Lot
2087 
St. Helena, 1961 Tristan Relief complete, two low values bottom margin singles and top values top margin singles, o.g., never hinged, nicely centered throughout, strong colors, fresh, 9d+7½¢ value with small scissor cut in margin not affecting stamp, a Very Fine set, a rare complete set issued on October 12th and withdrawn from sale a week later on October 19th; each signed Bloch in margin. Scott No. B1-B4. SG No. 172/5 £6,500 ($10,521).
The small island of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic hit the headlines in October 1961 when violent volcanic activity caused the evacuation of the population. The authorities on the neighboring island of St. Helena, some 1,400 miles to the north-east, started a Relief Fund, and a supply of Tristan da Cunha stamps were surcharged "ST. HELENA Tristan Relief" with an amount for the fund. Unfortunately only the Colonial Office in London could authorize new stamps, a fact clearly unknown to the Governor, and the issue was withdrawn. These are among the rarest of modern stamps as only 434 sets were sold.
Realized: $4,750