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Sale 54: The Winter Auction

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Regular Issues

Lots 1119-1128 Lots 1129-1130

Lot 1119 o   

Great Britain, 1840, 1d black, plate 1b, position GE, red Maltese cross cancel, ample to large margins, tiny corner thin at bottom, otherwise Very Fine. Scott No. 1.
SG No. 2    £300 ($490).

Realized: $115

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Lot 1120 o   

Great Britain, 1840, 1d black, plate 4, letters HH-HI, horizontal pair, red cork cancels, ample to mostly large margins with significant portion of adjacent stamps at bottom, right stamp with small thin, otherwise Very Fine. Scott No. 1 $600.
SG No. 2    £650 ($1,050).

Realized: $290

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Lot 1121    

Great Britain, 1840, 1d black, Second Day of Issue, May 7, 1840, singles on two folded letter sheets from correspondence to William Ball in Hampstead:

The First: plate 2, letters MB, full well balanced margins, tied by red Maltese cross cancel on folded letter sheet to Hampstead, faint "Broad St. Bd." straight line handstamp and reverse with two different red London boxed "My 7, 1840" Second Day date stamps; sealed central vertical cover tear under stamp and stamp with small corner crease at bottom right

The Second: plate 2, letters QH, ample to large margins, tied by red Maltese cross cancel on folded letter sheet to Hampstead, reverse with red London cross & box "My 7, 1840" Second Day date stamps; light horizontal cover file fold at bottom

Accompanied by a Third Folded Letter sent by William Ball, the day after receiving the above covers, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in London enclosing the two letters, with letter which reads in full…
Hampton, May 8th, 1840 -

Sir,
Enclosed I have taken the liberty of forwarding the covers of two letters I have just received with the adhesive wafers attached to them. To a person fraudulently inclined the wafers appear to be easily transferred from one or more letters thus defeat[ing] the object wished & considerably injures the Government.
I am Sir -
Your Most Obet Hble Srt
W. Ball


Cover with "T.P., Hamstead NO" straight line postmark and "2" pence rate handstamp (since the franking had been withdrawn as a part of the Rowland Hill reforms, the Chancellor's office had to pay the unpaid collect penalty rate), red "My 8, 1840" receiving boxed handstamp on backflap, overall Very Fine, May 7th Usage of the 1d Penny Black Catalogs £20,000 Each in the Stanley Gibbons Specialized Catalog. Scott No. 1.
SG No. 2    Estimate $7,500 - 10,000.

A MAGNIFICENT TRIO OF TWO 1D BLACK SECOND DAY OF USAGE COVERS AND LETTER SHOWING INITIAL CONFUSION REGARDING THE FIRST POSTAGE STAMP EVER ISSUED.

The bank note companies that produced the first postage stamp for both England and the United States at first did not understand the problems associated with gumming newly made paper to be used in stamp production. If the paper and the sizing was not allowed to age before applying the gum, the gum soaked into the paper's fiber, reducing the adhesiveness of the stamps, causing many of them to fall of the covers which they were attached. Ignoring the fact that these stamps had been cancelled, Ball complains of the two enclosures of which the stamps are still only partially attached to their covers.

Realized: $12,500

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Lot 1122    

Great Britain, 1840, 1d black, letters FF, margins mostly large to close at upper right, affixed to the upper left of folded letter sheet to London, neat "Aylsham, Sp 4, 1840" origin cds and receiving backstamp; cover slightly reduced at bottom, otherwise Very Fine. Scott No. 1.
SG No. 2    Estimate $200 - 300.

On May 7, 1840 the General Post Office issued a circular directing the public to place the new stamps at the upper right corner of the envelope, threatening a double payment for non-compliance. Here, the sender ignored the instructions without suffering any consequences.

Realized: $280

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Lot 1123 o   

Great Britain, 1840, 2d blue, letters MA-MB, horizontal pair, black Maltese cross cancels, margins large to close at left, deep color, Very Fine. Scott No. 2 $1,400.
SG No. 5    £1,400 ($2,270).

Realized: $375

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Lot 1124    

Great Britain, 1840, 2d blue, letters FB, ample to large margins, tied by Maltese cross cancel on 1842 folded letter to Oxford, reverse with "Birmingham, De 11, 1842" origin and receiving cds's; couple sealed internal cover tears, otherwise Very Fine. Scott No. 2.
SG No. 5    Estimate $400 - 600.

Realized: $300

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Lot 1125 E   

Great Britain, 1880, ½d rose essay, by Perkins & Bacon, on wove, perf'd and gummed, shallow thin, otherwise F.-V.F.
Estimate    $75 - 100.

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Lot 1126 o   

Great Britain, 1884, Queen Victoria, 5s rose, bluish paper, Anchor watermark, neat socked-on-the-nose Tenby town cancel, strong color, faint pressed out horizontal crease, Very Fine appearance, a very scarce paper variety. Scott No. 108a.
SG No. 176    £3,750 ($6,070).

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Lot 1127 o   

Great Britain, 1884, Queen Victoria, 10s ultramarine, Anchor watermark, socked-on-the-nose town and blue crayon cancels, bright color, Very Fine. Scott No. 109 $500.
SG No. 183    £475 ($770).

Realized: $135

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Lot 1128 o   

Great Britain, 1891, Queen Victoria, £1 green, oval registry date stamp cancels, nicely centered, strong color, faint pressed crease, Very Fine appearance. Scott No. 124 $750.
SG No. 212    £750 ($1,210).

Realized: $220

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Lots 1119-1128 Lots 1129-1130

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