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| Country: All Subject: QV covers (early) Clear | Sort: Newest listed first |
;) | GIBRALTAR postal history 1859 land route "via France" to London with GB QV 1d red strip of three, GB 6d lilac pmk'd "G" with greenish-blue A/JA 7 59 despatch, backstamped London JA 17 59 arrival. Flap with tape stain. £825 |
;) ;) ;) ;) | 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 |
;) ;) ;) | SPAIN/GIBRALTAR combination requiring Forwarding Agent, Gibraltar postal history (Ex MOELLER) 1873 entire headed "Cadiz 20th June 1873" to Poole, England with "p. Archbold Johnston & Power Gibraltar 24 June 1873" manuscript forwarding on reverse with GB QV 2d strip of three affixed and pmk'd "A26" with GIBRALTAR A/JU 24 73. No Spanish charge as sent in another cover to Gibraltar from Cadiz. Very rare as such, Ex MOELLER. The Carlist Civil War caused intermittent interruptions to the overland route to the UK, and the maritime route from Gibraltar became a more reliable alternative but required the use of a Forwarding Agent in Gibraltar. (Of the Gibraltar/Spain adhesive combination covers currently seen 15 are ingoing to Cadiz, and only 4 are outgoing, all to Malta). £750 |
;) | BOOTS & SHOES, Boston, Massachusetts American advertising cover, NEW BRUNSWICK postal history 1858 unusual local cover to Dorchester N.B. with 3d tied grill ovals with blue S.G. DAMON, THOMAS & CO. advertising oval, backstamped ST. JOHN JU 5 1858 with partial DORCHESTER arrival. Reverse opening tear justs affects top left corner. £250 |
;) | NEW SOUTH WALES postal history (Ex WILLCOCKS) 1863 cover to Lambeth, London with QV 6d plus (6d) REGISTERED pmk'd "36" with handstruck REGISTERED/BRAIDWOOD and red (crown)/REGISTERED applied on arrival, reverse Braidwood JA 19 1863 despatch clear of missing flap. Worn appearance. Ex Martin WILLCOCKS (1999). £195 |
;) | 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 |
;) ;) | C used CONSTANTINOPLE, GB used abroad 1880 H.M.S. Falcon flap cover to Bombardier John Wilder, 10th Brigade, 16th Battery, Pembroke Camp, Malta with GB QV 2½d blue Plate 19 pmk'd "C" with red A/JY 9 80 despatch alongside, some toning. £180 |
;) | C used CONSTANTINOPLE, GB used abroad cover 1874 wrapper with pair GB QV 4d vermilion Plate 13 pmk'd "C" to London, top flap could display clear red JU 9 1874/A despatch dbl-arc, some soiling. £95 |
;) | ST. CHRISTOPHER postal history Originally an exceptionally rare and wonderful unique franking to The Right Reverend Bishop Potter in New York which had six QV 1d magenta P.14 (SG.6) pmk'd worn use of the APMY killer plus ST. KITTS MR 30 78 despatch and New York APR 17 DUE 5c duplex on face with red crayon "4" showing sea post paid. You can either enjoy a distressed cover with single 1d removed or perhaps improve by adding, by hinge, a suitable stamp of matching shade and postmark. £625 |
;) | AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE CASE OF "O.R." (Official Registration), Victoria postal history 1876 interrupted mail cover to Horse Shoe Bend with QV 1d, 2d pmk'd Sandhurst "4" duplex dated B/MY 29 76. Marked in manuscript "O.R." (Officially Registered) as it contained something of value contrary to law with two strikes framed REGISTERED and oval MORE TO PAY appended "6d" in matching ink. Some faults, soiling and backstamped Redesdale Victoria MY 30 76 clear of missing flap. RPSV Certificate (2008). The expectation is that the survival rate of Officially Registered covers, because they contained coin or other valuables, for the pre-1885 adhesive period is approximately 1 within every 10,000. This means that most countries can offer no examples. For the whole of the British West Indies group I record only one cover which was compulsorily registered. £2250 |
;) | GRENADA to Trinidad postal history 1872 mourning cover to Mungo Campbell, San Fernando, Trinidad with QV 6d orange-red (SG.7) tied "A15" with A/GRENADA/MY 02 72 despatch backstamp showing small part TRINIDAD MY 3 1872 arrival rated red crayon "4". Ex RUSSELL JONES, PITTS. £475 |
;) | C61 used SAN JUAN, Porto Rico postal history 1872 entire to Lanman & Kemp, New York with GB QV 4d vermilion Plate 12 pmk'd "C61" with red PORTO-RICO PAID C/DE 13 72 and black N.Y. STEAMSHIP/10 dated DEC 20 cds, the adhesive lightly crossed by filing fold. £250 |
;) ;) | "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 |
;) | GIBRALTAR postal history 1878 wrapper to Malta with GB QV 2½d Plate 11 tied "A26" duplex dated A/AU 20 78, top flap with A/AU 24 78 arrival. Stamp with corner perf. fault. £40 |
;) | GIBRALTAR postal history 1878 wrapper to Malta with GB QV 2½d Plate 12 pmk'd "A26" duplex dated B/OC 28 78, top flap with C/NO 2 78 arrival. £48 |
;) | GIBRALTAR postal history 1880 wrapper per "Mongolia" to Malta with GB QV 2½d Plate 18 pmk'd "A26" duplex dated B/JY 11 80, top flap with E/JY 15 80 arrival, stamp crossed by filing crease along top. £48 |
;) ;) | B01 used ALEXANDRIA, Egypt postal history (Ex GRIFFITHS) 1869 entire with handstruck "POSTED AFTER/DEPARTURE OF PACKET" to Liverpool with pair GB QV 6d Plate 8 pmk'd "B01" with ALEXANDRIA JY 10 69 alongside, fine GIUSEPPE CAMPOS sender's cachet with Liverpool 27 JY 69 arrival on upper flap. Ex JOHN O. GRIFFITHS. £825 |
;) ;) ;) | 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 |
;) ;) | 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 |
;) | GB used abroad at CALLAO, PERU postal history (Ex DALE LICHTENSTEIN) 1876 cover to Cumnock, Ayrshire with Peru 1d green (creased) and w/marginal pair GB QV 9d pale straw Plate 4 (SG.Z50, Cat.£400) pmk'd Callao "C38" with blue COLVILLE & Co, CALLAO sender's cachet dated OCT 14 1876 alongside address panel, reverse with A/CALLAO/OC 14 76 and CUMNOCK A/NO 13 76 arrival, some peripheral faults and damaged flap. Ex DALE LICHTENSTEIN This Peru 1 dinero was cancelled "C38" from stocks held at the British Packet Agencies to comply with the tax on all outgoing mail. £650 |