81 THE OTHER LONDON FREE MAIL "TO PAY ONLY" POSTAGE DUE MARKS; 1811 E (franked by "Kent & Strathearn", Queen Victoria's father) with v. fine (for this) octagonal "TO PAY/ONLY/D/2" [ex Grace Dove], 1838 pair of E's with very fine "TO PAY 1d ONLY" and fine "To Pay/1d Only", and Nov. 1839 env. with v. fine "To Pay 1d. only" over a "DALKEITH/PENNY POST". Scarce fine lot. (4 covers). £150
82 "MALTA" COVER OVERCHARGED WITH LONDON CROWNED "To be/delivered/Free" MARKING; Unusual Jan./March 1819 E (no side-flaps) to London with a fine curved frame "MALTA" mark on the front and charged "6/4", but endorsed "only single overcharged 3s 2d J. Franklin" on the front and so the "6/4" cancelled and replaced by "3/2". The numerous local London datestamps on the reverse show that the letter was returned with the overcharging complaint to the P.O. and re-posted by them with the correct rate and no extra local charge! Unique? £300
83 FREE FRANKS CHARGED POSTAGE DUE WIH RED "ABOVE/NUMBER" & "ABOVE/WEIGHT" MARKS; Attractive 1823/6 pair of covers from London with very fine strikes of these London marks (Jay L827 & 832; latter crossed by fold) nicely placed on the front; charged "1/-" (to Wales) and "4/4‡" (to Scotland). Attractive and scarce pair. [Both ex Grace Dove.] £150
84 P.O. NOTICE REF. CHARGING FREE FRANKS AFTER THE DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT; Original 3rd Dec. 1822 "To all Postmasters" printed Notice (minor faults but album-page size) instructing P.O. staff to charge all M.P.'s letters postage from that very evening; with manuscript note "All the letters put into the Country Post Offices and arriving here this day & to be delivered tomorrow in the Country were charged". Rare. £150
85 PRINTED "HOUSE OF COMMONS" FREE COVER; Aug. 1834 E franked from London to Basingstoke with printed "HOUSE OF COMMONS" heading and printed "FREE./F. FREELING" imprint on the front; the first part of the address "To The Overseers of" is also printed. Rare official Free Frank. Few known and very fine and attractive. [Ex Grace Dove.] PHOTO PLATE 4B £300
86 PRINTED "FREE/F. FREELING" DEAD LETTER OFFICE WRAPPER WITH ORIGINAL "RETURNED FOR POSTAGE" COVER TO FRANCE; Rare matched 1835 pair of covers; the unpaid E sent from London to "Boulogne" but with fine black oval framed "Return'd/for Postage" mark (Jay L1136; creases), as well as the fine and very rare original O.H.M.S. wrapper in which it was returned to the sender with a superb red crowned octagon "To be/delivered/Free" mark (Jay L716; light fold) on the front. The OHMS wrapper has a printed imprint on the front that we have not seen before; "Free. F. Freeling./Dead Letter Office." and contents ref. unpaid mail only being allowed to B.N.A., B.W.I. & Honduras. Superb Exhibition item; the only such matched pair that we have seen. (2 covers). PHOTO PLATE 5A £400
87 "TO BE DELIVERED FREE" COVER SIGNED BY THE POSTMASTER GENERAL; May 1838 env. sent locally in London signed "Lichfield" at lower left, having a faint blue "T…P/St. James St" mark overstruck by a very fine crowned oval "To be/delivered/FREE" mark (Jay L717) nicely placed on the front. Rare example of the P.M.G.'s personal free frank. PHOTO PLATE 5A £150
PREPAID MAIL, 1722-1840
88 YORKS. - VERY EARLY PREPAID LETTER TO BELGIUM; 1722 EL from "Leeds" to Brussels endorsed "Pd 4d" [inland postage to London] but with no Leeds mark, having a superb black London "PD" in circle (few examples known pre-1730) on the front, and charged "6" on arrival in Belgium. Rare thus. £100
89 EXPERIMENTAL OCTAGONAL "POST/PAID" DATESTAMP OF LONDON; Attractive 19th May 1794 EL from London to Manchester (to "Drywood near Worsley Mills, to be left at Mr. Thos. Scolfield, Salford") with a very fine strike of the short-lived Jay L97 mark nicely placed on the front. PHOTO PLATE 5A £240
90 THE CIRCULAR EXPERIMENTAL LONDON "PAID" D.S. ON MANCHESTER COVER TO RUSSIA; Attractive 20th Oct. 1794 EL to Pernau (then in Russia) with a fine "MANCHESTER" horseshoe on the front beisde a very fine red Jay L98 d.s. Rare thus. PHOTO PLATE 5A £200
91 THE RARE "SMALL G OUTSIDE" LONDON 3-RING "PAID" DATESTAMP; July 1798 EL (some light toning and some internal faults barely detract) to London with near fine "BER/WICK" in circle and an exceptionally fine strike of the rare Jay L101 (Unrecorded code and only very short-lived with any code) c.d.s. in red nicely placed on the front. The few of these "code outside" London Paid marks that we have seen have been incomplete or poor strikes; this is the best by a wide margin. Rare thus. PHOTO PLATE 5A £150
92 THE FIRST DAY OF UNIFORM PENNY POSTAGE - 10th JAN. 1840 - FIRST DAY LONDON HANDSTRUCK "1" MARK; 10th Jan. 1840 EL to Tadcaster with BOTH a faint black "Old Broad St[?]/1 py P Paid" mark and a very fine red London Handstruck "1" mark (just crossed at one end by light fold) slightly overstruck by an inverted matching Tombstone "PAID" datestamp which is clearly dated "10JA10/1840". It is unusual to find both the Receiving House 1d Paid mark and the Chief Office handstruck "1" on the same cover, but the pressure of work on this First Day of Cheap Postage seems to have caused a City of London R.H. to produce an inadequate paid mark in this case. Rare thus. Plus a March 1839 EL with a v. fine "S" (for Sunday) London Tombstone "PAID" d.s. (2 covers). £400
GENERAL POST INSTRUCTIONAL MARKS, 1713-1
93 MYSTERIOUS "QUAKER" LETTER SENT VIA LONDON TO SOMERSET; Anonymous 10th March EL which has been dated as 1713 because of the "(13)" after "10th of the 3 month" (Quaker style date) inside, but which should be pre-1664 according to Postal History! It was apparently sent from northern Lancashire, having references to Knott End, Ravenstondalle [=Rawtenstall?] and Lancaster being close by. The writer was apparently "A Quaker" (filing note), but he writes obliquely with many initials but no names, and the letter is addressed to "E.M. at William Hunt's shop in Tanton In Somersetshire". There is no London (or other) handstruck mark which indicates a pre-1664 date (from 1664 all letters to/from/through London were marked with a Bishop Mark), and the postal charge of "3d", next to the endorsements "The Post Office in London is desired to send this forwards" and "Post Payed to London", suggests that this was the onwards rate from London to Tanuton (that was 3d from 1653 to 1711), which would also make the 1713 date impossible! We have seen 1690s letters to William Penn (the famous Quaker) addressed with initials, but the movement was started by Fox in 1648/50, so there is no reason why this letter could not be c.1660! One for further research.... Fascinating item. £200
94 LINCS. - VERY EARLY MISSENT "RETURNED FROM LINCOLN" ENDORSEMENT; Feb. 1721 EL (reinforced folds & one side-flap lost but still attractive) from London ("IB" in circle RH mark on flap) to "Ravensworth Castle near Durham" charged "4"(d) but most exceptionally with 10th & 15th Feb Bishop Marks and the endorsement "Returned from Lincoln ye 12 Feb. 1721" nicely placed on the lower flap. Possibly the earliest recorded British Missent cover. Clearly missent to Lincoln in a Cross-Post bag from the Great North Road and then returned all the way to London. £120
95 ORIGINAL P.O. WARRANT FOR EXPRESS TRAVEL SIGNED BY BOTH P.M.G.'s; 30th Sept. 1728 printed P.O. "Post Warrant" (some wear and toned at top but neatly folded to fit album page) with names, date and destination in manuscript, ordering "all Deputy Post Masters & others whom it may concern, on Sight hereof to furnish the Bearer [Siril Wyche Esqr.] with [Three] Sufficient Horses and a Guide from Hence (Genll. Letter Office in London) to [Bath] and so back againe, Hee paying the Lawfull Rates: and for so doing this shall be your Warrant". Signed by the joint P.M.G.'s "Ed Carteret" and "E. Harrison". The total cost for horses & guide would have been around £11-18s-0d for the round trip at this date, but it was the fastest way of travelling; the equivalent of an 18th century Concorde. One of only two such Express travel Warrants in private hands of which we are aware; none are recorded in archives as far as we are aware. Superb Exhibition item. PHOTO PLATE 5A £500
96 18th CENTURY P.O. NOTICE REF. CUTTING BANKNOTES IN HALF TO SEND THEM BY POST; Fine 20th Jan. 1789 "GENERAL POST OFFICE" printed notice (album-page size) with a diagram of a £10 note, showing how to cut it in half to send by post. Very few P.O. Notices as early as this have survived. Ideal for a Registered Mail collection. £200
97 LONDON INSPECTORS' MARKS INC. THE RARE "SPUTNIK" MARK; 1795/9 pair of EL's with v. fine solid red "+" marks (2 sizes), 1836 EL with hollow star, and 1837 E with v. fine rare "Sputnik" mark (ex Grace Dove - one of only 2 we have recorded; see Cavendish Barrie Jay cat., lot 2225). Scarce lot; we have not yet heard a convincing theory as to the meaning of the Sputnik mark. (4 covers). £120
98 THE RARE "S/IRELAND" SUNDAY MARK WITH PLAIN "IRELAND"; May 1802 EL from Dublin to London with a very fine large red "S/IRELAND" mark (Jay L227a) on the front and a v. fine matching "S"-code Sunday c.d.s. (Jay L27) across the join; plus 1798 EL from Dublin to London with v. fine red small "IRELAND" (Jay L225) on the front. Fine pair; only a few examples of the "S" type have been recorded. (2 covers). PHOTO PLATE 5A £300
99 THE EARLY LATE FEE PAID DATESTAMPS; March 1799 EL from London to Edinburgh with a very fine mauve "MAR/13 99" c.d.s. (light fold - Jay L37a, only known for 1799) on the reverse. [Ex Grace Dove]. Plus similar May 1807 EL from London to Tiverton with a very fine mauve "MAY 6/1807" c.d.s. (Jay L38) nicely placed on the reverse. Fine pair; both letters had an extra Late Fee of 6d prepaid before they were accepted at the last minute by the London P.O. (2 covers). PHOTO PLATE 5A £200
100 THE RARE "R" IN CIRCLE FOR RETURNED LETTER; 1808 EL from Edinburgh to London endorsed "Not known in Berkly. Sqr." on the flap and so with a very fine red "R" in circle (Jay L200; only recorded 1810-1) nicely placed on the front. Very hard to find and a particularly attractive example. PHOTO PLATE 5A £120
101 5th CLAUSE POST COVER WITH "MISSENT TO/LONDON" MARK; 1823 E to Dublin with fine red "NEWCASTLE S/5" Clause Post" on the front (light fold & overstruck by London hollow "*" mark), also having a very fine boxed "MISSENT TO/LONDON" on the front and a v. fine red boxed "No.7" on the flap. Amazing combination; the only 5th Clause cover with a Missent mark of which we are aware. [Ex Grace Dove.] £300
102 RARE BLACK "NOT CALLED FOR" MARK OF LONDON; 1826 EL from Carlisle to Manchester redirected to London but with mostly very fine black "NOT CALLED FOR" mark of London (Jay L258; not recorded in this colour) on the front (crossed by filing fold) and so returned to sender. Very few examples are known because this mark was only used on mail addressed to the Post Office which had not been collected within a month. £200
103 Similar 1828 EL from Rotherham redirected from Doncaster to London ("To be left at the General Post Office Till call'd for, London") with a mostly very fine rare red London "NOT CALLED FOR" (Jay L258; few examples known) on the front. Seldom seen. PHOTO PLATE 5A £150
104 UNRECORDED DOTTED INSPECTOR's "CROWN" MARK; 14th May 1827 fine EL from London to "Falkingham" with the single "9" charge doubled to "1/6" and authorised by a very fine strike of a red "Crown" mark with a very clearly all dotted outline (dots clearly impressed into the paper at right) nicely placed on the front. This is the first example of this mark (Not Recorded by Jay/Willcocks) that we have seen. An important addition to the Inspectors` Marks record. Plus an 1807 E with the usual plain "Crown" mark. (2 covers). PHOTO PLATE 5B £150
105 BOXED "MISSENT TO/LONDON" COVER; 1834 EL (worn fold clear of mark) from Banbury to Lutterworth with a mostly very fine strike of the black boxed "MISSENT TO/LONDON" mark nicely placed on the front. This London Missent mark is surprisingly elusive and scarcer than a number of provincial towns' Missent marks. £100
106 THE LATER LONDON "Missent" MARKS; 1841 E (no side-flaps) from Jamaica to Liverpool with a fine scarce "MAYHILL/JAMAICA" c.d.s. on the front beside a very fine scarce black "Missent/TO/London" mark (Jay L235; creased but few known); plus an 1846 1d Red EL from Knaresborough to Leeds wuth a very fine (though slightly overstruck & affected by filing note) black "Missent to/London" on the front. Good pair of very elusive marks. (2 covers). £100
107 THE RARE "Posted After/7.P.M." MARK, ETC.; July 1839 EL to Aberdeen endorsed "Pr. Morning Mail" but with a v. fine red London Lombard St. Branch Office "Posted After/7.P.M." mark (Jay L294; few known) over the "1/3" charge [Ex Grace Dove]; the Jay Collection only had the Charing Cross version of this mark. Plus an 1812 EL with a v. fine boxed "PUT.IN:AFTER/7† CLOCK AT NIGHT" mark (Jay L286) nicely placed on the front. Good pair. PHOTO PLATE 5B £200
108 THE "L" AND "V" IN CIRCLE MARKS WITH SCALLOPED "SUN" DATESTAMPS POSTED ON THE SAME DAY; 31st Aug.1845 pair of fine E's (posted from the same firm - with fine or partial red embossed "CITY OF TORONTO & LAKE HURON/RAILWAY" wafer seals) sent locally in London with 4 or 3 margin 1d Reds each tied by the same London "2" numeral, having v. fine red scalloped "SUN" datestamps on the front and v.fine matching "L" in circle or "V" in circle marks (indicating Sunday posting at Lombard St. & Vere St. Branch P.O.'s) nicely placed on the flaps. Apparently there was a limit on the number of items that could be posted at each Branch P.O. on a Sunday so this large mailing was split between at least two of the Branch P.O.'s. Fascinating matched pair. (2 covers). £120
109 THE VERY RARE 1840s BOXED "WANTS BETTER/DIRECTION" MARK; March 1849 E from London (with black "Holborn W.C/1D-PAID" mark) erroneously addressed "B. Hulke, Esqr., S[olr.], Hulke" with an almost very fine RED boxed "WANTS BETTER/DIRECTION" (Jay L309; very rare) mark on the front. This is the only recorded example in red and is dated 32 years after the only recorded example in black! PHOTO PLATE 5B £400
LONDON LOCAL POST INSTRUCTIONAL MARKS
110 THE RARE 1st-TYPE OVAL "WL" WINDOW LETTER MARK; Feb. 1777 EL from "Greenland Dock" (London) to London's "Foundling Hospital" with "18/FE" & "19/FE" Bishop Marks on the flap, being incorrectly posted at the General Post (for mails to be sent out of London) Window of the P.O. and so with a very fine (light crease) black oval-framed "WL" (Jay L203; only 2 known? - see also Cavendish's Barrie Jay June 2000 auction, lot 2237, which fetched £322) nicely placed on the front, matching the "O'CL0CK/10/T" time-mark of the Penny Post's Temple Office, where it was presumably struck. Rare. £240
111 THE RARE PENNY POST TRANSFER "GP" MARKING; June 1778 EL from London's "Foundling Hospital" to Charlton endorsed "Paid 2d" and "by Dartford Bag" being redirected to Bexley, but having a fine "O'CLOCK/2/S" time-mark of the Penny Post matching a very fine rare black "GP" mark (Jay L1420) on the front, indicating transfer from the Penny Post to the General Post. Only one other example (dated 1785) recorded. [Ex Grace Dove.] PHOTO PLATE 5B £400
112 THE RARE "W…O" MARK OF THE WESTMINSTER OFFICE AT GERARD STREET; April 1795 EL (contents seeking a verse on Freemasonry for a Somerset House Lodge meeting) sent locally in London with a mostly very fine "W…O" mark (Jay L556; few known). Rare abbreviated office mark of which there was no example in the Barrie Jay Collection. PHOTO PLATE 5B £200
113 Similar pair of local 1795 E's with very fine red and almost very fine black strikes of the "C…O" mark (Jay L555/555b) on the front. Rare in black. (2 covers). £120
114 ESSEX - STRATFORD "Pd 1d" COVER WITH RARE OVAL "G…P…P" TRANSFER MARK, ETC.; Unusual Aug 1799 EL from "Stratford House" (family letter) to Turin with a partly over-inked & partly very fine rare oval "Penny Poft/Pd 1d/Stratford S O" mark (not recorded in LRL) on the front and a very fine rare red oval "G…P…P" mark (Jay L686; earlier than the few recorded examples); plus 1799 E with large "G.P." with "+" in circle, and 1835 pair of E's with v. fine smaller "G:P" marks. (4 covers). PHOTO PLATE 5B £180
115 THE UNIQUE (?) BLACK "(Crown)/Too Late for/Morng. Post" MARK OF LONDON; 6th March 1814 EL (some archival tape inside folds & some staining, mainly internal) from "Ashtead" to London with some redirection but endorsed "Not known...", having a fine "EPSOM" mileage and fine scarce red London "G P" mark (crease) on the front; but also with a very fine (light fold) BLACK framed "(Crown)/Too Late for Morng. Post" mark (Jay L703; only known in red) on the lower flap. There are a few flecks of red ink within the black ink, but this is clearly an accidental (one-off presumably) use of the wrong ink-pad for this mark. The only known local London "Too Late" mark in black. Exhibition item. [Ex Grace Dove.] PHOTO PLATE 5B £500
116 The similar RED framed "(Crown)/Too Late for/Morng. Post" mark (crease) on the back of an 1814 E from Ireland (fine "COLLOONEY" mileage) to London. Attractive. PHOTO PLATE 5B £100
117 THE FRAMED "To be Delivered by 10 Sund Morn" MARKS; 1817/23 pair of local London EL's with very fine strikes of the rectangular & cicular framed types of these marks (Jay L708 & L711) nicely placed on their flaps. Rare so fine. (2 covers). PHOTO PLATE 5B £120
118 THE RARE "MS" MIS-SORTED MARKS; 1819/33 pair of local London E's with "Coiled Spring" Inspectors' marks cancelling "2" charge and oval "PAID" d.s. respectively (having "Brixton/3py P Paid" or "3" charge-mark!) and so with very fine black "MS" in oval (Jay L562a) or very fine (light crease) red "M…S" in oval (Jay L562b) marks. Rare so clear. (2 covers). PHOTO PLATE 5B £120
119 THE RARE UNRECORDED FRAMED "Returned Letter" MARK; 1820 printed "TWO-PENNY POST-OFFICE" wrapper (flaps reduced) with rules ref. local London posts, having a v. fine "2" charge and an almost very fine matching black handstruck "Returned Letter" mark on the front. This framed mark was not recorded in the Jay/Willcocks books, but a similar 1820 example in Cavendish's June 2000 Barrie Jay auction (lot 2282) fetched £391. Exhibition item. £300
POSTAGE DUE COVERS, 1721-1848
120 EARLY INSPECTOR's "CROWN" + LATER "MORE TO PAY" MARKS; 1721 EL (originally enclosed a copy of a will) from "Harwich" (Essex) to London charged "3" but this cancelled by a fine black "Crown" with "1 Oz 1N E.W." note; plus 1816 EL from London to Leith wih v. fine small black boxed "MORE TO PAY" (Jay L244, very scarce; ex Grace Dove) and 1818 E ex Lechlade with v. fine black London 2-ring "MORE/TO/PAY". Good trio. (3 covers). £100
121 RARE LARGE HANDSTRUCK "2" MARK; Attractive 26th Oct. 1795 EL (with mention of "Capt. Vancouver" who had recently returned from mapping the island's coast-line) intriguingly addressed to "Lieut. Baker on board H.M.S. Discovery, Deptford" with a v. fine oval "Walworth/unpaid/Penny Poft" (early date) and a mostly very fine large "2" mark (the short-lived Jay L594) on the front. Exhibition item; was this H.M.S. Discovery the ship from which Vancouver surveyed "his" island in 1794/5?! £150
122 THE "POSTAGE TO LONDON NOT PAID" MARKS; Part 1804 E with v. fine scarce unframed "POSTAGE TO LONDON/NOT-PAID" (Jay L264), 1830 EL with fine red fancy "Postage to London/Not Paid" (Jay L262; crease), 1834 EL with v. fine UDC type (Jay L275) and July 1839 EL with scarce RED boxed type (Jay L277). Good study. (4 covers). £200
123 THE RARE ALL-IN-ONE "In All 4" CHARGE-MARK FOR REDIRECTED MAIL; July 1804 EL sent locally within London and then redirected there with a light "2" mark overstruck by a very fine "In All 4" mark (Jay L636; few known). Plus a similar earlier (1796) redirected local letter with manuscript "In All 4". Good pair. (2 covers). £300
124 ARGUABLY THE RAREST OF ALL BRITISH POSTAGE DUE COVERS - THE CLARET CROWNED "NOT ACCORDING/TO THE ACT" & CRESCENT "MORE/TO PAY" MARKS ON THE SAME FAILED 1d CONCESSION RATE COVER; 26th April 1811 E (no side-flaps; closed seal-tears clear of all marks) prepaid 1d ("P 1") from "YORK/196" (faint c.d.s. on front beneath London arrival "PAID" Tombstone d.s.) to Chelsea, having an almost very fine strike of the spectacular and extremely rare double-framed "(Crown)/NOT ACCORDING/TO THE ACT" marking on the top flap (Jay L255; only a single 1809 example recorded, which appears not to have been seen since 1940 - the Alcock & Holland reference), with a matching very fine strike of the fancy crescent-framed "(Crown)/MORE TO/PAY" mark nicely placed on the front. The letter was addressed to a "Late Sergeant in the 35th Regiment...in Chelsea" and endorsed "Soildier's letter" by its sender, but it was then charged "9" and endorsed "More to pay" and "Not a Soldier's Letter". Marvellous Exhibition Piece, which combines great rarity with unusally clear strikes. It can be reasonably argued that no British Postage Due cover is more desirable than this one. One of Grace Dove's very favourite Exhibition items. PHOTO £6000
125 BLACK BOXED "NOT ACCORDING/TO THE ACT" WITH CROWNED "Too Late for/Morng Post" ON FAILED SAILOR's 1d CONCESSION RATE COVER; Attractive 1st Jan. 1814 EL (minor wear) from "Sheerness" to London, prepaid, headed & countersigned for the 1d Concession rate for "Richd. Wade, seaman, H.M.S. Podargus", but found to contain an enclosure and so with a m/s "7" charge, red "+" in circle and 2-ring London "MORE/TO/PAY" on the front; also having a very fine black boxed "NOT ACCORDING/TO THE ACT" (Jay L256; rare & 1st year of use) on the lower flap, beside a fine large red framed "(Crown)/Too Late for/Morng Post" mark (Jay L704; 1st year of use) across the join. Exceptional combination of rare marks! PHOTO PLATE 5B £500
126 THE RARE LOCAL LONDON "More/to Pay/1d" IN CIRCLE CHARGE-MARK; May 1817 local London E with v. faint "Ludgate Hill/...y P Paid" mark and with an almost v. fine "More/to Pay/1d." in circle (accidentally not recorded by Jay, but rare) nicely placed on the front. Seldom seen. £200
127 EARLY P.O. NOTICE ILLUSTRATING SPECIAL POSTAGE DUE, SOLDIERS' 1d CONCESSION RATE & OTHER LOCAL LONDON HANDSTAMPS; Rare 1st Jan. 1820 printed P.O. Notice (folded to fit album-page) of "General Instructions to Country Letter Receivers" with detailed text and illustrations of 8 different handstamps with explanations of thier use. These include the flat-topped "3" charge-mark, a "Penton-Ville/1 py P…Paid" mark (for "Single Letters sent by, or to, Sailors or Soldiers..."), the rare "Put in af-/-ter ‡ pt. 4" mark (still not recorded used!), etc. Lovely Exhibition item. £400
128 IRISH FREE FRANK WITH RARE LONDON "5" CHARGE-MARK; 1823 E from "ATHLONE" (red mileage) to London (redirected on arrival) with a faint London "FREE" c.d.s., a fine black "In All" and v. fine rare matching "5" charge-mark (Jay L630; short-lived type only recorded for 1815) on the front (latter mark with light fold). Rare thus; the most elusive of the London charge-numerals. £200
129 LONDON's LARGE HANDSTRUCK "6" CHARGE-MARK; Redirected 1827 E with cancelled "3" charge and v. fine large "6" mark (Jay L634; only recorded for 1811) on the front, the latter overstruck by a fine "In All" (both crossed by filing crease). Attractive & rare thus. £150
130 THE LARGE LONDON "4" CHARGE-MARK; Redirected local 1828 London EL (turned & re-used with fair "POSTAGE TO EDINBURGH NOT PAID" mark inside) with v. fine large handstruck "4" (Jay L622; late usage) on the front beside a fine "In All" mark with cancelled "2" charge. Attractive. £150
131 THE RARE ORANGE-RED FLAT-TOPPED "3" MARK OF FINCHLEY COMMON; July 1831 EL to Highgate with remarkably fine strikes of the matching orange-red "3", framed "T…P/Finchley Comn." (just touched by filing fold) and "FINCHLEY/Mg" Country Sorting Office c.d.s., all neatly positioned on the front. Stunning & visual Exhibition item. (Illustrated in LRL, p.F8). PHOTO £200
132 Similar 1833 EL to Richmond Green with a very fine orange-red flat-topped "3" of Wandsworth (light fold) with v. fine matching framed "T…P/Wandsworth" both on the front, having a v. fine "WANDSWORTH/EV" C.S.O. c.d.s. just across the join on the reverse. Rare. PHOTO PLATE 5B £150
133 THE RARE 1st-TYPE "More/to Pay/1d" LOCAL LONDON CHARGE-MARK; 1837 EL from Hyde Park to Chelsea with red m/s "2" having a very fine strike of this rare "More/to Pay/1d" mark (Jay L697; short-tailed "y" - see Cavendish's Jay auction lots 2465/6) nicely placed on the front (barely affected by a light filing note). Few known. PHOTO PLATE 5B £200
134 THE VERY RARE UNRECORDED HANDSTRUCK "OVER/WEIGHT" MARK OF LONDON's LOCAL POST; 22nd Sept. 1838 EL from "T…P/Coleman St" (fair framed mark in red) to Regent Terrace with a faint "2" charge-mark but endorsed "5 Oz ‡" on the front beside a superb black "OVER/WEIGHT" mark (14x12mm and entirely unrecorded by Jay/Willcocks) with a very fine Chief Office d.s. on the flap. It is a little known fact that local London mail had a maximum weight limit of only 4 ounces from 1765 onwards. It seems likely that this letter was returned to its sender and then sent a second time by private means. The only other example of this mark of which we are aware is struck on a 4d-Postage Period local London letter. An Important addition to the record and of Exhibition Quality. [Ex Grace Dove.] £750
135 THE RARE UNRECORDED SMALL HANDSTRUCK "6" MARK OF LONDON's LOCAL POST; Redirected July 1839 EL from "Pinfold Court" to France via Greenwich & Oxford St. with various marks inc. a very fine small (12x22mm) black handstruck "6" (a size not recorded by Jay, but see Cavendish's Barrie Jay auction, lot 2477) on the front. Rare. £200
136 THE LETTER CARRIERS' OFFICE "POSTAGE NOT PAID/TO LONDON" MARK ON UNPAID 1840 COVER; March 1840 EL sent locally in London with a black handstruck"2" mark, redurected to "Kelso, N.B." and so with a fine strike of the boxed red "L.C.O" mark (Jay L280) and the "2" charge changed to "3" in m/s (2d unpaid plus 1d for redirection); the letter was then redirected again to Dunbar but confusingly not charged any more. There should have been another 1d to pay for the second redirection, making 4d to pay. A rare P.O. error!! £100
137 JOSEPH ADY "FRAUDSTER" LETTER TO INDIA WITH THE FANCY CROWNED "LONDON/The Party to whom this Letter/is Addressed cannot be FOUND" DATESTAMP THAT WAS DESIGNED TO PUT HIM OUT OF BUSINESS; Small printed 8th July 1847 wrapper (ref. "Joseph Ady" knowing "something to your advantage" and offering to relate it for £1!) charged "1/-" to Bombay (d.s. on back), but endorsed "Cannot be found" and so with a very fine strike of this attractive tablet-shaped d.s. (Feb. 1848) on the front, which had recently been introduced by the P.O. to frustrate Ady and other fraudsters like him, by charging the full postage on returned mail! Fascinating story and the only Ady letter sent abroad that we can recall having seen. PHOTO £150
138 Similar 1848 EL (claim for a debt) sent from London to Bedale with a v. fine blue "CRAKEHALL" UDC" on the top flap and a mostly very fine red crowned tablet-framed "LONDON/This Letter has been REFUSED" d.s. and m/s "2" charge on the front. Rare. PHOTO £120
LONDON GENERAL POST RECEIVING HOUSES
139 18th CENTURY FULLY IDENTIFIED LETTER RECEIVERS' INITIALS MARKS; 1702-87 covers with varied hand-picked strikes (all very fine, and all allocated to recorded shop-keepers) of the encircled initials marks; GC (1702), fused TR (1740; rare), IB (1755; to Belgium), E…H (1780), G+L (1783/7; 2 types) & S (c.1786, with v. fine "25/DE" Bishop Mark). Good lot; some illustrated in LRL. (7 covers). £200
140 THE RARE RED "SH" IN CIRCLE LETTER RECEIVER's MARK; Nov. 1736 fine EL to Chester with a very fine small RED "SH" in cirle, the Receiving House mark of Samuel Harding; few known (see Cavendish's Barrie Jay auction, lot 2093) - this cover illustrated in LRL, p.S14. Plus 1740 EL to Brussels with a v. fine strike of the similar slightly larger "SH" in circle mark in black. Excellent pair. (2 covers). £150
141 THE MATCHING "Partington" & "RP" IN CIRCLE MARKS; Oct. 1760 EL with fine "RP" in circle mark - the only recorded example - believed to be the alternative to the well known "Partrington" mark of Richard Partington of Holborn Hill. Plus a 1772 EL with v. fine small "Partington" mark. Unique (?) pair. (2 covers). £75
142 MATCHED PAIR OF FANCY FRAMED & PLAIN UNFRAMED "WALTER" MARKS; Dec. 1782 EL with v. fine fancy framed "WALTER" mark; one of the finest recorded of this elusive mark that only lasted for 3 months. Plus Apr. 1783 EL with fine plain "WALTER" mark (only recorded for 5 months). Rare pair. £300
143 THE INEXPLICABLE & MYSTERIOUS "2" MARKS; 1786 pair of EL's to "Clapton Terrace, Middlesex" (ex Sandford, Oxon.; no Oxford mark, only a Bishop mark) and to "Hackney, Middlesex" (with faint "MARL/BOROUGH" 1st-Type Mileage & Bishop Mark), with fine strikes of the primitive "2" in circle and "2" in square marks (Jay L1408 & Unrecorded) on their reverses. There is no obvious reason or meaning for these marks. Could they be connected with the delivery addresses? Plus 1812 EL sent within London from "Gloucester Place" to the "Foundling Hospital" with fine strikes of an equally mysterious & inexplicable intaglio reversed "2" in circle mark on back & front. Three puzzles; any ideas?? (3 covers). £200
144 THE DISTINCTIVE 2-RING "Gt. KNIGHT-RIDER St./Crick-/itt" RECEIVING HOUSE MARK; May 1790 EL to Wilts. with a very fine strike (and rare thus) of this special mark (Jay L74; only known 1790-1) nicely placed on the lower flap. (Illustrated in LRL, p.18). Real Exhibition item. £300
145 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT PETITION & DOCUMENTS REF. THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW "MIDDLE TEMPLE LANE" LETTER RECEIVER, ETC.; [1791] signed Petition to the Postmasters General from local Middle Temple businesses for "John Abram" to be allowed to take over as Letter Receiver; plus Sept. 1791 document ref. the £600 loan needed for Abram to take over the stationery business that went with the Letter Receivership that had been carried out at the same address by Abrams' late employer and his family for 60 years or so. Rare 18th Century douments ref. a London Receiving House (see detailed descriptions in LRL, pp.47-9). Plus a 1793 manuscript Petition to the Postmasters General from Earl Camden (signed "Camden") for a "Post House" in the "New Town I am building in the Parish of Pancrass behind Bedford House". In the end a P.O. was opened in Camden Town around 1800. Historical lot. (3 items). £300
146 THE RARE 2-RING "VIGO-LANE/GP/O" MARK; 1793 EL from London with a very fine (for this) strike of this short-lived 2-ring RH mark (Jay L76b; few examples known). £150
147 THE RARE 3-LINE "G.P.O./GT. SURRY ST./B.F.R." MARK; 1793 EL to Edinburgh with a very fine strike (for this) of the rare Blackfriars Road R.H. mark on the lower flap (Jay L77a; few examples known, all 1793, of which this may be the clearest). Rare thus. £150
148 THE RARE 2-LINE "G.P.O./WAPPING" R.H. MARK; 1793 EL (some toning) to Aberdeen with a very fine (but overstruck) impression of this rare mark (Jay L77c; few known) on the flap. £100
149 THE LATER BOXED GENERAL POST RECEIVING HOUSE MARKS, ETC.; 1802-39 covers with hand-picked strikes incl. the rare "Charing/Cross" with tiny "G. JAMISON" outside (the latter words clear but the boxed namestamp only fair to fine), "Stratton/Strand" (see LRL p.19), "Drury/Lane" (v. fine cover to "Brunswick", Germany), "HIGH HOLBORN" (2 types) and unframed "KING ST/COVENT GARDEN" (on local letter). Good lot. (6 covers). £150
150 ORIGINAL G.P.O. "No.29" MESSENGER's BRONZE BADGE; c.1800 heavy bronze medallion with the Hanoverian coat of arms on one side (minutely inscribed with the engraver's name "Brook Strand 302") and engraved "GENERAL POST OFFICE/No.29/MESSENGER" on the other side. The rare survival of a vital part of a Georgian Postman's Uniform. The first that we have seen. Very rare. £200
151 PRISON POST OFFICE - THE "ST. GEORGE'S F+s" & BELVIDERE PLACE MARKS; 1817/20/22 covers with mostly very fine strikes of the boxed "ST. GEORGE'S F+'s" (red), "Belvide Ple/S" (rare red) & "BELVIDE PLE/S" marks of the King's Bench Prison Receiving House in Southwark. Very difficult trio to assemble; red inks are rare. (3 covers). £150
152 MULREADY LETTER-SHEET WITH BLUE "Cromer St" R.H. MARK; Nov. 1840 usage of the 1d Mulready EL (stereo A27) to Chippenham cancelled by a . fine orange-red Maltese Cross with a very fine blue "Cromer St." also on the front. Scarce thus. £100
153 2d BLUES FRANKED REGD. COVER WITH BLUE "Throgmorton St" MARK; 1855 EL to Leek franked with 2d Blue "stars" single (for double postage rate - creased) & strip of three (6d fee; crease between stamps) with fine blue "Throgmorton St" R.H. mark also on the front. An unusual franking and late use of the R.H. mark. (Illustrated in LRL, p.T15.) PHOTO £100
LONDON LOCAL POSTS, 1709-1792
154 THE CHARLES POVEY (?) "ORMOND/STREET" MARK; Aug. 1709 EL from "London" to "Cooper Sale, Essex, By Epping Bag", charged "2" with a fine large chalky-black "ORMOND/STREET" on the lower flap (Jay L1428) with a faint Bishop Mark. Jay/Willcocks were uncertain of the status of this mark, but research by Hugh Feldman (see LRL, p33) indicates that this mark was probably used by Charles Povey as part of his "Halfpenny Carriage" scheme, which is known to have operated in London in 1709/1710. All examples of this mark are dated 1708/9 and it may have been used at the Ormond St. Coffee House by one of Povey's Letter Receivers. Rare; illustrated in LRL, p.33. Plus a complete 1-sheet "London Gazette" of 3rd Dec. 1709 with the P.O. Notice ref. Povey's prosecution. (2 items). PHOTO £400
155 EARLY DUBLIN COVER WITH LONDON's "DOTTED HEART" MARK; July 1710 EL (reinforced folds) from "Dublin" to London with m/s "6" charge and very fine rare "Dotted Heart" London Penny Post "W/AFT" time-mark (Jay L371; Weds. Afternoon) beside a v. fine London arrival Bishop Mark on the lower flap. Rare thus and of Exhibition Quality. [Ex Grace Dove.] PHOTO £500
156 UNRECORDED INVERTED CENTRE GOVERNMENT "FR/S" DOCKWRA-TYPE MARK; Fine 1740 EL from Southwark to Lincoln's Inn with a very fine Southwark Office triangular "PENY/POST/PAYD" mark with the centre inverted to read "FR/S" instead of "S/FR" (Jay L352c - NOT recorded for "FR"). Illustrated in LRL, p.29. An early British Post Office Error! £240
157 18TH CENTURY LOCAL "FREE" LETTER - THE UNIQUE (?) & EARLIEST RECORDED BRITISH RETURNED LETTER WRAPPER, COMPLETE WITH MATCHING 1764 "PENNY POST" COVER; Very fine 24th Oct. 1764 "PENNY-POST OFFICE" printed EL with contents ref. the new scheme for returning undelivered local London letters to their senders (gratis), especially as a result of thier addressees refusing to pay the "Second Penny due on delivery". The heading, date and signature are in manuscript; "Threadneedle Street, Oct. 24th 1764" and "B. Preswell, Sorter". Most exceptionally the wrapper (and its returned contents) were sent FREE WITHIN THE PENNY POST SYSTEM, being endorsed "G. Free" below the address, and with an albino embossed "PENNY POST COMPTROLLER/(Crown)" (?) seal. The original returned letter (sent from "Bridge Yard" to "Bishopsgate St.") is also included; it has a mostly fine "B/MO" Government "Dockwra" mark on the flap and is endorsed "Tryed, not to be found" on the front. This is the only example of this kind of Returned "Penny Post" wrapper that we have seen; it also has a rare reference to the "Second Penny" charge (see the 1785 "2d py pd" cover below). Very fine and dramatic Exhibition item. [Ex Grace Dove.] (2 covers). £1500
158 TOTTERIDGE (HERTS.) - MATCHED PAIR OF HANDSTRUCK 2-LINE "BEN/NET" & M/S "Bennett" MARKINGS; 1769 EL (minor creasing & archivally re-backed) to "Upton near Ham in Essex" with v. fine rare tiny "BEN/NET" mark (one known example) on the flap beside a v. fine "T/MO" Dockwra; plus 1777 EL with fine "T/TH" Dockwra (ink spot) beside m/s "Bennett" on the flap. Rare pair of marks used by the Penny Post Receiver of Totteridge. Very few Penny Post Receivers used handstruck names, and matched pairs like this are extremely unusual. (2 covers). £300
159 THE 2-RING "GRAPE/STATIONER" MARK WITH HIS PRINTED BILLHEAD; 1773 EL from "Chobham" (Surrey) to London with a mostly fine strike of this distinctive mark (Jay L384) alongside a fine "T" time-mark and a mostly very fine "G/TU" Dockwra mark; plus a cut-down printed vignette of "Thomas Grape, STATIONER..." from his contemporary trade card (creased). (2 items). £120
160 THE 2-RING "ALLEN/STATIONER" MARK; c.1775 EL with faint Dockwra, v. fine "O'CLOCK/1/T" time-mark and fine small "ALLEN/STATIONER" mark (Jay L380) on the flap. Attractive and rare. £150
1-80
81-160
161-240
241-248
Index