LONDON.- Sotheby’s three-day auction of The Great Britain Philatelic Collections of Lady Mairi Bury concluded today, bringing the exceptionally strong total of £3,045,924, significantly exceeding pre-sale expectations of £2.6million. The auction established sell-through rates of 83% by lot and 84% by value. The top lot of the sale was ‘The Balance of Lady Mairi’s collection of King Edward VII’ stamps, mounted on 91 pages to the highest exhibition standard and housed in two exhibition boxes. Comprising an exceptional comprehensive collection arranged by order of value from ½d. to £1, this lot more than tripled the pre-sale low estimate to sell for £66,000 (est. £20,000-25,000, lot 2069). An exceptional unused 1840 Two Pence Blue, Plate 1, sold for £43,200, soaring above estimate (est. £8,000-10,000, lot 472). A complete sheet of 120 2d. blue stamps, unique in this configuration, also performed extremely well, doubling the pre-