360 / Mai 2015 London

9 d. purple-brown, outer frame line cut at left, otherwise good margins, with 1 d. blue and 2 d. yellow-green, tied by oval of bars to cover front to Dover, here franked with GB 1854/57, 1 d. red, tied by duplex "DOVER JY 14 60" and re-directed to Sandgate; a fine and scarce combination franking, certificate BPA (1989). Provenance: Joseph Hackmey (2009)

1 shilling slate-violet, horizontal strip of 4, the 3 right stamps slightly touched at bottom, otherwise good to wide margins with small part of neighbour stamp at right, lightly cancelled with oval of bars; very fine, the largest recorded multiple of this stamp. Provenance: A. Clayton (1959) Rev. Cornwell-Brooks (1979) P.C. Pearson (1983) Joseph Hackmey (2009)

1 shilling slate-violet, just touched at upper left, otherwise clear to good margins, together with somewhat touched 1 d. blue, tied by oval of bars to small envelope 1860 to Alexandria, Egypt, and re-directed "Poste restante Marseille"; the name in the address blackened and large part of reverse flap missing; still an attractive cover with scarce destination, certificate BPA. Provenance: Joseph Hackmey (2010)

1 shilling slate-violet with clear to good margins, together with 3 copies 1 d. blue and single 6 d. purple-brown on white paper (these partly slightly touched), tied by oval of bars to letter sheet "Via Marseille" to London, backstamped "GALLE STEAMER LETTER JY 16 1860", some light creasing affecting two 1 d.; a unique three-colour-franking, certificate RPS. Provenance: Joseph Hackmey (2009)

1 shilling slate-violet, 3 single stamps, one clear to good margins, the other two slightly touched to wide margins, together with 6 d. purple-brown with good to wide margins all around, tied by oval of bars to double-rate letter sheet, backstamped "COLOMBO POST-PAID FE 29 1860" to London with arrival mark on front; the stamps lifted for inspection and replaced; a marvelous letter, certificates Philatelic foundation (1975) and RPS (1999). Provenance: Baron de Worms (1938) Shanahan Auction (1958) Lawrence Shenfield (1975) Joseph Hackmey (2009)

2 s. dull blue, fresh colour and good to wide margins, unused without gum, short internal creases, overall very fine and fresh, certificate BPA (2010). Provenance: Joseph Hackmey (2010)

1861/64, watermark 'star', intermediate perf. 14:15½ : 1 d. dull blue with part strike of "CANCELLED" obliterator, pos. 3 of the horizontal block of 6; a tear in the upper right corner fixed almost invisibly, extremely rare, one of two recorded copies, the other one being in the Royal Collection. SG £ 10.000,- Provenance: Ernest B. Lye (1951) Peter Jaffé (2006) Joseph Hackmey (2009)

9 d. deep brown, neatly cancelled by two part strikes of "CANCELLED", pos. 2 of the block of six; perforation trimmed at right and bottom; a fine and rare stamp, only 3 copies recorded, one being in the Royal Collection. SG £ 9.000,- Provenance: Joseph Hackmey (2010)

1863/65, watermark 'crown CC' perforated 12½: 1 d. dull mauve in horizontal pair with 1 d. deep blue, horizontal pair and single and 6 d. sepia, all cancelled by oval of bars (additional pen marks faded) to envelope, backstamped "COLOMBO PAID JA .. 65" to London with arrival marks; the stamps were lifted for inspection and replaced; an attractive and scarce franking, certificate RPS (1975). Provenance: Lawrence Shenfield (1975)

1 d. deep blue imperforated with handstamp "SPECIMEN", wm reversed, unused with large part o.g., very fine and rare.

1867/70, 4 d. rose-carmine, horizontal block of 6, unused with fresh original gum, 2 stamps unmounted mint; the bottom right stamp pulled perf, otherwise very fine and fresh.

5 d. yellow-olive in horizontal pair, tied by "C" in bars to large size registered envelope endorsed "per Book post" with adjacent red "KANDY PAID MR 31 70" and oval "KANDY REGISTERED" to England with London register mark on front; the envelope slightly reduced at the sides and here glued; a fine and scarce franking Provenance: P. C. Pearson (1983)

1 shilling reddish-lilac and 6 d. blackish-brown, 2 pairs and single stamp, in combination with 1866/68, 1 d. blue, all tied by "A" in bars to triple-rate registered letter sheet with adjacent red "COLOMBO PAID JU 11 70" via London to Glasgow with transit and arrival marks; recipient's notation on front slightly affecting the franking; certificate RPS (2002) stating "Creases removed by ironing"; an attractive and rare entire. Provenance: 'Serendid' Collection (2002) Joseph Hackmey (2009)

2 shilling deep blue and 4 d. rose-carmine, tied by "B" in bars to envelope with adjacent red "GALLE PAID DE 10 78" to the United States with London and New York transit marks; a fine and scarce letter to overseas, certificate BPA. Provenance: Joseph Hackmey (2010)

1869, De La Rue day book: "L"-shaped piece, bearing imperforated ½ d. dull mauve, 2 d. bistre and 5 d. olive-green and perforated 4 d. rose-carmine, 8 d. slade-brown, 9 d. brown and 10 d. dull vermilion and typographed issued 1 d. blue, some with perforation partly clipped, the piece dated in the top margin "Aug 19th"; a rare and interesting piece Provenance: Joseph Hackmey (2009)

1857/59, Postal Stationery: envelope 9 d. brown-violet, cancelled by oval in bars and back stamped "COLOMBO POST PAID MY 23 1859" used to Linlithgow in Scotland with arrival mark; a fine and very rare entire, only 5 used copies are known. Higgins & Gage no. 7

Military Mail: 1858 (ca.), envelope endorsed "H.M.S. 'Diamond' TRINCOMALEE CEYLON" and (signature) "Officer Commanding" to Dorset, bearing GB 1 d. red, cancelled in transit at London; the stamp with 2 pulled perfs, otherwise fine; a scarce cover.

1960/61: 30 m. black & carmine-lake, overprinted 'Cyprus Republic' in blue, variety 'Overprint Double', a used example, missing lower left corner perforation, tied to small piece by 'Nicosia / Cyprus' datestamp (24 May, 1961) in black. The minor fault unobtrusive, this being one of the major Elizabethan Commonwealth varieties, with just two genuine examples reported. Cert. Merkur (1976), BPA (2014) Gi = £ 45'000.

Sperati Forgeries: The beautifully written up collection on 11 pages showing all four Sperati types, with Queen Victoria 1894 45 pi. grey-purple & blue imperforate in Die Proof format signed 'Jean de Sperati', Duty Plate stamp size photograph in black & white and further example of the CYPRUS / 45 PIASTRES each handstamped 'Reproduction' on reverse, together with the 'issued' Sperati 45 pi. cancelled by Nicosia squared circle datestamp (Aug.1898) in black (cert. RPS); Edward VII with photographic reproductions of the Die Proofs made by Robson Lowe for the three values 9 pi, 18 pi and 45 pi, together with 1902 45 pi. grey & blue imperforate in Die Proof format signed 'Jean de Sperati' (cert. RPS), enlarged photographs (5) and stamp size photographs (4) all handstamped 'Sperati / Reproduction' on reverse and four 1902 45 pi. dull purple & ultramarine with one 'mint' and three 'used' Sperati Forgeries (one with RPS cert, the other signed Sperati on reverse, two further examples handstamped by the BPA). Thereafter 1902 9 pi., 18 pi. and 45 pi. mint with 'used' Sperati's for comparison (7) all handstamped on reverse, with Type B 9 pi. 'used', Type B 18 pi. 'used' and Type D 18 pi. 'used' (all ex Carl Walske). A marvellous and rare group superbly arranged and exhibited by one of the leading exponents of Cyprus philately (35 items). Provenance: Queen Victoria 45 pi. Die Proof, ex Chris Cruttwell.

1857 (Oct 14): Entire letter franked by Great Britain 1857 1 d. rose-red, perf. 14 in a horizontal pair, tied to cover to Genoa endorsed 'Col Piroscafo', by two strikes of 'G' obliterators in black. 'Via / Di Mare / (E)' in red at right. Charged '3' with black handstamp and '10' in manuscript on arrival (Oct 20). A fresh and fine cover - the earliest recorded cover bearing British adhesives is dated September 7, 1857.

1857 (Oct 22): Entire letter franked by Great Britain 1857 1 d. rose-red, perf. 14 in a horizontal pair, tied to cover to Genoa endorsed 'Col Piroscafo Albania', by two strikes of 'G' obliterators in black. Double arc GIBRALTAR cds at right in  blue and 'Via / Di Mare / (E)' in red above. Charged '15 cmi' with black handstamp on arrival (Oct 26). A fresh and fine cover - the earliest recorded cover bearing British adhesives is dated September 7, 1857.

1860 (Aug 2): Entire letter from Gibraltar to Genoa, Italy franked by Great Britain 1857 1 d. red stars, perf. 14 pair tied by 'A26' obliterators in black with GIBRALTAR cds of despatch alongside. Red 'Via / Di Mare / (E)' at top and charged on arrival with handstruck '2' in black for local delivery. Reverse with Genova arrival (Aug 7) in red. A fine and early usage.

1925/32, £ 5 violet and black, unused with minimal hinge mark and small pencil number, very fine and fresh.

2008, CEPT issue 'Writing Letters': Signed print by Robert Papp, showing all 4 subjects as they appeared on the issued stamps except Kennedy in slightly different pose, on textured paper (440:240 mm)

Imperforated proofs in the issued design, but Pence-values with different denominations, all in horizontal pairs, unmounted mint.

Winston Churchill with denomination "8 p" instead of the later issued " 10 p", imperforated proof-sheetlet of 10 stamps, at top mounted on card (all stamps unmounted mint), unique.

Horatio Nelson with different denomination "40 p" instead of the later issued "42 p", imperforated proof-sheetlet of 10 stamps, at top mounted on card (all stamps unmounted mint), unique.

John F. Kennedy with different denomination "42 p" instead of the later issued "44 p", imperforated proof-sheetlet of 10 stamps, at top mounted on card (all stamps unmounted mint), unique.

Mahatma Gandhi £ 1, imperforated proof-sheetlet of 10 stamps, at top mounted on card (all stamps unmounted mint), unique.

1875 (July): 1 s. deep mauve used on 1879 cover to Switzerland in combination with December 1875 1 d. green and diagonally bisected 1 d. green, all tied by 'A15' obliterators in black making the 1/1½d. rate. Manuscript '1 s. ½ d.' British credit in red crayon at lower left overstruck by 'London Paid' datestamp of transit (Feb 28) in red. Reverse with GRENADA despatch cds (Feb 8) in black and Luzern arrival cds (March 1). The 1 d. with defective corner at lower right and the cover with some aging, but an exceedingly rare cover with just four covers known with a bisected 1 d. adhesive, this being the sole example to Switzerland Gi = £ 9'000.

1857 (April 13): Entire letter from Hong Kong to the 'Le Comte Cavour', Minister of Foreign Affairs in Turin (and later a leading figure in the movement to Italian Unification), endorsed inside 'pr. Steamer Madras via Marseilles' and on front panel 'via Alexandria and Trieste', struck on despatch with Crown PAID AT HONG KONG in red with double arc 'Hong Kong' cds in black (April 14) on reverse. Blue ink '9/9' (kreuzers by land and sea) deleted at left, struck with 'D. A. a. L.' (Diretto Austriaco Austriache Lire) in red above. Fascinating letter: 'I shall have much pleasure in accepting the offer of Consul at Canton...you will be aware that relations with the Govt. at Canton are suspended owing to the measure of hostilities that have been forced on the Representatives of Her Britsih Majesty's Government...the British Admiral still retains his position on the river at Canton, he has punished aggresive measures...an adequate force would enable him to strike a decisive blow'. A fine and most unusual usage prepaid to Sardinia.

1857: Cover mailed from Hong Kong to Turin addressed to the head of the Civil List of Private Patrimony to the King of Sardinia, endorsed at top 'Via Malta', struck on reverse with double HONG KONG cds in black (Dec 15) and MALTA double arc cds (Jan 22, 1858). The letter was held at Malta presumably for non-payment and the reverse marked 'Postaggio eragato dal Console di S.M. ni Malta - £ 1.85 al .... borsabile pressi i .. Bonafond'. The cover being sent on with manuscript 'Malta' used as cancellation on front and prepaid 1/6 d. in red manuscript. Three line PIROSCAFO / POSTALI / FRANCESI in red and Genova cds alongside in black (Feb 5) and TPO cds and Turin arrival on reverse with manuscript 'Recevuto 1.8 lire / 10 Febrario 1858'. An extraordinary and rare cover.

1863/71: 2 c. brown, 12 c. pale greenish blue and 30 c. orange vermilion overlapped on small 1866 envelope endorsed 'via Alexandria' to Genoa, Italy tied by 'B62' obliterators in black, with single ring 'Hong Kong' despatch cds (July 26) on reverse. Transit cds of British Post Office in 'Alexandria' (Sept 6) on front and small cartridge PIROSCAFI / POSTALI / ITALIANI in black. Reverse with Brindisi cds (Sept 10) and Genova arrival cds. A charming and scarce 44 cent three colour franking.

1852 (July 1): Scinde District Dawk, ½ anna embossed on thick white paper, a superb used vertical pair with huge margins all round, cancelled by two strikes of the KOTREE large star (or cogwheel, Robson Lowe Type E, with the confirming pieces for this cancellation illustrated in Jochen Heddergott's Edition D'Or, Volume XX on pages 254 to 257) handstamps in black. BPA states " slightly treated to reduce staining ", in our opinion the colour of cancellation somewhat faded since it is water-soluble; a superb and rare multiple in wonderful quality for these delicate issues. Certs. Holcombe (1993), BPA (2015) Gi for singles = £4'500+.

1852 (July 1): Scinde District Dawk, ½ anna embossed in blue on white paper, a fine used example with large margins all round, neatly cancelled by lozenge of dots obliterator in black. Slightest of horizontal cracks at upper left, well outside the design, minute thin spot at base and insignificant scissor sut away from design at top. An exceptionally rare stamp in fine condition for this delicate issue. Cert. BPA (2015) Gi = £ 9'000.

1852 (July 1): Scinde District Dawk, ½ anna scarlet, embossed on wax seal, used example on small piece cancelled by diamond lozenge of dots in black, probably at Hyderabad. A few surface scarpes or blemishes but a magnificent used example of an enormously rare and famous stamp. Cert. BPA (2015) Gi = £ 23'000.