A fascinating "MEANS OF DELIVERY" has been set up in POSTAL HISTORY + Subjects showing all types of British West Indies mail you might encounter.
| Country: All Subject: All | Sort: Newest listed first |
;) ;) | Rare watercolour "View at IDANRE from Camp", Lagos postal history (Ex John FORREST) 1898 outer wrapper with reverse showing an exceptional rare inclusion of watercoloured painting addressed to Miss Ambrose, Hampstead, London with QV 2½d tied oval of bars with rare POST OFFICE EPE (T.11) cds dated A/JU 7 1898 (ERD), lower left portion of this single sheet torn away. Ex JOHN FORREST. £825 |
;) ;) ;) ;) | INTRODUCING THE LADY ANNE COVER, the greatest and most significant item of MUSTIQUE postal history It was always assumed that the four Mustique Company labels were solely produced for the SP 1 1971 Government run inaugural First Flight covers between Mustique Post Office and mainland, St. Vincent, but this UNIQUE PROVING COVER shows that a Government approved PRIVATELY OPERATED LOCAL CARRIAGE SERVICE existed (by-passing the Mustique post office, and perhaps for only a few months) which REMAINED UNDISCOVERED for nearly 45 YEARS - 1971 commercial cover hand addressed by Colin Tennant to Lady Anne Tennant with MUSTIQUE COMPANY LTD 10c MAUVE label tied by their 10 JUN 1971 company handstamp for air carriage of 18 miles to mainland, and St. Vincent 50c Bird postmarked the next day KINGSTOWN */11 JU 71 to the family home at Tite Street, London. Arrival confirmed by automatic letter sorting machine luminescent dots applied at the London Eastern Central District Office as seen lower right of cover. No early ORANGE, YELLOW, or BLUE labels are known on cover. LADY ANNE TENNANT (formerly Lady Anne Coke), wife of Lord Glenconnor, Colin Tennant, owner of Mustique, was a Maid of Honour to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Her Coronation and is best seen holding the Queen's gown during the procession down the aisle at Westminster Abbey. Lady Anne was also Lady-In-Waiting to H.R.H. Princess Margaret. (Accompanied by early example of the SP 1 71 10c mauve on First Flight cover typewritten address - ie before use of printed address labelling). This is the ONLY KNOWN COVER leaving just 5 labels unaccounted for as only 70 of the 10c mauve label were printed for exclusive use by the owners of Mustique - the remaining 64 labels known to have been used up on the later First Day Covers for the SP 1 1971 inaugural flight Mustique to St. Vincent. The normal Mustique Post Office was fully operational since 1958 but the company service offered a more flexible air connection to the mainland. The labels were printed in units of two. £18500 |
;) | NEW SOUTH WALES to CAPE OF GOOD HOPE postal history 1883 reg. cover "per direct ship Parramatta" to Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope with QV 1d, 2d pmk'd GRAFTON duplex dated A/FE 24 83 and pair QV 6d tied 2-line "REGISTERED/GRAFTON" showing London 4 MY 83 and on reverse Sydney A/MR 2 83 and Cape Town Registered Letter Office JU 2 83 arrival. £275 |
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) | THE SEARCH FOR EXPLORERS BURKE and WILLS, South Australia postal and social history 1862 cover to Mr. Edward Palmer, McKinlays Exploring Expedition, Adelaide G.P. Office with pair QV 1d (one defective corner) pmk'd PORT-AUGUSTA OC 6 62 with handstruck "UNCLAIMED", reverse GPO OC 8 1862/7 datestamp. Filing crease crosses adhesives as the unclaimed letter was placed in the accompanying "Returned Paid Letter" back to Mr. H. Mildred, Port Augusta making an exceptionally rare "round trip" pair. In 1859 the South Australian Government offered £2,000 for the first successful south-north crossing of the continent west of the 143rd line of longitude. In 1860-61 Robert O'Hara Burke and Willian John Wills led an ill-fated expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing from Melbourne (south) to the Gulf of Carpentaria (north), approx. 2,000 miles. At that time most of the continent had not been explored by non-indigenous people. The south-north crossing was successful but both of the expedition leaders died on the return journey. Only one man, John King, made the eventual return to Melbourne. Six expeditions were sent to search for Burke and Wills. One left August 1861, under McKinlay, and found the remains of Charles Gray, one of the expedition, and a partially empty grave in the Cooper Creek area. McKinley sent part of his group back to report only to find that another expedition under Howitt, which had left June 1861, had already found the graves of both Burke and Wills in that same area. In December McKinley visited the site of the graves and then went on to explore the lakes region around Lake Moolionburinna. In February he left the Cooper region following Burke and Wills track to the Eyre Creek and the Gulf before turning east to a station on the Bowen River near Port Denison in Queensland, and the part returned by sea to Adelaide Edward Palmer was the bullock driver with the McKinley led "South Australian Burke Relief Expedition". Accompanied by previously owned Sarah Murgatroyd's book THE DIG TREE, the extraordinary story of the ill-fated Burke and Wills Expedition (372 pages) and 150th anniversary commemorative stamps. £1425 |
;) | Combination first types HLABISA and LOWER UMFOLOSI, Zululand postal history 1895 exceptionally rare and perhaps unique side-by-side combination purple Resident Magistrate's Office (R.M. OFFICE) cds for HLABISA 16 NOV 1895 and LOWER UMFOLOSI NOV 19 1895 on GB ovp'd 1d Post Card written by Edith Turnbull at "Bush View 15th Nov. 1895" to Cockington, Torquay with ESHOWE and DURBAN transits. Exhibition item. £2400 |
;) | BRITISH HONDURAS postal history 1878 cover front with Germany 10pf red, 20pf ultramarine strip of four and single confirmed by red crayon "1 10" pmk'd HAMBURG 14/12 77 cds to Wm. Guild & Co., Belize showing blue sender's cachet, red London Paid 17 DE 77 transit, BELIZE JA 9 78 arrival. Exceptionally attractive. £625 |
;) | MONTSERRAT - PREPARATION SHEET on UNISSUED VERTICAL LAID PAPER Montserrat 1866 QV 1d pale rose INLAND REVENUE on unissued vertical laid paper, a fine and fresh gummed and perforated sheet numbered "251" showing the two units of six stamps misaligned. Contemporary ink blobs noted on stamp seven and to the right of stamp twelve. The lower selvedge deliberately removed both to indicate spoilage and to ensure the grammatically incorrect "Each" sheets did not get into circulation. Minor perf. splitting at margin edges. Note: The initial delivery is thought to be Sheets 1 to 250 making a total of 3,000 stamps being issued on horizontal laid paper with base inscription reading One Penny each - One Shilling per Sheet. - the change from Each to each being made at preparation stage due Victorians being fussy about incorrect grammar. Only three imperforate sheets (numbered 256,257,258) are currently known with the original "Each" setting, and each showing differing adjustments to the lining up of the two units. Morley in 1910 reported the existence of these stamps on vertical laid paper but both Britnor (1965) and Robson Lowe (1990) were unable to confirm their existance in their handbooks. Sheets 251 to 260 are therefore printer’s unissued preparation sheets. The "Each" error was not noticed by philatelists until 2001 (135 years later!). £825 |
;) | "54" used JAFFNAKACHCHERI, Ceylon postal history 1883 QV 2c brown complete Newswrapper with added QV 2c pale brown (SG.146, creased) tied "54" numerals to The Catholic Mission, Lyon, France with JAFFNAKACHCHERI PAID JU 30 83 cds, red framed TOO LATE and red MODANE A PARIS 31 JUIL 83 d/ring alongside. £375 |
;) ;) ;) | "33" used UDA PUSSELLAWA, Ceylon postal history 1883 opened for display reg. mourning cover with superb intact UDA PUSSELLAWA/(crown)/POST OFFICE wax seal on reverse to The Vicarage, Fremington, North Devon with QV 4c rosy mauve x 3, QV 24c green tied "33" numerals with NO 9 83 PAID cds alongside, some faults. £325 |
;) | ANTIGUA postal history: 1887 cover to South Brooklyn, New York with QV 4d blue CA wmk (SG.23) neatly pmk'd ANTIGUA A/DE 20 87 cds, delightful appearance. £550 |
;) | BRITISH GUIANA to FRANCE 1859 cover with GB QV 1d pair, QV 6d pmk’d “A03” dated DEMERARA A/JU 25 59 to Dieppe, France re-directed to 47 Avenue des Champs Elysees, Paris showing London JY 19, AMB Calais 20 JUL, Le Havre A Paris 22 JUIL transits. Flap removed by recipient to show his hand-written notes re content. Thought to be a unique GB used abroad combination (use of 8d rate to France is confirmed by double rate entire (1/4d) from same correspondence bearing GB QV 4d, pair QV 6d dated OC 10 1859. £3500 |
;) | JAMAICA USED ABROAD The currently unique trio of “C51” (used St. Thomas) on QV 1d Pine wmk, the unrecorded on GB used abroad “D60” (whereabouts of use unknown, RPS certificate) on QV 6d Pine wmk, and “E88” (used Colon) on QV 2d CC wmk. Similar to the accepted use of Trinidad stamps at Ciudad Bolivar, it is now thought that Jamaica stamps may have had permitted or accepted use on correspondence back to the island – see Foster Page 31. (A red ink “D63” is also recorded on Jamaica QV 6d Pine wmk). The "D60" illustrated Parmenter & Gordon handbook Page 3 / 52 £4000 |
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) | BRITISH GUIANA postal history Berbice, 6th July, 1815 str. line handstamp (35 x 2mm high), partly doubly struck which displays on upper flap of entire headed Hope & Experiment to Hugh McCalmont in Belfast rated 2/6 changed 3/3. Only five examples currently recorded. Ex LESLIE RAY. The easy-to-read contents from John Lennan mention the cotton crop, multiplying cattle and sheep due low prices, a recent heavy squall which brought no less than 7000 plantation trees to the ground, the current planting of land for plantains which was under water for 3 years, purchase of some Negroes at Vendue, the Negoes being pretty healthy at present, Jack having died from old age, and the woman Quasheba having died, supposed, from the effects of obia, done by the Negro Alfred, a request for a box of pipes for the Negroes plus better jackets. The four other examples being dated 22 June 1814 (two separate entires), 11 March 1815, and 13 May 1815 £1250 |
;) ;) | FIRST EVER MAIL CARRIED BY TWEED - PRIOR START R.M.S.P. SAILINGS FROM FALMOUTH 3rd JANUARY 1842 1841 business entire from Messrs. Stewart & Westmoreland, London to Alexander Logan, May Hill P.O., Manchester, Jamaica initially marked “Paid” and rated “8” with red PAID SHIP LETTER/(crown)/17 DE 17/1841/LONDON, but with the “Tweed” leaving for her West Indies station the following day the entire changed to “p. packet” and duly rated 1/- (unpaid) prior precise inscription of “By Ship” (no R.M.S. prefix as the R.M.S.P.Co not officially up and running) and “Steamer Tweed” arriving as a “ship letter” as handstamped KINGSTON SHIP LETTER (SL3) dated JA 17 1842. An exceptional first page item of R.M.S.P. Co. postal history showing all the intricate detail of “first ever” mail carried by the company to the West Indies. The R.M.S.P. handbook by Kenton & Parsons notes on Page 10 that the Tweed “carried some Ship letter mail to Jamaica and Arr. 17/1” £5250 |
;) | ST. VINCENT stamps: 1883 DLR QV 1d drab ovp'd "Revenue" with OVERPRINT INVERTED (PML.9), the only example showing clear date of "31/12/83", minor blemish one perf. tip. Only four examples from a single sheet of 60 stamps are currently known to have survived. The three other examples dated "15/12/83" (faults, Peter Jaffe lot 537), "15/12/83" (fine), and "29/12/83" (illus. PML handbook Page 147) £2400 |
;) ;) ;) | TRINIDAD - an exceptional destination cover to Malta 1871 cover to the Very Revd Father Philip, Franciscan, St. Mary of Jesus, Malta with undenominated (1d) scarlet, and difficult to read by gas-light value tablets 4d bright violet, 1/- lilac-rose (SG.69c,70,73a) each neatly tied by very fine strikes upright type 0.2 “6” numerals used at Arouca. Bagged at Head Office with red TRINIDAD PAID dbl-arc dated SP 8 1871 and showing London Paid 30 OC 71 transit, red crayon 1/4, and black handstruck “VIA MARSEILLES” for onward transmission. B/stamped clear 6/SP 8 1871 despatch cds (applied Arouca) and fine A/MALTA/OC 10 71 arrival cds. A most attractive three colour combination, and one of Trinidad’s finest destination covers for the classic period. Ex Sir John MARRIOTT. Note: Type 0.2 '6' shows distinctive break midway left side. No examples Type 0.2 '9' have been established. With the arrival of new colours 4d grey and 1/- chrome (sent JY 13 1872) the impractical gaslight combinations of similar coloured mauves, purples and lilacs came to an abrupt end. £4000 |
;) ;) | PAID AT NEVIS - AN EXQUISITE and INTRIGUING FAKED COVER 1885 completed fabricated cover showing why the PAID AT NEVIS Crowned Circle was used on pairs QV ½d dull green and singles QV 1d carmine (SG.25,27a) during the period 9/12/83 to 9/9/86 (dates taken from village manuscript markings on loose stamp overstruck with the Crowned Circle): 1885 cover addressed Chas. Hill Esq., English Harbour, Antigua with genuine QV 1d carmine superbly tied full upr. bogus PAID AT NEVIS Crowned Circle to uprate to 2½d for the under 300 mile inter-island rate (with further strike alongside) additionally showing bogus NEVIS A/DE 12 85 despatch cds alongside address panel. B/stamped further bogus NEVIS A/DE 12 85 cds and what is now considered extremely dubious ANTIGUA/ A/DE 14 85/ ENGLISH HARBOUR cds (note that this is the same date as found on the E.V. Toeg cover bearing 8 x QV 1d to Sherring, Bristol with RPS certificate). The author being aware that genuine strikes of both the Crowned Paid and Nevis cds have an oily appearance at this time has cleverly used his paint brush to simulate the oily stains within the Nevis despatch cds and soiled the cover at top left for good measure. (Shortages of the 2½d adhesive were highly probable at this time as only 1080 copies 2½d red-brown CA were invoiced AU 10 82 followed by 5100, 5100, 5160 copies of the 2½d ultramarine on NO 6 83, MY 21 84, AU 7 84). No genuine covers with the QV ½ds or single QV 1d with PA £925 |
;) ;) ;) | C38 used CALLAO, PERU to JAMAICA postal history: Combination cover with Peru 1868-72 1d green, GB QV 6d pale buff (assumed Plate 11), GB QV 1/- green Plate 6 (SG.Z43, Z53) tied "C38" cancels addressed John Small, Port Maria, Jamaica with 3-line PANAMA/3 AP 1873/TRANSIT plus pencilled "2" on face, b/stamped A/CALLAO/MR 26 73, Kingston IIIA/AP 8 73 and Port Maria C/AP 9 73 cds. Cover soiled with peripheral base tear and GB QV 6d with pale colour. A UNIQUE FRANKING TO JAMAICA. This Peru 1 dinero was cancelled "C38" from stocks held at the British Packet Agencies to comply with the tax on all outgoing mail. £1500 |
;) ;) ;) | VIRGIN ISLANDS temporary rubber datestamps postal history EAST END and ROAD TOWN, the unique side by side combination of temporary rubber datestamps both dated 4 JUL 1907, the latter in purple, on Ursula ½d Post Card to Islington. Exceptionally clean and exciting exhibition item. No example of the ROAD TOWN TRD has been found on loose stamp, the only other example known is on the reverse of envelope from same correspondence when writer sent the Post Office Order enclosed in an envelope from EAST END with TRD cancelling adhesive on face. £3000 |
;) | A UNIQUE PREPARATION SHEET Montserrat 1866 QV 1d pale rose INLAND REVENUE on unissued vertical laid paper, a generally fine and fresh IMPERFORATE sheet (on the provided cut ungummed and unwatermarked paper) showing a misaligned printed impression of the unit of six stamps and sheet numbered 259 at top left. Slight creasing but the only printers preparation sheet known as such. Sheets 1-250 made up the actual consignment of 3,000 stamps (250 x 12) on horizontal laid paper, Sheets 251 to 259 are the printer's preparatory or set-up sheets and the stamps thereon, with vertically laid lines, were never issued. Their survival represents a near unique opportunity to see how a classic issue was born £1500 |