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

1868, 5 s. orange, type b, line perf. 12.5, unused, no gum, variety watermark reversed, very strong colour, fresh bright shade, good positioning, very fine example, ex. Sir Gawaine Baille Collection, comes with a selection of fifteen other 1856-1880 stamps, unused except for one, many very fine, a scarce group.  SG = £3'160. rnProvenance: (SG20x) Ex. Sir Gawaine Baillie Collection, 2005.

1880, 6 d. milky blue, line perf. 14, unused, original gum, vivid shade, fresh printing, good perfs., scarce, fine example. SG29 = £550.

1850/1882, Large accumulation of stamp spares, duplicates and study material, contained within a stockbook, many hundreds of examples, predominately GB Queen Victoria, much line engraved and Surface Printed, a selection of commonwealth, revenues, a significant array of perforation variety material including upon surface printed issues, noted 1 d. reds with Perf. 7 at left, misperforation varieties, broken perf pin material, a treasure trove...

1839, Mercantile Committee, "SPECIMEN OF POSTAL CHARGES IN 1839 / To be Preserved among the Curiosities of any Museum", giant letter-sheet to M.P. Strangeways in London, struck with FREE Crown Circle (5 July, 1839), with contents highlighting anomalies in postage rates of the period, some reinforced folds and prior repairs, as expected with such an item, offered with its companion small envelope, 71mm x 30mm, printed "DOUBLE LETTER / SEVEN...

Uniform Penny Post, Second Day of Use: small cover, struck with London octagonal PD datestamp in red (11 January), used by the Chief Office of the Two Penny Post, further partial double-circle PAID marking, sent within London to St. Mary Cray, neatly-struck "Too Late" and red c.d.s. receiver backstamp (13 January), some edge toning, an unusual second day usage.

1839, Charles Whiting of Beaufort House, 1d. red and blue on wove paper, Congreve Method essay, margins ample to clear, small paper wrinkles at upper left, else fine.

1839, Charles Whiting of Beaufort House, composite essay of five in red and black, 105mm x 142mm, printed using the Congreve Method of using separately inked interlocking plates to allow simultaneous printing in two colours, demonstrating how Whiting printed the examples he presented to the Parliamentary Commission, and later used to promote his printing business, the odd trivial  tone spot, else a remarkably fresh and scarce essay.

1839, Charles Whiting of Beaufort House, embossed essay in carmine-lake, 1862 reprint on wove paper, with PAID above uncrowed Queen, wonderfully fresh and very fine.

1839, Charles Whiting of Beaufort House, Harwood`s Envelopes, sheet in green, 26mm x 21.5mm, adhesive-reinforced folds on reverse, repaired diagonal tear and other small edge faults, still a scarce essay.

1837, London District Post, John Dickinson, 2d green letter sheet essay, on Dickinson silk thread paper, engine-turned background, designed as a protection against forgery, fresh and fine. Huggins E1brnrnThese essays were submitted to the Commissioners of the Post Office in 1837, and later re-submitted for the 1839 Treasury Competition.

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....

1840 (March), 1d. Black, Master Die Proof, on India paper, mounted on soft card, cut to stamp size, showing the addition of the words POSTAGE and ONE PENNY, the four corner squares left blank, cancelled with "London W.C." squared circle, central horizontal crease, yet a die proof of great philatelic significance, one of the few such examples recorded in private hands, illustrating the stage at which final approval could be given to the design...