386th Auction

1918, Emperor Charles I. 15h. red, horizontal pair, tied by machine cancel “DROHOBYZC 1 * 2b * -1.XI 18” to parcel card to Ung. Brod, upon arrival postage due Austria 20 on 54h. orange applied and tied by cds. “UNGAR-BROD 11.XI.18”, right stamp small corner crease, vertical fold and few tears not affecting the adhesives, otherwise a fine and attractive First-Day-Usage of the newly founded Western Ukrainian People's Republic on November 1, 1918

1840, 1d. black, plate 1A (earliest printing), LK, attached to Postal Notice „TO ALL POSTMASTERS“ from the General Post Office in Edinburgh, April 1840 (the month before the Penny Black, the first postage stamp in the world, was issued on May 6, 1840). The 1d. black with good to large margins, another 1d. black stamp, KK, formerly in a pair with the1d. LK, was removed, very fresh state of preservation. Karl Louis BPP certificate (2025) (SG GBP 75‘000)

Remarks: Based on the characteristic edges of the upper margin of the 1d. black, LK, and a further recorded single 1d. black lettered KK, with almost certainty both stamps originally formed a vertical pair stuck on the notice. The 1d. black, KK, must has been taken off at least 70 years ago and has been spotted on a Robson Lowe auction in 1956, a Harmer auction in 1957 and a Phillips auction in 1992. See illustration of the virtually re-joined pair. Twelve ‚genuine‘ Postal Notices bearing a vertical pair of the One Penny Black (of which at least two are in institutional collections) are recorded in the the Karl Louis Card Index, plus two Postal Notices (incl. this one offered here)  bearing a single Penny Black (with the second stamp from the vertcial pairs most likely cut off). A challange for the future owner to search for the ‚lost‘ single 1d. black, KK, and to re-unite with its original neighbour stamp LK on the Postal Notice.  

It must be assumed, that this Postal Notice has leaked from the Stamp Find in Edinburgh (and Dublin) before the first schedule of the find in 1899.

1840, Mulready Envelope 1d. black, a complete unused sheet of 12, forme 4, stereos A172 (upper left) to A189 (bottom right), some folds as can be expected, but in a very fresh state of preservation. Rare, most of the sheets found in The Dublin Find have later been cut, only a few complete sheets of 12 are still preserved intact. Karl Louis BPP certificate (2025) (SG GBP 5.500)

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.

Mulready Letter Sheet 2d. blue, a complete unused sheet of 12, stereos a92 (upper left) to a91 (bottom right), variously folded as can be expected with some wear, splitting and minor age toning along the folds. Only a few complete sheets of 12 of The Dublin Find are still preserved intact. Karl Louis BPP certificate (2025) (SG GBP 5.500)

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.

1841, 1d. red-brown, plate 5, IB, 1841, 2d. blue, printing from the small trial plate of 12 without corner letters, and Postal stationery 1841, 1d. pink, two envelopes in two different sizes overprinted ‚SPECIMEN‘ in red, attached to Postal Notice „TO ALL POSTMASTERS“ from the General Post Office in Edinburgh, 1841. Both adhesives with good to large margins, the 2d. with corner sheet margins, very fresh state of preservation. Karl Louis BPP certificate (2025)  (SG GBP 7.000)

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.

Remarks: The small plate of 12 impressions without letters in the lower corners was made because the first 2d. printing plate of the new type with „white lines“ above TWO PENCE and below POSTAGE was not ready when samples were required for the distribution with the POSTAL NOTICES for the announcement of the new issue.

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