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He looked up to see Mr. Prendergast from Stanley Gibbons enter the room and join a small group of dealers who were whispering among themselves at the back of the room.
Da
When Blundell spotted the man-not that he could have missed him-he left the group he was with and walked across to greet him. To Da
The seats were quickly begi
"We begin today with a pe
Da
Da
By the time the auctioneer had reached Lot 35, an assortment of Commonwealth stamps, which was disposed of in less than thirty seconds for £1,000, Da
Blundell opened the bidding at £30,000, and after some dealers and a few minor collectors had dropped out, the only two bidders left appeared to be the man with the cigar and an anonymous telephone bidder. Da
Da
"Fifteen hundred?" Almost as many.
"Two thousand?" Not quite as many.
"Two thousand five hundred?" Mr. Hunsacker kept the unlit cigar in his mouth.
"Three thousand?" Da
"Three thousand five hundred?" The cigar remained in the mouth.
"Four thousand. Four thousand five hundred. Five thousand. Five thousand five hundred. Six thousand." Hunsacker removed his cigar and frowned.
"Sold, to the gentleman in the front row, for six thousand pounds," said the auctioneer as he brought the hammer down. " Lot thirty-eight, a rare example of…"
Da
"My name is Gene Hunsacker," he said in a voice almost as loud as the auctioneer's. "If you'd care to join me for a coffee, Sir Nicholas, it's possible that we may have something of mutual interest to discuss. I'm a Texan," he said, shaking Da
"Two black coffees," he said to a passing waiter, without giving Da
"Puzzled?" said Da
"I can't work out why you let the de Coubertin come up for auction, and then allowed your uncle to outbid me for it. Unless you and he were working together, and hoped you could force me to go even higher."
"My uncle and I are not on speaking terms," said Da
"That's something you have in common with your late grand-daddy," said Hunsacker.
"You were a friend of my grandfather's?" asked Da
"Friend would be presumptuous," said the Texan. "Pupil and follower would be nearer the mark. He once outfoxed me for a rare two-pe
"My father is dead," Da
Hunsacker looked surprised. "I know-I was at his funeral. I thought you saw me."
"I did," said Da
"Yes, I know," said Hunsacker. "But I managed to have a word with your uncle and let him know that I was in the market should you ever want to dispose of the collection. He promised to keep in touch. That's when I realized that he hadn't inherited it, and that your grand-daddy must have kept his word and left the collection to you. So when Mr. Blundell phoned to tell me that you'd put the de Coubertin up for sale, I flew back across the pond in the hope that we might meet."
"I don't even know where the collection is," admitted Da
"Maybe that explains why Hugo was willing to pay so much for your envelope," said the Texan, "because he has absolutely no interest in stamps. There he is now." Hunsacker pointed his cigar at a man standing at the reception desk. So that's Uncle Hugo, Da