MALTA postal history 1872 cover to Firenze, Italy with GB QV 1d red Plate 125 and GB QV 3d Plate 7 pmk'd "A25" duplex dated A/MALTA/AP 13 72, red handstruck 2 3/4, flap missing, various complete backstamps. Ex Michael Lewis. £90
MALTA postal history (Ex Lloyd-Lowles) 1863 entire with albino embossed sender's oval to Messina with GB QV 1d, QV 3d (no plate numbers) tied pmk'd Malta "A25" duplex dated A/JY 12 63 with boxed "PIROSCAFI/POSTALI/FRANCESCI" handstamp alongside and red crayon "1½" accountancy. Ex LLOYD-LOWLES. £195
PIROSCAFI/POSTALI/FRANCESCI as "killer" (contrary to regulations), MALTA postal history 1863 wrapper on "G. Scicluna & Figli, Malta" albino printed paper stock plus handstruck cachet to Messina with GB QV 1d, QV 3d (no plate numbers) tied two strikes of the Malta "A25" duplex dated B/NO 21 63, the QV 1d poorly struck and additionally "killed" by boxed "PIROSCAFI/
POSTALI/FRANCESCI" handstamp contrary to regulations, alongside red crayon "1½" accountancy. £180
MALTA postal history 1871 cover marked "via Messina" to Naples with GB QV 1d Plate 121, 3d Plate 5 pmk'd Malta "A25" duplex dated A/FE 21 71. £120
TRIPOLI, Barbary Coast to France, MALTA postal history 1878 entire on Emile de Testa printed paper written headed in French "Tripoli 17 Mai 1878" to Paris, France taken to Malta with GB QV 2½d rosy-mauve Plate 10 pmk'd "A25" duplex dated C/MY 20 78 arriving 24 MAI 78. £185
PRIVATE SHIP LETTER RATE TO ITALY, MALTA postal history 1874 wrapper by private ship "Picarche" to Marsiglia (Province of Genoa, Italy) with GB QV 4d pmk'd "A25" duplex dated OC 19 74 showing red MARSEILLE 23 OCT 74 transit, no backstamps. £225
Rarely seen 2d RATE TO USA, GIBRALTAR postal history Ex METLISS, OSBORN, STIRRUPS 1874 printed headed entire by private ship
"Pleiades" to New York with GB QV 2d blue pmk'd light "A25" duplex dated A/OC 9 74 landed with NEW YORK SHIP LETTER cds dated OCT 26 showing 4c to be collected. Ex METLISS, OSBORN, STIRRUPS. 'Direct' ship letters to New York were quicker and cheaper than mails via Liverpool. £350
GIBRALTAR postal history 1876 mourning cover to Maryport, Cumberland with GB QV ½d, pair 1d tied "A26" with Gibraltar A/NO 26 76 despatch, part reverse flap clear of very fine Maryport C/DE 4 76 arrival. £125
GIBRALTAR postal history 1877 cover with black "FORWARDED BY THE/AMERICAN AGENCY/GIBRALTAR/RENNY MASCARENHAS & Co/AGENTS" who added QB QV 2½d rosy-mauve Plate 7 pmk'd "A26" duplex dated A/AU 30 77 to Capt. E.D. Lane, Yarmouth, Maine, USA, opened right edge severing perfs. £140
GIBRALTAR postal history 1880 mourning wrapper from Larios Hermanos to Genoa, Italy with GB QV 2½d Plate 17 tied "A26" duplex dated A/MY 5 08 (year error), backstamped top flap for display with Estafeta De Cambio, Madrid (MY 7) and Genova (10 5-80). £75
GIBRALTAR postal history 1880 mourning cover to Sir. Thomas Hare, Stow Hall (2nd Baronet 1807-1880), Downham Market, Norfolk with GB QV 2½d blue Plate 17 tied Gibraltar duplex dated A/MR 21 08 (year error), backstamped superb Downham A/MR 26 60 cds, small faults. Early use of the "08" year error and early use GB QV 2½d blue Plate 17 as issued in Great Britain FE 5 1880. £60
C used CONSTANTINOPLE, GB used abroad postal history 1875 cover with summer use "via Varna" to Maidenhead, Berkshire with GB QV 4d Plate 14 pmk'd "C" and signed "T. F. Hughes" lower left, reverse circled H.B.M.E.C handstamp and red Constantinople JU 23 1875/A datestamp (7 days prior change to 2½d rate with JY 1 1875 joining of the U.P.U.). Thomas Fiott Hughes (1825-87), Oriental Secretary at Constantinople from 1859 was regarded by Ambassador to Constantinople Sir Henry Elliott as "perfectly useless". After Hughes' retirement in 1875 the post was abolished. £150
POSTMARKED DAY GB STAMPS ARRIVED and also on DAY THEY WERE PLACED ON SALE, Jamaica postal history FROM AN OFFICE ABOUT TO BOYCOTT THEM!: 1858 entire to Archibald Campbell in London with weakly struck GRANGE-HILL manuscript dated 6 May (185)8 marked "Paid "6" in red crayon showing both red JAMAICA/PAID MY 8 1858 and London Paid MY 31 58 arrival. This being a unique "associated first day cover" for the day that GB QV adhesives were placed on sale in Kingston, Jamaica. The GB QV 1d, 4d, 6d arrived on "Solent" MY 6 1858 and were placed on sale at Kingston MY 8 1858. When Grange Hill received its supply of GB adhesives it boycotted their use for some 3 months along with about 30 other offices (Thomas Foster handbook Page 127) as GPO London ruled on April 16 1858 that the PMG's deputies at the Post Towns would receive only 1% commission on sale of the GB stamps whereas they had been receiving 15% commission on prestamp letters prepaid in money.
£350
MALTA postal history 1861 wrapper to Ancona, Italy with GB QV 4d pmk'd "A25" duplex dated A/NO 8 61, transit and arrival backstamps can display. An unusual destination. £125
MALTA postal history 1860 entire to Genoa, Italy with GB QV 4d pmk'd "A25" duplex dated A/NO 3 60 showing sender's cachet and backstamped GENOVA 9 NOV 60 arrival. £75
MALTA postal history 1860 to Genoa, Italy with pair GB QV 4d tied "A25" duplex dated A/MY 5 60, large part of reverse cut away with nasty hinge remains but the double rate uncommon. £50
BLUED PAPER, CONSTANTINOPLE postal history 1875 cover to Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, Ireland with BLUED PAPER GB QV 2½d rosy mauve tied Constantinople "C" with red AU 14 1876/A despatch alongside, backstamped BLACKROCK and STILLORGAN arrivals with face manuscript appended "Received at Mainz (Germany) 27 Aug 1876". £425
BLUED PAPER, GIBRALTAR postal history (Ex John GRIFFITHS) 1875 mourning wrapper from Francis Booth & Co to Malta with BLUED PAPER GB QV 2½d rosy mauve tied "A26" A/OC 4 75 duplex with B/OC 4 75 cds alongside, very fine Malta A/OC 16 75 arrival backstamp which displays. 1960 BPA Certificate. Ex John O. GRIFFITHS. £525
GREY-TOWN, Nicaragua postal history 1856 piece addressed Edward Clark, Granada, Nicaragua with US 1c blue, 3c rose-red x 2, 3c dull red tied NEW YORK JUN 21 with GREY-TOWN JU 28 1856/A arrival dbl-arc. Only one other example of the GREY-TOWN double-arc dated MR 1 1856 recorded in the GB used abroad Parmenter/Gordon handbook (Page 4/49). £480
SPAIN/GIBRALTAR combination requiring Forwarding Agent, Gibraltar postal history (Ex MOELLER) 1873 entire headed "Cadiz 20th June 1873" to Poole, England with "p. Archbold Johnston & Power Gibraltar 24 June 1873" manuscript forwarding on reverse with GB QV 2d strip of three affixed and pmk'd "A26" with GIBRALTAR A/JU 24 73. No Spanish charge as sent in another cover to Gibraltar from Cadiz. Very rare as such, Ex MOELLER. The Carlist Civil War caused intermittent interruptions to the overland route to the UK, and the maritime route from Gibraltar became a more reliable alternative but required the use of a Forwarding Agent in Gibraltar. (Of the Gibraltar/Spain adhesive combination covers currently seen 15 are ingoing to Cadiz, and only 4 are outgoing, all to Malta). £750