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

1854, 1 d red, plate 178, lettered JI-KJ, die I, alphabet II, small crown wmk.,perf. 16, block of four, showing dramatic variety "partial imperforate" between "J" and "K" rows and to the side of "KI" and between "KI-KJ", a unique block; a strip of three IF-IH from the same partially perforated sheet exists cancelled by the same Irish "115" of Castlederg (Ireland); his error was caused by the interuption of the perforation operation at the "J" row which restarted at the bottom of the "K" row, the remnant of "LI" indicates that before the perforation restarted the sheet was moved 1-2mm to the right; there is a diagonal tear through the lower part of KI and damage to side of KJ, the perfs are separated between JI-JK, these are all most likely attributed to the problems encountered with the perforation machine, a rare example, incredibly used in Ireland.rnProvenance: The Chartwell Collection, Sir Cyril Humphrey Cripps, Spink, 29 June 2011, lot 1307.