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

Recess Perkins Bacon, wmk. Small Star 1860 (Dec 18): (6 d.) green, wmk. Small Star, perf. 14-16, imperforate on three sides, used with CANCELLED obliterator struck at lower right leaving the vignette clear, position 1 in the proposed block of six in the Peter Jaffé handbook. A magnificent stamp, just two such are recorded, this being the sole example in private hands - the other being housed in the collection of Her Majesty King Charles III. Gi = £ 12'000.

1861. Cancelled Stamps for Rowland Hill’s nephew Ormond Hill
On 18 April 1861 Ormond Hill, the nephew of Rowland Hill, wrote to Joshua Butters Bacon the head of Perkins Bacon and Co.:
“My dear Sir, Two or three of my friends who are collectors of Postage Stamps have asked me to procure for them specimens of new or uncommon stamps whenever I have it in my power. It occurs to me that perhaps you may be able to give me a few ...”
He added on 24 April:
“... I should be glad to have six stamps of each kind ...”
On 15 August J. Upham (for J.B. Bacon) sent the stamps to Pearson Hill with the following letter:
“Dear Sir, I beg now to send you as promised ... an envelope addressed to Ormond Hill Esq. containing 6 obliterated impressions of each of the stamps named in the list and request you will take two of each for Rowland Hill Esq. and yourself and then seal the package and forward it together with a letter which you will also find addressed to him, to Mr. Ormond Hill.”
It turned out that the supply of the Crown Agents‘ property was given without authority.
Ormond Hill was not asked to return the „specimens“, and in fact, all were treated as private property. Nevertheless, the case destroyed Perkins Bacon as future printers for the Crown Agents.
From Peter Jaffe in "Cancelled by Perkins Bacon“, published for Spink & Son Ltd by James Bendon Ltd. (1998).

Provenance: Provenance: Collection Dr. Conrad Latto, Christie’s, London, 27 Oct 1992, lot 2543; Collection Dr. Conrad Latto, Oct 1992; Collection 'Molly', Harmers, London, 18 Dec 1996, lot 2010; Collection Peter Jaffé, Spink, London, 7 March 2007, lot 64.