386th Auction

1841, Postal Sationery 2d. blue envelope overprinted ‚SPECIMEN‘ in red attached to Postal Notice „TO ALL POSTMASTERS“ from the General Post Office in Edinburgh, April 1841. Usual light folds, the 2d. envelope was originally stuck with the outer tip of the flap to the notice.Very fresh state of preservation. Karl Louis BPP certificate (2025)   (SG GBP 2.250)

Provenance: 1899, ex The Dublin Find.

1904, sold via Plumridges & Co. to H.W.Peckitt.

2025, re-discovered with other items of the Dublin Find in a collector’s estate in Kiefersfelden, Bavaria.

1680, "A Penny Well Bestowed", William Dockwra's original advertising broadsheet for his Penny Post, printed by Thomas James. Part of base missing and here folded once. A great rarity of British Postal History; supposed to be the only copy in private hands.

1731, “Anno Regni Georgii II. ..” , act of Parliament referring to the Penny Post.

1840, 1d. black, plate 8, lettered KG-LH, margins touching to close, cancelled with four clear strikes of
Maltese Cross, block has been torn through LG-LH and re-assembled, vertical crease through central
margin and other small imperfections, of good appearance. (SG £22,000)

1 P. purple, large margins imperforated fine, extremely rare!

1867/83, wm 'Maltese Cross', 10 sh. greenish grey, nice colour and good perforation, lightly cancelled, very fine, certificate Louis BPP (2024)

5 Shilling plate 1 pale rose, unused with original gum, slightly toned, otherwise fine

5 Sh. pale rose plate 2, slightly off centre, unused without gum, otherwise fine

1867/83, wm 'Maltese Cross', 1 Pound brown-lilac, nice colour and good perforation, clear central cds. "ABERDEEN JY 12 82", very fine. Signed Georg Bühler and certificate Louis BPP (2024)

1867/83, wm 'Large Anchor', 5 Pounds orange, nice fresh colour and good perforation, clear central cds. "GLASGOW OC 9 94", very fine. Signed Georg Bühler and certificate Louis BPP (2024)

1882, £5 orange watermark large anchor (AA), cancelled with a light strike of the Leeds cds., minor imperfections

1883/84, Victoria 10sh. ultramarin on blued paper, lettered I-G, fresh color and good perforation, tiny natural paper wrinkles, unused with fresh original gum, lightly hinged, an immensly rare stamp and major rarity, especially in this choice condition, certificates RPSL (1969,1987) (Scott 109b)

Provenance:  Harrison-Cripps (Stanley Gibbons, 1972)

Sir Gawaine Baillie (Sothebys, 2004)

William A. Gross (Robert A. Siegel, 2007)

Dimitris Bertsimas (Robert A. Siegel, 2019)

1888, wm 'Three Orbs', 1 Pound brown-lilac, nice fresh colour and good perforation, clear central cds. "FRESHFORD OC 14 89", very fine. Signed Pfenninger and certificate Louis BPP (2024)

1969, Anniversaries NATO 1 s. 6 d., one showing variety black omitted, the other with variety yellow-green (flags) omitted, both mint never hinged and very fine, each with cert. BPA (2014)

1882/1901, I.R.OFFICIAL 10 sh. ultramarine, fresh colour and neatly cancelled, very fine. A rare stamp. Certificate BPA (2025)

1887-1892, QV Inland Revenue, £1 green, "LB", unused original gum, a fine example of this rare high value Official, signed

Provenance: 12. Heinrich Köhler-Auction (1916)

L. Praportchetovitch (956. Plumride-Auction, 1933)

Llyoyd (Robson Lowe, 1959)

1882/1901, I.R.OFFICIAL 1 ₤ green, fresh colour, neatly cancelled, very fine. A rare stamp. Certificate BPA (2025)

1902, “BOARD OF EDUCATION” 1 sh. green and carmine, unused, regummed and small green mark at top left, otherwise fine, a very rare stamp, opinion Holcombe (!997)

1840, Mulready envelope 1d., used with neat red maltese cross from London sent to Northampton, reverse showing light “B MY 6 1840” First Day of Issue cds. of the London Chief Office in red, a fine and attractive First Day usage, certificate RPS (1985)

DWI: "PAID AT ST. THOMAS" (CC2), good strike on entire letter from St. Croix with adjacent Danish "CHRISTIANSTED 12 5 1862" to South Zorra, West Canada, endorsed "Via Halifax", paid with 4 c. inland postage and "pd 4 d." British postage to Halifax, transported via "ST. GEORGES MY 18 1862", on reverse also transit mark of Quebec and arrival mark of May 31; on front marked "unpaid 5" which was applied to part paid letters. A very interesting and rare letter with light patina, one of the few recorded carried by open mail

1840, folded entire to London with fine red crowned “PAID SHIP LETTER / SYDNEY MA(RCH) 28 1840”, reverse scarce red two-line “INDIAN LETTER PLYMOUTH” (Robertson In4) and London arrival cds, charged “8” (pence) in front for incoming ship letter, two vertical archival folds, fine and scarce, signed Todd

1860, Diadem 2 d. blue with Watermark "5" instead of "2", horizontal pair with just one single watermark, shifted to the central top. Ample to good margins, neatly cancelled, very fine.

1862/64, new frame 6 d. grey-black, 2 copies with 1863/81, laureated 4 d. deep rose, perf. 12, tied by barred numeral "81" TARRAVILLE on 1863 registered cover to Ivanhoe, Heidelberg, Melbourne, with adjacent red "REGISTERED / MELBOURNE". On reverse oval despatch (Dec 11) and Warringal transit datestamp (Dec 17). A very fine and most attractive cover. Provenance: Max Watson (Prestige, Melbourne 2005)

1893, 1 d. in pair and 3 d., tied by barred oval "F" with adjacent Freemantle c.d.s., to registered envelope to New South Wales with transit – and arrival marks. Minor transportation marks. A fine and scarce entire.

3d. on 30 pfg. black and orange/buff, fresh color and good perforation, position 4, tied by oval "RABAUL NEW BRITAIN JAN 22 1915" to small piece, very fine, signed Bothe BPP and certificate GPS (1983) (Michel 6I)

1914, 2s. on 2m. blue, fresh color and goof perforation, unused, very fine, signed Champion (Michel 11I)

1892, Cover franked on reverse with India ½ a. green, tied by squared circle "BAHRAIN OC 6 92" to Bushire with frontside boxed "POSTAGE DUE / ONE ANNA" and arrival mark of October 9 next to the stamp; fine and rare, the earliest of 2 recorded such combinations

1893, British India postcard ONE ANNA on 1½ a. blue from Bahrain (July 9th 1893), posted at "BUSRAH JL .. 93" and sent to London with frontside "SEA POST OFFICE JL 28 93"; fine and very scarce early mail

1903, British India postcard with prepaid answer 1 a. blue + 1 a. blue used with text from "BAHRAIN 27 DE 03" via "SEA POST OFFICE JA. 9 04" to Berlin with arrival mark on front. A very rare card; apparently the sender sent several of these cards each with part of text of his travel descriptions; we have recorded 2 further such cards from Bahrain

1908, British India envelope ONE ANNA on 2 a. 6 p. orange with return address "Mason Memorial Hospital / Bahrein, Persian Gulf" and clear postmark "BAHRAIN 17 OC. 08" addressed to the Seaman Hospital, Greenwich, S.E. The writer expected to benefit of the soldier's concessionary rate, but since the envelope was not countersigned by an officer it was taxed, showing 2 strikes of "T" in circle struck in Bahrain, plus British "3d/F.B.". The envelope opened out for display with slight toning at the edges. Unique usage of this envelope at Bahrain and to our records only recorded use of the "T"-tax stamp at Bahrain

1912, Edward 3 a. orange-brown, tied by cds. "BAHRAIN 18 FE. 12" to reverse of registered envelope with provisional registration label to Bombay with adjacent arrival mark; cover opened on 2 sides, very fine and rare early registered mail

1 r. with 3 p. (12) and George VI 1 a. (2), used on reverse of airmail cover from "BAHRAIN PERSIAN GULF 27 NOV 39" to Copenhagen, Denmark with white label "OPENED BY CENSOR", fixed with staples and tied by the cds., leaving 4 stamps underneath the label uncancelled. A most attractive and very rare censored letter

2 r., tied by cds. "BAHRAIN 2..AUG 34" to registered airmail cover via Cairo to germany with transit- and arrival marks. A fine and rare cover.

5 r., horizontal marginal pair tied to commercial airmail cover from "BAHRAIN 17 NOV. 45" to San Francisco with adjacent red "O.A.T." (Onward Air Transport). A very rare usage of these stamps and highest recorded franking of this issue

½ a., 4 copies, tied to reverse of cover to Tchahbahar, underpaid by ½ a. and taxed on arrival, franked with 2 copies Iran 1938, 50 d., tied by Tchahbahar cds.; a very rare combination cover