Van Dieten Stamp Auctions Ltd. is honoured and proud to present The Professor Dr Mardjohan Hardjasudarma Collection of the Japanese Occupation of the Netherlands East Indies 1942-1945 and the Republic of Indonesia 1945-1949. On the next page Dr Hardjasudarma tells us how he built this wonderful collection and why he took the decision to put an end to further collecting.

It does not happen frequently that such an important and extensive collection of this collecting area worldwide is offered in one auction. Those of Mattern (1997) and Hiegentlich (2003) were the most recent of such collections that were sold. Now that the Hardjasudarma collection is being offered it will give collectors all over the world an opportunity to add special and unique items to their collections.

The main part of the collection consists of postal history and covers the entire collecting area. You will find rather ordinary items as well as the greatest rarities, like covers from the Japanese occupation of the Great East and very rare items of the island of Sumatra during the Republican period. A special feature about this collecting field is that it is not merely about philatelic items, but many of these pieces have great historical value and significance. Some also call it ‘emotional philately’.

Regardless how you might feel about the postal history of Indonesia 1942-1949, a fact is that many of the lots that are now being offered are a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Maybe we will come across a few of these items in the future, either in a publication, or at an international exhibition. Than we will remember and say to ourselves or our friends: ‘This cover is from the Hardjasudarma collection’.

Van Dieten Team