British Commonwealth: Two-Volume New Imperial

A lovely collection in two well-filled green New Imperial albums, with over 7,000 mint stamps and a further 1000+ used, with condition generally exemplary, the colours bright and hardly any faults even in the 19th century issues, the earliest classics generally being avoided by this collector. This is intact as received and stated to catalogue £72,000 (2006), which does not account for the never hinged here which includes frequent high values only mounted on selvage, a good range of Newfoundland, Falklands Centenary issue to 1/-, etc. Besides which we have noted better varieties not counted in the owner's cataloguing: Brunei 1929 5cts orange-yellow showing U-L value tablet retouch with distinctive thin 'c' (SG.66a, cat. £325), Malta 1922 2/- showing 'break in lines below left scroll' (SG.103e, cat. £400), elusive 'broken frame and crown' varieties on the 1905 25cts and 50cts of Straits Settlements (SG.133a, cat. £750; SG.135a cat. £750), as well as British East Africa 1897 2½d surcharge missing fraction bar unlisted in SG. Another extra-catalogue item is a charming and most probably unique 1922 Barbados 1/- with designer Mrs. G. W. Goodman's initials in lower selvage and petulant inscription 'this is my design spoilt ' (De La Rue had reduced the naturalism of her original essay, in particular declining to include the flying fish - see photo online). This collection is a delight to view and there will no doubt be more for the keen-eyed to discover.