Our first auction for 2009 commenced with a range of collections featuring Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, and a small selection of Literature. The Australian Colonies featured superb New South Wales Diadems, with watermark varieties and retouches, including exceptional examples of the 2d lithographic transfer; Tasmania postal history and cancellations; in Victoria, fine Half-lengths and 2d Queen-on-Throne issues, exquisite Die Proofs of the Perkins, Bacon 1d and 6d produced for the 1872 South Kensington Exhibition and a KEVII £1 Die Proof; and in Western Australia, probably the finest known used example of the 1864-69 Wmk Crown CC 2d Mauve Error of Colour. In Australian Commonwealth, the Kangaroo issues were highlighted by the 4d No Monogram block of 30, the Second Wmk 5/- with Doubly printed frame and Third Wmk 6d grey-blue Harrison imprint strip of four. The KGV issues included a 1d Perkins Bacon Die Proof, better 1d red monogram and imprint pieces, and numerous imprint, shade and watermark varieties in all watermarks. The pre-decimal issues included a 1949 No Wmk ½d Kangaroo First Day Cover and there was a very good range of Decimal errors, Military Mail and Aerophilately. Australian Territories and Mandates included better New Guinea, including punctured OS and postal history, and in Papua New Guinea several beautiful Courvoisier colour separation proofs on original archival pages. Rest of the World featured a range of foreign and Commonwealth countries with better issues from QV to QEII, highlighted by New Zealand which included several specialised collections.