RARE EARLY "LARUT" & RED "PENANG/PAID" C.D.S.'s ON INGOING G.B. 1d REDS COVER EX GUERNSEY; Spectacular 13 Feb. 1879 env. (part flap missing; slight edge wear but attractive) from Guernsey (Channel Is.) to "Larut via Penang, Straits Settlements" [Larut is now Taiping Perak] and routed "Via Brindisi";it was prepaid for the U.P.U. 8d rate (the Straits Settlements were 'British Dependencies' members from 1 Apr. 1877) with eight 1d Reds (pl.174 Block of 4 + Pair and pl.181 Pair) all tied by mainly very fine "GUERNSEY/324" Duplexes. This is one of only a handful of recorded pre-1880 covers addressed to Perak. There is a partial red "PENANG/A/PAID" transit c.d.s. (14 Mar.) on the front and a faint but extremely early and rare blue-black "M/LAROOT" c.d.s. backstamp (17 Mar.). The addressee, "Sir W.E. Maxwell" was a member of the November 1875 punitive 'Larut Field Force' expedition and became Assistant Resident of Perak in Feb. 1878. He was later the acting Governor of Straits Settlements (1893-95) and then Governor of the Gold Coast (1895-97). Very rare early ingoing cover. Exhibition Quality.Cross Reference: OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS, GUERNSEY POSTAL HISTORY (Image)

1938-41 KGVI DEFINITIVE SET MINT: Complete mounted mint set of 19 values to $5. Fine & fresh. SG 103/121 £1,100 (19) (Image)