Lot
3 
Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Letter Sheet, 1d black, Pre-First Day Cover, Stereo A 64, lovely fresh Mulready Lettersheet from London to Oxford, postmarked bold red "Lombard Street Paid 5 MY 1840" Maltese Cross postmark, manuscript "1" rate marking has been removed, couple tiny mended tears at bottom, Very Fine and attractive; with 2010 Brandon certificate. S.G. Spec. £25,000 ($31,500).Scott No. U3 Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZED AND SOUGHT AFTER ITEMS IN ALL OF PHILATELY.
Mulready Stationery was put on sale on May 1, 1840 and valid for use on May 6, 1840. As part of Great Britain's postal reform movement, the Mulready envelopes, letter sheets, and the first postage stamps were issued. Before this reform, the addressee was responsible for paying the postage. However, people soon realized they could avoid paying by simply refusing to accept their mail, which led to significant revenue losses for the postal system.nnTo address this issue, the British government, under Queen Victoria, invited proposals for a solution. Sir Rowland Hill presented a simple yet effective plan. He argued that to recover lost revenue, the sender should be required to prepay postage. While this idea was controversial-since it was considered insulting to suggest that an addressee couldn't afford to pay-Hill also proposed that reduced postage rates could encourage more people to use the mail system, which would in turn generate more revenue. The government quickly adopted Hill's idea, establishing a universal penny post where a half-ounce letter could be sent anywhere in Britain for just one penny.nnHill believed that the Mulready envelopes and letter sheets would be a hit with the public, with the adhesive stamps being more of an afterthought. However, the public ridiculed the Mulready designs, with satirical caricatures circulating widely, many created by stationers who resented the government's interference in their business. The negative reaction led to the quick withdrawal and destruction of the Mulready products. In contrast, the postage stamps were embraced for their convenience and quickly gained widespread acceptance.
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Current Opening Bid: $2,500
Lot
4
Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Envelope, 1d black, First Day Usage, Stereo A150, used from London to Leicester, light "C-May-6 1840" circular datestamp on back, red Maltese Cross and black straight line on front, slight edge wear, Very Fine, Mentioned & illustrated in "May Dates" by Jackson. S.G. Spec. No. ME2 £18,000 ($22,680).Scott No. U1 Estimate $4,000 - 6,000.
A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE ONE PENNY MULREADY ENVELOPE USED ON MAY 6, 1840 - THE FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF USE.
The Mulready envelopes were placed on sale May 1, 1840, with instructions that they were not to be used until May 6. A small number were posted prior to May 6.
Current Opening Bid: $2,000
Lot
5
Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Envelope, 1d black with red and black Maltese Cross cancels, Stereo 151, choice envelope from Whitby to Yarm, first a black Maltese Cross was applied over Britannia followed by red Maltese Cross applied of black Maltese Cross, postmarked "Whitby AU 31 1840" date marking on reverse, Extremely Fine; with 2008 B.P.A. certificate. S.G. Spec. No. ME2vk £12,000 ($15,120).Scott No. U1 Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
A WONDERFUL MULREADY RARITY FOR THE SPECIALIST IN EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY.
Current Opening Bid: $3,250
Lot
6
Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Envelope, 1d black, Stereo A 144, sent from Scotland to Huntingdonshire with rare Magenta Maltese Cross, backstamped straight line "Luss" in matching magenta ink and Glasgow datestamp, Very Fine; with 1986 R.P.S.L. certificate. S.G. Spec. No. ME2 ve £12,000 ($15,120).Scott No. U1 Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
A VERY RARE MALTESE CROSS COLOR CANCEL ON THIS 1D MULREADY ENVELOPE.
Current Opening Bid: $750
Lot
7
Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Letter Sheet, 1d black, with John Besemeres & Sons printed advertising on inside, posted in 1854 from London to Penzance with Britannia cancelled by oval numerals "3" and "7" of the London Inland Branch, some edge wear & re-enforced edge splits, Very Fine appearance, a rare late usage with advertising and exceptional combination of two differing numeral cancels.Scott No. U3 Estimate $500 - 750.
Current Opening Bid: $250
Lot
8
Great Britain, Thomas White's "New Post Office Envelope" Caricature, small lettersheet with White's imprint at right folded so as to appear on back, "CJG" designer's initials at lower left, addressed to Wandsworth with red "London Ju 10 1840" oval cancel, light file fold and some slight wear, still Very Fine; with 1997 Brandon certificate.Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
ONLY FOUR OR FIVE USED EXAMPLES OF WHITE'S MULREADY CARICATURE ARE KNOWN.
A Mulready parody filled with outrageous remarks coming from the characters and captions lampooning elements of the original design.
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Current Opening Bid: $1,300
Lot
9
Great Britain, Southgate Mulready Caricature "Ladies School" Envelope, No. 2, humorous allover design on cover to Liverpool, franked with four margin 1840, 1d black (S.G. 2) lettered JG, plate 5, tied by red Maltese cross handstamp with second strike alongside, reverse with circular "Ju 25, 1840" origin date stamp;cover with some minor edge wear and light soiling, Very Fine.Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
A VERY RARE USED EXAMPLE OF THE "LADIES SCHOOL" SOUTHGATE MULREADY CARICATURE ENVELOPE.
In Bodily et al "British Pictorial Envelopes of the 19th Century" the census records only thirteen used examples of this design, not including this example.
Current Opening Bid: $1,200
Lot
10
Great Britain, Southgate Mulready Caricature "Papal" Envelope, No. 6, stunning used and handpainted design from Bristol to Worcestershire, reverse with red Bristol AP 8 1841 cds with black arrival postmark of Worcester of the same date, Extremely Fine and choice; with 2021 M. Jackson certificate.Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
AN OUTSTANDING HANDCOLORED MULREADY CARICATURE IN PERFECT CONDITION.
Jackson certificate notes there is a small manuscript "Pre Paid" endorsement above the address and should have either an adhesive or manuscript charge. He goes on to state there is no indicate of either and surmises "that the Post Office clerk must have made a mistake, possibly confused by the colorful design."nnJackson Conclusion: "In my opinion, the item is an 1840 Southgate No. 6 Mulready Caricature Envelope, Hand-Painted and Postally Used, and is genuine."
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Current Opening Bid: $900