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Despite difficult financial times the lure of quality philatelic material was enough to bring in a record number of buyers to the Stanley Gibbons bi-annual auction held on 19th June, resulting in some fantastic realisations.

The auction was what we call a ‘double header’, consisting of two separate auctions: British Commonwealth and Foreign material being sold in the morning session and Great Britain material featuring in the afternoon session.

Nearly 1500 lots were auctioned on the day covering rare and not-so-rare stamps, First Day Covers (FDC’s), errors and varieties, collections and postal history.

In the Great Britain auction King George V, King Edward VIII and King George VI booklets were very popular with all lots sold and over 80% of lots achieving more than the catalogue estimates.

A collection housed in a two-volume New Imperial Album sold in the British Commonwealth and Foreign auction for a combined price of £50,000 and a rare positional block of six 8d purple-browns realised £40,500.

Collections also proved popular, with a third selling over estimate and 15% achieving more than double their pre-auction estimates. Lot 389, a Malayan 1c colour trial in grey-green and black (SG 139), did exceptionally well; estimated at £150-170, the item sold on the day for nearly four times estimate at £600.

The two auctions combined achieved impressive results with 35% of lots sold exceeding estimate.

As alternative investments receive more and more attention from learned investors, stamps, inevitably, have come to the forefront of investors' minds, with interest fuelled by the long-term stability of the market, the solid worldwide collector base upon which it is founded and the fact that stamps offer a portability superior to any other tangible investment.

Selling at auction is just one of the exit options available to investors with a Stanley Gibbons Guaranteed Minimum Return Contract. These contracts offer guaranteed returns of up to 5% p.a. and an unlimited upside. The results of this auction suggests that the guaranteed return may be the last thing on an investor’s mind as collectors are clearly paying big prices for top end material; positive signs that the rare stamp market is holding its own despite shakes in the wider financial markets.

Exciting times lay ahead for the stamp market. Those who invest in quality items today can hope to see excellent returns over the next ten years as classic stock becomes increasingly hard to find – even ‘mature’ i.e. worn, examples are attracting keen bidding.

It is for these reasons that investors should seriously consider diversifying into the rare stamps and collectibles market.

Stanley Gibbons offer a range of investment products that are carefully tailored to enable collectors and investors to make healthy returns in the investment market regardless of knowledge, experience or funds:

Guaranteed Minimum Return Contracts
This is possibly the only rare collectibles' investment in the world that guarantees you a minimum 15% gain over the next 5 years or 50% over 10 years and the upside is unlimited should the market continue to progress well.

Active Management Investment Portfolios
Our Active Management Portfolios provide absolute flexibility to buy and sell when you want to maximise profits from your investment.

Capital Protection Growth Plan
The Capital Protected Growth Plan provides the lowest trading spread available in any of our investment products. The lower trading spread gives you the opportunity for higher returns.

Auctions are just one way that investors can maximise returns and the results from the recent auction prove that the market is stronger than ever and a worthy contender in the world of alternative investment.

(All prices quoted exclude buyer’s premium)