1927 De Pinedo Air Mail 60c. black, S.G.163,

It had always been accepted that only two blocks of four survived from the issue of 300 stamps. This block was purchased by Cyril Harmer from the Caroline Prentice Cromwell collection. The other block was owned by Dr Matjeka whose collection was sold by auction in 1979 and 1980. Sometime after that Dr Matjeka's block was divided into singles. This leaves the Cromwell-Harmer-Steinberg block as the sole survivor.

It ranks as the most important of all Newfoundland and World Airmail blocks. It is among the rarest 20th Century British Empire blocks and the very rarest of any Italian Airmail blocks – the latter by association as the intrepid Marchese Francesco de Pinedo is among the most famous of all pioneer aviators and certainly so from the elite group of Italians who took to the skies.

PROVENANCE
Caroline Prentice Cromwell
Cyril H.C. Harmer, February 2002