360 / Mai 2015 London

1781, Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount and Baron Nelson, Duke of Bronté, Vice Admiral of the White Squadron of the Fleet and Hero of Trafalgar; signature "Horatio Nelson" ( with his right hand) on part of a document, counter-signed by his eldest brother William Nelson and his sisters Susanne Bolton and Ann Nelson; a rare document of Nelson's time in Britain in 1781, recovering from a feaver caught during the expedition in Costa Rica, ex Patrick Pearson

1789, complete 2 page letter signed "Horatio Nelson", written "Burnham Jan.y 24th 1789" to the merchants Wilkinson & Higgins in Antigua, Leeward Islands, endorsed "Navy Office 1/-", prepaid with 2 sh., being marked on the front in red manuscript with adjacent handstamped "POST PAID"; on reverse London transit date stamp of 4.2.1789. He is writing in reply to a letter of 9 October 1788 and concludes 'In this Country I am not in Office and so much retired from the busy scenes of power that although I have every inclination yet it is not in my power of doing more than representing your situation which I have and always will do to all Public Boards and my belief in your ability and determination to lay all the frauds open'. A rare and remarkable document Provenance: Patrick Pearson

1805, signature "Nelson & Bronte" (with his left hand, after losing his right one in the action off Tenerife in 1797) on free letter front to Cambridge. Nelson had only returned to England on August 17, after chasing Admiral Villeneuve and the French fleet to the West Indies and back. Within a few days of writing this letter he was summoned from his home at Merton, rejoining H.M.S. Victory at Portsmouth on September 15, from where she sailed to Cadiz and the Battle of Trafalgar Provenance: Patrick Pearson

1839, "4" (d.), clear strike on front of unpaid entire letter, backstamped "NORWICH DE 20 1839" to Uttoxeter; a very fine and rare letter with a hand-struck "4"; of Norwich only 3 entires are recorded, one being in the Fletcher collection in the British Library Provenance: Patrick Pearson

1840, "4", manuscript marking on front of doubel.-rate unpaid entire letter of January 11, 1840, the second day of uniform 1 d. post, backstamped "STOKE-FERRY" to Wymondham; a scarce item from the 2nd day of uniform Penny-Post, ex Patrick Pearson

1840, Mulready Lettersheet 1 d. black used with clear red Maltese Cross and showing on reverse clear dispatch mark "BATH MY 6 1840" (beautiful upright strike when upper flap opened for display), addressed to Great Campden House in Kensington. A beautiful and very fine Mulready of the first day of issue, certificate K.-A. Louis BPP (2013) Note: The address 'Campden House, Kensington' was reknown as 'Queen Anne's Palace' since Anne, Princess of Denmark, resided with her son, William Duke of Gloucester in Campden House from 1692 for some years. Later Campden House was used as a boarding school for ladies until it was almost entirely destroyed by a fire on March 23, 1862 Provenance: 'Yates' Collection (Robson Lowe 1949) 'Minimus' Collection (Robson Lowe 1980)

1840, Mulready envelope 1 d. black, stereo 'A182', backstamped "NORWICH MY 6 1840" and straight line "too late", addressed to Stalham Hall, showing on front good strike of red MC; some minor creasing; a very fine cover from the first official day of use; certificate RPS (1995) Provenance: Vivien Sussex, Patrick Pearson

1840, 1d. black, plate 1A, lettered LL, tied by red Maltese Cross to entire used on the First day of Issue, dated inside "London May 6th. 1840” in manuscript with matching London Chief Office evening duty datestamp on reverse "B / MY - 6 / 1840 in red (Code letter 'B’ is known to be used on May 6, 1840, but partly oxidised as can usually be seen on the few known impressions). The adhesive with repaired defect in the lower left corner, entire and stamp are cleaned, the addressee’s name was erased and is re-written. The letter inside shows deleted parts, while the senders ms. date "London May 6th. 1840” is original. Karl Louis BPP cert. (2013) and Mike Jackson A.I.E.P. cert (2014) confirming the 6 May datestamp being oxidised but not enhanced, while BPA cert. (2013) states 'genuine ... backstamp enhanced’ (but not mentioning oxidation). Despite restored faults an interesting First Day cover showing a neat strike of the London 6 May 1840 datestamp and by the sender’s manuscript 6 May 1840 heading inside. Reference: 1999, 'May Dates’ by Mike Jackson Provenance: Charles Nissen Stock (Stanley Gibbons auction 28/29 Sept. 1978). Charles

1d. black plate 4, DJ, three large margins, just shaved at right, tied by red Maltese Cross to entire letter from ‚BIRMINGHAM  NO 11  1840« to Aix La Chapelle, Rhenish Prussia. The letter was forwarded to London, but handstamped ‚Returned for .....Postage« in red by the London Foreign Branch Office and returned to Birmingham to collect ‚1/10« (1s.10d.) from the sender. The postage was then collected and the cover was marked by a ‚PAID 14 NO 1840« handstamp. The adhesive is tied by two Maltese Crosses in slightly different shades of red to the cover, the second strike may have been applied either in London at the Foreign Branch or in Birmingham when the missing postage had been collected. A very rare usage of a 1840, 1d. black on foreign destination cover, especially ‚from beyond London«. According to the Karl Louis Card Index Register, this cover is the only genuine cover bearing a Penny Black to Prussia (another cover to Neuwied having first been seen on the Market in June 2008 is at least ‚questionable«). Karl Louis BPP certificate (2008)

1840: 2 d. blue, Plate 1, a superb horizontal pair lettered IB-IC, with huge margins all round and with portion of adjoining stamp at right, used on 1840 cover to Ripon and tied by two strikes of the red Maltese Cross. Reverse with 'Leyburn / Penny Post' in black and 'Bedale' datestamp (Oct 25) in black. A superb and most attractive cover. Signed Van Dieten, Calves. Provenance: Corinphila sale 64 (June 1981), lot 738.

1841, 1 d. red-brown, plate 28, clear to very wide margins, tied by good strike of Norwich Maltese Cross, so-called 'Number in centre' type to envelope, backstamped "NORWICH AP 4 1843" to Basingstoke with arrival mark on front; fine and scarce, certificate RPS (1994) Provenance: Patrick Pearson

1854: 1 d. red-brown on blued paper, 2 d. deep blue in horizontal pair, both wmk. Small Crown, perf. 16; used in combination with Embossed 1847/54 10 d. brown and 1 s. deep green on attractive 1854 entire letter to Vera Cruz, Mexico tied by fine strikes of '48' numeral obliterators of Ballymoney, Ireland in black. Reverse with Ballymoney despatch cds in red (June 13) and London transit in red. Central file fold touches one 2 d. adhesive but a very rare make up of the 2/3d. single rate. A rare and most attractive entire.

1864/80, 1d. rose red, plate numbers 71-225 (excl. pl.77), the fine specialized collection an album pages neatly written up for exhibition, including all plates mint (plate 225, QI, provenance: Harmers auction 27 Oct.1976, lot 1323), each plate represented by at least one cover (pl.225 vertical pair KK-LK used with 1870, ½d. on nvelope to New York, pl.225 is very rare on foreign destination cover!), 23  Imprimaturs from various plates including pl.223, varieties including 66 stamps with inverted watermarks, imperforate with plate 148 mint o.g. with Philatelic Foundation cert. (1962), plates 146, 198 and 207 ovpt. SPECIMEN, various protective underprints, mint multiples including pl. 96 blocks of 16 QI-TL (lower right corner marginal block with pl. no.), and OB-RF block of 20, pl.102, EG-KL right hand marginal block of 42 howing dividing star, pl.122, NJ-SL  block of 18,  pl. 143, AA-BF corner marginal plate no block of 12, plate 191, KG-NJ, block of  16, pl. 214, SA-TD corner marginal pl. no. block 8,used blocks incl. pl. 138, DD-GF block of 12 with neat CHESTER MY 9 72 cds., also included several covers with mixed plates/ mixed issues frankings (incl. pl. 208 used with Surface printed 1880, 1d. venetian, foreign destinations (incl. Ionian Islands), various printed matters to foreign destinations (incl. Egypt!), pl. 03 on «Fun Magazine», pl. 118 on Punch Magazine, pl. 95 on Sun Fire Office printed letter, pl.96 on printed Telegram (!), pl. 143 on neatly executed and decorative gold rinted Lady»s envelope, some better cancellations incl. More to pay, H&K Packet,  Brunswick stars, Sorting Tender, the collection is housed in 5 volumes, some slight oxidation as usual, otherwise the condition is generally good to very fine with many choise items.  

Protective Underprints: NAYLOR, BENZON & CO, LONDON, protective underprint in black on 1864, 1d red plate 148, GK, (Late Fee) and 1867, 3d. rose plate 6, horizontal wing marginal pair RG-RH (usual slightly irregular perforations), tied by 'LONDON 18 JY 71  -  '9’ " duplex cancellation to lettersheet showing ms. senders marking 'Naylor, Benzon & Co’ inside, addressed to Gefle, Sweden. Protective underprints on Surface printed issues are rare, on cover they are among the rarest varieties existing of the Victorian period. One of only two covers recorded in the Karl Louis Card Index Register of Naylor, Benzon & Co protective underprint. As most users of private protective underprints, they later went on to use perfins.  A letter communication with Stanley Gibbons Publications is attached confirming the addition of the 3d. plate 6 in the following GB Specialised Cat., 12th. edition, as this plate was not recorded before. (S.G. Spec. PP143, PP144) Note: Naylor, Benzon &Co were metal merchants in London. In the 20th century they had become a major mining company

1858/69: 2 d. blue, plate 13, an outstanding block of 23, lettered GH-GL/HG-HL/IG-IL/JG-JL, with all stamps cancelled by single ring WEDNESBURY datestamps (Oct 2, 1871) in black. A few negligible blunt perforations mentioned for complete accuracy and some perforations split, but a remarkable and extremely rare multiple, almost certainly one of the largest extant. Provenance: 'Victoria' (1975).

1854: Embossed 6 d. purple used with 1856 4 d. carmine on blued paper, tied to 1856 entire letter to Turin by London 1'5' obliterators in black. Oval 'PD' alongside and Calais transit (June 1) on front, reverse with Turin arrival cds. A charming entire in fine quality.

1867 (July 1): 5 s. rose, Plate 1, wmk. Maltese Cross, a magnificent used block of eight (2 x 4), each pair cancelled by complete strike of the GLASGOW / 159 duplex (Jan 31, 1872) in black. Minor bend on fifth stamp mentioned for full accuracy only and not detracting from the beauty of an exceptional and extremely rare multiple for the connoisseur Gi J121 = £ 8'800.

1873/89: 6 d. grey, plate 16, wmk. Spray of Rose, the marvellous mint interpanneau block of 12, lettered OE-OH / QE-QH, of bright fresh colour and margin with full inscription 'Price per label...', negligible folds in interpanneau margin only and trivial blunting of perforations of no significance, the stamps very fresh and fine with large part and eleven stamps unmounted og. A wonderful and extremely rare block, the sole recorded interpanneau block from this plate. A spectacular showpiece. Cert. BPA (1983) Gi J86 = £ 9'000 (as three blocks of four). Note: The sheets of 240 were divided prior to their delivery to Post Offices in panes of 20 or 40 (2 x 20). Therefore interpanneau multiples are amongst the rarest multiples of the Victorian Surface Printed Issues, with only a handful recorded from any issue between 1855 and 1880, when the Crown watermark paper was introduced. Provenance: Robson Lowe (Feb 1957), lot 302 as a block of sixteen; 'Layton' (1995), lot 1340.

1884: 5 s. rose on white paper, wmk. Anchor, a used block of ten (5 x 2), lettered MA / NE, of fine fresh colour, each stamp individually cancelled by QUEEN'S SQUARE / BELFAST  (March 5, 1898) datestamps in black. A few blunted or split perforations on no significance. A rare and most unusual multiple of stunning appearance Gi K12 = £ 3'750. Provenance: 'Grant' (Sept 2003), lot 2360.

1891: £ 1 green, a vertical strip of five, lettered LB / PB, of fine fresh colour, all cancelled by oval REGISTERED / GRACECHURCH ST datestamps (Nov 13, 1892) in black. A rare and most impressive multiple of this scarce stamp Gi = £ 4'000.

1840: 'VR Official' 1 d. black, Imprimatur lettered RI, one of just 33 examples removed from the first registration sheet (before hardening of the Plate), of rich colour and large even margins all round, without gum. An outstanding and very rare stamp in superb quality. Cert. Holcombe (1988), BPA (2015) Gi = £ 35'000. Proveance: Maurice Burrus (Oct 1963), lot 565.  

1840, VR Official 1 d. black, lettered K.K., full to large margins all round and of fresh colour, unused without gum; a very fine example of this rarity, not being from the Dublin Sheet ex Crawford, Certificate RPS (1968) Provenance: Auction H.R. Harmer (1935) Auction Robson Lowe (1952)

1840 (April/May): 'VR Official', 1 d. black, a used example lettered OJ, with good to large margins all round, utilised (by Rowland Hill) for canccellation Trials, cancelled by a Trial strike of the Maltese Cross cancellation in black. After the stamp was cancelled, an attempt has been made to remove the cancellation, fortunately with little success. A splendid and extremely rare stamp in wonderful quality for such a rarity. Signed Holcombe. Certs. Holcombe (1989), BPA (2015) Gi = £ 35'000.

1882/1901: I.R. Official 1 s. green & carmine, fresh mint example of excellent centering and bright colour, minute crack below first perf. at upper left corner, otherwise an exceptional example of this rare stamp, with large part original gum. Signed Holcombe. Certs. Holcombe (1993), BPA (2015) Gi = £ 4'200.

1902 (April 29): 'I. R. Official' 10 s. ultramarine, unused example of excellent centering, from the famous block of nine stamps found in a small leather jewel box in 1947 (photo of the original block with the lot, this being the third stamp in the lower row) and illustrated in the 'The British Philatelist' in June 1947. The Karl Louis index lists a total of 32 examples, of which a pair is in the Royal Collection, a block of four in the National Collection of Ireland (donated by the Duke of Leinster in 1894) and a single example in the Evans collection in the City Museum & Art Gallery in Birmingham, with 5 in used condition. An extremely rare stamp, minor faults in common (incl. trace of vertical bend) with all of the stamps in the 1947 find. This particular example has not been offered on the philatelic market for 57 years, a rarity for the connoisseur. Cert. RPS (1955) Mi 62 = € 70'000/Scott O25 = $ 120'000/Gi. = £ 95'000. Provenance: Harmer Rooke (1947), Corinphila sale 45 (April 1958), lot 3842.

1941/43, extremely comprehensive collection with many rare items including Guernsey Michel Cat. No. 2aMU as vertical strip of three, Michel Cat. No. 2aU as block of 12 with complete imprint, never hinged, also a cover from "GRANVILLE" to Italy, also Jersey Michel Cat. No. 1yU with right sheet margin and as vertical from from the upper left sheet corner, Michel Cat. No. 1yUl pair with normal stamp, 1yUo block of four with two normal stamps, 1yUmw block of four with sheet margin, Michel Cat. No. 1P horizontal pair, Michel Cat. No. 2P two blocks of four in black on carton paper from the upper left resp. right sheet corner, Michel Cat. No. 3-8 complete sheets including gutter pairs and printing date, many "Epreuves des Luxes", Essays, "Half Size Essay", "Mise en Train" rare printing dates and many more special items, virtually everything is expertized with BPP certificate! 

Jersey: 1940, Swastika overprint ½d.-1 s., mint never hinged, very scarce as only 60 of each were printed, certificate Möhle BPP GB 198, 200-208, 210-11

1854, 6d. grey with superb large margins all round used with 1 s. vermilion, margin just nicked at top left on 1858 cover from Sydney to Genoa, Italy endorsed 'per Victoria via Marseilles', tied by dumb obliterators in black with reverse showing SYDNEY / NEW SOUTH WALES datestamp of despatch (April 9) in black. 'Australie v. Suez' entry marking in red on front (June 15) and Genova arrival (June 17) where charged 2 lire due.

1892/99, ½ d. slate, block of 3 and single tied by cds. "SHIPMAIL ROOM ..." to large size printed matter wrapper, originally sent from Germany, franked with 1889/1900, 25 pf. orange for the quintuple printed matter rate, to Sydney and from here re-directed to Auckland, New Zealand, some slight creasing; a remarkable and rare combination franking

1862/67, 6d. pale bluish green, imperforated single stamp with good to mostly enormeous margins with parts of 3 neighbour stamps and small sheet margin at top; lightly cancelled; a very fine and rare stamp; opinion Holcombe

1860/69, 2 d. bright vermilion, tied by clear cds. "ADELAIDE MY 29 66" to Newspaper wrapper "THE Australian News" via London, with red transit mark on front, to Leipzig in Saxony with arrival mark on reverse; a remarkable early printed matter to an unusual destination

1860 (Jan): 'Riverina' Combination Covers (2) from Moama, New South Wales via Echuca, Victoria on the Murray River to Huddersfield, UK both carried on the same ship to England, one franked by New South Wales 1854/59 Diadem 1 s. pale brownish red tied by rare MOAMA barred numeral '137' in black used in combination with Victoria 6 d. deep blue (2), each cancelled by manuscript pen cross. Reverse with Melbourne transit cds (Jan 17) and Huddersfield arrival (March 12) - ex Trevor Davis and Dr Ed Druce. Coupled with a registered 1860 cover from the same correspondence franked by New South Wales 1854/59 Diadem 1 s. pale brownish red and tied by rare MOAMA barred numeral '137' in black and Registration 1856/59 (-) orange & prussian blue similarly tied; again used in combination with Victoria 6 d. deep blue (2), which are tied by aging and the slight ink spots apparent on face. Transit of REGISTERED / MELBOURNE in red (Jan 17), reverse with MOAMA despatch cds of the previous day and Huddersfield arrival (March 12) in black. The registered cover with corner missing at upper right and with faults, but a dramatic and rare pair of combination covers. Cert. BPA (2009). Provenance: Baetgen (March 1994), lot 2724.  

1879, Black Swan wm. CC: 2d., the 'error of colour' mauve instead of yellow, nice fresh colour, unused with large part of fresh original gum, very fine; an attractive showpiece and one of the rarest errors of the Australian States, most of the unused examples of this error are without gum and originated from a half sheet of 60 acquired by Stanley Gibbons, a few original gum examples came from (presumably) the other half sheet from which all of the used examples emanated, certificate RPS (1977)

1914, stamps of Marshall Islands surcharged: 1 d. on 3 pf.-5 s. on 5 m. complete incl. the rare overprint variety ".GR.I." and straight top serif of 1 d. on 3 pf., all cancelled by favour with backdated violet oval "RABAUL NEW BRITAIN JAN 14 1915" to large piece, two folds between the stamps, otherwise very fine. A very rare set with the unique ".GR.I."-variety. Certificate BPA (2015)

4 d. on 40 pf. with variety "d omitted", setting II, pos. 6, tied by oval date stamp "RABAUL NEW BRITAIN JAN ... 1915 to piece. According to Gibbs only two examples of this variety have been recorded, both used, this the only one on piece; signed Kilian BPP and certificate BPA (2014)

5 s. on 5 m. carmine and black, setting III, pos. 4, fresh deep colour and good perforation, tiny faint corner crease at upper left, unused with large part of original gum, small private signatures; a fine copy of this rare stamp