(L-R) Peter Maresch, Rick Sheryer, Bill Maresch and Anthony Maresch in attendance at Vincent G. Greene’s 95th birthday party.
The firm was founded in Vienna, Austria February 28, 1924 by Dr. Richard A R Maresch, an avid collector since 1903. His stock came from his personal worldwide collection, many items he had purchased from the dealers of the era, Lois Senf, Rudolf Friedl, Otto Bickel and Heinrick Koehler, just to name a few. It included a complete sheet of the Great Britain £1 Seahorse, purchased at London the Post Office in 1913 and complete sheets of the 1862-63 issues of Italy, purchased from Mr. Senf, who had bought the Italian remainders.
R. Maresch & Son was incorporated in Toronto in 1942 by Dr. Maresch and his son, Bill. On March 15, 1957 R. Maresch & Son’s first mail auction was held. Today, the business is run by its third generation, Peter Maresch. As Canada’s longest running and trusted auction house, Maresch has been internationally renowned for its philatelic expertise and now celebrating it’s 100th year in business.
We are always proud to offer an exceptional selections of Canada and the Provinces at every one of our unreserved public auctions, alongside wonderful representations of British Commonwealth and Worldwide material. Our auctions are diverse and exciting with fresh new material at every sale. From fine, rare singles and sets to large, bulk lots, there is something to suit every taste at our sales and every item is described and lotted to best advantage. We hold three sales a year, prior to which we prepare a full colour catalogue that gets sent out to buyers all over the world. This catalogue has become a reference work for philatelic enthusiasts. In addition, we also hold internet only retail sales.
Evaluations are handled with the utmost care by our experienced staff in an efficient, friendly, and professional manner. Appraisals are done by appointment free of charge if the collection is brought into our Aurora offices. We are always happy to provide written appraisals for insurance or estate purposes at a reasonable rate.
The stamp market at Maresch is always strong. Over the years we have facilitated the sale of some of the finest, award-winning collections ever auctioned in Canada. Catalogue values rise and fall depending upon the shifting perception and interpretation of the stamp market, but the assessment provided by Maresch is always representative of the most current market conditions. Our unreserved public auctions are open to collectors, and dealers alike, so Maresch consignors can rely on realizing prices that are very close to, and in many cases in excess of, our original estimate.
For 100 years, we have been members of many national and international philatelic committees and associations including:
- The American Philatelic Society
- The American Stamp Dealers Association
- The British North American Philatelic Society
- The Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain
- The Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association
- The Collectors Club of New York
- The German Philatelic Society
- The Postal History Society of Canada
- The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada
- The International Association of Philatelic Experts