About Us
Ace Stamp Auctions
I began this public auction format in 2008 following an apparent demand for a regular Western Australian based auction that is held on a frequent basis with pre-determined dates and reasonable estimates for all budgets. In addition, collectors were increasingly tired of paying sizable buyers premiums or commissions which increase the hammer price by up to 17.5%!
Meanwhile vendors were looking for a professional auction service which was both friendly and cost effective with a lower vendor commission than those currently offered by both local WA and Eastern States auction houses. Therefore I have begun with a nominal 15% commission rate to encourage an attractive, interesting and varied range of philatelic material.
I endeavour to offer a cross section of material in the sales to interest a variety of collectors. There is both classic material from the Commonwealth countries including Great Britain through to modern Australian errors that have only just been discovered. Attractive early Australian Kangaroos & KGV along with States material is also available. There is always a selection of the ever popular box lots and collections. As usual careful inspection is recommended! I have also included a section of miscellaneous lots to bring some variety to the auction. They have included unusual Cinderellas, model Post Office delivery vans and letterboxes, stickers, phone cards and even golf balls!
I hope as many collectors as possible can attend the sale on the day. This makes for a lively auction and also gives collectors an opportunity to meet. There is an area where stamp clubs are more than welcome to promote their activities too. I have a stand at the venue offering numerous stamps, covers and accessories & publications for direct purchase on both the Saturday viewing and Sunday Auction days.
Part of this exercise is to introduce the auction process to those who may not have participated in this before and hence we are always happy to answer questions on the day and assist where possible. If you have any queries before the event please feel free to call. Likewise any feedback that will assist in improving the service offered is very much welcome.
In concluding I would like to thank those collectors and fellow dealers that continue to encourage me and offer words of wisdom, the vendors that provide such an array of lots, Marc, the IT guru who streamlines the website, & invoice production, friends who assist on the day, which allows me to remove high buyer's premiums and commissions, and finally my wife Christine for her continued patience and support.
Ian Boulton
Like most stamp dealers I began collecting at an early age before doing my first "deal" aged 12 at primary school, which I remember was for a mint 1971 Christmas block of seven, in which I doubled my money and invested in a mixed lot of West Australian postmarks. As they say, "I never looked back", with numerous dealings with fellow collectors, local dealers and even the odd school teacher!
I started the Tresillian Junior Stamp Club here in Perth at 15 and joined the Western Australian Philatelic Council at the same time in a youth role. With much encouragement from the local philatelic fraternity, the club blossomed and I believe it introduced a few more children of the day into the rewards of collecting. In fact one local and very successful Perth real estate agent still collects as a result. 1987 saw the Americas cup hit Perth and with it an opportunity to do some work with the Australia Post Philatelic Department. Needless to say a lot of postmarking and a love/hate relationship with Frama machines!
At the same time I briefly experimented with selling kiloware to the Japanese tourist market until my work force (Grandma and her next door neighbour) felt knitting was more suited to their skills than cutting stamps off 1000's of envelopes from the offices of the local newspaper.
After working on a part time basis for a local stamp dealer whilst studying at university, I went to the London '90 exhibition where I was displaying my Kingsford Smith Airmails collection. It was during this visit that I responded to a job advertisement for a junior auction valuer/describer at Stanley Gibbons in The Strand. Obviously considering my age and limited philatelic background, I never seriously considered the possibility of a job offer but at the least I was hoping to register my interest in working for them one day. Well the one day became the following Monday!
After several long distance phone calls back home to my concerned and disbelieving parents, I began work in the Stanley Gibbons Auction department. The following twelve years saw me rise through the ranks of the Company working in the massive retail shop, the Specialist Great Britain department, managing the Mail Order Department and Business Development Unit and eventually becoming a Board Director in 1999 and Sales Director in 2000. There were many highlights in my time with Stanley Gibbons including an opportunity to work on the Royal Philatelic Collection at St James Palace. In addition I enjoyed traveling and meeting a lot of interesting collectors with a variety of occupations, several of whom became good friends.
However I increasingly became concerned with the direction Stanley Gibbons began to take in the extensive marketing of stamps for investment and this combined with my desire to return home to Perth and Australia with its special quality of life ultimately beckoned and I returned in 2004 with my English wife Christine.
I am now committed to providing an easy to use auction website focusing on a cross section of material for all collectors on all budgets. I can assure you I pay attention to detail and all lots are accurately described with fair estimates providing good value to buyers. I am a proud member of the Philatelic Traders Society (PTS - London) and encourage the ethics they promote. I look forward to receiving your bids and welcome any feedback to further improve our website & auction service.
- Ian Boulton
