Auction 333-341 Western Australia & Great Britain - Day 3

1854: Lithographed 4 d. blue, a superb example with large margins all round and showing portion of adjoining stamp at top (Row 2, Stamp 4, Pane D, position 39), overlapping 1854 1 d. black in a horizontal pair, MARGINS, tied to 1857 cover to East Grinstead, Sussex endorsed "Via St. George's Sound" by three strikes of the void obliteraator in black. Framed "POST OFFICE / ♚ / FREMANTLE / WESTERN AUSTRALIA" oval handstamp at left; carried on the European & Australian Mail Co. "European" on the service's third homebound voyage which left King George's Sound on 21 March for Galle (April 5), and Suez (April 19); transferred to the "Etna" at Alexandria (April 25) for Malta and Southampton, arriving 8 May. London tombstone "Paid" in red on obverse (May 9), Tunbridge Wells cds on reverse of same day. Top flap missing and slight edge wear to be expected, a splendid and very rare first issue cover.
Provenance: Collection John F. Seybold; Henry C: Gibson, Eugene Klein, Philadelphia, 11 March 1944, lot 480.
Note: There is a possibility that the cover was initially sent on the first unsuccessful homebound voyage of the "Oneida", which left KGS on 12 February 1857 only to return there with a broken sole-plate and crank on 21 March 1857 - her mail was then transferred to the "European".