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

1854, 1 d. red plate 197, lettered FA-FB, horizontal pair, FA with variety "Perf. 7" at left, used on cover, from London to Plymouth, 17 January 1855, which is an early use of stamp with this variety on cover, horizontal filing crease and soiling affecting FA, both with pre-fix tears, probably as a result of the separation process being hampered by the variety; only known to occur on plates 193-198, 200-2002 and R1-R6; a rare example on cover nicely illustrated with normal perf. adjoined. SG Spec. C1m = £850 for single stamp off cover.rnReference: "Stamp Perforation: The Somerset House Years 1848 to 1880", by R. Simpson & P. Sargent.