"Before And After The Stamp Committee" presentation book comprising three pages sunk mounted on card; original binding and very fine. The first page is titled "Series superseded by the issue of April 1884" and bearing comb perf. stamps with SPECIMEN type 9 hs, with normal 9d pl.4 and 1s orange-brown, with the second page titled "Series issued April, 1884" and showing the 1880 1/2d, 1881 1d lilac die II and the 1883-84 lilac & green set, and third page with 1887 Jubilee issue set of 11, very fine example of the one of the three books with the normal stamps on the first page, see SG Spec. p.256 (Image)

1855-57 No Corner Letters. 1855-57 Wmk Medium Garter 4d carmine on thick blued highly glazed paper with "SPECIMEN" type 2 overprint in mint nh top left hand corner marginal block of ten showing plate number "1" and part sheet inscription, some natural paper flaws, a magnificent and very rare positional piece (SG Spec. J48(2)t). (Image)

1855-57 6d Die proof in green on white card with "HELMSLEY / (crown) / 2.4.56" trial cancellation, just touched at right and top, thin, attractive and rare proof (SG £7'500) (Image)

1862-64 Small Uncoloured Corner Letters. 1862-64 3d Bright Carmine-Rose pl.2 FA mint large part original gum, fresh and fine with lovely bright colour, cert. BPA (2014) (SG £2'700). (Image)

1862 (Jan 8) Postal notice sent by the GPO a week before issue to overseas agents with examples of the new 1862-64 4d (crease) and 9d affixed with "SPECIMEN" handstamps (type 5 and type 2 respectively), reinforced tears at right, very rare with only three recorded. (Image)

1862-64 4d Bright Red pl.4 (with hair lines) imperforate imprimatur, mint og, very fine and rare, with only 22 possible examples several of which are in institutional collections. (Image)

1862-64 4d Pale red pl.4 DJ with hair lines, mint og IMPERFORATE with good margins, very fine, cert. RPS (1980) (SG £2'400, SG Spec. J53(2)d) (Image)

1862-64 6d Lilac p.4 (with hair lines) mint og top marginal imperforate imprimatur, very fine and rare, one of only 22 possible examples, of which several are in institutional collections (SG £4'800) (Image)

1862-64 9d Bistre pl.2 mint og, exceptionally well centred for this issue, very fine, cert. RPS (2004) (SG £5'800). (Image)

1862-64 Wmk emblems 1s green pl.1 (= plate 2), mint large part original gum, a very fresh example of this rare stamp. cert. RPS (2014) (SG £3'200). (Image)

1865-67 Wmk Emblems 1s Green pl.4 BG imperforate imprimatur, mint hr (slightly heavy hinge), fine and very scarce, one of only 25 stamps for this plate many of which are in institutional collections (SG £3'000) (Image)

1867-80 Wmk Spray 6d dull violet pl.8 (without hyphen) mint part og, fine (SG £1'400) (Image)

1867-80 6d Mauve pl.9 EG mint nh, couple of faint bends at foot, very fine and fresh, cert. BPA (1990) when it was in a pair (SG £700) (Image)

1867-80 Wmk Spray 1s green pl.4 CA/DB mint large part og left hand marginal block of four, showing part sheet inscription, usual patchy gum on reverse, some perf. reinforcement between the margin, a scarce multiple so fine, cert. RPS (1987) (SG Spec. £6'000) (Image)

1867-80 2s Brown OJ, neatly cancelled by a part "C4?" used abroad cancel, leaving a nice clear profile, lovely fresh colour, scarce. (Image)

1873 (May 17) Entire from London to Madeira with 1872-73 6d pale buff pl.12 left wing marginal pair tied by London "99" duplexes, fine and scarce (SG Spec. £625 on cover). (Image)

1867-80 6d Pale Chestnut pl.12 IE abnormal, fine used neatly cancelled by "466" Liverpool duplex, a fine example of this rare stamp, cert. BPA (2015) (SG £3'500). (Image)

1867-80 6d. pale chestnut, Pl. 12, SG, Abnormal Imprimatur, large part original gum; very fresh and fine. Rare. Only 22 stamps removed from the registration sheet (Image)

1867-83 5s Pale rose pl.1 AD/BE block of four neatly cancelled by Dundee JA 4 1872 cds, corner creasing on top right stamp, otherwise very fine and most attractive as well as a very rare multiple (SG Spec. £4'000) (Image)

1867-83 10s De La Rue die proof in black on white glazed card (91x60mm), with "May 1, 1878" date, very fine and very scarce (Image)

1867-83 £1 Imperforate colour trial in blue with "SPECIMEN" type 9 overprint, mint og top marginal with partial inscription (mounted in the margin only), usual light gum wrinkling, very fine and scarce, ex Baillie (SG £2'700) (Image)

1867-83 5s Rose pl.4 ED on blued paper, fine used neatly cancelled by "Telegraph Office" cds. a lovely example in a pale delicate shade, cert. RPS (1997) (SG £4'000). (Image)

1867-83 10s Grey-Green pl.1 BH on blued paper, fine used neatly cancelled by an Inverness cds (7 AUG 84), an exceptional example and rare so fine (SG £4'500). (Image)

1867-83 Wmk Anchor £1 brown-lilac on blued paper, unused, well centred, a very fine and fresh example of this GB rarity, exceedingly rare with very few offered on the market in the last 10 or 15 years, signed A. Brun, cert. Calves (as white paper) (SG £140'000) (Image)

1867-83 Wmk Large Anchor 10s greenish grey pl.1 AB on white paper, beautifully cancelled by a crisp Glasgow AP 18 1883 cds, small corner perf. crease at lower right, very fine with lovely deep colour (SG £4'000) (Image)