386th Auction

1871, 2d. blue, the retouched Die II with „NEW DIE“ and „1“ (uninked but faintly embossed),  completed on 8 April 1858 and printed on demand for Ormond Hill in 1871, superb and very rare. (S.G.Cat. GBP 18.000)

Provenance: ‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink, 16 February 2012, lot 51

1858, 2d. blue, Imprimatur, plate 7, AF, very large margins all round, very fine and fresh. (S.G.Cat. GBP 4.750)

Provenance: John O. Griffiths Collection, Christies, 27 June 1985, lot 4292
Grosvenor, 18-19 November 2014, lot 710

1858, 2d. blue, Imprimatur, plate 8, AG, imperforate with upper sheet margin and inscription, very large margins all round, very fine and fresh. (S.G.Cat. GBP 4.750)

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 27 April 1949 („Great Britain Queen Victoria Imprimaturs Complete Collection“), ex lot 153
Robson Lowe, 26 September 1951, lot ex 280

1858, 2d. blue, Imprimatur, plate 12, TF, imperforate with large margins all round, very fine and fresh. (S.G.Cat. GBP 4.750)

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 27 April 1949 („Great Britain Queen Victoria Imprimaturs Complete Collection“), ex lot 153

1858, 2d. blue, Imprimatur, plate 13 AB, imperforate with upper sheet margin and inscription, large margins all round, very fine and fresh. (S.G.Cat. GBP 4.750)

Provenance: Lady Mairy Bury Collection, Sotheby’s, 24 – 26 November 2010, lot 1284
Ake Rietz Collection, 299 Corinphila, 7 June 2023, lot 3623

1858, 2d. blue, Imprimatur, plate 13, AE, imperforate with upper sheet margin and inscription, good to very large margins all round, very fine and fresh. (S.G.Cat. GBP 4.750)

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 27 April 1949 („Great Britain Queen Victoria Imprimaturs Complete Collection“), ex lot 153

1858, 2d. blue, Imprimatur, plate 15, AD, imperforate with upper sheet margin and inscription, good to large margins all round, very fine and fresh. (S.G.Cat. GBP 4.750)

Provenance: ‚Durham‘ Collection, Phillips, 11 November 1993, ex lot 136

1870, May, Bantam ½d. die proof in rose taken after the engraving of the head was strengthened and the die was hardened, affixed to card. Very rare, said to be one of only six produced of which some are unavailable in Institutional Collections & Museums. (S.G.Cat. GBP 12.000)

Provenance: ‚Yorkshire‘ Collection, Christies, 27 January 1981, lot 163
Stanley Gibbons, Dealer’s List, September 1992, lot 167

Bantam ½d. rose-red, Imprimaturs, the attractive selection of eight: plate 3, TJ, plate 4, TO, plate 5, TO, plate 8, TO, plate 14, AJ, plate 15, TH, plate 19, TH and plate 20, AO. All with large margins and very fresh. (S.G.Cat. GBP 7.600)

Provenance: ‚Durham‘ Collection, Phillips, 11 November 1993, ex lot 143
‚BESANCON‘ Collection, 268 Corinphila, 9 June 2021, lot 4586

1/2 d. rose, plate 1, variety Imperforate, horizontal pair SW-SX with inverted watermark, large margins all round, large part or full original gum, very fresh and rare. According to J.B.Seymour in the Kohl Handbook (1930), a part perforated sheet was released having two rows completely imperforate. Most stamps were cut from the sheet as singles, only very few pairs recorded. (S.G. Cat.: GBP 6.000)

‘Verus‘ Collection, Stanley Gibbons, August 2015

1871, 1½d. carmine-rose, Ormond Hill Die Proof on thin hard yellowish white wove paper, fresh and very fine, rare and beautiful proof. B.P.A. certificate (2010) (S.G.Cat. GBP 18.000)

Provenance: ‚BESANCON‘ Collection, 239. Corinphila, 12 June 2019, lot 3079  

1860, Prepared for use, but not issued: 1 ½ d. rosy mauve on blued paper (strong Ivory Head), AD, Imprimatur with top margin and inscription, removed small stain, fresh and very fine. Rare: only 38 stamps were taken from the Imprimatur sheet. (S.G.Cat.: GBP 7.000)

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 18 March 1953, lot 308 (incl. Laycock Collection)
Phillips, 7 December 1995, lot 224
‚BESANCON‘ Collection, Corinphila, 12 June 2019, lot 3076
Ake Rietz Collection, Corinphila, 7 June 2023, lot 3636

1870, 1 ½ d. lake-red, plate 3, AH, Imprimatur with top margin and inscription, some gum remnants in the top margin from the original mounting, fresh and very fine. Only 25 stamps were taken from the Imprimatur sheet, of which AK and AL (both N.P.M. London) and TA (Royal Collection) unavailable for private collectors. (S.G.Cat. GBP 6.000)

Provenance:

Board of Inland Revenue Collection handed over to De La Rue in 1883

Robson Lowe, 17 December 1975, lot 1641

‚Chartwell‘ Collection, Spink 29 June 2011, lot 1493

1½d. rose-red, plate 1, AB, imperforate, a much paler shade of rose-red than the printing on Dr. Perkins chemically prepared paper, large part original gum. (S.G.Cat. GBP  7.500)

Note: While all stamps from the  generally regarded 1½d., plate 1, imperforate on Dr. Perkins chemically prepared paper only originate from a lower half sheet (M- to T- rows), nine imperforate stamps from plate 1 originate from the A- to D- rows. None of these have ever been described as being on Dr. Perkins Paper.

Provenance: Phillips, 16 November 1989, lot 229
Phillips 26, October 1995, lot 262

1½d. rose-red, plate 1, NK-NL, imperforate horizontal pair with sheet margin and inscription on Dr. Perkins chemically prepared paper with Wmk. Large Crown, wonderful fresh colour and gum. (S.G.Cat. GBP  15.500)

Note: Generally the trial printings on Dr. Perkins Paper show more or less blueing, especially the sheet printed from the 1d. plate 121. The 1½d. pair NK-NL shows practically no blueing, very similar as the formerly adjoining pairs above MK-ML and below OK-OL (N.P.M. London, vol. XXIX, page 45) and PK-PL (ex Joseph Silkin Collection), the only letterings recorded unused in the Karl Louis Card Index.

Provenance: ‚Verus‘ Collection, Stanley Gibbons, August 2015, lot 152

1½d. pale rose-red, plate 3, PI, imperforate plate proof on ‚Large Crown‘ watermarked paper without gum, of unknown status, possibly unique in private hands. (S.G.Cat. GBP  7.500)

Note: The proof printing  has probably been taken from a later state of plate 3, especially the lower left network and the plate number ‚3‘ look quite worn. The Royal Collection contains an imperforate pair TK-TL from plate 3 stated by Sir John Wilson Bart (1952): „The status of the imperf. varieties (….) is undefined“. The Joseph Silkin Collection (Harmers June 1971) contained a very similar imperf. pair with the same letterings TK-TL as the „Royal“ pair, but with „pen stroke removed and the colour is very pale“. In the Philips Collection (vol. XXI, page 11) N.P.M. London, is an imperf. plate 3, lettered TJ, which may have originally adjoined either the „Royal“  or the „Silkin“ pair. The Marcus Samuel Collection contained an imperf. plate 3, lettered HA, with SPECIMEN overprint (unique). It might be possible, that these imperforate 1½d. plate 3 proof printings were produced in 1878/79 for trials in more lighter and fugitve colours.

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 8 September 1981, lot 1477 (described as a „proof of unknown status“)

1840, (February), Wyon’s head without pendant curl and Whitings Engraving: Essay ONE PENNY in light blue, extremely rare essay, embossed on thick card, some minor staining.

Note: This essay was printed in three colours: black, light blue and dark blue. The Karl Louis Card Index has records of just two such essays on stout card in light blue, A dark blue printing of this essay affixed on a Composite sheet (Royal Collection)  is dated „21 May 1840, Beaufort House“ and noted in ms.  “Mr. Wyons head, the rest by us“. 
Very few essays printed in either light blue or dark blue are also known printed on letter sheets or envelopes, recorded in the Karl Louis Card Index, but these are unavailable for private collectors in the N.P.M. London (Philips Collection) and the German Postal Museum, Bonn / Berlin.

Provenance: Robson Lowe, 13 December 1973, lot 1006

1841, Postal Stationery 1d. pink envelope cancelled by black Maltese Cross, mailed to Alcester, Warwickshire, on reverse large part datestemp „12 FE (1841)“ in red with docketing at left of receipt “Feb. 13/41“ in manuscript and internally on flap „Arthur sends you this envelope as a specimen of the new Royal Postage Stamp“. The second earliest example recorded , the 1d pink enveople being issued 10 February 1841 and was initially confined to the limits of the London Two-penny Post. A highly important item in regard of the change from the ‚hated‘ Mulreadys to the Penny Pinks postal stationery which were highly appreciated by the public and then in use for the next 60 years until 1901. Fine and very fresh.

Note: The earliest example of the 1d. pink was used on 10 February 1841, but is heavily restored.

Provenance: Michael Lockton Collection, 294th. Corinphila, 29 November 2022, lot 5318.

Postal Stationery 1841, 2d. blue, embossed envelope, cancelled with black Maltese Cross and „EXETER MR 13 1842“ c.d.s. alongside, locally used, in addition 1841, 2d. blue, plate 3, MK, large margins all round, tied by black Maltese Cross to entire, „EXETER JU 19 1843“ c.d.s. on front for dispatch, addressed to Yeovil, an extremely fine and fresh „pair of covers“ showing the EXETER datestamp struck on front (instead on reverse). The 1841, 2d blue postal stationery with Maltese Cross cancellations is considerably rarer than the 2d. Mulready similary cancelled!

Note: An almost identical Postal Stationery 2d. blue from the „James Esq., Solicitor, Close, Exeter“ correspondence dated 20 February 1842 is in the Philips Collection, N.P.M. London, vol. XXX, page 4a

1915, Seahorses 2s.6d., 5s.  and 10s., the left hand marginal set of Imprimaturs, removed by the N.P.M. in 1984, mint, 2/6 and 5 sh. showing portion of cross guide marks, full original gum, lightly hinged in the margins only, extremely fine and fresh. Handstamped „B.P.M.A.“ on reverse, the 10s. with additional small ink stroke of most likely official nature. An extremely rare set. 

Note: The Sea Horses are the first line engrave stamps in the Kings period, over 40 years after the last Victoria line engraved issue.

10 kopeck brown and blue, close at lower right and possibly tiny touched, otherwise good to mostly wide margins, obviously unused with large parts of original gum and no traces of any kind of cancellation. A very attractive copy and extremely rare in this condition. This lot will be sold on the merit of the certificate Ferchenbauer (1988) .

10 kopeck brown and blue, ample to mostly wide margins, appears unused, but pen cross excellently removed, non-original gum on reverse, very fine.

10 kopeck brown and blue, wide margins, used by pen cross. Very fine. Signed Buchsbayew.

10 kopeck brown and blue, wide margins, tied by pen cross to small piece. Very fine. Signed Buchsbayew.

10 kopeck brown and blue, nice colour and ample to large margins, used with pen cross on envelope without dispatch mark, to Riga, with arrival mark of March 17, 1858. Envelope with filing fold at bottom, not affecting the stamp, otherwise fine. Signed Pfenninger and Certificate Buchsbayew 2018.

10 kopeck brown and blue, good to wide margins with 3.5 mm sheet margin at left, used by undefined dotted circular postmark. Very fine. Certificate Buchsbayew (2021)

10 kopeck brown and blue, clear at top, otherwise wide margins with ca.3.5 mm sheet margin at left, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. Certificate Buchsbayew (2013)

10 kopeck brown and blue, bottom right sheet corner with 3/3.5 mm sheet margins and wide margins on other sites, used by undefined dotted circular postmark. Very fine and outstanding. There are only very few corner sheets of the number 1 recorded. Certificate Buchsbayew (2021)

Provenance: Z.S. Mikulski (Cherrystone 2006)

10 kopeck brown and blue, plate 2, good to mostly large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. Certificate Mikulski (1997)

10 kopeck brown and blue, good to mostly large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine.

10 kopeck brown and blue, large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. 

10 kopeck brown and blue, large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. 

10 kopeck brown and blue, good to large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. 

10 kopeck brown and blue, good to large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. Signed Pohl.

10 kopeck brown and blue, ample to large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine.

10 kopeck brown and blue, touched on all sides, tied by unreadable two-line datestamp to envelope to Moscow, with arrival mark. Wax seal on reverse cut out. Certificate Buchsbayew (2018)