STANLEY Gibbons, the international stamp and collectibles group with head offices in Jersey, increased its internet sales by 55 per cent last year.

The group also acquired bidStart, a US-based collectibles trader, for $1 million and saw growth in the sales of rare stamps in China through its Hong Kong office.

It also bought a number of prestigious collections during the year and auctioned the Arnhold Collection of African stamps for a total of £1.6 million.
Some individual lots in the auction raised well over £20,000 each.

Anticipating final results for the year in line with market expectations, the group attributes some of its success to the sale of Diamond Jubilee and Olympic commemorative collectibles.

Chairman Martin Bralsford said: ‘The financial year just passed represented yet another success, delivering growth in profitability in line with market forecast.
‘This was achieved despite the costly work undertaken in the year developing our wider strategy.’