Ireland. Used. One man's lifetime collection housed in over 70 large albums, representing every County, not just the post 1922 era but also during the transition to the Irish Free State, as well as when part of the UK from QV onwards – thus representing about 130 years of postmarks including many on cover from the 1840s onwards. Virtually every conceivable city, town, village and places present including those no longer, particularly villages integrated into towns. There are approximately 5000 pages here between the 70+ albums, all written up in alphabetical order of the Counties, an extraordinary enterprise, as well as extra research papers. The 26 counties represented from Carlow, Cavan, Clare, through to Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. There are well over 1000 villages, towns and city districts, all available to find easily by use of County and alphabetically ordered places, for each album. The number of stamps should be around 40,000 to 50,000. The key to understanding this collection is its depth from the 1840s to the 1922 provisional o/ps, the latter well represented, evolving through to a full postal service functioning for the total statehood of Eire. Among the plethora of postmarks includes the more primitive rubbery and seldom seen earlier postmarks in Gaelic, through to the later sharper impressions from the 1930/40s onwards. Also, interesting postmark impressions are very crisp and clear in English on the QV/EDVII/KGV to 1922. This is definitely a unique opportunity to bid on one of the most comprehensive collections of Ireland postmarks ever seen on the market, this representing an estate we have been privileged to handle. In many respects, it should be in a museum for the reference of primary sources of Ireland's postal history and indeed history itself. An absorbing viewing awaits the specialist who will enjoy the scope and scarcity of the postmarks. A collection assembled by a true philatelist, formed over 50+ years.