There are two references in the album confirming that Mr Rhodes commenced his collection in 1889 and there is a very useful record at the rear of the album showing the growth of his collection until it ceased in 1948. His collection grew through the two World Wars and his last count was just over 13,000 in January of 1948 (images below).  Although there are references throughout his album that he did have a second album at some point, given the size of the album and the fact that the vast majority of the pages are full, the count does seem to tie in, and it appears that he did not count duplicates either so the count could actually be much higher. To have acquired so many stamps by the end of the 1940s is mind blowing considering that worldwide stamps were just not readily accessible at the time if you compare to today.

As for the collection, the album is bulging, pages are crammed and there is so much on offer.  There are plenty of earliest issues throughout, but the quality continues right through the period of the collection with a high volume of quality and high value stamps and sets, far too numerous to consider listing or mentioning.  Mr Rhodes has made some wonderful notes throughout the album, often referring to how the stamps were obtained or his own observations about the stamps themselves or their cancellations.

What is so exciting about this collection is that it has remained untouched since those final stamps were acquired. Nearly eighty years has passed and there has been so much more detail added to catalogues, which means there is a wonderful potential for 'discoveries', particularly within the Commonwealth sections, where there are so many listed flaws and watermark varieties that have come to light over the years.  I have noted a few 'frontal' varieties that I picked out as I was going through to picture the album but this was in no real detail.  I have not checked any of the reverses of the stamps at all so all watermarks are unchecked and ready for further investigation. 

The condition of the stamps is also worth mentioning. Mr Rhodes appears to have tried to obtain the best quality stamps he could most of the stamps are good to fine, which is very unusual for general collections of this size and age, and the stamps have been carefully hinged into the album. There will of course be faulty stamps in places.

It is so rare to come across these original collections now so it has been a pleasure to handle this collection which has been locked in time for many decades.

There are 550 images below, which show all stamps, so please do take the time to go through these in detail in order to fully appreciate this stunning collection.

Please note that I do not have time to check any large lots in any detail so please recognise that you are bidding on this basis and satisfy yourself with what you have viewed before placing your bid. If you are unsure about anything please feel free to ask.

Please see my other items. I will combine postage if possible.

Any postage costs DO NOT include any import/customs charges that may be due. These are the buyer's responsibility and so you should take this into account before placing your bid. Any item sent internationally as anything other than standard will be sent 'registered' to cover any insurance for me if the item is lost. As such, a declaration of value has to be made and so import charges will be based on this.