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

1840, the First (Later Rejected) Die for the One Penny Stamp, on India paper on soft white card, completed with the addition of "POSTAGE ONE PENNY" in sans-serif letters, hinge remnants on reverse of no importance given the exceptional desirability of this fourth and final stage of the ultimately rejected die, fine and rare, with 2016 P.T.S. Expertising Ltd. certificate.  Gi. DP7 = £95,000+rnrnProvenance:rnCollection Colonel Bates, H.R. Harmer, December 3-5, 1934.rnrnIn January, 1840, Charles Heath was commissioned to engrave the Queen`s head onto a security background previously deemed suitable for postage stamps. A number of states of this die were prepared, based on the drawing by Henry Corbould. Ultimately, the die was abandoned as the background was deemed too light, and the Queen`s head too lightly engraved, thus resulting in a poor transfer from the die.