969), and
The Dragon Stamps of Japan 1871-72 (1965 and 1971 editions)
They went for €80, €180, €150, and €110 respectively.
A. M. Tracy Woodward’s The Postage Stamps of Japan and Dependencies (1928) is often considered as the most valuable piece of philatelic literature in the world. Numbered 58 of an edition of 100, this lavishly produced two-volume work was hammered for €4,600; it’s start and estimate were a realistic €1,500 and €3,000 respectively (Figure 21). If the original wooden slipcase were not missing, it may have fetched some more.
The immediately preceding lot was the uber rare Plates of the Stamps of Japan 1871-6, One Hundred and Nine Sheets Reproduced in Collotype (1910) by Frank J. Peplow (he also authored the Buenos Aires work mentioned earlier). Available by subscription only, it was published in an edition of just 25 copies. The copy on sale is ex-Collectors Club of New York and its blue rubber stamp is somewhat distracting and degrading (Figure 22). Further, a digital edition was brought out by the American Philatelic Research Library in July 2011. Despite all this, it went for a very good €3,000.
Since we are talking about digital editions, here are some of my thoughts. The availability of certain works in digital formats, especially long-run journals which are hard to ship and store, depresses their prices. For example, digital copies of The London Philatelist have been available for years now. Earlier this month, a long run (vol. 1-106 bound and 107-120 unbound) came up for sale in Cavendish Auctions. It was described as: “One of the most attractive sets this describer has seen.” Notwithstanding the praise, the 120-year run went for just £360. So, while digital editions democratise information (and I am all for it), they are generally not so good for prices of physical books.
Another reason for long-run journals and large lots containing multiple books not fetching good prices is the ever-increasing shipping costs.
And let us not forget pesky customs duties! Why should knowledge be taxed?
The star of the sale was undoubtedly lot 253: Dai Nippon Teikoku Yūbin Kitte Enkakushi (=A History of the Postage Stamps of the Great Japanese Empire) (1896). It went for a smashing €8,400! Containing 107 specimens of stamps, postcards, and envelopes, this official 1896 production of the Japanese government is housed in a specially made matching golden solander (Figure 23 left). Very apt for such a valuable work! While 300 copies were originally distributed, not many exist in a complete state. Going by recent realisations, this slim book has taken over from the bulky Woodward as the most expensive piece of philatelic literature around. Incidentally, I wrote a very detailed article on this pretty work last year.
Any mention of Mexican bibliography will always have Walter Clarke Bellows’ Campeche: Some Notes on the Most Remarkable Postage Stamp Ever Issued (1909) at or close to the top. The book consists of 103 single-sided printed pages of text and illustrations pasted on handmade blue marbled leaves. An edition of 100 copies, number 18 was on sale here (Figure 25). Ex the famous Swiss collector, Albert A. Kronenberg, it realised €360. By the way, a digital copy of the book is available online.
Lot 277 was nine volumes of The Postage Stamps of New Zealand (1938-2006) edited by Raymond Collins et al. Beginning prior to World War II, the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand has been at it with volume X (covering postal issues from 1995 to 2009) coming out in 2013. After the publication of Volume III, the work won the Crawford medal in 1956. In this sale, all but the first volume had their dust jackets, which is quite unusual (I am not sure if the initial volumes’ jackets are the original or reprints). Further, the latest volume was missing. The lot got a shockingly low €160! I have seen individual volumes priced at €100 or more. Congratulations to the buyer and may I inherit his luck in my own endeavours!
The ‘Zemstvos’ or stamps of rural post offices of Russia are covered in the book Die Postwertzeichen der Russischen Landschaftaemter (=The Postage Stamps of the Russian Regional Offices) by Carl Schmidt (1916). This sale had the work bound in two volumes - almost 800 pages and 102 plates in all (Figure 26). Fittingly, it went for €1,600.
Finally, two books on Uruguay saw decent prices as usual. Lot 301 was A Study of the Stamps of Uruguay by Hugo Griebert (1910) which fetched €150 and lot 303 was The Postage Stamps of Uruguay by Emanuel J. Lee (1931) which went for €200 (Figure 27 middle).
Section 6: Miscellaneous (Lots 308-353)
The miscellaneous section contained books on disinfection, postal stationery, fakes and forgeries, general philatelic works, philatelic bibliography, maritime, and revenues.
Giovanni de Sperati is widely recognised as the most famous stamp forger in the world. The Work of Jean de Sperati (1955) published by the British Philatelic Association fetched a very good €620 (Figure 27 right). On sale were Parts I and II of text and plates as also Part III, which is a booklet of eight pages. The latter is quite often missing when the two main parts are being sold.
Lots 326 and 327 were the set of books published by the auction house Heinrich Köhler in the ‘Edition d’ Or’ (Figure 28) and ‘Edition Spéciale’ (Figure 29) series. Containing exhibits of famous collectors, the first lot was made up of 72 separate books and the second of 26. They were hammered for €1,600 and €640 respectively, i.e. an average of about €25 each. Given that they were individually priced at between €70 and €100 on publication, this is surely a bargain buy.
James van der Linden’s Catalogue des Marques de Passage (1993) along with the supplement (1998) is indispensable for any collector of European postal history. Together, they realised €240 (Figure 30; to the right of the Grand Prix Club Book). These are the numbered limited luxury editions bound in full leather and thus the price is quite justified.
Coming to philatelic bibliography, Costa Rica-based Dr. Manfred Amrhein’s four-volume Philatelic Literature: A History and a Selected Bibliography, 1861 to 1991 (1992-2006) traces the history of philatelic literature from the earliest days (Figure 30 right). A fifth volume should have come out covering countries such as Great Britain, United States, and India. Unfortunately, Dr. Amrhein passed away in 2018 and the work will never be complete. I was surprised to see this scarce set sell for just €220; it usually goes for double or more.
I was gratified when Edward D. Bacon’s Catalogue of the Philatelic Library of the Earl of Crawford (1911) sold for €340 (Figure 31 left). This is the edition published by the Philatelic Literature Society and well bound with a slipcase. Though a digital version of this is available for free on the Global Philatelic Library’s website, the realisation shows that there are still some people around who like the touch and smell of paper.
Lot 343 was the bilingual Les Jalons de la Littérature Philatélique au XIXème siècle - Milestones of the Philatelic Literature of the 19th Century by Wolfgang Maassen and Vincent Schouberechts (2013) (Figure 32). Breathtakingly beautiful, I credit this book for having started me on my own philatelic bibliographic journey. It sold for only €48, lower than its publication price of €60.
Two lots earlier, the German edition of this work Meilensteine der Philatelistischen Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts by Wolfgang Maassen (2014) had come up (Figure 32). It has no illustrations but has a supplement and person index and was published in an edition of just 30 copies. The one on sale here was 6/30 and went for an excellent €260.
The biggest shock to me was lot 345: The Journal of the Philatelic Literature Society (1908-18). I believe this to be the most complete run of this very important but highly elusive journal. It contains most, but not all, of the supplements (I am still searching for some to make my set complete) and it is in the original unbound condition (Figure 33). Some may not like that but I think it to be a big positive. In my humble opinion, the run is worth €5,000 or more. The hammer of €1,800 was extremely low. Mr. Lucky Buyer, you are so very fortunate! May I know your name?
Meanwhile, the reprint of this work from 2019 (Figure 31; two volumes in blue) sold for €210.
Reprints tend to beat down prices. I suspect that one of the reasons for the horrendous price realised by The Journal may be the existence of its reprint published just a few years back.
Another hyped-up work which disappointed was The Private Ship Letter Stamps of the World (1976-93) (Figure 31 right) by Ringström et al. Comprising four volumes, it realised only €65.
Lot 349 was an incomplete run (issues 1 to 91 only) of Balasse Magazine (1936-51) in 16 volumes. The next lot was a complete run (1 to 289) of the same magazine (1936-86) but in 24 volumes bound in full leather; this was ex-Corneille Soeteman. They realised €340 and a very good €1,300 respectively.
Finally, there came up 12 volumes of supplements to Moens’ Timbre-Poste for the years 1864-67, 1873, 1889, 1893-4, the jubilee issue of 1887, as well as the reprint for the year 1864. Beautifully bound in leather or cloth, this set was hammered for €1,300.
Section 7: Name Sales (354-384)
The deluxe edition (29/50) of John Boker’s sale of old German states, Prussia, and Hanover (Figure 34) held 1985-2000 came as lot 357. This is probably the best collection of this vast area ever assembled. The five volumes in three slipcases are all signed by Boker and was estimated at €150/300. It was one of the few lots which struck the bull’s eye selling for exactly €300.
Catalogues of the Alfred H. Caspary series of auctions are always sought after. Comprising 16 sales held 1955-58, it was on sale here in four volumes (Figure 35 middle). Superbly bound in half-leather, it is arguably better looking than the three-volume house binding of H.R. Harmer in blue, green, and red cloth. Someone agreed and won the lot for a pretty €400.
The next lot was the auction catalogue, Postal Issues of the Western Hemisphere collected by F. De Coppet (Figure 35 middle; to the right of the Caspary catalogues). Frankly, I do not know much about this sale, but if it is from 1893 and if the auctioneer is John W. Scott, I guess it deserves the €360 it got.
I was interested to see what lot 364, the complete set of 14 catalogues from the 1921-25 Ferrari sales, would sell for (Figure 35 right). Not only does it have the ‘Naiper Index’ (index to the sales and prices realised), but it also includes the rare one sheet of Uruguay from the first sale, which was handed out to bidders in the room. Estimated at €500/1000, it went for €1,150.
However, just two lots earlier, the Ferrari sale of 1929 by Luder-Edelmann (the forerunner of the Corinphila auction house) comprising his Greece collection sold for just €140 (Figure 34 middle; next to the Dale catalogues).
Lot 367 comprised the 11 Arthur Hind sale catalogues from 1934-35 (Figure 34 extreme right). Superbly bound in half leather, it went for just €190. The binding alone would cost that much today. My congratulations to whoever bought it so cheap.
Catalogues of the auction of the collection of Josiah Lilly were represented by lots 369 and 377 (Figure 36 left and middle). The former was the house-bound two-volume set while the latter was a private binding of all 10 sales in one volume. While the former was hammered for €110, the latter went for just €36.
The final two lots of the day were two different auction catalogues (Figure 37 shows lot 384) of The Tracy Woodward Collection of Japan. These always fetch decent prices and realisations of €100 and €85 respectively are not surprising.
What Next?
The Vertommen library realised €88,500 including fees. I have no idea what the books would have originally cost Yves, but it is possible that it was much more. Compared to past decades, prices of some of the important pieces of philatelic handbooks have been either steady or have come down. For reasons already discussed (digital editions, shipping costs), prices of journals have been beaten to the floor.
Many of the lots saw good realisations. Especially those containing useful works and/or works beautifully bound (binding is frightfully expensive these days).
Some works went for lowish prices though.
This happens in most auctions. Some items selling for much more than expectations and some for quite less.
What next? 2025 is a year of big supply with the market being flooded with philatelic titles. The sale of the libraries of James Podger (by Corinphila on 4 June) and Yves has already taken place. On 15 November 2025, Heinrich Köhler will conduct the gigantic auction of the ‘Paris’ library of Tomas Bjäringer. This will contain not hundreds but some thousands of titles! A two-day philatelic literature summit has been organised before the auction; a clever move since the crème de la crème of philatelic bibliophiles will be there in person. Bidding may be strong, especially for works of great quality and/or rarity. At the same time, there may be some bargains to be had. Time will tell.
Acknowledgements: Jan Vellekoop and Vincent Schouberechts for going through the draft and useful comments. Feedback can be sent to abbh@hotmail.com.