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1834-1959 Covers and a few fronts including 1834 Money Letter from Greenock, temporary registration labels, Returned Letter Office, official covers, High Value Packets, Cash on Delivery, Notices of Objection, etc. (36). £140-160
| Royalty |
The following six lots are all addressed to Queen Victoria, most apparently carried by royal or diplomatic messenger. Some have pencil notes indicating the sender and date; others have printed or wax seals which would probably enable the sender to be identified. Also see lot 829.
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c.1853-1900 Covers to the Queen (8), two posted (some stamps removed), the others hand delivered, including 1876 mourning cover from King Umberto of Italy, 1900 cover from Lord Brassey in Natal, the others unidentified but most with printed or wax royal seals, one with "Recd Nov. 18 1899" in Victoria's handwriting. Also a cover endorsed "Canada" and "accompanying Lord Aberdeens private letter by this mail to the Marquis of Ripon"; an unused Windsor Castle mourning envelope; 1853 piece of parchment signed by Charles Alexander; Grand Duke of Saxony; top portion of embossed VRI notepaper; and two wax seals. (12). £150-180
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c.1855 Small (132 x 54mm) cover with a border of flowers printed in gold on both sides, the front with finely handpainted pictures of male and female musicians at the sides, addressed "A Sa Majeste la Reine d'Angleterre a Windsor", pencil note on reverse showing the sender to be "Princess Victoire of S. Coburg, The Queens Cousin", reverse with small scrape at one side, otherwise superb. Princess Victoire died in 1857, aged 35. Photo on Page 40. £200-250
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1898 Mourning cover franked Austria 10k, posted from Ebenthal to "Sa Majeste La Reine de la Grande Bretagne Imperatrice des Indes, Windsor", from Princes Clementine of Orleans, her impressed wax seal on reverse; and a stampless cover from her husband Augustus "To Her Most Gracious Majesty The Queen of England, Windsor Castle". (2). £80-100
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Russia. Stampless cover from Tsar Alexander II, reverse with a wax seal impressed with his coat of arms, addressed "A Sa Majesté La Reine du Royaume Uni de la Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande Imperatrice des Indes", a little water stained. £80-100
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Sudan. 1896 Stampless cover from Slatin Pasha, addressed "An Thre Majestat die Konigin von England, Kaiserin von Indien etc etc, Victoria" with "Recd July 9 1896" in Victoria's handwriting; 1898 mourning cover with "VRI" crest and wax seal, "From the General" in Victoria's hand, with "Sudan" and pencil date "1898" (presumably from Kitchener); and a stampless cover (faults) from General Wingate to Colonel Sir Arthur Bigge at Windsor Castle. (3). £80-100
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Turkey/Persia. c.1875-78 Stampless covers comprising 1878 cover from the Sultan of Turkey addressed in Arabic, impressed wax seal; cover from the Shah of Persia addressed "Sa Majesté La Reine d'Angleterre et Imperatice de L'Inde", impressed wax seal; and 1875 cover from Paulus Bruoni, third Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, addressed in Arabic and English "If God will (who be exalted!), To the protected city of London and there, may it be honoured by kissing the thresholds of our glorious Queen, the majestic Victoria, the universal in honour, the abundant in respect (who be victoriously assisted of God!)". (3). £120-150
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c.1830-1901 Covers (9), a front and pieces (2), including hand delivered mourning envelopes addressed and signed by Queen Victoria (2, one a fine cover to Princess Louise, the other torn in four and repaired), similar hand delivered covers addressed by Princess Alice or Louise (to The Queen, Balmoral), 1901 covers posted to Princess Louise (2, one from Osborne, the other addressed by Edward VII), 1888 cover posted from Farnborough with enclosed letter written by Francis of Teck on White Lodge notepaper, c.1830 front posted to Princess Sophie at Kensington Palace, pieces signed by Queen Victoria (2), etc. (12). £200-240
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1855-2007 Covers and cards with official and royal cypher cachets including "GvR" on a cover franked PUC 1½d cancelled at Crathie, boxed "ERI / VIII" and first type "GRI / VI", Windsor Castle registered covers (4), Buckingham Palace registered datestamps (6), 1955 Abergeldie Castle Skeleton c.d.s (2), datestamps of Balmoral Castle (10), 1921 registered cover from Sandringham franked 6d to India, Official Paid datestamps of Sandringham and Balmoral Castle, royal yacht mail, 1890 cover from Russia to Queen Victoria endorsed "not Buckingham Palace", etc. (108). £200-250
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1909-2002 Covers (many with enclosed letters), cards and some letters or ephemera, many covers with royal cypher cachets including "ERI / VIII" and "GRI / VI" (3), 1955 Abergeldie Castle skeleton c.d.s, differing 1948 and 1953 Holyrood Palace datestamps (the 1948 c.d.s tying Channel Islands 1d + 2½d to printed "Palace of Holyrood House" card), 1941 Chippenham Paid c.d.s on cover from Queen Mary at Badminton House, 1968 Sandringham last day c.d.s, cancels of Sandringham House, Balmoral Castle, Buckingham Palace, a few F.D.Cs with royal cancels including 1997 Lady Diana set with "6-09-97" date in sheet margin and 1998 Order of the Garter cover signed by John Major both with Buckingham Palace c.d.s., etc. (97 + letters). £250-300
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Edward VIII. 1941 Air Mail cover from the Bahamas to USA franked 10d with royal arms printed on the reverse, from Edward Duke of Windsor, then Governor of the Bahamas, initialled by the Duke in the lower corner. £80-100
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Queen Elizabeth. 1949 (Aug 25) Stampless registered express cover addressed in the Queen's handwriting to "Mrs Bruce, Windsor Castle, Windsor" and initialled "ER" bearing Express and Balmoral Castle registration labels with red "REGISTERED / LONDON S.W.1 / OFFICIAL PAID" hooded circle datestamp and violet "GVIR" cypher, oval Balmoral Castle and Buckingham Palace Registered datestamps on reverse, with enclosed two page letter on Balmoral Castle notepaper written by the Queen and signed "Elizabeth R", concerning the health of Mrs Bruce, housekeeper at Windsor Castle. (Cover + letter). Photo on Page 40. £280-320
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1949 Registered cover from Buckingham Palace to The Viscountess Daventry with an enclosed Christmas card signed by Queen Mary; and Christmas cards for 1980 and 1982 both with autopen signatures of Elizabeth and Philip (reverse with "Identified as autopen by Buckingham Covers" cachets). (3). £80-100
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Prince Philip. 1952 Stampless cover to F. Carr at the National Maritime Museum with London S.W.1 Official Paid machine and "EIIR" cypher cachet, a Christmas card enclosed containing a photo of The Queen, Philip, Charles and Anne in front of Balmoral, the card signed "Philip". (Cover + card). £120-150
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1953-76 Covers, letters, photos and ephemera from the papers of Frank and Kathleen Shefford, both employed by the Crown Estate at Windsor, including four photos of the Queen presenting coronation mugs (to Windsor staff?) with the Duke of Edinburgh and a young Princess Anne and Prince Charles, in folders with "Coronation 1953" labels on the front, and another photo of Charles and the Queen Mother (in regalia, taken at Windsor, c.1969); also letters written on behalf of the Queen or Queen Mother upon the accidental death of Mrs Shefford, letters conferring the 1953 Coronation Medal or Royal Victorian Medal on Frank Shefford, invitations to garden parties (2) or a dance at Windsor Castle, envelopes with various cachets (4), etc. (15+). £150-180
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Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. 1954 Stampless registered cover with "EIIR" cypher cachet and St. James St c.d.s, addressed in the Queen Mother's handwriting to "Mrs Bruce, Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berks" and initialled "ER", with enclosed three page letter in her handwriting, on Clarence House notepaper, signed "Elizabeth R". (Cover + letter). £260-300
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Prince Philip. 1967 Stampless cover with Windsor Official Paid c.d.s and "EIIR" cypher cachet, addressed in Prince Philip's handwriting to "Sir Harold Hartley GCVO, Manor House, Middleton-on-Sea, Bognor Regis" and initialled "P", the enclosed two page letter on Windsor Castle notepaper written and signed by Philip, concerning organising an action group meeting at Buckingham Palace. (Cover + letter). £180-220
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Prince Charles. 1981 (Feb 26) Registered cover with "ER" cypher cachet and Buckingham Palace registered datestamp, initialled "C" and addressed in Charles handwriting to Upper Lambourne, with an enclosed six page letter written and signed by Charles on Buckingham Palace notepaper. The letter concerns the racehorse Allibarr, which died whilst being ridden by Charles. Photo on Page 40. £200-250
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Charles and Diana. 1985 Registered cover from Buckingham Palace, with enclosed Christmas card containing a photo of Charles and Diana and their children on a pony, signed by both Charles and Diana and inscribed to Mrs Martinelli in Charles' handwriting. £250-300
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Princess Diana. Photograph of Princess Diana mounted on card, boldly signed below "Diana", with a 1996 accompanying letter from the Office of H.R.H The Princess of Wales in St. James's Palace thanking a Mr Broughton for his birthday present, and concluding "Her Royal Highness was also delighted to sign your photograph which I return herewith", also the Guaranteed Delivery envelope in which the photo and letter were posted bearing an oval Buckingham Palace datestamp. A fine group. £500-600
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Royal Visits. 1947-54 Covers comprising 1947 stampless printed cover "ROYAL TOUR - H.M.S VANGUARD / HOMEWARD LEG Lat 6ºN, Long. 17ºW / SHIP SHORE MAIL VIA H.M.S NIGERIA" with red Maritime Mail machine and violet boxed "MAIL OFFICE / 11 MAY 1947 / H.M.S VANGUARD"; 1951 cover franked 2½d cancelled at Liverpool, with violet circular "POSTED ON BOARD / S.S "EMPRESS OF / SCOTLAND" ON THE / ROYAL VOYAGE"; 1954 stampless cover with circular "ROYAL VISIT / (crown) / NEW ZEALAND" and a cover franked N.Z 3d with oval "FLAG OFFICER / 6 JAN 1953 / ROYAL YACHTS", both with Wellington datestamps. (4). £150-200
| Travelling Post Office & Station Cancels
(Also See Lots 395, 462/4, 561/6) | |
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1854-1954 Covers and cards with T.P.O cancels (30) including 1854 "Gt Northern Railway" and 1867 circular "CR / F" on cover from Singapore franked India 4a, also station cancels with Castle Eden Station undated circle and datestamps (4, two with "737" or "D70" cancels), Sedbergh R.S.O 458 duplex, and picture postcards, ephemera, 1838 Act for conveyance of mails by railway, etc. (c.75). £120-150
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1886 Mourning cover from Liskeard to Lincoln with small boxed "G.N. / S.C." on the front, used on the Great Northern Sorting Carriage, which ran from Kings Cross to York, fine and scarce. £120-140
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1900 Cover from Letterkenny to Scotland, missent with "P" in star handstamp and "CALEDONIAN T.P.O / NIGHT DOWN" c.d.s both on the front, two small tears at upper edge, otherwise fine. £80-100
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1901 Cover from Folkestone to Colnbrook with small boxed "L&B / S.C" applied on the London & Bristol Sorting Carriage, backstamped at Swindon Station and Slough, a fine strike of a very scarce handstamp. Photo on Page 44. £120-140
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1908 Form P.P. No. 17 for irregularities in registered letter and parcel post, completed on the Ipswich Sorting Carriage, with details of a letter from Frinton on Sea found in the ordinary mail inscribed "Registered", which had a registration label affixed and was charged 2d, handstamped with two "IPSWICH SORTING CARRIAGE / NIGHT UP" datestamps. The form was returned to the Frinton Postmaster who wrote his explanation for the error on the reverse, "the letter posted as an ordinary letter and not noticed as registered". A very unusual form. £150-180
| Uniform 4d Post
(Also See Lots 102, 291, 474/5, 497/8, 517) | |
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1839 (Dec 9) Metropolitan Life Assurance questionnaire prepaid 4d from London to Long Ditton, completed and posted back to London two days later with unpaid "4" charge in black and a "Long Ditton / Penny Post" handstamp, sent by cross post with a Kingston backstamp. Folded to display both address panels with red paid and black unpaid charges, very unusual. Photo on Page 44. £300-350
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Haddington. 1839 (Dec 20) Entire letter from Haddington to London with a fine handstruck "4" in black, Haddington backstamp. Photo on Page 44. £200-240
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Aberdeen. 1840 (Jan 6) Entire from Aberdeen to Ballindalloch with a handstruck "4" in black, Aberdeen backstamp, light file folds, otherwise fine and attractive. £180-200
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Perth. 1840 (Jan 8) Entire letter from Perth to Edinburgh with a fine handstruck "4" in black, Perth and Edinburgh (Jan 9) backstamps. £200-240
| Uniform Penny Post - Handstruck Prepayment Marks, 1840-53
(Also See Lots 102, 534) | Further items from the Peter Chadwick FRPSL Gold Medal Exhibition Collection.
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1840-47 Entire letters and entires, various handstamps comprising red "1" of Liverpool (2 types) or Southampton (2 types), circular "PAID / 1" of Blackburn, vertical oval "PAID / 1d / CHELMSFORD", horizontal oval "Paid / at / Chelmsford", or "2" of Liverpool, all fine. (8). £150-180
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Buckinghamshire. 1841 Entire to Grays Inn Coffee House in London with an "OULNEY" undated circle and small "PAID" handstamp (BU256, originally used 1825-28, reused in 1840-41); and an 1847 entire letter with circular framed "SLOUGH / PAID / 1" (BU269), the first with the 1d postage shown in manuscript, both fine. (2). £140-160
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Cheshire - Chester. 1840 (May 15) Front to Warrington with a red handstruck "4" (CH186) and Chester datestamp, one of the very few "4" handstamps made for mail over 1oz. Only two examples of this "4" handstamp recorded, both on fronts posted on the same day; the other example sold in our September 2019 auction for £460. Photo on Page 44. £450-500
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Dorset - Shaftsbury. 1841 (May 29) Entire letter to Devizes with red handstruck "1" (DT481), very scarce, just three examples recorded from 1840-41. £100-120
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Lancashire - Liverpool Late Fees. 1847 Entires with an additional 1d late fee paid in cash, one to London with postage paid by a 1d red and red "PxL" alongside, the other to Manchester with postage also paid in cash, handstamped red "1" and "PL". An unusual pair, the "PL" handstamp originally used in 1838-40 and reused in 1847, this 1847 use scarce. (L210/212). (2). £120-150
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Lancashire - Manchester / Denton. 1840 (Aug 27) Entire letter from Denton to Congleton with red "1d" and a Manchester datestamp (in differing shades of red), this "1d" handstamp unrecorded in the British County Catalogue, probably used at Denton, possibly the only known example of this rare handstamp. Photo on Page 46. £150-180
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Middlesex - Uxbridge. 1840-49 Entires with red "P1d" (MX338, only recorded in 1840) or circular framed "UXBRIDGE / 1D / Paid" (MX340), both fine. (2). £120-150
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Norfolk - Attleborough / Norwich. 1840-41 Entire letters from Hingham or New Buckingham to Wymondham, both with Penny Post handstamps applied at the office of posting, circular framed "Paid / 1d" (NK20) then applied at Attleborough in red or black ink, with matching Attleborough backstamps. Also an 1841 entire from Norwich handstamped "Prepaid" (NK322) in black. A fine trio, two unusually showing black ink used for Paid handstamps. (3). £200-240
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Northants - West Haddon / Higham Ferrers. 1844-49 Entire letter and a cover, the first with red "P1" of Higham Ferrers (NN73, only recorded in 1844, unobtrusive horizontal fold), the cover with red "PD1D" of West Haddon (NN295, only recorded in 1849, no more than five examples believed to be known), two very scarce handstamps. (2). Photo on Page 46. £220-260
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Northumberland - Newcastle. 1840 (Jan 30) Partly printed bill from the Newcastle on Tyne Post Office for London newspapers received during the Uniform 4d Post period, with red "1" (NR577, only recorded 1840) and a matching Newcastle datestamp, very fine and unusual. £100-120
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Staffordshire. 1840-47 Entire letters with red curved "PAID / 1D" of Wolverhampton (ST966), oval unframed "PAID / ONE / PENNY" of West Bromwich (ST862) or "Pd1" of Newcastle Under Lyne (ST477), and an 1840 entire letter from Wolverhampton with a handstruck "2" in a rather watery mixed ink which does appear to contain some red. (4). £180-220
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Suffolk. 1840-49 Entire letters (2) and entires (2) with red oval framed "IPSWICH / 1D / PAID" (SK215), circular framed "PAID / 1" of Ipswich (SK213), "P1" of Ixworth (SK226, with a fine Ixworth undated circle) or "1" of Newmarket (SK289), all fine. (4). £180-220
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Surrey - Chertsey. 1840 Entire letters handstamped "Penny Pd" (SY88), one in red, the other possibly in black or an oxidised red, both fine strikes, only recorded 1840-41. (2). £140-160
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Yorkshire. 1840-48 Entire letters or entires, various handstamps in red comprising circular framed "PAID / ONE / PENNY" of Bradford (YK513, reversed "N"s, an early use on 12th Jan. 1840), boxed "Paid / 1D" of Bradford (YK516), "Pd 1" of Halifax (YK1227), "1d" of Halifax used with oval "Paid / at / HALIFAX" (YK1233/1218), "P1" of Bawtry (YK202), "1D" of Beverley (YK348) or Hull (YK1593), the Bawtry letter with horizontal fold and boxed Bradford handstamp on a part entire missing the upper flap, otherwise fine. (7). £200-240
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Yorkshire - Huddersfield / Wakefield. 1840 (Aug 15) Entire letter from Huddersfield to Wakefield with red handstruck "1" (YK1506), the entire then turned and reused, posted from Wakefield to Penistone bearing a 1d black, IF plate 7 with four good to large margins tied by a red Maltese Cross, matching Wakefield backstamp. A fine 1d black on an unusual turned and reused entire. £200-250
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Yorkshire - Otley. 1843 (Aug 29) Entire to Bradford with red boxed "PAID / 1D" with "HOLMES" (the name of the Otley Postmaster) clearly showing in intaglio lettering within the "1", a blue Otley datestamp and black Bradford datestamp on the front. Small part of address removed and a tear at upper edge, which just runs into the Paid handstamp, still an unusually clear and attractive example of this very scarce Paid handstamp. Photo on Page 46. £150-180
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Wales. 1840-46 Entire letters with handstamps comprising red "1" of Wrexham (W2427), "P1" of Abergavenny (W65) or Presteign (W2001) or "Pd1d" of Port-Madoc (W1956, with red Port-Madoc undated circle), and an 1840 entire with manuscript "1" of Haverford West. (5). £200-250
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Wales - Bangor. 1840-48 Entires with red circular "BANGOR / 1D / PAID" (W234), unframed "Pd1d" (W226) or similar "Pd2" (W228, dated June 1840, two years earlier than recorded in the BCC). A fine group, the 2d handstamp very scarce. (3). Photo on Page 46. £240-280
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Wales - Carnarvon. 1847 (Mar 10) Entire letter to Aberystwyth with "Pd1D" in black (W704), the outer circle entirely worn away by this date, scarce in black ink. £100-120
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Scotland - First Day of Uniform Penny Postage. 1840 (Jan 10) Printed letter containing the AGM minutes and laws of The Spalding Club, posted on the first day of Uniform Penny Postage, prepaid 1d from Aberdeen to Old Rain, handstamped "1" and "PAID AT / ABERDEEN" in red, with a clear JAN 10 1840 Aberdeen backstamp. A rare use of the Scottish "Kirkwood" type "1" handstamp on the first day of Uniform Penny Postage. Photo on Page 46. £600-800
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