386th Auction

2d. blue, plate 3, MA/NB, block of four with with large regular margins all round and full deckle edge sheet margin on the left with inscription, unused with large part original gum (slight diagonal gum crease not visible on front), very fresh and attractive multiple. (S.G.Cat. GBP 35.000)

Provenance: Christies, 6 September 1988, lot 1346
Sir Gawaine Baillie Collection, Sotheby’s, 29 Sept. – 1 Oct. 2004, lot 133

2d. blue, Imprimatur, plate 4, AI, with upper sheet margin and inscription, large margins all round, extremely fresh and highly attractive. (S.G.Cat. GBP 12.000)

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 27 April 1949 („Great Britain Queen Victoria Imprimaturs Complete Collection“)
Robson Lowe, 19 January 1966, lot 708
Phillips, 3 September 1987, lot 369
Phillips, 11 July 1991, lot 317 (in a re-joined pair with AJ Imprimatur)

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die I, alphabet II, plate 182, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚182‘, large margins all round, very fresh.

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot 160.
‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink, 12 December 2012, lot 492

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die I, alphabet II, plate 189, AL, imperforate upper right corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚189‘, large margins all round, very fresh.

Provenance: Earl of Crawford Collection (1913)
Col. A.S. Bates Collection, Harmer, 3-5 December 1934, ex lot 535
Phillips 26 October 1995, lot 237
‚Chartwell‘, Spink 16 February 2012, lot 403

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die I, alphabet II, plate 190, TL, imperforate lower right corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚190‘, large margins all round, very fresh.

Provenance: Earl of Crawford Collection (1913)
Col. A.S. Bates Collection, Harmer, 3-5 December 1934, ex lot 535
Phillips, 26 October 1995, lot 238
‚Chartwell‘, Spink, 16 February 2012, lot 404

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die I, alphabet II, plate 194, TL, imperforate lower right corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚194‘, large margins all round, very fresh.

Provenance: Earl of Crawford Collection (1913)
Col. A.S. Bates Collection, Harmer, 3-5 December 1934, ex lot 535
Phillips, 26 October 1995, lot 242
‚Chartwell‘, Spink, 12 December 2012, ex lot 499

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die I, alphabet II, plate 197, TA, imperforate lower left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚197‘, large margins all round, very fresh.

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot 170.

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die I, alphabet II, plate 204, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚204‘, large margins all round, light vertical natural pre-printing fold or wrinkling as can often be seen on Imprimatur sheet corners, very fresh.

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot 174.
Robson Lowe, 24-25 September 1969, lot 1449
Major-General Sir Leonard Atkinson K.B.E. Collection. Christies, 6 November 1990, lot 242
‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink 12. December 2012, lot 505

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die I, alphabet II, Reserve plate 1 (R1), AG, imperforate upper sheet marginal with inscription and ‚pinning mark‘ (for perforation machine), large margins all round, very fresh. (S.G.Cat.: GBP 1.000)

Provenance: Phillips, 2 September 1993, lot 252

(1854),1d. black, so called ‚Secondary Die‘, die II, with numeral ‚2‘ above the impression on thin yellowish-white paper, the reprint of 1890, paper split at top just into plate margin and a few corner creases clear of design. Most attractive, R.P.S.L. certificate (2016) (S.G.Cat. GBP 10.000)

Reference: Illustrated in Stanley Gibbons Specialised Stamp catalogue, vol. 1, part 1, (2020) on page 69

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 20 June 1956, lot 312
Robson Lowe, 21 November 1972, lot 11
‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink, 5 July 2012, lot 52
Ake Rietz Collection, 299th. Corinphila, 7 June 2023, lot 3415

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet II, watermark ‚Small Crown‘ plate 14, AL, imperforate upper right corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚14‘, large margins all round, very fresh.

Provenance: Earl of Crawford Collection (1913)
Col. A.S. Bates Collection, Harmer, 3-5 December 1934, ex lot 541
‚Chartwell‘, Spink, 29 June 2011, lot 1321

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet II, watermark ‚Small Crown‘ plate 15, AL, imperforate upper right corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚15‘, large margins all round, very fresh.

Provenance: Earl of Crawford Collection (1913)
Col. A.S. Bates Collection, Harmer, 3-5 December 1934, ex lot 541
‚Chartwell‘, Spink, 29 June 2011, lot 1322

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet II, watermark ‚Small Crown‘, plate 16, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚16‘, very fresh.

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot 204.
Robson Lowe, 11 December 1946, lot 267
‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink, 29 June 2011, lot 1323

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Small Crown‘, plate 24, AL, imperforate upper right corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚24‘, large margins all round, very fresh and rare, just three plates 22,24 and R20 with alphabet III, were registered with watermark ‚Small Crown‘.

Provenance: Earl of Crawford Collection (1913)
Col. A.S. Bates Collection, Harmer, 3-5 December 1934, ex lot 542
J.B.Seymour Collection, Robson Lowe, 6 June 1951, ex lot 850
‚Verus‘ Collection, Stanley Gibbons, August 2015, lot 84

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, plate 28, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚28‘, very fresh.

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot 221.
‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink, 12 December 2012, ex lot 525

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, plate 40, AB, imperforate upper sheet marginal with inscription, very fresh and attractive. (S.G.Cat.: GBP 850)

Provenance: ‚Golden‘ Collection, Grosvenor, 9 November 2015, ex lot 115

1d. orange-red, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, plate 52, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚52‘,very fresh.

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot  243.
‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink, 12 December 2012, ex lot 547

1d. orange-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, plate 55, AA, variety „re-entry“, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚55‘, large margins, minor thinning in left margin not touching design, very fresh.

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot 245.
‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink, 12 December 2012, ex lot 547

1d. orange-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, plate 56, AL, imperforate upper right corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚56‘, large margins, very fresh.

Provenance: Earl of Crawford Collection (1913)
Col. A.S. Bates Collection, Harmer, 3-5 December 1934, ex lot 549
Phillips, 22 April 1993, lot 210

1d. red-brown, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, Reserve plate 19, JL, imperforate right sheet marginal with inscription and half Division Ornament, very fresh. Only 21 stamps were taken from the Imprimatur sheet, of which JI (N.P.M. London) and TL (Royal Collection) are unavailable for private collectors. Reserve plate 19 was completed in 1855, got imprimatur on 12 November 1855,  then held in reserve but was until defacement never put to press. (S.G.Cat. GBP 1.500)

1d. rose-red on white paper, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, plate 63, AL, imperforate upper right corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚63‘, large margins, very fresh.

Provenance: Earl of Crawford Collection (1913)
Col. A.S. Bates Collection, Harmer, 3-5 December 1934, ex lot 551
‚Verus‘ Collection, Stanley Gibbons, August 2015, lot 97

1d. rose-red on white paper, Imprimatur, die II, alphabet III, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, plate 68, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚68‘, large margins, very fresh.

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot  258.
‚Verus‘ Collection, Stanley Gibbons, August 2015, lot 102

1855, 1d. red-brown, trial printing on Neales Steam Press, plate 22, EJ / GL, an imperforate large margined unused block of nine (top row creased) with full  sheet margin on the right and inscription. The block originates from the unique ungummed sheet offered by Harmers in April 1957 was inscribed in ink on the bottom margin below the T-row: “This sheet is one of 2.000 printed by Mr. Neales machine for us this day, August 15, 1855“. (S.G.Cat. 27‘000)

Note: In 1855, Perkins Bacon conducted trials using Robert Neales patented steam printing press in an attempt to increase production speed. Plates 16-18, 22 and 25 were used. 

Provenance: Harmers 29 – 30 April 1957, lot 54 (the complete sheet)
Robson Lowe, 10 May 1966, lot 261  

1865, 1d. black, the so called „ROYAL REPRINT“, die II, plate 66, block of four, MC / ND, with Watermark „Large Crown“ inverted, good to large margins, large part original gum, minor gum creasing, very fresh and attractive appearance. (S.G.Cat.: GBP 10.000)

Note: The story of the „Royal Reprints“ is, that an application was made upon request of the Royal Family for specimens of the One Penny Black and One Penny Red imperforate as being issued in 1840 and 1841. On September 1, 1865, Ormond Hill requested these stamp issues from Perkins Bacon and he was supplied with printings in black and rose-red from plate 66. The sheets must have been broken up quite early, because Philbrick & Westoby  describe in 1881 an example in black lettered RH. All „Royal Reprints“ on the philatelic market originate from one sheet printed in black and a large part sheet in rose-red comprising stamps from the horizontal F- to T-rows.

Provenance:

As part of a block of nine MC / OE: 
115th. Edgar Mohrmann Auction, November 193, lot 1966
63rd. Corinphila, Zürich, 11 March 1980, lot 1910

As a block of four MC / ND:
Albert Matl Collection (2011)

1865, 1d. black, the so called „ROYAL REPRINT“, die II, plate 66, RB,  with Watermark „Large Crown“ inverted, good to large margins, large part original gum, very fresh and attractive appearance. (S.G.Cat.: GBP 2.500)

Note: The story of the „Royal Reprints“ is, that an application was made upon request of the Royal Family for specimens of the One Penny Black and One Penny Red imperforate as being issued in 1840 and 1841. On September 1, 1865, Ormond Hill requested these stamp issues from Perkins Bacon and he was supplied with printings in black and rose-red from plate 66. The sheets must have been broken up quite early, because Philbrick & Westoby  describe in 1881 an example in black lettered RH. All „Royal Reprints“ on the philatelic market originate from one sheet printed in black and a large part sheet in rose-red comprising stamps from the horizontal F- to T-rows.

1865, 1d. rose-red, the so called „ROYAL REPRINT“, plate 66, JA-KA, vertical pair with left sheet margin, inscription and full Division Ornament, Watermark „Large Crown“, very large margins, large part original gum, very fresh and attractive appearance. The only surviving multiple from the Royal Reprint, either in rose-red or black printing, with fully preserved Division Ornament. (S.G.Cat.: GBP 4.500)

Note: The story of the „Royal Reprints“ is, that an application was made upon request of the Royal Family for specimens of the One Penny Black and One Penny Red imperforate as being issued in 1840 and 1841. On September 1, 1865, Ormond Hill requested these stamp issues from Perkins Bacon and he was supplied with printings in black and rose-red from plate 66. The sheets must have been broken up quite early, because Philbrick & Westoby  described already in 1881 an example in black lettered RH. All 1d. rose-red „Royal Reprints“ on the philatelic market originate from one large part sheet comprising stamps from the horizontal F- to T-rows.

1872, 1d. black, plate 27, KA / LC, block of six, large margins all round on unwatermarked thick white card struck after a million sheets had previously been printed and issued, produced by Perkins Bacon, the printers, with offical permission for the SOUTH KENSINGTON EXHIBITION,. (S.G.Cat. GBP 12.000)

Note: Perkins Bacon, the printers, were charged 1 pound in order to balance the accounts of the Storekeeper General when they obtained permission to keep a sheet from plate 27 of the 1d. printed in black on proof paper that had been prepared for the Annual International Exhibition at South Kensington in 1872. Upon the liquidation of the Perkins Bacon company in 1935, the sheet was sold and broken up for sale. The block from the right half of the K- and L- rows, KF-JL, is in the Phillips collection, National Postal Museum, London.

Provenance:

The original uncut sheet:
London Philatelic Exhibition 1897, exhibited by Perkins Bacon in exhibition class:“Exhibits by Stamp Engravers“
Stamp Exhibtion of the Junior Philatelic Society 1908, mentioned in THE LONDON PHILATELIST, 1908, page 63
The entire sheet Illustrated in THE BRITISH PHILATELIST, December 1935, pages 76 +77

The block of six, KA / LC, after being cut from the sheet:
Robson Lowe, 11 – 12 September 1973, lot 179
Hassan Shaida Collection, Harmers of Switzerland, 13 February 1992, lot 77
David Feldman, 3 – 8 November 1996, lot 21987
Tim Burgess Collection (illustrated in GBPS Newsletter July/August 2006)

1855, 2d. blue, plate 5, AE, imperforate Imprimatur with upper sheet margin and inscription, good to very large margins all round, trace of oxydation. R.P.S.L. certfificate (1981) (SG Cat. GBP 12.000)

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 27 April 1949 („Great Britain Queen Victoria Imprimaturs Complete Collection“)
Harmer, 27-28 Febr. 1967, lot 146
Stothert Coillection, Robson Lowe, 29 Jan. 1975, lot 1178
Dr. & Mme. S. (Serval) Collection, Harmer, 15-16 March 1976, lot 42
Harmer, Private Treaty „Dr. S.“, 29 Jan. 1980, lot 42
Phillips, 2 September 1982, lot 109
Ake Rietz Collection, 299th.  Corinphila, 7 June 2023, lot 3604

1857, 2d. blue, plate 6, AE, watermark ‚Large Crown‘, imperforate Imprimatur, large to very large margins all round, very fresh and attractive (S.G.Cat. GBP 12.000)

Provenance:
Dr. Heygate-Vernon Collection, Robson Lowe, 25 September 1947
De Phillp Coillection, Robson Lowe, 4 November 1959, lot 160
Michael Lea Collection (1978)
 

1d. rose-red, Imprimatur, with Letters in all four Corners, plate 148, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚148‘, large margins and very fresh, the unique corner marginal Imprimatur from plate 148 in private hands (AL is in the N.P.M., London, TA is in the Royal Collection, TL is still attached to the Imprimatur sheet).

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot  ex 261.
Dr. C. Heygate-Vernon Collection, Robson Lowe, 24-25 September 1947, ex lot 735

1d. rose-red, Imprimatur, with Letters in all four Corners, plate 167, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚167‘, large margins, very fresh. The unique corner marginal Imprimatur from plate 167 in private hands (AL is in the N.P.M.(London), TA is in the Royal Collection, TL is still attached to the Imprimatur sheet).

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot  ex 261.
Dr. C. Heygate-Vernon Collection, Robson Lowe, 24-25 September 1947, ex lot 750
Robson Lowe, 10 November 1948, ex lot 571
Robson Lowe, 18 February 1959, lot 298

1d. rose-red, Imprimatur, with Letters in all four Corners, plate 180, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚180‘, large margins, very fresh. The unique corner marginal Imprimatur from plate 180 in private hands (AL is in the N.P.M.(London), TA is in the Royal Collection, TL is still attached to the Imprimatur sheet).

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot  ex 261.
Dr. C. Heygate-Vernon Collection, Robson Lowe, 24-25 September 1947, ex lot 741
Robson Lowe, 10 November 1948, ex lot 567

1d. rose-red, Imprimatur, with Letters in all four Corners, plate 212, AA, imperforate upper left corner sheet marginal with inscription and plate number ‚212‘ and series number ‚254‘, large margins, very fresh. The unique corner marginal Imprimatur from plate 212 in private hands (AL is in the N.P.M.(London), TA is in the Royal Collection, TL is still attached to the Imprimatur sheet).

Provenance: Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe, 29 May 1946, lot  ex 261.
Dr. C. Heygate-Vernon Collection, Robson Lowe, 24-25 September 1947, ex lot 735
‚Chartwell‘, Spink 29 June 2011, lot 1386

1d. rose-red, Imprimatur, the wonderful selection of 33 different plates, all lettered AC with upper sheet margins and inscriptions, included are plates 73, 82, 88, 92, 100, 109, 149, 166, 167,170, 172-178, 180-183, 185, 186, 191-193, 198-200, 203, 211, 214 and 222, all with good to large margins and very fresh. (S.G.Cat.: GBP 14.025)

Provenances for the various plates: Plates 92, 109, 166, 167, 170, 173-178, 180-183, 185, 186, 191-193 and 200: ‚Besancon‘ Collection, 268 Corinphila, 9 June 2021, lot 4579    
Plates 172 and 214: ‚Chartwell‘, Spink, 16 February 2012, ex lot 475
Plate 203: ‚Jack Bailey Collection, Spink, 25 January 2023, ex lot 3183

1d. rose-red, Imperforate proof on DR. PERKINS BLUED PAPER, plate 121, SL, large margins all round, usual minor gum creases, very fresh and rare. (S.G.Cat.: 4.500)

Provenance (as a pair SK-SL): Charles Williams Collection, Harmer, 10-18 November 1947, lot 278
Stothert Collection, Robson Lowe, 9 September 1975, lot 50
Stanley Gibbons, 17 May 1984, lot 209
Christies, 18 June 1996, lot 205
Ake Rietz Collection, Corinphila, 7 June 2023, lot 3611

1d. rose-red, Plate Proof Trials for Lighter and more Fugitive Colours,  plate 191, imperforate block of four, RC / SD, good to large margins, superb impression, rich colour, diagonal and horizontal folds mainly in margin between the stamps not detracting from fine appearance.  R.P.S.L. certificate (1996) (S.G.Cat. GBP 16.000)

Note: Recent research shows that just one sheet each in rose-red and in mauve has been struck from plate 191 for these trials. From the rose-red sheet the stamps of the horiziontal A- to D- rows are mainly preserved in vertical pairs, all  with barred trial obliterations „C.X. 8“. All stamps from the horizontal J- to N-rows are pen-cancelled. The only uncancelled proofs in rose-red recorded in the Karl Louis Card Index are a pair RA-RB and this block of four RC / SD herewith offered.

Provenance: Phillips 12 October 1989, lot 208
'TES‘ Collection, Spink 5 October 1995, lot 172
'BESANCON‘ Collection, Corinphila 12 June 2019, lot 3069