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.’Melville looked deeply troubled.‘I understand, Mr Starling.I do understand that, and yet.I’m not sure how we can prevent it.’‘What about the seller? Will they deal with me direct before the auction?’Melville shook his head.‘Several people have already tried that, but the owners are determined to test the market at auction.They sense that there is a strong field, and I have to say that they are right.’‘But if I explained to them what was at stake? A woman’s life?’Melville looked anguished.‘We will try that, of course, yes.But you must understand that the cover was found among the effects of a descendant of the original sender, Sir Sandford Fleming, with the instructions that the estate was to be realised to the fullest possible extent, in order to establish a trust for medical research.From my dealings with the trustees, I believe you will find them to be absolutely resolved to carry out their instructions to the letter.We have already experienced that determination, when we negotiated our terms for the auction, and again when several of our clients asked us, like you, to negotiate a sale before auction.’Sammy’s face became immobile once again.‘I do wish I could advise you otherwise, Mr Starling,’ Melville went on.Brock said, ‘Maybe you could clear up one or two other difficulties I’m having with all this, Mr Melville.I’m puzzled why anyone would consider this a suitable ransom demand.Surely such a thing would be highly traceable and difficult to turn into cash.’‘Yes.that is interesting, isn’t it?’ Cabot’s manager said, bringing his fingers together as if in prayer while he considered this.‘It’s the same as stealing works of art.There are unscrupulous collectors who so covet particular items that they will buy them, stolen, even though they can never admit they own them, or show them to anyone else.’‘Yes, but that isn’t exactly the case here,’ Brock said.‘If such a collector wanted this item they could bid for it.So presumably they would only buy it later at a substantial discount, considering the disadvantages of so doing.But what is the point of that to the kidnapper? If he wants, say, a million pounds from Mr Starling, why not ask for a million pounds, rather than a stamp that can only be sold on at a discount?’Melville thought about this, then said, ‘Two suggestions.First, the kidnapper may not intend to sell it on.He himself may be the collector who doesn’t care whether the item is stolen or not, so long as he can possess it.’Brock considered that.‘Yes, all right.That’s a possibility we can follow up with you, Mr Melville.You must have some ideas about such people.The second suggestion?’‘Portability.The one really distinctive thing about valuable stamps is how small and portable they are.More than gold, more than Impressionist paintings, a rare stamp is the most compressed example of portable value.You must have heard the stories of refugees escaping from Germany before the last war with a fortune in rare stamps in their pockets? Your man can put this twelvepence black in his wallet and go anywhere in the world with it, undetected.No metal detector will pick him up, no bank computer will identify him when he sells it.’Breakfast arrived, and they fell silent as they ate, each pondering the implications of what Melville had said.Finally Starling wiped his mouth with a paper napkin, cleared his throat and said, ‘Well, there’s no alternative, is there? I’ll just have to buy the Canada Cover on Saturday.What’s your top figure, Mr Melville? One million? One and a quarter?’Melville spread his hands.‘I suppose that’s just conceivable, Mr Starling.I wish I could be more helpful.The catalogue value for a copy of the normal Canada twelvepence black, the fourteenth of June issue, is £45,000, but that doesn’t provide any guide for this unique version, with its direct association with Sandford Fleming.’Starling nodded.‘One and a quarter then.Lets aim for that.I shall need you to value my collection.Will you do that? Give me a price?’‘Of course.’Starling looked at his watch [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]