1840 2d Blues
2d Plate 1: clear profile
152864.
2d Blue Plate 1, SG5, ‘GB’:
a fine and attractive example with the orange cross leaving the Queen’s profile clear.
The margin at the left is very close but fully clear.
At the right is a portion of the adjacent stamp, ‘GC’.
Priced by Gibbons in this shade at £975.
Price: £220.00
NB: There is a very small ink mark at the right above the 'B' square.
This is possibly a transfer of ink from a freshly struck transit date marking
on the back of another letter when placed
on top
of this stamp
in
the same
pile.
Leeds distinctive cross
152865.
2d in the scarcer Deep Full Blue, Plate 1, SG4, ‘FB’:
clear four margins, close but clear at the top and SE corner,
with a very small shallow thin on the reverse.
Cancelled by a clear LEEDS Special Cross: so often this cross is found in a smudged state.
The 2d ‘FB’ has the listed double letter ‘F’, SG Spec j.
The Leeds cross, Spec D1vh, is priced at £3,000.
This stamp is also printed on THIN PAPER which is not catalogued on this plate:
it is known on Plates 3 and 4 but only listed for Plate 4.
A remarkable stamp:
in a scarcer shade, with a double letter, a distinctive cross and an unlisted paper variety.
A very rare item with a unique combination of features.
Price: £525.00
2d Plate 1, INVERTED Watermark, Manchester 'Fishtail' Cross
152594.
2d Plate 1, 'MJ' in a shade close to or at Deep Blue.
Corner fault at 'M' square and a very light horizontal crease just touching
the top of the QV's head and virtually invisible on the front.
The margin at the right is clear except for just shaving the 'J' square.
The stamp is cancelled by a clear and large portion of the distinctive
MANCHESTER 'Fishtail' cross, SG spec SG spec D1Ve, leaving a clear profile.
The Queen's head shows signs of plate wear.
The reverse clearly shows an INVERTED watermark.
2d Plate 1 with this watermark variety is a very rare stamp which
Gibbons prices at £6,000 with a 'normal' cross.
From our researches we have NOT been able to find another example
of 2d Plate 1 having an Inverted watermark with any listed distinctive cross.
An estimated Gibbon's price, based on the Manchester 'Fishtail' being a little more than twice the price of a
used 2d Plate 1 in the cheapest shade, gives the example offered here a figure in excess of £12,000.
A significant line-engraved rarity which is likely to have a unique combination of features.
An important Exhibition item.
Price: £1,585.00
NB: Few major Collections have contained a used example of 2d Plate 1 with Inverted watermark.
The famous 'Daisy Collection', sold in the 1990's, had one example: it was thinned and creased.
All were cancelled by a 'normal' Maltese Cross.
The brownish colour in the left margin is fainter than the scan suggests.
2d Plate 1: MANCHESTER
Fishtail Cross
152593.
2d SG5, Plate 1, 'IK', a fine 3-margined example
with a large portion of the MANCHESTER 'Fishtail' distinctive cross.
Gibbons, Spec D1vi, prices this combination at £1,750.
On reverse there is a portion of the original gum
and a very small paper adherence.
An attractive and very collectable example of this
rare combination of stamp and cancellation.
Price: £280.00
Earliest known usage of an experimental BLACK cross on Plate 1
151383: 2d Blue Plate 1, 'FB', in a scarcer deep full blue shade,
fine/very fine 4-margined example 'FB' with the catalogued variety
'double letter 'F' illustrated in Gibbons QV Volume 1.
Tied to a clean wrapper by a BLACK LONDON cross with a
very fine 'shield' type date stamp in red of the London Twopenny Post
for SEPTEMBER 24th 1840 on the reverse top flap which displays well when raised.
This is believed to be the EARLIEST known example of the 2d blue plate 1
used with the London Experimental BLACK CROSS:
from our researches we cannot trace an earlier example.
The experiment using black ink to cancel the 1d black and 2d blues
began on August 31st/September 1st 1840.
The 2d blue on cover in the scarcer deep full blue is priced by Gibbons in excess of £3.000.
A superb and extremely rare Exhibition item.
Price: £1,685.00 SOLD
Perth Distinctive Cross on 2d Blue Plate 2
15144: 2d deep blue, Plate 2, ‘BK’, SG Spec DS7:
An almost three margined example, crossed by a light filing crease, tied to a
wrapper, Perth to Dunkeld August 11th 1841, by a fine PERTH characteristic cross.
This cross is NOT listed by Gibbons on the1840 2d blue, only on the 1d black as SG Spec A1uh,
and priced by Gibbons at £2,500 on cover in the
latest Edition of QV Volume 1.
Rockoff and Jackson
has NO recorded example of this Perth cross on an 1840 2d blue.
A very rare and
attractive item.
Price: £880.00 SOLD
NB: see Item 152541, in the 'Other Line Engraved 1d Reds and 1841 2d Blues' Section
which would make a unique pairing with this item.
Plate 2: Leeds Crosses
151555. 2d blue Plate 2:
very fine/superb large square margined example printed
in the Deep Blue shade, SG Spec DS7.
Cancelled Contrary to Post Office Regulations by a double strike,
and a small portion of a third.
The crosses are the distinctive LEEDS Cross, SG Spec SS7vd.
Priced by Gibbons in the latest Edition, of QV Volume 1 at £3,000.
A rarity.
Price: £785.00
Leeds distinctive cross
15009.
2d plate 1, ‘PH’, full margins except just touched below ‘P’ square,
huge margin at top with part of above stamp,
some minor wrinkles and a surface
scratch top right.
QV with a clear profile and with the LEEDS
characteristic cross,
Spec D1vd, priced by Gibbons at £3,000 on this issue.
Price: £275.00
GREENOCK distinctive cross
with RPS Cert.
152206. 1840 2d Blue SG5 'TG' plate 1:
fine/very fine
full margined example with a superb upright and complete
A rare stamp and priced by Gibbons in the latest Edition of QV Volume 1 at £2,000.
Price: £730.00
Late usage of 1840 2d Blue Plate 2 with Rare Cancellation
and paired with 2d Plate 4.
151208
2d blue plates 2 and 4, a remarkable pairing as BOTH are cancelled by the numeral 74 in oval of bars,
type74D4A of the London District Post Chief Office.
This is given a rarity 'G' rating ie Very Rare in Parmenter's
'Barred Numeral Cancellations of London'. The cancellation is recorded in use from June 1852-March 1853.
The 2d Plate 2 is tied to a small piece and has a NE corner fault with a light surface scatch above the 'T' of 'TWO'.
However, it is a very late usage of this plate and possibly unique with this very rare cancellation.
The Plate 4 is a superb example, huge margins with parts of three other stamps.
Printed in a Deep Full Blue on the catalogued thin paper variety, Spec ES15q and shows a fine Ivory Head.
Plate 2 with an 1844 numeral cancellation is priced by Gibbons at £2,500.
A unique pairing.
An Exhibition item
Price: £375.00
An 1822 Document sent in 1842 in Wales
152278.
A remarkable item: an official document, dated 1822 with another dated note inside for 1835, turned into a letter and
sent locally within CORWEN, Merioneth, on May 2nd 1842 and received the following day.
On the front is written 'Stamped Sunday Night': May 1st 1842 was a Sunday.
The postage fee has been paid by a 2d blue Plate 2, SG5, and two 1d red imperfs.
The 2d blue, NL', is just 4-margined has a large portion of the Queen's head clear though with faults.
One 1d red is almost full margined and the other is only a partial stamp.
The three stamps would all have been marginal and the margins have been folded on to the back of the letter to help to seal it.
The staining on and around the stamps and on the back of the letter, appear to be largely from the gum of the stamp margins.
The partial 1d stamp was damaged when the letter was opened.
A 4d rate with an 1840 2d blue used in conjunction with the 1d red is a rare combination and especially so on a complete cover or letter.
The 'Daisy' Collection, The Dr Pichai Collection, The Chartwell Collection and the Lady Mairi Bury Collection:
none of these contained a 4d rate with this combination on cover or letter.
The 2d Plate 2 on cover is priced by Gibbons at £3,000.
A very rare Welsh usage.
A truly remarkable survivor which despite the faults would make a memorable Exhibition item.
Price: £385.00
Superb pair: 2d Blue Plate 1
1109.
1840 2d blue plate 1 (SC-SD):
exceptionally attractive pair, with very large to just clear margins at the left,
tied to a small piece by lightly applied red/orange crosses.
Priced by Gibbons in the latest Edition of QV Volume 1, from £2,200.
Superb item.
Price: £750.00
2d Blue Plate 2 Deep Full Blue.
1110.
1840 2d plate 2, 'DF', Deep Full Blue:
a superb example with good to huge margins and partial double black crosses.
Margin at left with large portion of stamp ‘DE’ which has the listed variety ‘double letter ‘E’ ‘.
Printed on unlisted thin paper and showing plate corrosion in and around ’POSTAGE’.
An exceptional stamp and priced by Gibbons at a minimum of £1,300.
A rare item of Exhibition quality.
Price: £625.00
Plate 1: a deep shade
151556. 2d blue Plate 1: deep blue shade.
A fine 3 plus margined example with a complete black cross.
Priced by Gibbons at £1,100.
Price: £220.00
Plate 1 with Worcester numeral
151547.
2d 'EK' Plate 1: fine 4-margined example, some blue marks on the reverse.
Printed in the scarce Deep Full Blue shade and with the variety 'Double Letter K', Spec DS1j.
This double letter is illustrated in the latest Edition of QV Volume 1.
The stamp is cancelled by the '918' numeral of WORCESTER.
In the cheapest shade with an 1844 cancellation, Gibbons prices this stamp at £2,000.
but allowing for the scarcer shade and letter variety this increases to approx,£2,700.
An attractive and very scarce/rare stamp in fine condition with an 1844 cancellation.
Price: £645.00
Sample of Engine Turning: similar to that used on the 2d Blue.
151410. In the 'Story of the Penny Black' by Rigo de Righi, p.15, he notes that J B Bacon (Perkins, Bacon & Co),
had patented a machine - the Rose Lathe, a type of geometrical design lathe.
This was used for engine turning on the back of watches.
Bacon's proposed to use engine turning as the background on the 1d black and 2d blue and
in the 'POSTAGE' design part of he Mulready as a protection against forgeries.
This was agreed by Rowland Hill and Henry Cole.
The example offered here is an engine turned sample, circa 1838/9, no. 5D (ex Plate 'D').
This item would make an excellent addition to the early part of a 1d black,
2d blue or Mulready Collection as well as a general Line Engraved Collection.
The first such sample we have been able to offer.
SOLD
Scarce 4d rate: 1d reds and 2d Blues
151327. TWO pieces each showing the scarce 4d rate:
a). 2d blue, SG 5 Plate 2 ‘FL’, almost 3-margined, in a RARE combination with a fine/very fine 4-marginen PAIR,
close to just clear in a couple of places, from Plate 5, ‘SA-SB’ with both stamps in a REPAIRED STATE, SG Spec AS33,
1841 Provisional Repair. Black MX’s and handstruck ‘TOO LATE’ in red – possibly applied in London.
A multiple of Plate 5 showing a Repaired State is rarely found especially used in combination with an 1840 2d blue.
b). 2d blue SG15, Plate 3, ‘EA,’ 3-margined with guide line NE corner, in a very scarce/rare combination with two 1d reds,
‘NF’ and ‘BA’, both full margined and both from Plate 24 with black MX’s on front and part back.
On the reverse top flap is a part Congleton cds for 1843.
Offered as a very rare/unique pairing which would make an attractive display item showing
the different plates used from both the 1d red and 2d blue issues to make up the 4d rate.
Price the pair: £485.00
DUBLIN Cross: constant break variety.
15195. 2d deep blue Plate 2, ‘RD’: large margins but just clear to shaved NW corner.
Very small shallow thin on reverse at top left but cancelled by
a very fine/superb strike of the characteristic DUBLIN CROSS, Spec DS7vj.
This cross clearly shows the constant break in the outer frame which is illustrated by Rockoff,
Volume 1, p 92/3, between March 1843 and March 1844 with
only 3 out of 41 covers showing this variety all on 1d reds.
As far as we are aware, the example offered here of this variety
is the only one known on the 1840 2d blue and is a late usage within the MX period.
The characteristic Dublin cross, without the rare break, is priced
by Gibbons in the latest, QV Volume 1, at £2,500.
A considerable rarity.
Price: £530.00
NB: This would make a unique pairing with item 15196 from the 1841 2d blue Section ie:
Constant break in the outer frame of the MX
15196.
2d blue plate 3, ‘IH-II’ pair,:
‘II’ full margins, just clear SE square, with a contemporary written date of 1844, and tied
by two superb strikes of the DUBLIN characteristic cross to a piece.
Both crosses clearly show the constant break in the outer frame which is recorded by
Rockoff, Volume 1, p 92/3, between March 1843 and March 1844 with only 3 out of 41 covers
showing this variety and all on 1d reds.
None are recorded on the 2d blue and as far as we are aware, the examples offered
here of this variety are the only known strikes on the 1841 2d blue.
The characteristic Dublin cross, without the constant break, is priced on a single 2d blue
by Gibbons in the latest QV Volume 1, at £500, Spec ES11ul.
Pro rata as two singles: £1,000
A rare and attractive item.
Price: £385.00
2d Blue Plate 1: exceptional example on cover.
15181.
2d Blue plate 1 ‘JI’, SG5:
superb full margined example tied to a clean wrapper – much cleaner than
the scan suggests – and used within London.
The orange-red cross leaves most of the Queen’s head clear.
On the reverse is a London
date stamp for June 24th 1840 in the same shade of ink as the Maltese cross.
Plate 1
on cover with a red cross priced by Gibbons at £2,500.
A superb item and one of the most attractive 2d blue covers we have offered.
Price: £785.00
2d Plate 1: cross similar to DUMFRIES.
15167: 2d Blue plate 1, ‘HG’:
fine full margined example tied to small piece by an almost
complete small black cross reminiscent of that of Dumfries.
Shade close to, or at, deep blue.
Price: £235.00
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