;) | NEW SOUTH WALES postal history 1865 cover front plus upper flap to Georgefield, By Langholm, Dumfriesshire with pair QV 2d pale blue, QV 6d violet, QV 1/- carmine, QV 1/- crimson-lake with differing cancellations, reverse flap pmk'd Hinton FE 17 1865 and Sydney FE 18 1865. £300 |
;) | ANTIGUA postal history 1879 cover with horiz. pair. three singles QV 1d lake-rose P.14 pmk'd individual "A02" with ANTIGUA A/MY 12 79 cdsto St. John, New Brunswick rated blue crayon "3", reverse MY 31 79 arrival. Ex GRIFFITHS £1200 |
;) | The most beautiful of the genuine ENGLISH HARBOR "A18" Antigua covers 1869 cover with two singles and strip of three QV 1d vermilion to Wilmot, Nova Scotia neatly pmk'd "A18" with red crayon "4" alongside, reverse ENGLISH-HARBOR AP 25 69, St. Thomas A/AP 28 69, and MY 12 1869 arrivals. Ex ADRIAN HOPKINS 8 bogus "A18" covers are recorded, the obliterator being in a different format, and with single circle datestamp inscribed ENGLISH HARBOUR. £3500 |
;) | ANTIGUA to JAMAICA postal history 1880 mourning cover to Mrs. P. Larsen, Newmarket P.O., Jamaica with QV 4d blue CC wmk (SG.20) pmk'd vertical "A10" (sent out to Colony JY 16 1880) with ANTIGUA A/DE 12 80 cds alongside rated red "2", reverse KINGSTON (DE 20) and Newmarket (DE 21) arrivals, smaller edge faults. £525 |
;) ;) | AN EXCEPTIONAL 1860 GREAT BRITAIN QV 2d BLUE COVER to ANTIGUA 1860 cover marked "Very important inheritance" with GB QV 2d blue Plate 8 (DG, DH, DI) pmk'd London JY 5 60 to Antigua with lengthy addressing "Matthew Christian by Son of Mr. Robert Christian Esq who died at Antigua in 1777 or to the Relatives of the said Robert and Matthew Christian, Antigua (West Indies) .... Expressly Recommended to the post to be Enquired for those Relatives and to be delivered to one of them". Marked in manuscript "Not Known", b/stamped C/ANTIGUA/AU 1 60 (arrival) and C/ANTIGUA/DE 29 60 (date returned to London). Fine heraldic embossed flap. Mathew Christian, owner of various estates in Antigua, Biffins (200 acres), Red Hill (400 acres), Elme’s (158 acres), and Windward (180 acres). Died in London in 1778. Son of Robert Christian died in Antigua in 1776. He is supposed to have left Antigua about the year 1777 and come to London, and it is believed that in 1778, he was living in Southampton-street, Strand, in the city of Westminster, where he died. He had a brother, John, who died in Antigua shortly before 1777, and a sister, Margaret, who was married to William Gunthorpe of Antigua. £950 |
;) | MOOLTAN "36", India postal history 1871 mourning cover to Mrs Harkness, The Ivy House, Ore, Hastings, Sussex with 2 x QV 1a, 2 x QV 2a (6a rate) pmk'd MOOLTAN "36" duplex dated JU 8 71 with red boxed INDIA/PAID alongside, reverse Bombay 13 JU 71 and Hastings A/JY 17 71 arrival. John Granville Harkness (1831-1900) was a major-general in the British army during the Victorian era. During the 1830's his family moved to Ivy Lodge, Ore where he attended schools both in Hastings and Brighton. He entered the army on MY 13 1853 as Ensign in the 55th Regiment, without purchase - on the recommendation of the Duke of Wellington for his grandfather's service. Served throughout the Crimean War 1854-55 and carried the Queen's colours at Alma, for heroic conduct nominated for the Victoria Cross. He fought at Inkerman, the assault on the Quarries, siege and fall of Sebastopol and the Battle of the Great Redan. Two pencil drawings of the Crimea War by Harkness survive at the National Army Museum. In 1862 he was appointed to the 5th Fusiliers and ADC to the Governor of Mauritius, later served in South Africa 1864-67, took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-1880, and he commanded the column that cleared the entrance to the Khyber Pass. £450 |
;) | OFFICERS 6d CONCESSION RATE cover (1 of 2 known), BRITISH HONDURAS postal history 1869 wrapper marked "Officers Letter, via New Orleans" to Mrs. Langford, Rathangan, Co. Kildare, Ireland countersigned "(Thos.) Edwards, Captain 4th W. I, Regiment, Commanding Left Wing" showing red BELIZE A/AP 7 69 PAID, red crayon "6", Liverpool Paid Br. Packet 27 AP 69, Rathangan O/AP 28 69. Small portion missing lower left. The civilian rate was increased from 6d to 1/- per half ounce on AP 1 1863 until UPU entry AP 1 79, and the Officers concession rate of 6d was introduced FE 1 1869 and withdrawn DE 31 1869 (23 months) allowing a savings of 6d. From the same correspondence only one other similar Officers Letter is recorded to Mrs Langford countersigned Thos. Edwards dated DE 7 68, and a civilian rate cover to Miss Alice Langford, via New Orleans, rated red crayon 1/1 is dated AU 9 67. £1750 |
;) | INDIA postal history 1864 wrapper "via Marseilles" to London with QV 8 pies, QV 2a, QV 4a tied both Bombay "1" duplex and black CARDWELL PARSONS & Co/FORWARDED BY/BOMBAY oval with Bombay OCT 1 64 and red London Paid B/NO 8 64 cds alongside. £200 |
;) ;) | SIERRA LEONE to GERMANY postal history (pre U.P.U. April 1 1879) 1875 cover to Offenbach, Germany with QV 1d x 2, 6d tied "B31" showing Liverpool 22 JY 75 and London 23 JY 75 transits, reverse with finely struck red PAID-AT-SIERRA-LEONE JY 7 1875 broken dbl-arc with Offenbach 24 7 75 arrival. A very rare early cover to Germany. Few destinations are recorded with QV adhesives prior entry to the UPU, only to England, France, Germany (only this cover), Ireland, Sierra Leone (locally addressed), and the USA are known to me. £1450 |
;) ;) | BRITISH GUIANA "REGISTERED" MAIL 1875 cover with red crayon "Registered" to Mead & Son, London with 8c pink, 24c green (4d reg., 1/- postage) pmk'd "A03" and additionally tied red London reg. oval dated 28 AU 75 with blue crayon "51" changed "34", reverse superb intact BRITISH GUIANA POST OFFICE GEORGETOWN wax seal with Georgetown AU 15 75 d/r and London AU 28 75 arrival. (Holcombe cert.), Ex BRASSLER, VIVIEN SUSSEX, FREELAND. For the 1860-75 'Ship' issues period only two covers are recorded sent registered, the other locally addressed dated JY 9 69 to the Lunatic Asylum, Port Canje, Berbice. A third cover dated DE 7 70 sent with 24c green to Edinburgh was forced into compulsory registration on reaching London as marked "Coin". £1750 |
;) ;) | MAURITIUS - boxed "R" (narrow top, dancing leg) postal history 1876 entire to Nantes, France with QV 4d rose, 1/- yellow pmk'd Port Louis "B53" with differing shades red ink boxed "R" (hint of black pad ink) and oval "REGISTERED/No.xx/12 OC 76/MAURITIUS" with French Maritime Suez 5 NOV 76 alongside, reverse Marseilles A Lyon 5 NOV, Paris A Rennes, and Nantes 6 NOV. £600 |
;) | BAHAMAS to CUBA Ex Judge EMERSON, DALE LICHTENSTEIN 1883 cover and enclosure to Mrs. Bierstadt in Havana with QV Chalon 4d rose P.14 tied "B", reverse A/BAHAMAS/MR 13 83 and Havana 18 MAR 83 arrival. This currently the only known Chalon cover to Cuba Ex JUDGE EMERSON and DALE LICHTENSTEIN Although many Chalon head covers are addressed to the USA my extensive records only record Chalon covers to the following destinations: Bahamas (local addressing), Barbados, Bermuda, British Honduras, Canada, Cuba (as above), Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Nova Scotia, Prussia, Russia, St. Thomas, Trinidad, and USA. £950 |
;) | GREAT BRITAIN to TOBAGO postal history 1875 cover marked p. Royal Mail Steamer 2nd Dec. 1875" with GB QV 1/- green (rounded top right corner perf.) pmk'd HASTINGS "342" duplex dated E/NO 30 75 to James Hamilton, Scarbro', Tobago, b/stamped light TOBAGO JA 1 1876 dbl-arc arrival. Rare destination for GB surface printed covers. On or about FE 28 1872 the twice monthly visit by RMS steamer was terminated, and no steamers called until the new contract of JA 1 1875 whereby Tobago was to have a single monthly visit by RMS steamer. £275 |
;) | QUEENSLAND to NEW SOUTH WALES re-directed on arrival 1875 mourning cover with Queensland QV Chalon 2d tied "102" sunburst with Rockhampton JA 4 75 to Rees R. Jones, Yass, New South Wales, on arrival NSW Side Face QV 2d added and tied for re-direction to the Royal Hotel, Sydney. Large part missing flap but an unusual and rare combination of two different QV portrait adhesives. Ex Von UEXKULL. £725 |
;) | FIRST DAY with PREPAYMENT U.S. 3c green SUPPLIED NASSAU arrangement, Bahamas postal history 1878 cover to Boston, Massachusetts with QV Chalon 4d rose P.14 (torn through on opening) pmk'd "A05" in combination with U.S. Washington 3c green tied New York JAN 12 79 "2" duplex, reverse BAHAMAS DE 31 1878 despatch dbl-arc and Boston, Mass, Carrier JAN 13 arrival plus pencil address of sender staying at the Royal Victoria Hotel, Nassau. As of JA 1 1879 and until Bahamas joined the UPU JY 1 1880 USA 3c green adhesives could be bought in Nassau by those who wished to prepay the USA internal postage on letters thus avoiding Postage Due on arrival. Only three other covers are currently recorded with prepaid Washington 3c green for MR xx 1879, MR 19 1879, DE 1 1879. A further seven covers are recorded with U.S. 3c brown Postage Dues added on arrival for SP 20 1879, JA 5 1880, FE 10 1880, MR 8 1880, MR 16 1880, MY 20 1880, JU 18 1880. £1500 |
;) | BAHAMAS via JAMAICA to BELIZE (Ex SHENFIELD, DALE LICHTENSTEIN, "STAIRCASE") 1879 cover to The Hon. T.W.H. Dillet, Belize, Honduras with QV Chalon 4d rose tied "A05" showing JAMAICA/TRANSIT, Kingston I C/JA 22 79 and Belize FE 9 79 arrival, reverse b/stamped Bahamas JA 4 1879/B dbl-arc. £1200 |
;) | BAHAMAS postal history 1863 advertising cover for Trask & Zuberbier BUTTER, CHEESE & LARD to Monroe, Orange County, New York with pair QV Chalon 4d bright rose (SG.26) pmk'd "A05" and b/stamped BAHAMAS JU 6 1863/B dbl-arc. £950 |
;) ;) | Unique SMUGGLED Polignac, St. Vincent postal history 1861 entire without the customary "Per RMS Steamer" or despatch cds headed "St. Vincent 9th December 1861" to The Duke de Polignac, Paris with 2 x GB QV 6d lilac pmk'd "8" in diamond obliterator (triple 4d rate) and with upper flap showing London JA 2 1862 transit and Paris 3 JANV 62 arrival. The only Polignac as such. Contents mention Calder and Argyle estates. £750 |
;) ;) | ARROYO, Porto Rico carried "loose" to ST. THOMAS postal history (Ex Don Gaspar Roca)
1874 entire, written at Arroyo on July 11th 1874 has the correct 4d rate adhesive for mail to the British Postal Agency at St. Thomas, but was carried as a ‘loose’ letter (outside the mailbag) and was pmk’d ‘C51’ on arrival, no datestamp was applied probably due the letter originating elsewhere. The letter was then carried from St. Thomas to New York by the U.S. and Brazil Mail Steamship Company, the only line serving New York and Brazil during this period. The line was viewed by the British Government as an intruder on the British monopoly over mail service to and from Brazil, and was consequently driven out of business by heavy British government subsidies to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. Ex Don Gaspar ROCA (2006). Entires from the British Postal Agency at Arroyo, opened 24th October 1872, are seldom encountered with the GB adhesives pmk’d ‘F83’. The few surviving covers are divided into two groups, those initially cancelled by round top ‘3’ in the ‘F83’ and those with a replacement flat top ‘3’ sent out 31st August 1876 due a fire. £825 |
;) | Unique forced registration "Supposed to contain coin/REGISTRATION FEE 6D", Queensland postal history 1871 interrupted mail cover with 2 x QV 3d greenish grey pmk'd "Q.L" and tied BRISBANE 4/NO 1 71 paying the 6d rate via Southampton to Cambridge Heath, London, h/stamped champhered corners boxed "Supposed to contain coin/REGISTRATION FEE 6D." with further QV 6d yellow-green affixed and tied "Q.L", London registration cds and oval dated JA 29 72 plus red crayon "1/-" confirming full postage paid. Ex Geoffrey MANTON. £8500 |