The 129 lots totalled €5.75m, close to the €6m estimate. Over 250 people attended the sale at the Grand Hotel Intercontinental in Paris.
Following in the wake of Sotheby’s and Christie’s, Spink (who pitched for the collection in alliance with Behr, the leading Franch stamp dealer) became the third non-French auction house to gain a license to sell in France earlier this year.
“Although it was uncharted territory for both Spink and French philately, we were expecting something special from the scale of such an important collection, but this has exceeded all expectations" said Olivier Stocker, director of Spink.
"Subject to regulatory approval, we believe we can reproduce this success many times in the future”.
Spink sell in Paris
Spink are hoping to hold more sales in France following the success of their first foray into the French auction world. The November 17 sale of the La Fayette Collection, considered to be among France's most important stamp collections, produced a series of landmark prices, including the €820,000 (plus premium) paid for the 1 franc vermillion, a four-stamp tête-bêche, the most expensive French stamp ever sold at auction.
