Public Auction #188 - South Australia

4d ulramarine with '3-PENCE' in Black Surcharge Omitted SG 68c marginal example from the left of the sheet, imperforate at left & with part of the marginal watermark letters, minor separation faults at right & a small defect at upper-right, unused, Cat £27,000. Ex Ernest Brown, Colonel Harry Napier, John Griffiths and Barton Sparrow. RPSofL Certificate (1993). A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a world-class rarity, and one of the Crown Jewels of Australian Colonies philately. [Geoff Kellow questioned if this stamp has blind perfs at left: it doesn't]

The 4d with Surcharge Omitted is the great rarity of South Australia. Only three unused examples - one in the Royal Collection - & ten used examples - four in institutions - have been recorded: see Geoff Kellow's illustrated census in "Sydney Views" (Nov 2011). That leaves only two unused & six used examples potentially available to collectors. This makes it significantly rarer than Western Australia's fabled "Inverted Frame", Cat £85,000. To quote Geoff Kellow: "If the Inverted Frame is Australia's classic & most famous stamp error, then following close behind is the South Australia '3-PENCE' on 4d with the Surcharge Omitted...[which] created the 4d ultramarine Error of Colour."

The last time the only other available unused example was offered at auction was 32 years ago, at the John Boker auction where it sold for £16,000 in April 1981. The last auction offering of a used example was 7œ years ago, when Peter Jaffé's grubby stamp with minor faults sold for $13,225 (current Cat £12,000). By reference to the rarity and importance of this stamp, we could comfortably justify adding a zero to the current estimate.