Pressrelease June 2021

High-quality philatelic material still in vogue: Corinphila auction in Zurich notable for strong participation and high demand (7-12 June 2021)

The third Corinphila auction series since the beginning of the Corona pandemic was held under good omens. During the days from 7 to 12 June 2021, room bidders were again admitted and many Swiss customers took the opportunity to attend the auction in person. The Corinphila team had taken all the necessary precautions and made it possible for their customers to be present in the auction room. During the auctions, especially on Friday and Saturday - the Swiss bidding days - happy collectors could be seen who were delighted to see each other again after a long time, to have personal contact with the Corinphila team and to have various (philatelic) conversations.

The focus was on the outstanding range of top international philatelic material in the Corinphila auction series 265 to 273. Already from the first day of the auction week, bidding participation emerged that hardly anyone would have thought possible. In addition to an overwhelming number of written bids, one could only marvel at the number, the commitment and the willingness to buy of the online bidders. Thus, "online live bidding" was the decisive factor in the success of an auction series that was exceptional in a number of ways.

Remarkable developments and continuing trends

The continuing strong demand for rare and valuable classic stamp issues was again confirmed across the various collecting areas from Switzerland to Europe and the whole world. The high-quality material in the total of nine catalogues was notable for impressive price increases and top hammer prices for the rare and sought-after lots.

A representative example was the "Besançon" collection with the third part: "Great Britain 1840-1910", which increased by 68% from a CHF 312,000 estimate to a total of over CHF 525,000. The top item was the unused £1 brown-lilac from the collection of King Carol II, which was knocked down at 40,000 CHF (estimate: 20,000 CHF). The total hammer price of the "South America - Maritime Postal History 1606-1886" collection of Everaldo Santos was similarly impressive, increasing by almost 60% from CHF 466,000 to CHF 740,000. The "Ing. Pietro Provera" collection achieved an increase of 57% from an estimate of CHF 385,000 (total hammer price: CHF 604,000). Jack Luder’s "Switzerland Classics" collection increased from a starting price of CHF 252,000 to a hammer price of CHF 475,000, an increase of some 88%.

In addition, the lots in the other special catalogues, including the "ERIVAN - Austria & Lombardy-Venetia" and "Besançon - British West Indies (Part 2)" collections were in great demand.  The material in the main catalogue, which offered a wide range of major and minor rarities, was also notable across the board. In particular, lots with prominent provenances were in high demand and caused many a heated bidding “battle”.

"Online Live Bidding" indispensable!

Regarding the willingness to "go all out" for the selected lots, a look at the online bidders is revealing. The number of participants alone speaks volumes: compared to the pre-pandemic auctions, more than twice as many customers were active via the online live bidding system. A total of 710 bidders were bidding against the room, the auction agents, telephone bidders and written bids. Added to this was the limit requested by the online participants. This was 17 million CHF, which theoretically would have been available if the bids had been successful. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned here that the online bidders were sometimes at a disadvantage compared to the commission agents, room and telephone bidders as well as the written bids.

These figures show in an impressive way the enthusiasm of customers and their willingness to invest in high-quality philatelic material. Consignors considering selling their collections benefit by choosing an auction house that includes the enormous potential demand of online live bidders.

The complete list of prices realised is available online at www.corinphila.ch.

The next Corinphila auction series will be held in Zurich from 22 to 27 November 2021 (closing date for consignments 15 September 2021). Further information at: Corinphila Auktionen AG, Wiesenstrasse 8, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland Tel. + 41 (0)44 389 9191, Fax + 41 (0)44 389 9195, Email: info@corinphila.ch, Internet: www.corinphila.ch