Auction 309-320 - Great Britain 1840–1841 Europe & Overseas - Day 5

1840, "VR" 1d. black, horizontal pair, lettered OI-OJ, ample to large margins all around, unused no gum, a desirable and fine multiple which may have originated from a Postmaster`s Notice. Cert Royal Philatelic Society London (2001). Gi. V1 = £40,000rnRemarks: Not from the Dublin Find/Crawford sheet. OI-OJ are still incorporated in the Crawford/Hind/Wills block MA-OL.rnThough prepared in April 1840 for official use, the plan for special stamps for government use was abandoned, but only after 3323 sheets had been delivered.  While these were ordered destroyed, 21 sheets are recorded as having survived; 13 were used for distribution with Postmasters Notices, while others were mistakenly allowed through the post, or used by Rowland Hill for cancellation experiments.rnProvenance: Spink, 15 December 1999, lot 2280. rnrn