Sale #74

Just how often does an original archive turn up these days? Looking back, I remember being on the periphery of the discovery of the ‘Corsini’ correspondence – even today when such letters turn up they seem to be avidly snapped up. But, all those tales of Solicitor’s cellars and crate-fulls of penny blacks on cover seem to be flights of fancy don’t they. Well, not any longer; I’d say this is the first original archive we’ve seen in thirty years. That’s remarkable, utterly remarkable. Understandably the vendor wished to keep the entire archive intact, preserving it for posterity. Unfortunately (but fortunate for the owner) the discovery of a 4 margin 1d black rare Plate XI on cover within the archive significantly ‘skewed’ the value of the archive increasing the estimate value by 5 figures upward so that the archive ‘intact’ - valued at £20,000+ was sufficient to deter most buyers. The plate XI cover has now been sold - thereby presenting postal historians and historic wine researchers/ wine aficioandos an unique unparalled opportunity to acquire the entire archive (excluding one cover only for which a scan is available) at a much more affordable collector/researcher’s price. This being the archive of Pulling & Co., Wine merchants of Hereford. The archive includes price lists, advertising cards, invoices dating from the 1820s, many 100s – at first we thought probably high hundreds of items housed in three large tubs, but when the team actually waded through we counted an extraordinary approximately 3,400 items of which in the region of half appear to be philatelic with a substantial balance in documents, receipts, invoices, uncancelled letters, and including hundreds of ‘Pulling’s’ own brand bottle labels, cards/marketing material etc. Highlights include 1d black Plate 10 on entire letter (4 margin but aged) from Worcester MY 11 1841 tied black Maltese Cross, close at top right otherwise four margins. There are a few other 1d black covers and a three margin 1840 2d blue on 1843 cover from Dublin, very late usage. Noted are many imperf and perf 1d red covers including much postmark interest, Irish, Spoons, etc. Invoices to Pulling & Co. postmarked from Cognac, France include four 1851-52 covers bearing Ceres imperf 40c orange pairs and three with Ceres imperf 40c orange horiz strips of four, including one 4 margins and unfolded – SG catalogue £600 - £700 each stamp depending upon shade and excluding premium for strips. An original lot, offered completely intact as received and condition variable throughout, but obviously including ‘plum’ items, excellent lot for a wine enthusiast with huge scope for research. Although perhaps not of pecuniary value what I particularly like about this archive is the social history and the fabulous engraved ‘letterheads’ and designs of invoices and receipts redolent of the period. This archive is the only lot offered in this auction which may be personally viewed at our offices, strictly by appointment only. HEAVY LOT - OVERSEAS BIDDERS PLEASE ENQUIRE FOR SHIPPING COSTS (image available) [US4] (Start Price = £4,788.80)