The Best of Great British
The Specialised Great Britain auction on April 29th-30th produced an impressive final sale total of £599,390. Important sections included the remarkable Gold Medal winning collection of the 1840-76 2d. blue formed by the late Jane Moubray RDP, Hon. FRPSL, former President of the Royal Philatelic Society.
Featured on the front cover of the sale catalogue, Jane’s characterful Mulready 2d. envelope originally used in 1842 from Brighton to Burwash and most unusually reused sixteen months later to Mayfield, franked by an 1841 2d. blue and showing two line “Burwash/Penny Post” handstamp [lot 589] soared to £8,784.
A rare usage of the 1841 2d. blue in that year, the plate 3 strip of three on HULL/SHIP LETTER” cover from Darlington to Hamburg [lot 623] was a popular item, rising to £3,286. A handsome fresh mint example of the 1841 2d. violet-blue on thicker lavender tinted paper [lot 633] achieved an understandable £6,573.
Only six examples of the imperforate 1858-76 2d. plate 9 are believed to exist, of which one is in the NPM collection. Very fine and showing a Greenock “163” numeral cancellation [lot 754] climbed well to £10,736, a little above its catalogue value.
An exceptional rarity, the 1867 experiment for a new blue colour using 1d. plate 75 in rose-red on thin blued paper with void corner, blank check letter squares and overprinted “SPECIMEN” [lot 714] reached £12,200.
Telegraphs have occasionally had stronger days for but such was the quality of the Brian Callan FRPSL collection that plenty of interest was generated among specialists. The set of five imperf. plate proofs for the South Eastern Railway Company 1860 issue [lot 168] sold for £1,952. Despite a few imperfections the Post Office Telegraph £5 imperforate colour trial in gold [lot 286] reached £2,275.
Amongst other notable prices, the striking 1841 cover to Berkeley, Gloucestershire bearing 1d. red-brown plate 1b state 2 pair and plate 1c state 3 strip of three, the only example of a multiple showing the Spilsby double or extra cross [lot 1073] sold for £2,212. An 1847 wrapper to Chesterfield [lot 390] franked 1d. plate 70 tied by scarce Nottingham “583” barred numeral in green, in use for four weeks only, was bid to £1,850. The The only example of the step framed “FOWEY/SHIP LETTER” mark on 1845 wrapper from Saldanha Bay (Cape of Good Hope) to Boston [lot 490] reached £1,706.
Realisations quoted include buyer’s premium. For further information please contact Tom Margalski or Verity Smith at the Grosvenor London office.