369 / STOCKHOLMIA 2019 & ERIVAN Worldwide Rarities

1890, Stamp box in massive sterling silver with British hallmarks and additional "TIFFANY & Co. PARIS". The top of the box with 3 enamel images of Great Britain 1881, 1 pence violet and 2 values of the 1887 jubilee issue. Total weight 99,60 gram. A beautifull and rare box.

1840, Mulready 1d. black envelope, stereo A158, a used example cancelled by neat red Maltese Cross,  with London Twopenny Post 'T.P. / Chapel St.' handstamp at right, addressed to Dorchester with reverse showing clear  "C / MY-6 / 1840" First Day of Issue circular datestamp of the London Chief Office in red. Listed in 'May Dates' by Mike Jackson FRPSL on page 243. Superb content, a delightful and rare First Day usage, Certificate Karl Louis BPP (2016) (SG ME2) Note: Fascinating contents addressed to Miss Augusta Hardy in Portisham, Dorchester (the younger sister of Admiral Thomas  Masterman Hardy who commanded HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar) stating: "My Dear Aunt, I thought you might like  to receive one of these strange new postage, which may have the advantage of oddity perhaps to recommend them if nothing  else. Everybody is so disappointed that I think they must be altered & it seems that the difficulty of forgery & imitation lies not so  much in the little figures of Men and Elephants etc., as in the coloured lines on the other side of the envelopes, so that in fact  Britannia and all the rest of it might have been spared....".  

1840, Mulready 1d. black envelope, stereo A139, a used example cancelled by fine red Maltese Cross, mailed by Rowland Hill to 'M.B. Peacock, General Post Office', signed at lower left by "R. Hill", with London despatch cds (Aug 12, 1840) and arrival (Aug 13) on reverse. Minor wear at top but a spectacular usage for the Postal Historian - Mark B. Peacock was Solicitor to the General Post Office, employed with them from 1825 until 1862. He was deemed  by Rowland Hill to be the sole high Official of the GPO not opposed to the introduction of Penny Postage and five days before this Mulready was sent he had been instrumental in the Postal Reform Bill passing the House of Lords. Rare, most attractive and  of great posted history signifiied,  certificate Karl Louis BPP (2016) (SG ME2) Note: The Karl Louis Card Index records just three Mulready envelopes bearing Rowland Hill's signature, the above example to M.B. Peacock, another addressed to John Rawsthorne in Manchester who was the manufacturing chemist who supplied  the gum for the 1d. black and the third example addressed to J.B. Bacon of Perkins Bacon, the printers of the 1d. black; this  last example is housed in the collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, leavoing just two examples available to collectors.  

1840, 2 d. blue Mulready envelope, a used example sent registered in 1891 from Liverpool to the Danish Vice-Consul in Hamburg (O. Schack-Sommer (1822-1906), Knight of the Order of Dannebrog), up-rated with 1887 Jubilee 2½ d. purple on blue horizontal pair tied by ‘466’ obliterators in black and by oval framed ‘R’ with ‘Liverpool / N.D. / Registered’ datestamp above (Jan 14). A very late usage of the Mulready envelope – accepted as Payment for the registration fee (2d.) on a double weight letter (5d.). Just five registered Mulready envelopes are recorded of which only two bear additional adhesive stamps; an exceptional usage to an overseas destination – the sole example known, certificate BPA (2010) (SG ME4b+201)
Provenience: John Seybold, Syracuse (approx. 1910; handstamped on reverse)
                      R.Lowe-Christie's sale (Jan. 1984)
                      Shaida (approx. 1994)
 

1840, 1d. black, plate 8, lettered OE, mostly large to very large margins, just shaved at upper right, tied by two strikes of Maltese Cross in black to 1841 REGISTERED entire to Doncaster, with manuscript „Regst.279“ in red and 1/- Registered Fee notation in same ink which also ties the adhesive. ‚PAID – L.S. 11 MY 11 1841‘ datestamp confirming cash payment of 1s. Registered Fee at Lombard Street. Registered covers bearing the 1840 1d. black are amongst the rarest usages of the World’s First postage stamp, as the option to send letters registered was only introduced at the end of the life-span of the 1d. black, just four weeks before the introduction of the 1841 One Penny Red. The fully preserved letter mentions a formerly „...enclosed Bank Post Bill payable to your order.“  Cert. RPSL (2008).(SG no.: 2; AS46)
 

1841, 1 d. red-brown on blued lettered TJ and 2 d. blue single and pair, lettered DB and DA/EA, large margins, only 2d EA, just touched at base, used on small registered 1853 cover to the Manager of the Provincial Bank in Limerick, all tied by Irish '353' numeral obliterators in black and by Newcastle (Limerick) despatch cds (July 29) in red. Reverse with Limerick arrival cds (same day). An attractive and scarce cover and without doubt one of the most beautiful registered covers from Ireland bearing 1841, 1d and 2d. Cert. BPA (1996) (SG 8,14)

1858, 1d. deep rose red, (8 examples) all tied by three strikes of the Scots Local ‚GLENDARUEL‘ handstamp (Type III) in deep blue on 10 February 1858 registered front used locally in Glasgow. Scots Local  Cancellations used on registered covers are of exceptional rarity, out of the just six recovered in Karl Louis' Card Index, five originate from the "Inspector of the Poor" office archive. Some minor imperfections mainly at the top as can be expected, nevertheless a delightful and most appealing. An Exhibition piece.  (SG No. 40)
 

1882, 5 s. rose, on white paper, watermark Large Anchor, Plate 4, lettered GF, an unused example of fine colour, one imperceptible slightly blunted perf. at top mentioned for full accuracy only and not remotely affecting the appearance, large part og. An exceptional example of a very rare stamp. Certificate RPSL (2008) SG 134; Gi = £ 35'000)

"D26" Spanish West Indies Mailboat, sharp oily strike tying GB 1865, 4 pence vermilion to folded lettersheet to Fort Lee, New Jersey, endorsed "Due 10 c" and stamp additionally tied by "N.Y. STEAMSHIP 10 / DEC 10". On reverse corresponding clear "SPANISH MAIL PACKET NO 8 68" and "ST. THOMAS NO 18 68". Large part of perforation clipped and the entire with expert reinforcement or restoration in corners and folds. An attractive and extremely rare entire, the only recorded with this cancellation tying a British stamp. A spectacular cover. (SG no. Z191)
Provenance: Pictured in 'A Caribean Neptune'

1840, Victoria 1 penny black, plate 1B, horizontal strip of 4, KB-KE with variety 'recut side-line, necessitated by burr rub following re-entering - left side', nice deep colour and good to large margins, neatly cancelled by black Maltese Cross. A very fine and most attractive strip. Signed Pröschold BPP and certificate K.-A. Louis BPP (2018) (SG 2)
Provenance: Stanley Gibbons Auctions Frankfurt (1974) 

1840, Victoria 2 pence blue, plate 1, horizontal strip of 3, SH-SJ, nice deep and brilliant colour, ample to mostly large margins, lightly cancelled by black Maltese Cross, very fine. Certificate K.-A. Louis BPP (2018) (SG 5)

1840, Victoria 1 penny black, plate 6, EG, touched in the frame line at bottom, otherwise ample to very large margins, showing parts of adjoining stamps at top and left, tied by red Maltese Cross to small envelope, originally mailed from Burgsteinfurth, Prussia via Winterswijk (transit mark on reverse) to forwarding agent Coutts & Co. at London, here franked and re-directed to Plymouth. The cover shows on reverse nice red wax seal of the Princes of Bentheim and Steinfurth; it was prepaid to the border with 7 silbergroschen of which "20" Dutch cents were paid to Holland for transit, in England "8" pence shipletter fee charged. A very interesting and most attractive letter from abroad, franked with a Penny Black and the earliest recorded entire from Prussia bearing a postage stamp. Detailed certificate K.-A. Louis BPP (2003) (SG 2)

1871, Beautifully hand illustrated cover from the correspondance of Lucy Flora Campbell (later L.F. Don) showing a raven carrying a letter to a tower, franked with 1864, 1 penny rose-red, tied by duplex "ENSTONE SP 2 71" to Torquay. Stamp with small scratch, envelope with reverse flap missing, some minor aging spots and about 10 mm tear at right. A most attractive item

1871, Another beautifully illustrated envelope from the same correspondance with a scene from "The fox and the stork", franked with 1864, 1 penny rose-red, tied by Enstone duplex, to Torquay. A light vertical fold well off the stamp and 2 small marginal tears, not detracting from the beauty of the entire