Auction 309-320 - Australian States & Commonwealth British Africa, St. Helena - Day 1

1899: De La Rue Essays for the value tablets on tracing paper affixed to card (76 x 71 mm.) dated "Sep. 8., 1899" at top in manuscript, with value tablets (6 c., 30 c., 75 c., and eight Rupee values) all hand-painted in carmine with the 6 c. and 30 c. also picked out in Chinese white - these not utilised under Victoria's reign - and two Rupee values (1 R 50 c. and 2 R. 25 c.) annotated as accepted with a further pair at right marked "A" and "B" with hyphens inserted and dated "Sept 18" in manuscript. Illustrated in "The De La Rue Collection" edited by Frank Walton RDP on page 5637. Unique and splendid.rnrnProvenance: Collection Lt. Col. J.R. Danson, Robson Lowe, London, 9 Nov 1976, lot 335; Collection R.A.F. Winchester, Sotheby's, London, 19 July 1996, lot 418; Collection Lord Vestey, Spink, London, 8 Dec 2010, lot 1399.