(wm-pcp) This book about a collection, which – as far as Norway is concerned – is second to none, was also presented for the first time in mid-October in Copenhagen at the HAFNIA 2024. Born in 1948, he discovered his interest in stamps at an early age. He has lived in Bergen since 1968, where he was able to pursue his interests more intensively thanks to a lively philatelic scene. He studied there and had an impressive professional career, while also working as a philatelist, commission agent and auction visitor in many countries. He increasingly focussed his attention on Norway.
The result was a collection that is second to none. He entered the collection for the first time in competition at the FIP exhibition NORWEX 1980 in Oslo. It achieved Vermeil even in its early stages. He continued to develop it and, starting with LONDON 2015 and continuing to LONDON 2022, it won the Grand Gold at three FEPA exhibitions, as well as at three FIP exhibitions. It also won the Grand Prix International at STOCKHOLMIA 2019 and at HUNFILEX 2022 in Budapest, another FIP exhibition. In 2023, she took part in the Championship Class in Essen and Bangkok, where her collection was the runner-up in both events.
His collection focuses on issues from the first Skilling stamp on 1 January 1855 until the introduction of a new ‘crown’ currency on 1 January 1877. For this manageable period, Komnaes collected everything that was absolutely unusual and rare: for example, a first day cover from 1 January 1855, letters with the highest known postage rates and franking, rare types of use and much more. Norway’s first stamp was used in five foreign destinations: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Russia. Such usages are all considered rare; only three to Denmark are known to date, two of which are in this collection. Komnaes placed a great deal of emphasis on documenting higher weight levels, for which he was able to document the highest known for ten countries. Komnaes can also provide evidence for undeliverable letters that have been returned – six such letters with so-called combination franking from foreign countries are known today – but also the development of the changing postal treaties with new postage rates and much more.
The quality of the letter material is impressive, and the collector describes each one knowledgeably. You can feel his 50 years of experience and his intensive handling of these rarities, making this work a helpful catalogue for all questions relevant to postal history: postage rates and their composition, destinations and the known number of these usages, and backgrounds relevant to postal history. It is a unique collection and this work can only be recommended to any collector interested in the philately of Norway.
Short info: size 25.5 x 34 cm, 166 pages, art paper, colour images, hardcover with gold embossing on the title and spine, plus additional dust jacket, selling price: 79 euros plus shipping costs. Available from: Heinrich Köhler Auktionshaus GmbH & Co. KG, Hasengartenstraße 25, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany, FON +49 (0) 611 34 14 90, E-Mail: info@heinrich-koehler.de
Translated with DeepL (www.deepl.com)
