Sale 1287 — Worldwide Stamps and Postal History
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 23-24 May, 2023
Category — Great Britain
GREAT BRITAIN, 1840, 1p Black, Mulready Letter Sheet (U3; SG Spec. ME1). Stereo A26, cancelled by magenta Maltese Cross, with matching Colchester May 10, 1840 datestamp on reverse, sent to Somerset, London Code B 11.5.40 and Great Bentley framed "No. 13" handstamp on reverse, envelope with small tears at top and bottom not affecting any of the markings, otherwise quite freshVERY FINE. AN IMPORTANT AND UNIQUE USE OF THE MULREADY ENVELOPE CONTAINING TWO RARE POSTMARK ELEMENTS CONVERGING ON ONE LETTER SHEET - A MAGENTA MALTESE CROSS AND A MAY 10 (SUNDAY) DATESTAMP.
Any color of the Maltese Cross other than red or black is unusual. The magenta is particularly rare, and catalogues £12,000 in Stanley Gibbons. The official first day of use of the Mulreadys was May 6, 1840. Envelopes and letter sheets used on that day (or a few that were used a day or two prior - contrary to regulations) are rare and highly prized. But probably just as rare (if not rarer) are letter sheets used on Sunday, May 10. Few post offices were open on that date. Stanley Gibbons has a huge premium for letter sheets used on May 10 (£10,000). When one combines that Magenta postmark with the Sunday, May 10 date, the rarity becomes almost incalculable.
Ex "Victoriana" and illustrated in Jackson (p. 299). With clear 2008 B.P.A. certificate.
GREAT BRITAIN, 1840, 1p Black (1; SG 2). Plate 11, lettered S-C, four large margins, tied by black Maltese Cross on 1841 folded railway circular to London, Glasgow datestamp of May 7?, Lyme datestamp of May 10 on front and back, red London May 11 backstamp, cover with small repair at bottom not affecting stamp or markingsVERY FINE. A SUPERB QUALITY PENNY BLACK FROM PLATE 11 USED ON A RAILWAY CIRCULAR.
Plate 11 is by far the scarcest plate of the Penny Blacks. Its use on a railway circular may be unique.
With clear 1990 B.P.A. certificate. SG for a normal plate 11 on cover £16,000
GREAT BRITAIN, 1840, 2p Blue (2; SG 5). Plate 1, lettered E-H, four margins, used with pair 1p Deep Red Brown (3; SG 8), plate 14, all tied by black Maltese Crosses on 1841 folded cover to Blackburn, red Manchester originating datestamp of Oct 8 on reverse, Blackburn receiving backstamp of Oct. 9, 1p pair with minor flaws, cover lightly cleanedVERY FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE MIXED-ISSUE FRANKING OF THE 1840 2-PENCE BLUE AND 1841 ONE-PENNY RED. A MAJOR LINE-ENGRAVED RARITY.
Covers bearing the 1840 2p Blue and in combination with other stamps are rare. They would be used to pay multiples of the 2p rate. In most cases, two or more 2p stamps would be used. In rare cases, two (or more) 1p Black stamps would be used in conjunction with the 2p. In the case of the cover offered here, two 1p stamps from the 1841 printing were used. Only a tiny number of such mixed-issue frankings are known, with this among the most impressive of this minute number. By October 1841, the new 2p design ("white lines") had already been available for several months. The sender must of still had a single unused 2p stamp from the first issue on hand and used it with a pair of the current 1p stamp.
With 1999 Holcombe certificate
GREAT BRITAIN, 1854, 1sh Green, Embossed (5a; SG 55). Die 2, original gum, large margins for this, including a stunning 3mm margin at bottom, fresh color, crisp embossingEXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE FINEST ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLES OF ANY OF THE 1847-54 ONE-SHILLING EMBOSSED STAMPS.
The presses used to print the Embossed issue allowed for only one impression to be printed at a time. This resulted in small (or non-existent) and irregular spacing between stamps. They were cut apart with scissors, often carelessly, resulting in the vast majority having little or no margins on one or more sides. The bottom margin on this stamp is either from the edge of a sheet, or the had the stamp below fortuitously printed with a huge gap.
To find a stamp containing all of these desirable characteristics - large margins, full original gum, crisp embossing, and from the scarcer Die 2 - is quite remarkable.
With 1994 B.P.A. certificate. Scott $22,500.00 (for the generic 1sh stamp). SG £27,000
GREAT BRITAIN, 1847, 1sh Pale Green, Embossed (5; SG 54). Large to full margins on each side, cancelled by barred numeral cancel with Southend Mar. 17, 1857 despatch on reverse of folded letter to Damascus, Syria, sender's directive "via Southampton", red "PD" oval handstamp, Rochford, London, and Calais transit datestamps, the latter also ties stamp, Very Fine and remarkable destination for an Embossed Issue, accompanied by a transliteration of letter, the recipient Rev. Smylie Robson (1816-1884) was a Presbyterian missionary who was in Damascus for 25 years, from the Magnolia collection
GREAT BRITAIN, 1864, 1p Rose Red (33; SG 44). Plate 120, lettered J-E, used with 1865 4p Vermilion (43; SG 94), two singles, plate 12, lettered R-E and R-C, all tied by "London NO 10 71" circular datestamp and barred "W/38" duplex cancel on cover to "Ship Isphan" in Bombay, forwarded twice to Baghdad and Basra, sender's directive "via Suez Cancel", boxed and unboxed "Too Late" handstamp and boxed "Redirected" handstamps, Bombay, Baghdad, and "Sea Post Office" oval datestamp on reverse, cover with some wrinkling and vertical file fold thru 4p, otherwise Very Fine, a remarkable twice forwarded cover to Iraq, ex von Uexkull, from the Magnolia collection
GREAT BRITAIN, 1884, 5sh Carmine Rose (108; SG 180). Lettered F-G, original gum, lightly hinged, excellent centering, Very Fine and choice, Scott $1,150.00, SG £1,100
GREAT BRITAIN, 1884, £1 Brown Violet (110; SG 185). Lettered S-C, original gum, lightly hinged, uncharacteristically well-centered, beautiful rich color and excellent clarity of impression, the gum is unusually fresh, without the bends and creases that plague these "long" stampsEXTREMELY FINE. THE FINEST ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1884 ONE-POUND BROWN VIOLET WE HAVE OFFERED IN AT LEAST 30 YEARS, AND ONE OF THE FINEST EXTANT.
Every copy we have offered since keeping computerized records has a gum crease or other fault. This stamp, with its impressive centering, marvelous freshness, and pristine original gum, possesses all of the physical attributes one could hope for (but never find) on a single example.
With 1993 Brandon certificate. Scott $32,500.00. SG £28,000
GREAT BRITAIN, 1913, £1 Green, Seahorse (176; SG 403). Mint N.H., selvage at left (hinged in the selvage only), flawless centering, luxurious color in a particularly dark shade, razor-sharp impression on fresh paperEXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB MINT-NEVER HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE POPULAR 1913 ONE-POUND SEAHORSE.
Scott $4,300.00. SG £3,750
GREAT BRITAIN, 1919, 10sh Blue Seahorse (181; SG 417). Mint N.H., deep color, fresh and Very Fine, with 1977 Brandon certificate, Scott $975.00, SG £850
GREAT BRITAIN, 1952, 2-1/2p Scarlet, Color Completely Omitted (296 var; SG 519 var). Block of twenty consisting of two vertical rows, design completely omitted on fourth, fifth, and sixth rows, and partially omitted on third row, Mint N.H. except hinge reinforcing of separated perfs between fifth and sixth rows, Very Fine, a most unusual freak, probably caused by foreign matter on the paper during printing