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BAHAMAS stamps: 1954 QE2 definitives (SG.201/216, Cat.£100), the set of 16v fresh lightly mounted mint. £40
Code 5 used St. JOHN, Barbados postal history 1884 use of QV ½d Post Card pmk'd open bootheel duplex A/AP 24 84 to W.A. Toppin, "Risqué", St. John re meeting of the Horticultural Society with BARBADOS 5/AP 24 84 (M2-R) arrival, some soiling. (Ex O.B. Davis). This series of Parish marks (M2-O, original set close to outer rim, and M2-R, replacement set further away from rim) are rarely found on entire. Struck on "loose" Britannia issues they are mostly extremely rare except for "2" code (Christchurch) but even this not recorded tying stamp on cover. £175
BRITISH HONDURAS via DUBLIN to GLASGOW postal history 1892 interrupted mail cover with W. BINNEY & Co., Belize colourless embossed flap to Glasgow, Scotland with QV 6c tied "0" obliterator with BELIZE A/JA 15 92 despatch, postmarked DUBLIN FE 2 92 and on reverse GLASGOW FE 3 93 arrival. £175
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
MILITARY ADMISSION PASS BY POST CARD, Barbados postal history 1891 ADMISSION PASS to PRESENTATION OF COLOURS by way of QV ½d Post Card pmk'd open bootheel duplex dated A/MR 5 91 signed by the Capt. and Adjutant of the 2nd Battalion YORK and LANCASTER REGIMENT to admit Mrs. Jones carriage. Probably unique as such. £250
BARBADOS postal history 1928 shortpaid cover from Bashart Ally & Co to Birmingham with 0†4d, 0†5d 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
BARBADOS to DENMARK postal history 1896 use of QV 2d PSRE with added 5d Seal (SG.110) pmk'd NO 13 96 to Copenhagen, Denmark (NO 27), original letter enclosed and reverse sealed by sender's wax seal. £100
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
BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION advertising label, British Honduras postal history 1924 use of KGV 2c brown/buff newswrapper to South Kensington, London pmk'd Belize JY 11 24 cds, reverse 60x74mm locally produced "BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION/VISIT BRITISH HONDURAS COURT" label with lower edge showing printed broken line and separation rougher edge. £1250
LEFKARA, Cyprus postmark (T.4) sqc dated A/JY 6 88 on QV ½pi (SG.16a), early date. £20
LEFKARA, Cyprus postmark (T.4) sqc dated A/NO 8 89 on QV ½pi (SG.16a), early date. £20
K3a "10", Bermuda postmark on 1865 QV 1d pale rose CC wmk (SG.2), scarce on this issue. £40
The rare PRIVATE SHIP LETTER RATE to England, Bermuda postal history 1883 private ship letter rate cover (opened at top, reduced at left) with QV 4d orange-red (SG.20) tied black K3 "2" ST. GEORGES A/DE 1 83 duplex to St. John Wood, London, landed with red LIVERPOOL/A/DE 24 83/SHIP cds clear of address. Only three Bermuda QV adhesive covers are currently known landed by LIVERPOOL SHIP cds. All from St. Georges, the other two arriving Liverpool A/JA 29 84 (carried by "Nubian"). Ludington (lot 752) mentions that on NO 30 1883 H.M.S. Northampton was driven onto Stagg Rock in violet weather. £350
A UNIQUE IMPERFORATE PROOF SHEET SHOWING THE UNISSUED TRANSPOSED AMERICAN PRESIDENTS ERROR 1975 200th Anniversary of American Independence issue: Two differing mint imperforate proof sheets exist (this one having DARKER PINK BACKGROUND TO LOWER MIDDLE LABEL than found on the issued stamps, the reason unknown) showing wrong portrait of Franklin Pierce on the 5c, and wrong portrait of Andrew Johnson on the 10c (transposed portraits error). The other transposed Presidents error sheet, also mounted by the printers on white card, has lighter black backgrounds behind portraits of the Presidents than found on issued stamps. This sheet is uniquely marked "Q541 BLACKS" in lower selvedge being the House of Questa printers reference number presumed connected with the black printing. The error was noted after completion of printing with ALL SHEETS DESTROYED by the Crown Agents and printers, and the corrected printing sent to St. Vincent (the two error sheets accepted by O.J. Urch, philatelic adviser, from Prime minister of St. Vincent Milton Cato per "accountable items" original envelope which is enclosed). For the complete story of how this error occurred see BLOGGS SECTION and newspaper article "A NEW STAMP ISSUE IS BORN". £1525
JAMAICA postal history 1883 cover "per R.M. S.S. Don" to London with pair QV 2d pmk'd ""A01", reverse without flap clear of Kingston IV E/DE 24 83 and London G7/JA 12 84 cds, small tear at top. £65
A UNIQUE IMPERFORATE PROOF SHEET SHOWING THE UNISSUED TRANSPOSED AMERICAN PRESIDENTS ERROR 1975 200th Anniversary of American Independence issue: Two differing mint imperforate proof sheets exist (this one having LIGHTER BLACK BACKGROUND behind portraits of those Presidents than found on the issued stamps) showing wrong portrait of Franklin Pierce on the 5c, and wrong portrait of Andrew Johnson on the 10c (transposed portraits error). The other transposed Presidents error sheet, also mounted by the printers on white card, has a much darker pink background to the lower middle label than found on issues stamps, and is marked "Q541 BLACKS" in lower white selvedge being the House of Questa printers reference number presumed connected with the black printing. The error was noted after completion of printing with ALL SHEETS DESTROYED by the Crown Agents and printers, and the corrected printing sent to St. Vincent (the two error sheets accepted by O.J. Urch, philatelic adviser, from Prime Minister of St. Vincent Milton Cato per photocopy of "accountable items" text enclosed). For the complete story of how this error occurred see BLOGGS SECTION and newspaper article "A NEW STAMP ISSUE IS BORN". £1500