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;) ;) ;) | North Africa BARBARY COAST and GB USED ABROAD combination, GIBRALTAR postal history 1871 mourning cover with unidentified blue Arabic-like origin cachet almost certainly originating in the Barbary Coast regions of North Africa, addressed with French salutation to Madame Isabella Wilson, Youngstown, Ohio with GB 4d, 6d pmk'd "A26" with GIBRALTAR A/NO 22 71 despatch showing London 7 DE 71 and New York Paid All (indistinct date) transits over red "2/CENTS" handstamp). No backstamps and smaller portion of flap missing. A currently unique and intriguing item. At that time there was no state postal system and foreign post offices were in only a few North African coastal towns. The Parmenter & Gordon handbook Page 1/5 states that "From 1st March 1858 mail from Tangier and other British Consulates in "Barbary" had to be prepaid in GB adhesives which were later cancelled in Gibraltar". The first TANGIER cds was sent from the GPO London on 16th March 1872 (some 4 months later than this cover, examples of use are TANGIER A/JU 29 73 and A/OC 15 73 placed below GB 6d, and GB 2d,4d each pmk'd "A26" on covers to Monsieur A. Boucard, London, Ex Glassco). Some irregular private couriers were also actively taking international mail to European Post Offices. The handstamp was probably carved from wood and the manufacturer chiselled it as he would see it but when struck it would appear in mirror image, ie reverse. It is also noted that if the third digit in the "date" were not inverted and reversed it might read 1871. (See also Kabyle Rebellion, Algeria) £4250 |
;) ;) | "A36" used DRY HARBOUR (Ex Trivett, Glassco, Jose P. Simon, Simpson, Mahfood, Pitts) The unique and complete entire with letter headed "Dry Harbour 9th Dec 1859 " from John Ellis to Edward Leahy, Chief Engineers Office, Spanish Town with GB QV 4d rose pmk'd "A36" (H) with matching inked DRY HARBOUR code 2/DE 9 1859 across upper flap which would display perfectly for exhibition if a few hinge remainders were professionally removed. The adhesive with top left wing marginal short perfs. Ex TRIVETT, GLASSCO, JOSE P. SIMON, SIMPSON, MAHFOOD, PITTS. Distance Dry Harbour to Kingston 71 miles, Spanish Town to Kingston 13 miles being 71 less 13 = 58 miles (4d rate under 60 miles). The code "2" was previously unlisted. The only other known entire is the top portion of a wrapper to Barclays & McDowell (Kingston) pmk'd code 2/SP 2 1858 which has GB QV 6d lilac for the 71 mile distance (over 60 miles rate). The “A36” (H) had a short life being either lost or mislaid as the earliest Pine watermark Jamaica stamps are cancelled by manuscript “36”. The best explanation probably comes from Bill Atmore in his January 2000 “Land of Wood and Water” publication where he wrote “It is known that stocks of imperial stamps had begun to run out at several offices as early as 1859, even before their official withdrawal from use on 1st August 1860. In these circumstances, the obliterators at most, if not all, offices became temporarily redundant, possibly leading to their loss or damage”. £4500 |
;) ;) | NEW ZEALAND to FRANCE postal history Ex WOOLFE, HACKMEY 1873 registered cover with "FORWARDED BY/CRUICKSHANK & Co/AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND" sender cachet on reverse to Libourne, France with Chalon 2d orange, 3d, lilac, 2 x 6d pale blue tied "1" numeral obliterators with REGISTERED, AUCKLAND FE 15 7318 despatch, routed via ALEXANDRIE (7/4) showing full transit and arrival marks on reverse plus boxed French rate mark, reverse flaps opened for display. Exhibition item ex WOOLFE, HACKMEY (2006 RPS Certificate). £4500 |
;) ;) | POSITIONING VOYAGE of TWEED - PRIOR START R.M.S.P. SAILINGS FROM FALMOUTH 3rd JANUARY 1842 1841 business entire from Messrs. Stewart & Westmoreland, London to Alexander Logan, May Hill P.O., Manchester, Jamaica initially marked “Paid” and rated “8” with red PAID SHIP LETTER/(crown)/17 DE 17/1841/LONDON, but with the “Tweed” leaving for her West Indies station the following day the entire changed to “p. packet” and duly rated 1/- (unpaid) prior precise inscription of “By Ship” (no R.M.S. prefix as the R.M.S.P.Co not officially up and running) and “Steamer Tweed” arriving as a “ship letter” as handstamped KINGSTON SHIP LETTER (SL3) dated JA 17 1842. An exceptional first page item of R.M.S.P. Co. postal history showing all the intricate detail of “first ever” mail carried by the company to the West Indies. The R.M.S.P. handbook by Kenton & Parsons notes on Page 10 that the Tweed “carried some Ship letter mail to Jamaica and Arr. 17/1” £5250 |
;) | The GOVERNMENT OF ST. VINCENT Crowned Circle cover to DENMARK, St. Vincent postal history 1865 unique O.H.M.S. cover to Copenhagen, Denmark with spectacular GOVERNMENT OF ST. VINCENT embossed flap showing two strikes of the red ink PAID AT ST. VINCENT crowned circle (latest use) with SAINT-VINCENT A/JU 06 66 despatch cds alongside, reverse 30 6 arrival. A wonderful exhibition item. £6000 |
;) ;) | POLIGNAC COVER DENIED DESTINATION DUE SIEGE OF PARIS, St. Vincent postal history This Duke de Polignac wrapper arrived at Calais NO 29 1870 on the same day that the “Jacquard”, the 34th ballon monté, crashed into the Irish Sea off the Scilly Isles killing the pilot Alexandre Prince; some bags of mail were later recovered. Paris, at this time, was surrounded and besieged by the Prussian army period SP 17 1870 until the FE 28 1871 Armistice. No mail could get in, hence the re-routing to the small hamlet of St. Jean du Cardinay, Maromme in Normandy. French aeronauts suggested to the postal authorities in Paris that balloons be used to maintain communications with the provisional government in Tours, and beyond. In total 67 well documented outgoing flights were made carrying over 2 million pieces of mail to places around the world with rare survivors having reached Mauritius, Hong Kong, and Japan. This unique NO 9 1870 cover bears the earliest recorded use of the QV 1/- brown in combination with printer’s guide-line positional strip of three, and single QV 1d rose-red, the former invoiced AU 13 1869 but held back for 14 months as seemingly not a suitable oil-lamp match for the latter. All further uses of the 1/- brown pay the single rate to England, and a replacement QV 1d in black was hastily ordered on JA 6 1871. £6000 |
;) ;) ;) | SAILOR'S LETTER WITH CONCESSION RATE PAID BY 1d COIN, Antigua postal history 1845 entire headed May 26th 1845 from John King, Master at Arms on board Her Majesty's Ship Pique, Antigua (a naval soldier responsible for discipline and law enforcement aboard a ship) countersigned Horace Baker (Lieutenant & Commanding Officer) to his wife in Devonshire Buildings in Bath without the customary manuscript "1d paid" in red ink (as applied on land) but with his last ("my last") GB QV 1d coin sewn alongside the address panel confirmed by London PAID JU 20 1845 transit (not deemed overweight or subject to additional charge). Although a few dozen Soldier's Letters are recorded for the prestamp period this seems to be the only recorded accepted stampless Sailor's Letter from the BWI prior 1850. Contents include mention of discovery that the Foremast is so rotten, and a portion sent to the Admiralty with expectation of being ordered Home by September unless the mast is ordered to be built at Halifax or Port Royal "which I do not think they will do now the ship is three years in Commission". (Between 1841 and 1846 Pique, a sailing frigate with 36 guns, served on the North America and West Indies Station, on 10 March 1842 the Illustrious (see David Pitts lots 39, 159), with the Pique, Fair Rosamond and Spitfire departed Barbados for Antigua and Jamaica). A scan of the entire has been mounted on card and an actual 1845 1d coin has been sewn on with hemp, using the original 7 in and 7 out needle holes, to simulate how it could have looked, although it was on reverse in actual transit. Only one other BWI prepayment by sewn 1d coin entire is known written January 24th 1847 and posted on land with ANTIGUA double arc JA 27 1847 on a Soldiers Letter (ex Gerald Sattin) to a shoe maker in Edinburgh, the coin evidently was also sewn to the reverse as the circumference of the sewing holes obscure the frontal addressing. £6500 |
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) | CONFEDERATE sloop-of war transfers YANKEE P.O.W.s to DANISH brig, St. Croix postal history 1863 letter written April 13 by semi-literate Dudley K. Dow to his "mothere" Mrs Thomas Dow, Deer Isle, Maine, USA stating that he had been taken by the Felardy (his hearing/understanding for the Florida) and "Cent in to Cante Croix", his postscript in ink confirms that his stay on the island has been dull "the times hire is dool" but mentions "we shell leave here to day For home", posted in small envelope, slightly trimmed at left, with handstruck SHIP and "5" (due) in black and landed with red BOSTON/MY 6/MASS d/ring. On March 12th 1863 the Danish brig “Christian” took into St. Croix prisoners recently transferred from the Confederate States Steamer (C.S.S.) “Florida”. The “Florida” was a sloop-of-war serving as a highly successful commerce raider in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. She was built in Liverpool and departed England 22 March 1862, and after a collision with a United States Army Transport troop ferry sank on 28 November 1864. The Florida captured 37 prizes during her short impressive career. Two books cover this event: “The Life and Services of John Newland Maffitt” (captain of the C.S.S. Florida). On Page 283 of the journal is mention of capturing the bark M. J. Colcord from New York bound Cape Town on 30 March 1863, and their transfer to the Danish brig Christian some 37 hours later on 1 April 1863. “The High Seas Confederate” book, Page 83, confirms that Maffitt captured “a propaganda” ship, the M.J. Colcord on 30 March 1863, transferring provisions from the prize, that the master of a Danish brig agreed to take all the remaining prisoners, and that Maffitt burned the M.J. Colcord. £6500 |
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) | BRITISH KAFFRARIA WRAPPER from a SURVIVOR OF THE H.M.S. BIRKENHEAD TROOPSHIP DISASTER In response for requests for testimonies from survivors the only surviving letter from the Cape: 1858 wrapper docketted "Andrews 20 Nov 1858" (the content removed but published) to David Seton, Portabello, near Edinburgh marked "Registered at King W Town 25.11.58" and "K.W.T. C.G. Hope" at lower left with two damaged copies 4d blue tied triangular handstamp with CAPE PACKET DEVONPORT JA 26 1859, red Crown/REGISTERED and red oval REGISTERED/LONDON 27 JA 59 alongside address panel, reverse red CAPETOWN DE 2 1858 transit, black Edinburgh and blue PORTABELLO JA 28 1859 arrivals. Younger brother (Major) David Seton was quite determined from an early stage to gather as many facts as possible. He met many of the survivors personally and continued with his determination that the heroism displayed by his elder brother Alex should always be associated with the ‘Birkenhead’. Personal interviews, and correspondence with testimonies from survivors, continue as late as 1858-59 and he printed a little book on the Wreck of the ‘Birkenhead’ in Edinburgh in 1861, and again in 1873 and 1890 which was initially intended for private use and not for publication or sale. The Andrews testimony is published on pages 134/5 in "A Deathless Story" by A.C. Addison being a 318 page account of the Birkenhead. £7250 |
;) ;) ;) ;) | Proofed/unrecorded ERRONEOUSLY APPLIED unique TRINCOMALEE/RETURNED FOR POSTAGE,CEYLON postal history 1845 wrapper from C. Brun fils, Port Louis pmk'd red MAURITIUS POST OFFICE d/ring dated NO 05 1845 marked "via Ceylon" to Veillon Freres, Bordeaux, France with "Paid 1/8" in dark black ink most unusually landed on Ceylon's north east coast (instead of the southern port of Galle) showing prepared for application TRINCOMALEE/RETURNED FOR POSTAGE datestamp for NO 22 1845 erroneously applied, crossed through, and TRINCOMALEE/STEAMER LETTER added for the next day in the same coloured ink. Carried via ALEXANDRIA (JA 7 1846) with 25mm chisels slits and large part PURIFIE AU LAZERET/MALTE handstamp added showing red PAQ. ANG. MARSEILLES (16 JANV 46) on address panel and Bordeaux (10 JANV 46) arrival backstamp with 96 decimes to be collected. Exhibition item collecting cancellations from five different countries. Similar RETURNED FOR POSTAGE datestamps were proofed for other Ceylon towns but none are known used. This remarkable example only exists due being wrongly applied. £7250 |
;) | Unique forced registration "Supposed to contain coin/REGISTRATION FEE 6D", Queensland postal history 1871 interrupted mail cover with 2 x QV 3d greenish grey pmk'd "Q.L" and tied BRISBANE 4/NO 1 71 paying the 6d rate via Southampton to Cambridge Heath, London, h/stamped champhered corners boxed "Supposed to contain coin/REGISTRATION FEE 6D." with further QV 6d yellow-green affixed and tied "Q.L", London registration cds and oval dated JA 29 72 plus red crayon "1/-" confirming full postage paid. Ex Geoffrey MANTON. £8500 |
;) ;) ;) ;) | ST. BARTHELEMY taken to St. CHRISTOPHER for posting to TURKS ISLANDS postal history 1879 entire headed "St Barths 11 Septr 1879" to The Post Master, Grand Turk, Turks Islands, enclosing a letter for Mr. Gibbs (presumed George Gibbs, the Salt Merchant, and Commission and Forwarding Agent at Grand Turk). Conveyed to neighbouring St. Christopher for onward transit where QV 6d green affixed and tied by the "APMY" dumb cds with weak ST. KITTS despatch (thought SP 12 79), rated red "4". On arrival most unusually handstruck internally with pristine TURK'S-ISLAND code removed/OC 10 79 cds probably as a record of receipt to show date acted upon for any future reference. Additionally unique for being the only known St. Christopher UPU member cover to a non-UPU member commanding a 6d rate (St. Christopher was full member from JY 1 1879, Turks Islands did not join the UPU until JA 1 1881). An exceptional showpiece conveyed through British Colonial Post Offices during the second year of French reoccupation. On NO 26 1781 St. Eustatius was captured by the French under Marquis De Bouille, St. Martin was seized the following day, and Saba and St. Bartholomew soon after. The latter island remained French until 1784 when it was suddenly sold by one of Louis XVI's ministers to Sweden in exchange for trading rights in the Swedish port of Gothenburg. In 1877 France bought back the island from Sweden for 400,000 francs with the agreement ratifield in Stockholm NO 9 1877 and in Paris MR 4 1878. On MR 16 1878 the French officially reoccupied St. Barthelemy. A census in 1875 indicated there were around 2,300 inhabitants on the island. (Note: this is similar to the expectation of how a Cayman Island cover for the period would travel, if one existed, and equally as rare). £12500 |
;) ;) ;) ;) | The "42" Kolkata cover from Prince Alfred, Royal Visit to Ceylon 1870, a unique exhibition item 1870 cover with spectacular four colour Royal Coat-of-Arms printed flap posted by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (second son of Queen Victoria born 6 August 1844 and first member of the British Royal family to visit Ceylon) to his eminent friend Dr. Joseph Fayrer C.S.S., 42 Chowringhe Road, Calcutta with QV 1/- reddish lilac tied COLOMBO AP 18 70 duplex paying the double short-lived (1868-1870) 6d rate to India, reverse Galle transit and Calcutta STEAMER LETTER AP 27 70 arrival. (Ceylon was ceded to the British Empire in 1815 and when the Prince arrived March 30 1870 thousands of chiefs, headsman and ordinary people flocked to Colombo. On the day after arrival a grand reception was hosted by Governor Sir Hercules Robinson, and thereafter the Prince made excursions to elephant kraals with gatherings of 10,000 people or more, went elk hunting, elephant shooting, and was lavishly dined throughout, even with gold plates and gold cutlery encrusted with rubies, emeralds and pearls. Prince Alfred, Honorary President 1890-1900 of what is now the Royal Philatelic Society, was the first serious stamp collector in the royal family and it is thought that he encouraged his nephew, later KGV, to collect stamps. Prince Alfred sold his collection to his brother King Edward VII, who shared his enthusiasm, who in turn gave it to his son King George V, and keenly expanded by the latter the two collections became the basis of what is now the Royal Philatelic collection. Sir Joseph Fayrer (1824-1907) was an English physician noted for his writings on medicine and particularly the treatment of venomous Indian snakebites. In 1847 he was appointed medical officer on H.M.S. Victory and in 1869 accompanied Prince Alfred, as his physician, on his grand tour of India. In 1901 he was appointed Physician Extraordinary to King Edward VII. Eastern India's tallest project, The "42", an iconic 62 storey tower with luxury apartments is planned for 42B Chowringhee Road. £18500 |
;) ;) ;) ;) | INTRODUCING THE LADY ANNE COVER, the greatest and most significant item of MUSTIQUE postal history It was always assumed that the four Mustique Company labels were solely produced for the SP 1 1971 Government run inaugural First Flight covers between Mustique Post Office and mainland, St. Vincent, but this UNIQUE PROVING COVER shows that a Government approved PRIVATELY OPERATED LOCAL CARRIAGE SERVICE existed (by-passing the Mustique post office, and perhaps for only a few months) which REMAINED UNDISCOVERED for nearly 45 YEARS - 1971 commercial cover hand addressed by Colin Tennant to Lady Anne Tennant with MUSTIQUE COMPANY LTD 10c MAUVE label tied by their 10 JUN 1971 company handstamp for air carriage of 18 miles to mainland, and St. Vincent 50c Bird postmarked the next day KINGSTOWN */11 JU 71 to the family home at Tite Street, London. Arrival confirmed by automatic letter sorting machine luminescent dots applied at the London Eastern Central District Office as seen lower right of cover. No early ORANGE, YELLOW, or BLUE labels are known on cover. LADY ANNE TENNANT (formerly Lady Anne Coke), wife of Lord Glenconnor, Colin Tennant, owner of Mustique, was a Maid of Honour to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Her Coronation and is best seen holding the Queen's gown during the procession down the aisle at Westminster Abbey. Lady Anne was also Lady-In-Waiting to H.R.H. Princess Margaret. (Accompanied by early example of the SP 1 71 10c mauve on First Flight cover typewritten address - ie before use of printed address labelling). This is the ONLY KNOWN COVER leaving just 5 labels unaccounted for as only 70 of the 10c mauve label were printed for exclusive use by the owners of Mustique - the remaining 64 labels known to have been used up on the later First Day Covers for the SP 1 1971 inaugural flight Mustique to St. Vincent. The normal Mustique Post Office was fully operational since 1958 but the company service offered a more flexible air connection to the mainland. The labels were printed in units of two. £18500 |