Auction 321 - 332 Australian States & Commonwealth of Australia, St. Helena, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Swaziland, Brazil 1843 –1870 - Day 1

1886/96: 'Long Stamp' De La Rue imperforate Plate Proof without Duty Plate (prepared for the 2 s. 6 d. and 5 s. values), a lower right corner marginal block of fifteen (5 x 3) showing Plate Number "1" in margin, printed in mauve on unwatermarked wove paper, unmounted og. Slight marginal closed tear. The adjoining block of ten of this Proof was in the Purves collection (SG, London, June 1981, lot 117). A similar sheet is illustrated in "The De La Rue Collection" edited by Frank Walton RDP on page 6052. Exceptional and extremely rare, ex De La Rue archives.rnrnProvenance: Collection Ed Williams, Premier, Melbourne, 26 Jan 2002, lot 600.