364 / März 2017

1631, Entire letter from Dublin via London and Holland to Luxemburg, on reverse small bishop mark, on front circle "PD", applied at London

1682, Entire letter from Dublin carried privately to Hall Haile, endorsed "p friend"

1705, Entire letter from Dublin to "Lord Donerayle near Mayallo", rated "4", on reverse Dublin bishop mark "DE/18"

1724, "MT. TOWNE", clear straight line with adjacent Dublin bishop mark "FE/22" on reverse of entire letter from Mitchelstown to Dublin, front with filing crease

1738, "DUBLIN", black straight line (27:4 mm), clear strike on reverse of lettersheet with adjacent bishop mark "23/4" to London

1752, Entire letter from London to Dublin, redirected to Limerick with manuscript "P" indicating free postage; on reverse Irish bishop mark "1/MA"

1769, "CORK" and "SHIP" on lettersheet with addressee's notation "Mr. Hopkinson Philadelphia June 30 1769" and endorsed on front "Via Cork", to London, showing on reverse straight line "COUNTRY" and 2 different bishop marks; scarce early transatlantic mail

1782, "FREE/D" in purple, clear strike on front of entire letter from Dublin to Edinburgh, fine and scarce

1798, "LIMERICK", black straight line on entire letter to Scotland, charged "1/8"

1808, Mermaid marking "FREE/27 AP 27 1808" with partly overlapping London "FREE 2 MY 2 1808" on lettersheet with part of contents to London; a scarce marking

1815, "RINGSEND/PENNY POST", good strike on entire letter addressed to a staff member at the House of Commons in Westminster, taxed in manuscript with "1/3", which was cancelled in London and boxed "TO PAY 1 D ONLY" applied on front, also large "1"; the entire with small tear at top, otherwise fine; a very scarce letter

1817, "*BELFAST*/SHIP LETTER" with fancy frame, superb strike on entire letter dated inside "City of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 2oth July 1817" to Coleraine; a very fine and rare transatlantic letter

1818, "LURGANGREEN/37", single circle without date, good strike on entire letter to Armagh, charged "5" d.

1821, Title page of 'THE Gentleman's and Citizen's ALMANACK' with red Almanack tax stamp 9 d., plate 16

1823, "CASTLE BELLINGHAM/34", clear single circle without date on entire letter to Dublin, charges "5" d.

1831, Entire registered letter with faint red "CAVAN/54" and clear red "REGISTERED 7 JA 1831" to Loughbrickland, fine and scarce

1840, Uniform 4 Pennypost: "4", Dublin handstruck marking clear on lettersheet with part of contents, dated "DUBLIN 14th Dec. 1839" to London with additional manuscript "4"; 2 vertical filing folds not affecting the handstamp, very scarce

1840, Uniform 1 d. post: "1 Pd", clear marking in red on front of lettersheet from "PORPGLENONE OC 21 1840" to Garvagh; entire tiny tear at bottom, otherwise fine, scarce

1843, "*BELFAST*/SHIP LETTER", boxed marking in green, clear strike on reverse of lettersheet from New Orleans to London, scarce

1846, "CORK DE 2 1846", blue cds. on embossed lady's envelope (opened out for display) to New Ross with manuscript rate "1", on reverse transit marks of Clonmill, Thomastown and Leighlin Bridge

1848, "CROOKHAVEN Penny Post", clear on small mourning cover to Malta

1900, "SHIP SAILED", clear boxed marking of Queenstown on US postal stationery envelope with additional franking from "NEW YORK JAN 3 1900" to Qeenstown and returned undeliverable with frontside "RETURNED LETTER BRANCH CORK"; a very scarce marking

BRITISH STAMPS USED IN IRELAND: 1840, 1 d. black, plate 10, horizontal pair FI/FJ, two spots at right just clear, otherwise good to large margins, tied by red MC to entire letter from "MONAGHAN FE 27 1841" to Carrickmacross; a fine and rare inner-Irish usage with scarce red cancellation on this plate

1840, 2 d. blue, OK, clear at bottom, otherwise good to large margins, tied by numeral "441" to entire letter with adjacent clear blue "TYRRELSPASS JY 21 1844" to Dublin, fine and scarce

2 d. blue, plate 1, horizontal pair EK/EL with ample to large margins, tied by black MC to lettersheet from "BALLYCASTLE AP 12 1841" to Ballymoney; a vertical cover crease affecting the right stamp in the right margin only, incl. tiny surface scrub just touching the design; still fine and attractive

1856/58, 1 d. rose-red, 2 copies with clear duplex "186/DUBLIN JA 30 1861" to small envelope to Liverpool with adjacent red boxed "LATE LETTER FEE PAID"

1 d. red, 4 copies with 1855/57, 4 d. rose, tied by numeral "86" to envelope with adjacent red "DUBLIN REGISTERED AP 7 1860" to Omagh with arrival mark, fine

1858/79, 1 d. rose-red, pl. 187, 3 copies tied by duplex "LONDONDERRY MR 30 78" to envelope with adjacent clear red "Registered at LONDONDERRY" to Strabane; a very scarce provincial register mark

1870, ½ d. rose (tiny marginal tear), tied by numeral of the newspaper branch "3/186" to newspaper "United Service Gazette" of 9.9.1876

1881, 1 d. lilac (4) and 1887, ½ d. vermilion with numeral "186" on registered mourning cover with adjacent red "DUBLIN P.L.O. REGISTERED AP 20 91", to Melbourne, Australia with transit and arrival marks, also normal cover from the same correspondance with 3-colour-franking tied by Cork date stamp

1887/92, Jubilee 2½ d., tied by Armagh cds. to envelope via St. Petersburg and Moscow to Urga with arrival mark in black and violet, not called for and returned with frontside violet "URGA 23 11 1898", also frontside desinfection mark; a very scarce destination

"BELFAST NO. 20 84 / 62", clear duplex on Belgium reply card 5 c. green with additional franking 5 c. ocre, to Anvers with arrival mark on front, fine and scarce

THE WAY TO INDIPENDENCE: Daniel O'Connel, entire letter (without envelope) in his own hand with signature

"Daniel O'Connell", signature on "Free" front from London to Hastings with crowned double circle date stamp

1914, Homerule 1 d. Hibernia, 1 d. Redmond (2) and 1 d. harp, unused, 2 with faults

1916, Easter Rising: 3 picture postcards (2 with emergency cancels) and postcard and field post cover, also both with emergency cancellations in different types