A strip of five 1000 mil stamps from Isreal's Doar Ivri issue will lead David Feldman Auctions' sale of the Belinkoff and Weissenberg Collections on December 1 in Geneva.
 Doar Ivri translates to Hebrew Post, with the country's name not yet decided upon |
The Autumn Auction Series runs from December 1-6, with highlights including Russian Post Offices in the Chinese Empire, The Gary DuBro Collection of Zanzibar Postal History and a section dedicated to Great Britain and the British Commonwealth.
Israel stamps are led by the strip of five from the nation's first issue. Doar Ivri translates to "Hebrew Post", which was used because the name of the nation had not yet been decided when the stamps were issued in 1948.
The definitive stamps were issued in values of 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 50, 250, 500, and 1000 mils, and were printed as either perforated or rouletted variations.
The strip of five 1000 mil stamps is of the perforated variety, and is a fantastic showpiece. Estimated at $25,500, each stamp has 10 perforations with an extra line of perforations at the left.
It boasts selvage tabs at the bottom, which are toned (as is usual for the issue) but is nonetheless in never hinged, very fine condition.
The stamps were designed by Otte Wallish, who was also responsible for the calligraphy and design of Israel's Declaration of Independence, as well as the nation's first coins. The stamps show ancient coins from the first Jewish-Roman war and the Bar Kokhba revolt.
See our fantastic selection of rare stamps for sale.
