27 used SEVEN OAKS, Natal postmarks/cancels (Type H), magnificent strike on SURCHARGE DOUBLE, ONE INVERTED 1879 "One Penny" on QV Chalon 6d rose (SG.93c). £250
ONE OF GRENADA's RAREST STAMPS 1875 QV 1/- deep mauve SHLLIING error (SG.13a, Cat.£6500 as normal mint), fine unused without gum ovp'd "SPEC" (as recorded Tim Pearce handbook Page 26, 3rd paragraph). Only 200 copies of the SPEC(IMEN) produced (ie 100 pairs) making at most ONLY TWO EXAMPLES possible with ONE SHLLIING error. 500 sheets of this issue were printed 13 March 1875 and overprinted 15 May 1875, and sent out to the colony 28 May 1875, shortly after the 'SPECIMEN' overprint was applied to two sheets. The issue was fully used and mint copies in good condition are hard to find. £6000
THE UNIQUE and SG UNLISTED SURCHARGE DOUBLE with SHORT “F”, St. Vincent stamps: 1894 “FIVE PENCE” on QV 6d lake (SG.60c + d combination), a used example part dated Kingstown – 13 95 showing the three distinctive coloured marks on Queen’s neck (aptly named the Southern Cross plate flaw by Peter Jaffe) as always found in conjunction with the short “F” overprint variety on Row 5/1 of the complete sheet, corner perf. fault and with BPA Certificate. Ex CHARLTON-HENRY.
The SURCHARGE DOUBLE error is SG catalogued £6,000 mint and £3,000 used for any of the few known survivors, the SURCHARGE DOUBLE with short “F” is not known mint and this is probably the only surviving example. £1800
MAJOR ERROR "Revenue" OVERPRINT OMITTED with Crown CA REVERSED watermark, St. Vincent stamps: 1883 THREE PENCE on QV 1d lilac Crown CA REVERSED wmk with "Revenue" OVERPRINT OMITTED (PML.10), fresh very lightly mounted mint. PML records this error on Page 147 of the handbook. The later 1897 issues of THREE PENCE on QV 1d mauve and red-mauve (SG.63, 63a) have never been recorded with Crown CA REVERSED wmk. £1200
Proofed/unrecorded ERRONEOUSLY APPLIED unique TRINCOMALEE/RETURNED FOR POSTAGE,CEYLON postal history 1845 wrapper from C. Brun fils, Port Louis pmk'd red MAURITIUS POST OFFICE d/ring dated NO 05 1845 marked "via Ceylon" to Veillon Freres, Bordeaux, France with "Paid 1/8" in dark black ink most unusually landed on Ceylon's north east coast (instead of the southern port of Galle) showing prepared for application TRINCOMALEE/RETURNED FOR POSTAGE datestamp for NO 22 1845 erroneously applied, crossed through, and TRINCOMALEE/STEAMER LETTER added for the next day in the same coloured ink. Carried via ALEXANDRIA (JA 7 1846) with 25mm chisels slits and large part PURIFIE AU LAZERET/MALTE handstamp added showing red PAQ. ANG. MARSEILLES (16 JANV 46) on address panel and Bordeaux (10 JANV 46) arrival backstamp with 96 decimes to be collected. Exhibition item collecting cancellations from five different countries. Similar RETURNED FOR POSTAGE datestamps were proofed for other Ceylon towns but none are known used. This remarkable example only exists due being wrongly applied. £7250
74 used Hobart, TASMANIA postal history 1860 cover to The Right Reverend Bishop Goold in Melbourne, Victoria with Chalon 2d green showing some DOUBLING OF VALUE TABLET and engine turning and Chalon 4d (pencil marked "cobalt blue, fluorescent ink" on reverse) pmk'd Hobart "74" with part red Hobart Town alongside, reverse with ornate seal impressed black wax and Melbourne A/FE 4 60 arrival. James Alipius Goold, Roman Catholic Archbishop, was born NO 4 1812 into a prosperous family in Cork, Ireland. Ordained in Rome, returned Ireland where he gained permission to volunteer for missionary work in New South Wales arriving Sydney FE 24 1838. Visited Ballarat gold fields 1854 and 1855 and pacified Catholic miners particularly after the Eureka affair. £925
The UNIQUE QV 1d red INVERTED "S" cover, Montserrat postal history (Ex THOMPSON) 1886 commercial cover to Mrs. Witham, Basseterre, St. Kitts with accepted by Post Office and correctly tied diagonally bisected QV 1d red (SG.8ca) with full QV 1d red with INVERTED "S" (SG.8a) alongside partly pmk'd identically inked "A08" with both MONTSERRAT A/JA 23 86 despatch and ST. KITTS C/JA 29 86 alongside address panel. A further 1d stamp, making up the 2½d inter-island rate, was lost during transit or subsequently removed, peripheral faults. Ex THOMPSON (1977). This Perf. 14 bisect Cat.£1300 on cover, Inverted "S" Cat.£1000 and rated from x12 on cover. Sir Edward Bacon whilst examining a full sheet of 120 stamps established that the Setting was twice arranged in five horizontal rows with the inverted "S" appearing Stamp No.3 in both 2nd and 7th rows. £2500
ST. VINCENT stamps EXCEPTIONALLY POWERFUL EXAMPLE OF THE DOUBLE SURCHARGE on 1893-94 QV FIVE PENCE on 6d deep lake (SG.60ac, Cat.£4,000), very fine appearance used showing part KINGSTOWN cds and "AP" month slug, small lower left corner marginal coloured marks will determine sheet position, reverse with thinned top perfs. 1975 RPS Certificate. Ex JAFFE £1250
ST. VINCENT stamps: 1882 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
INCORRECT VICTORIAN GRAMMAR on PREPARATION PROOF SHEET with UNISSUED VERTICAL LINED PAPER 1866 QV 1d pale rose INLAND REVENUE on unissued vertical laid paper, a generally fine and fresh IMPERFORATE complete sheet of twelve stamps showing the two units of six stamps laid down but BADLY ALIGNED within the full marginal inscriptions including One Penny Each - One Shilling per Sheet. at base (changed on issued sheets) on gummed paper sheet numbered 256 at top left. Trace of rusty paper clip at top which probably had a note attached re the two corrections required. Some slight creasing.
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!). £1500