Penny Black, 2 Penny Reds, Hand-Franked Cover (03/02/2011)

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Penny Black, 2 Penny Reds, Hand-Franked Cover

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Penny Black, 2 Penny Reds, Hand-Franked Cover

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Sold Date: 03/02/2011
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Stamps

An album page about early British mail.

Hand-folded paper cover, pen franked. Addressed to Pritchard – then looks like Lons but perhaps Jones, Brosely, Salop (ie Shropshire – Shropshire is near the Welsh border and Welsh names may be found there). The letter was originally sealed with sealing wax, which has left a red patch and a hole where the seal was pulled open. The cover measures 8 7/8 x 7 3/8 inches when open, and looks to have been torn off from a larger sheet of paper (one torn edge). Both the handwriting and cancel are dated 20 March 1833. Underneath the date on the top right is written what looks like “Bralton Habberton”, which might be the name of the sender.

One penny black, Scott’s catalogue #1. My stamp expert friend says: “Penny black is May 1840, sound copy with black maltese cross cancel. Position FE. Two and three-quarters full margin; never cut in. Slight glazing on front at top and small corner crease”.

One penny red, black cancel, position MF. This is perforated but still has the stars at the top - maybe an early perf from the 1850s?

Second penny red on blue, four margins (and a bit of the next stamp!), position KF. Cancelled with “498”, which is said to be in the Manchester area.

These stamps are from two albums put together in the 1950s (when I was a child in England) by a neighbor stamp collector then given to me. They’ve been kept unchanged for 50 years, so everything is at least that old. Stamps on original album pages are hinged.

I’ve had the help of a more experienced collector in sorting out the albums, but am not a stamp expert myself. My identifications are tentative and not guaranteed. The photos are your primary source for information – what you see is what you get. All photos are of the actual items, taken shortly before listing. Questions welcome.