BERMUDA to TURKS ISLAND ONE FARTHING DENOMINATION COVER 1901 reg. cover to Reginald Frith, Turks Islands with twelve ONE FARTHING on QV 1/- pmk'd Hamilton JY 5 1901/c d/rings with New York transit reg. label, four worm-holes, one affecting second adhesive. £165
The rare PRIVATE SHIP LETTER RATE to England, Bermuda postal history 1883 private ship letter rate cover (opened at top, reduced at left) with QV 4d orange-red (SG.20) tied black K3 "2" ST. GEORGES A/DE 1 83 duplex to St. John Wood, London, landed with red LIVERPOOL/A/DE 24 83/SHIP cds clear of address. Only three Bermuda QV adhesive covers are currently known landed by LIVERPOOL SHIP cds. All from St. Georges, the other two arriving Liverpool A/JA 29 84 (carried by "Nubian"). Ludington (lot 752) mentions that on NO 30 1883 H.M.S. Northampton was driven onto Stagg Rock in violet weather. £350
BERMUDA postal history 1884 cover marked "per Orinoco" to Roxbury, Massachusetts with QV ½d stone, QV 2d bright blue CC wmk (SG.19,4) tied K3a "5" duplex used Paget East dated A/AP 10 84. A rare combination as such. The David Pitts chart only recorded K3a "5" on one example 2d blue CC (SG.3/4) and two examples on ½d stone. My own chart could only record K3a "5" on one 2d blue CC and one copy ½d stone. £1750
BERMUDA postal history 1883 cover p. S.S. "Orinoco" to Troy, Ohio with QV ½d stone, pair QV 1d rose-red (SG.19,23) tied HAMILTON K3 "1" duplex dated A/DE 6 83 during the first blue ink period March 1882 to January 1884. This is a very rare combination as the few covers known in this band of use are normally made up with QV ½d, 2d franking. The OC 1 1876 USA-Bermuda postal convention set a 2d rate effective OC 3 1876 between the two countries but allowed Bermuda to charge 2½d per half ounce. Bermuda had no ½d adhesive until the ½d stone was issued MR 25 1880 and accepted the loss during the interim years. £375
BERMUDA postal history 1852 wrapper, no side flaps, to George Clerk, Ireland Island with red HAMILTON+BERMUDA (PM4) dated JA 1 1852 (day slug inverted) struck on face due being a locally addressed letter. Ex TUCKER, ULRICH, "LONGTAIL". The Forand/Freeland handbook only records two red PM4 entires to Ireland Island (other dated OC 4 1854). £375
PRIVATE SHIP "NUBIAN" (second voyage), BERMUDA postal history 1884 cover marked per "Nubian" with 1880 QV 4d orange-red (SG.20) pmk'd ST. GEORGES K3 "2" duplex dated A/FE 21 1884 to London locally directed with crowned "R" handstamp to denote no additional charge, reverse with (early) black HAMILTON (H1, first period blue ink ended January 1883) dated B/FE 21 84 and red London MR 13 84. A rare cover from the second voyage of the "Nubian". The first voyage of the "Nubian", in transit from Virginia on an experimental new service for the Union Line, was announced to call at Hamilton on JA 10 1884. The ship was five days late and single covers are known from St. Georges pmk'd JA 10 1884 and JA 15 1884 and both landed with red LIVERPOOL SHIP cds.
£450
PRIVATE SHIP "NUBIAN" (first voyage), BERMUDA postal history 1884 cover with strip of four QV 1d dull rose (SG.22) tied ST. GEORGES "2" numeral duplex dated A/JA 15 84 to St. John's Wood, London showing red LIVERPOOL/A/JA 29 84/SHIP arrival cds, reverse blue HAMILTON B/JA 15 84 and London JA 30 84 cds.
The "Nubian", in transit from Virginia, on an experimental new service for the Union Line, was announced in the local newspaper as calling at Hamilton on 10th January 1884. The ship arrived five days late and sender added this cover to the mailbag (having already written to same addressee with St. Georges B/JA 10 84 on 4 x QV 1d franking cover marked per "Nubian"). Only two covers are known - one dated JA 10 84 (expected arrival) and JA 15 84 (actual arrival) £725