Knockaloe Stamps up for Auction

A number of extremely rare Knockaloe Camp postage stamps are coming up for auction later this month.

The Stanley Gibbons sale has six Knockaloe stamps up for auction. Five of the stamps are used and have been marked with a Knocklaoe cancellation stamp, they are being sold as two pairs (lots 1092 and 1093) and a single stamp (lot 1094). Estimates suggest the single stamp may make in the region of £500-£600 while the pairs can expect to sell for £1200-£1500.

The remaining stamp (lot 1901) is even more unique in that it is unmarked, it comes with a guide price of £1200-£1400.
 

Examples of these stamps are few and far between, in fact the used stamps in the sale make up five of only eight known to exist in private ownership and were only discovered in 1982 by the daughter of a camp guard. Unmarked stamps are equally rare with this example, found in Spain in 1982, being the only one of its kind held in private ownership. The only other known collection of unmarked stamps is a sheet of 21 held by Manx National Heritage.

The stamps are produced on ungummed paper with red ink and depict a series of camp huts behind barbed wire with the three legs of Man in each corner. Designed and produced within the camp the stamps were not used for general post which was provided free of charge to internees and prisoners of war. Instead the stamps were for internal, enabling the internees to correspond with friend and associates in Knockaloe's various sub camps and compounds.

Alongside the stamps, a number of other items relating to Knocklaoe are up for auction in the sale. The lots are predominantly made up of envelopes and postcards along with some other material including camp newspapers and advertisments.

To find out more about the auction lots take a look at the sale catalogue. The sale will be held on 30-31 July 2014 withthe Knockaloe lots going under the hammer during the morning session of the 31 July.