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| Country: Great Britain Clear Subject: All | Sort: Newest listed first |
;) | TWO DIFFERENT REIGNS, THREE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, Jamaica postal history to Sicily 1936 cover to Eastbourne College, England with Jamaica KGV 1d chocolate pmk'd Mandeville AP 12 37 d/ring. On arrival in Eastbourne, Sussex forwarded to Taormina, Sicily with pair contemporary GB KE7 d green pmk'd 27 APR 1937 with 25c green Postage Due tied 1-5 37. The KG6 issues not released until 10 May 1937. £120 |
;) | 1954 PRESTWICK DISASTER COVER and GREAT BRITAIN AMBULANCE COVER to JAMAICA 1954 charred edge back and front of cover pmk'd London 23 XII 54 together with contents to R.H. Ridler, Barclays Bank Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica, B.W.I. requiring completion of its journey, due such distressed condition, by Great Britain Post Office O.H.M.S. ambulance cover, both covers struck with purple boxed "SALVAGED MAIL/AIRCRAFT CRASH/PRESTWICK 25-12-54"., flap of latter poorly opened. BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser crashed on landing at Prestwick Airport in the early hours of Christmas Day 1954, 28 of the 36 onboard were killed. £325 |
;) | EXHIBITION COVER SHORT-LIVED 14 CORNER DOTS GREAT BRITAIN QV 1d LILAC to BARBADOS 1881 cover with five copies GB QV 1d Venetian red and seven copies GB QV 1d lilac (SG.166,170) pmk'd London S.W/32 duplex dated AU 2 81 to Mrs. Belfield, Chelston, Barbados being the penultimate 1/- rate prior switching to the 4d U.P.U. rate on SP 1 1881, backstamped BARBADOES AU 18 1881 dbl-arc arrival clear of largely missing flap. A spectacular exhibition cover for the short band of use 14 dots in each corner GB QV 1d lilac. The 1d Venetian red stamps do not have the Orbs watermark error Cat.27,000 apiece. £600 |
;) | EARLIEST EXAMPLE OF 1d RETAINED ON HALF OUNCE POST, Jamaica postal history 1860 GB QV 6d cover to Thomas Hendrick, Attorney, Kingston, Jamaica pmk'd LIVERPOOL "466" duplex dated 31 JY 60 showing both KINGSTON AU 20 1860 dbl-arc arrival and manuscript "1" for the allowed 1d on the half ounce, overall damp toning. An Act of JU 14 1860 authorised the Colony to retain 1d on the half ounce mail. On AU 1 1860 Jamaica took control of her own Post Office. £95 |
;) | CONFUSED TOURISTS: GREAT BRITAIN and BERMUDA postal history combination 1932 cover from confused tourists staying at The New St. George Hotel, St. George's, Bermuda addressed Oakland, California with Bermuda 2d Caravel placed over pair Great Britain KGV 1d tied ST. GEORGES 23 FEB 32 cds. £48 |
;) ;) | POSTAGE DUES TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, BRITISH GUIANA postal history 1937 (AP 9) KGV 2c pair underpaid franking from Georgetown most unusually addressed by the sender to three locations arriving Paris (AP 28) with 1fr due added and re-directed MY 10 to London (MY 13) with GB 1d due tied MY 15 37, various tax marks, return to sender, unknown additions as expected for a cover attracting postage dues in two differing countries. £120 |
;) | GREAT BRITAIN USED TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, Malta postal history 1861 mourning cover to Lt. Colonel Duncan Munro Bethune (1816-1870), 1st Battalion. 9th Regiment, Vernon House, Farnham, Surrey with GB 6d pmk'd "A25" duplex dated A/MALTA/JA 23 61, backstamped Farnham JA 23 61 arrival and forwarded to London with GB QV 1d red pmk'd "292" numeral on JA 25 61 with London transits. Such GB combination covers are seldom found and extremely rare, and do not exist for most countries and agencies that were supplied with GB stamps. £1200 |
;) ;) | GIBRALTAR destination postal history 1871 wrapper with sender's cachet to Gibraltar with Great Britain QV 6d (postage) and QV 1d (late fee) twice pmk'd London IX/21 AP 71 "9" duplex. £85 |
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) | HERO of the H.M.S. "BIRKENHEAD" SHIPWRECK DISASTER, Sierra Leone postal history 1852 letter from Lt-Colonel Alexander Seton written at Sierra Leone 29th January posted in GB QV 1d pink PSE to Edinburgh with MR 15 and MR 15 transit and arrival backstamps. This is the only letter he wrote from Sierra Leone and the penultimate letter before the tragic disaster in Simon's Bay in the early hours of 26th February 1852 which took about 445 lives. A 4 page account of the disaster accompanies as prepared for the December 2018 British West Indies Study Circle journal. £1200 |
;) | BARBADOS postal history 1928 shortpaid cover from Bashart Ally & Co to Birmingham with 04d, 05d Badge tied 14 DE 28 with circled "T" and GB 1d Postage Due tied Birmingham 2 JA 29 cds, small opening fault middle top. £65 |
;) | GREAT BRITAIN and ANTIGUA "both ways" postal history 1900 cover with GB QV 1d lilac pmk'd Chipping Norton AP 4 00 to Miss Bowen, The Point, St. Johns, Antigua with MY 4 00 (wider fleuron at base) backstamp, returned with Leeward Islands QV 1d pmk'd Antigua MY 9 00 (smaller fleuron at base), backstamped Bristol and Chipping Norton MY 25 00 cds, flap roughly opened. £275 |
;) ;) | GREAT BRITAIN to BAMENDA, CAMEROON missent BARBADOS and BERMUDA postal history 1931 cover with GB KGV 1d tied Glasgow machine dated 3 SEP 1931 to "BAMENDA, B.W.I." with handstruck "NOT KNOWN" and "ADVERTISED" applied Barbados 19 SEP 1931 (backstamp) with manuscript "Try Bermuda" amended "Not" with "Try" deleted with Hamilton 23 NOV 31 backstamp, originally poorly opened 3 sides but frontal tear at right sealed with tear at left open. £120 |
;) | LONDON postmark on St. Vincent stamp QV 2d on 1d blue (SG.55a) with arrival sqc dated DE 12 94. £5 |
;) ;) | DELAYED THROUGH POSTING IN A LONDON LETTER BOX, BRITISH GUIANA postal history 1952 cover with KG6 1c, 2 x 2c pmk'd Georgetown */7 JA 52 to the Philaletic (sic) Traders Society, London with 24 John Adams Street address added, re-directed Tottenham Court Road, and finally directed to The Strand, rare use of red handstamp "DELAYED THROUGH BEING/POSTED IN A LETTER BOX/FOR 'LONDON' LETTERS./PLEASE ADVISE SENDER" added in London, backstamped London FE 18, and FE 19 (twice) cancels. £75 |
;) | RHODESIA postal history 1942 "ONLY FOR ARMY AND/AIR FORCE OVERSEAS" envelope for use to servicemen overseas addressed RAF Belvedere, Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia with GB KG6 1d pmk'd BOURNEMOUTH-POOLE 26 NOV 1942 with strong NORTON 22 MAR 43 and forwarding to Johannesburg, South Africa (purple str. line 26 MAR 1943 dater on reverse). £100 |
;) | Exceptionally rare "BOTH WAYS" COMBINATION COVER, VICTORIA postal history 1858 cover with GB QV 6d pmk'd London S.W. duplex dated DE 21 58 to Melbourne, South Australia arriving MR 20 59, returned with tied 6d Queen on Throne to Shinfield, Reading. Soiling with some perf. toning. 144 days total in the mails. By THAMES Southampton JA 12 59 to Alexandria, COLUMBIAN sailed JA 30 from Suez to Melbourne MR 20 59. Back home by P&O MALTA Melbourne AP 18 to Suez, CEYLON Alexandria to Southampton JU 10 1859. Mail 89 days out, 54 home. £425 |
;) ;) | HRH Prince Alfred round-world-voyage ended by Fenian assassination bullet, Gibraltar postal history 1867 cover from Tinahely to W.H. Symes, HMS 'Galatea', Gibralter (sic) with pair GB QV 1d red Plate 84 and strip of three, single Plate 85 pmk'd Rathdrum "388" diamond numerals when Ireland was a part of Great Britain, Tinahely and Rathdrum backstamps for MR 16 67 with London MR 18 67 transit. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Victoria's second son (1844-1900) was never expected to be King and joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman aged 12. In 1867 he commissioned and commanded the 'Galatea' for a voyage around the world which would include the first royal visit to Australia. On FE 26 1867 the 'Galatea' left Plymouth Sound for the Mediterranean with stops at Lisbon, Gibraltar (MR 14 to 26), Malta, a stay at Marseilles prior a crossing to Rio de Janeiro, returning via Tristan Da Cunha, staying at Cape of Good Hope prior onwards to Adelaide, South Australia with subsequent stays at Melbourne, Victoria and Tasmania. The tour was abruptly curtailed in Sydney NSW on MR 12 1868 when Henry James O'Farrell, a Fenian sympathiser, attempted to assassinate the Prince - the Duke fell forwards on his hands and knees exclaiming "Good God! I am shot; my back is broken". On board was surgeon James Young, M.D. and Assistant Surgeons William L. Powell and William H. Symes (1851-1933 of Tinahely), the two former names being mentioned as giving immediate assistance to His Royal Highness who was tended back to health by six recently arrived nurses trained by Florence Nightingale. Full details of the voyage can be found in the 487 page book entitled "The Cruise of H.M.S. Galatea" by John Milner and Oswald Walters Brierly. Prince Alfred was the first serious stamp collector in the royal family. He sold his collection to King Edward VII who shared his enthusiasm, who in turn gave it to his son King George V. Keenly expanded by the latter the two collections became the basis of what is now the Royal Philatelic Collection. £1250 |
;) ;) | CEYLON postal history 1869 OFFICERS CONCESSION RATE OF 10d cover (1 of 2 known) endorsed "Chichester/Cap. A.D.C." at lower left to his daughter Amy in Cleobury-Mortimer RE-DIRECTED THREE TIMES on arrival with Ceylon QV 10d orange pmk'd black "B" showing red TRICOMALEE PAID AU 18 69 cds alongside and b/stamped red COLOMBO PAID A/AU 21 69. On arrival b/stamped LONDON N7/SP 20 69 and LONDON X10/SP 20 69 with re-direction to a Square in London S.W with circled "1d" due handstamp; further re-direction to Army Agents Cox & Co, Craig Street with free re-direction within London crowned "R" applied plus CHARING CROSS W.C. A6/SP 20 69 cds, finally re-posted with GB QV 1d red Plate 108 pmk'd BEWDLEY SP 21 69 duplex to Tiverton, Devon. Flap removed plus minor faults. Officers did not mark their mail for the privilege postage rate of 6d per oz (plus any Foreign Rate) unless there was a savings. There was no advantage on U.K. mail when rates were 6d via Southampton and 10d via Marseilles, but increases to 9d and 1/1d respectively on FE 1 1868 allowed a savings of 3d (as seen on the above cover). The concessionary rate was withdrawn DE 31 1869 so savings were only possible over a 23 month period. £3250 |
;) | PAQUEBOT BERMUDA, Bermuda postmark 9 MAY 53 on GB QEII 1d piece. £5 |
;) ;) | TRINIDAD postal history 1975 cover to Calais, France with QE2 5c, 30c x 2 pmk'd 9 MAR 74 with red boxed FLOWN BY/HOVERCRAFT RAMSGATE and 1/- EXPORTERS LETTER SERVICE label depicting Sir Rowland Hill tied blue POSTE - RESTANTE/BP 300-62/CALAIS - RAMSGATE cachet. £75 |