You will recall that in the notes in the last Bulletin, I wrote that the Walter Grob collection of Scout stamps and covers were being sold by the Rölli auction company of Lucerne, Switzerland.  Their superbly produced catalogue weighing well over one kilo, showed most of the single lots in colour.  As can be imagined with over 200 lots, there were a number of high prices for the best material, and one of the earliest lots sold was a 1918 Czech cover with both the 10 and 20 haleru stamps with the arrival of President Masaryk overprints.  This cover was addressed to Dr Karel Rix, a well known Prague lawyer, who was also the lawyer of Rössler-Ořovský, the Scout President.  Unfortunately a number of items were spoilt having labels attached to the covers which reduced their prices.  I was pleased that I was able to attend the sale where I met some of our fellow Scout collectors and spent some hours viewing the lots.  I was surprised that a postcard with a genuine 1936 Nanking, China cancel had a black photocopy of the official label attached.  However a scarce postcard from the 1920 World Jamboree showing Scouts on a bus with a Jamboree label tied by the Old Deer Park, Richmond Surrey purple cachet went for CHF 650 (approx £448, €515, US$715).  High prices were obtained for the Mafeking covers, and one showing both a 1d Cyclist and 3d Small Head BP stamp made CHF 8500 (£5860, €755, US$ 9375) against an estimate of CHF 800.

Although it has been known for many years that the Kuwait overprints on the 1957 World Jamboree stamps were sent to the country, the Ruler of the territory said on account of the Suez incident he would not allow them to be issued.  This was because of the agreement with certain Arab countries to boycott the 1957 Jamboree, so they were all returned to the UK where they were destroyed except for two sheets of each value, which were kept in the National Postal Museum.  As funds are needed for a new Museum, certain items from the archives have been sold by auction and more recently by private tender, despite many objections from collectors and dealers.  However recently complete sheets of each value of the Kuwait overprints have been sold to a collector who does not intend to break them up and they are to form part of a major display.

Argyll Etkin of London recently sold in auction a registration receipt for a cover sent from the 1936 Mount Edgcumbe Camp which made £200 against an estimate of £100.  All recorded registered covers from this camp were sent by the late George King to himself and attached was the registered label, which unfortunately had very poor glue and in most case became detached.  When I purchased my own cover many years ago the label was missing, but some years later I managed to obtain the missing original label, which I have now fixed securely to the cover.