North Borneo stamps in Rome? That doesn't sound right at all. I don't recall many Italian sellers selling British Borneo materials, neither in ebay nor elsewhere. So my main target to Rome was simply to eat authentic Italian spaghetti, attending the Pope's mass and to admire the artistic masterpieces of the likes of Michaelangelo, Raphael, Bernini etc. Stamps came tenth in my to-do list.

Nevertheless I did manage to find a philatelic shop in the middle of the bustling city of Rome. Who would have tought that the shop was just a stone throw away from the hotel where I stayed. I went inside the shop, trying to pick up any hint suggesting the presence of rare philatelic gems hidden somewhere in the mountainous stamp albums. I was duly greeted by the shopkeeper with "buongiorno", an Italian formal way of saying hello. I wanted to ask him about North Borneo or even Malaya stamps, but because there wasn't anything in the shop suggesting non-Italian items, I started with a very broad question - "Do you have stamps from the British Commonwealth?" He gave me a blunt "No". "What about British stamps?" I asked again "No, we don't have that either...".

So yeah, no luck in Rome. I went to several other smaller shops but the answers were practically the same. "No!". I didn't stay long in Rome, perhaps if I had a longer stay I might, with luck, find  some stamps r covers from British Borneo. I remember buying two covers of North Borneo BMA stamps from an Italian seller long time ago but that was it..

Because Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, everyhing you expect a country should possess can be found without difficulty in this 0.44 km² area. This includes its two post offices; and the philatelic museum located in the bigger museo vaticani. I knew nothing about the Vatican philately but a visit there was quite interesting because you get to see the Pope's picture everywhere in the coins and in the stamps and the tendency to depict religious-related design (Angels, cross, Saints etc). Many of the older Vatican stamps are engraved which give that nice classical feeling and high aesthetical value.

Many pre-1900 covers were also shown but because I don't have the knowledge of the Papal states philately I didn't get to appreciate their values and beauties. Perhaps they are as rare as the older cover we have in North Borneo such as those with Gantian postmark, Silam, the early entire and the early Labuan covers. Here are some of the exhibited items in the museum:

I saw this cover/document listed in  ebay several days back. It thought it's a very nice historical document pertaining to the change of status of North Borneo from British Protectorate to a Crown Colony. Along with the declaration of His Majesty King George is a black and white portrait of their Majesties. Apart from the main issue of status change, his majesty also acknowleged the post-war effects (which was essentially the primary factor for the change in status), and finally an announcement about Labuan island as being part of North Borneo.

So what does it mean to be a Crown Colony rather than a British Protectorate? Well, after the WWII, the British North Borneo Company became virtually paralysed financially. The destruction of the towns and infrastucture was so great that the Chartered Company was unable to reconstruct North Borneo. Sandakan as a capital was totally wiped out such that Jesselton was chosen as the new capital. That's when the Company decided to sell its interests to the British government, and in doing so, afforded North Borneo a Crown status on July 15, 1946. Protectorate simply means that the British government is protecting North Borneo both diplomatically and militarily, but the administration remained entirely in the hands of the Chartered Company. So when North Borneo became the Crown Colony, the British government not only controlled the administration but also safeguard North Borneo interests.

The cover/document ended with an expected final price of US$355.50. It is franked with various North Borneo and Sarawak BMA stamps and tied with Jesselton cds dated 15 JY 46. There are also translations of the proclamation in Malay and Chinese according to the seller.

Silamstar noticed this lot in ebay and everyone starts asking why would these common CTO stamps ended with a very high final price? About a year ago, I sold the exact same copies of stamps (CTOs) and I got US$18 for both. I thought that was pretty ok until I see this one. Perhaps Anthony was right, while North Borneo stamps are getting more expensive in the current market, those who have started collecting long time ago will be rich if they start selling their stamps now. Are North Borneo stamps on the rise?

It was only a few months back that we were discussing about the Saumarez cover, and now here it is appearing with all its glory! It is of course a great pleasure to see one of the philatelic treasures of North Borneo/Labuan - the coveted De Saumarez cover! Until recently, very few people have heard about the cover save the experts from the SSS; and fewer still, have ever set eyes on the cover with all its colour and luminosity. This cover is, of course, the earliest known cover from the island of Labuan, being posted in July 13, 1864. This makes the cover comparable to the three early covers from Labuan, known as the Stafford covers, all of which were sent in 1864 as well.

This stampless De Saumarez cover was carried by private ship to Singapore, showing two impressions of red-ink "LABUAN" double-ring cds (Proud's D1) along with boxed "SINGAPORE/SHIP LETTER/1864 AG 4/BG ____" with manuscript of "2as" indicating that 2 annas was charged in Singapore on arrival. If I'm not mistaken, Aug 4, 1864 is the arrival date in Singapore. According to the auctionner, an endorsement on the inside flap reads "72 dollars being charged for bringing the store which came by the 'Rainbow' from the beach to the store close by? - Ask Major Elphinstone to show you the Labuan agents abstract for June".

From  1861-1867 the Straits Settlement (incl. Singapore) was administered by the Burma circle, whereby according to the Indian Post Office Act (1837), letters carried by a private ship is to be stamped with black-inked box that reads "SHIP LETTER BEARING___". This is in contrast to the 3 Stafford covers where stamps from India and Hong Kong were used, the former being supplied in Singapore. One of the covers is franked with Indian stamps ammounting to 8As.

Completely refurbished in 2010 providing a multi-level retail space, stamp collectors now enjoy a fully interactive service, with dedicated display areas, the world renowned specialist stamp counter, internet pod, and multi-purpose meeting room for the  bi-annual public auctions and investment consultations. The display area places some of most interesting collections, divided into British section and the Commonwealth section.

On my visit, there are several materials from British Borneo being displayed such as the Brunei Japanese occupation stamp, a complete sheet of Labuan overprinted with 2 cents, Sabah stamps and some Sarawak stamps. There are also many stamps from the Malaya and states, and of course other British Commonwealth countries. Because many of the collections are sold for a high price (as usual), I didn't buy anything from the shop. Visiting the shop is like visiting a philatelic museum for British stamps and British Commonwealth. With a stock ammounting to more than 3 million stamps from mixed packets and kiloware, Stanley Gibbons is definetely a place to go for a serious stamp hunting.

Overall a visit to the shop is rewarding. Stanley Gibbons shop is like an institution for stamps, unlike many of the traditional stamps shops elsewhere. For serious stamp collectors, this is certainly the best place to be. You always get something from the shop. For me, I would rather go to a more less well known stamp shop, the one usually located at the back alley with floors literally flooded with boxes of stamps.

Labuan stamps on cover remain elusive among the British Borneo philatelic collection. The early covers from this region are very scarce that to see some example of their usage would be a priviledge. The cover above shows the early usage of such stamp. In this example, the cover is franked with 6c. on 16c. stamp of 1891-1892 issue. This stamp off cover is priced at  £1800 in Stanley Gibbons.