Auction 321 - 332 Europe & Overseas Great Britain & British Commonwealth - Day 3

The Huntingfield Block 1936 (Sept 29): Edward VIII 2 d. scarlet, wmk. Crown C of A, perf. 13½ x 14, unmounted original gum, prepared for use by the Note Printing Branch of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, engraved by F.D. Manley; the corner block of four from lower right of sheet signed in the margin "H" (Huntingfield) and dated "29/9/36" in ink on the day of Lord Huntingfield's official visit as Governor of Victoria to the Branch, when the new adhesives for Edward VIII were being printed. Later the sheet produced on that day was presented by John Ash to Lord Huntingfield on 23 October 1936. Due to the abdication of Edward VIII on 10 December 1936 the issue was curtailed and the decision was taken to destroy the entire issue. John Ash requested that the sheet be returned (Dec 16), however whilst this was complied with on the following day (Dec 17), six of the stamps had been removed by the Governor and had already been mailed to a friend in England. John Ash, concious of the ramifications of persuing the Governor, quietly let the matter drop. The block of six eventually surfaced in the sale of the collection of Lord Vestey at Spink in London on 16 October 1996. Since then, the buyer has sold a single example from the block (2015) and retained one example for his own collection. The stamps in perfect fresh quality with full unmounted og., a tiny tone spot at base of margin and at far right of the sheet margin, with some small and insignificant marginal wrinkles at base mentioned for full accuracy. A spectacular block of four with no example of this stamp in the Royal Collection of King Charles III and as a multiple entirely unique Brusden White 174E(2) = $ 400'000.rnProvenance: 1936-1954, housed in the collection of the Hon. Samuel 2nd. Baron Vestey; 1954-2014 housed in the collection of the Hon. Samuel George Armstrong, 3rd. Baron Vestey; 11 June 2009 exhibited at the Royal Philatelic Society, London; 2013 exhibited in the Court of Honour at Australia World Stamp Exhibition in Melbourne; 16 Oct 2014 Spink auction of Lord Vestey's Australian Commonwealth collection.