PLATE 77 (!) - 6 Jan. 1898 letter with embossed oval 'INLAND REVENUE/[arms]/CONTROLLER OF STAMPS' from J.S. Purcell reading "Somerset House: My Dear Edward, Plate 77 was never printed from, inasmuch as, when the proof sheet was pulled off, it was found to be defective. No doubt, some stamps from this sheet got out somehow. How I can't say. It was before my time & the same watch was not kept in the olden days" together with the env. sent by official mail to Torquay. A fascinating historical piece. (Image)

PLATES 85 & 90 - MA WATERMARK ERROR - PLUS PLAIN PIECE OF WMK PAPER - plate 85 trimmed at base and with broken perf pin at right, plate 90 fine. SG £1000. Also a plain piece of large crown paper (faults) showing marginal wmk & twelve crowns. (3 items) (Image)

PLATES 137 & 209 - IMPRIMATURS - AB plate 137 and AK plate 209 (1987 Brandon cert.), both four margins with faults. SG £850. (2) (Image)

PLATE 222 - AD - IMPRIMATUR - very fine four margins. SG £425. (Image)

PLATE 225 - LC - MINT - lightly mounted else full gum. SG £3000. (Image)

PLATE 225 - TG - centred to right, otherwise superb used with large part "CARLISLE & AYR/SORTING TENDER" cds cancel; very scarce indeed as such. SG£700. (Image)

SUPERB RUN OF PLATES 72 to 224 COMPLETE, ALL WITH CDS CANCEL - remarkable assembly, some have tiny parts of the numeral section of the duplex though most cancelled only with cds section; generally fine or better. (150) (Image)

GROUP OF USED MULTIPLES ON SIX PAGES - impressive range inc. blocks of twelve (pl 152), ten (pl 94), eight (4, pl 95, 101 (2) & 139), six (5) and four (10) and strips of five, four (2) and three (9); generally good to fine. (39 items) (Image)

STUDY ON SEVEN PAGES - inc. constant varieties inc. re-entries on MK & TK plate 71 and SL/TL plate 83; non-constant paper flaws inc. with pre-printing paper folds (3); unprinted large crown wmk single piece of paper; group of mis-perfs inc. 1872 env. (faults) with 1d red having additional vert. row of perfs at centre; etc. Fair to fine. (c75 & 1 cover) (Image)

LARGELY COMPLETE MINT/UNUSED RUN OF PLATES TO 224 - neatly presented on pages, missing only four plates (104, 121, 144, 153). Fair to fine, mixed gum. (146) (Image)

MINT/UNUSED GROUP INC. PLATE No. BLOCKS - on two pages, inc. plate 205 lower right corner block of eighteen with plate number (soiled, faults), plate 174 upper right corner block of four, TA plate 150 corner example with plate number, plate 218 upper marg. block of nine partly double perforated, GK plate 146 SPECIMEN ovpt, plate 205 CYPRUS ovpt, and MK plate 176 inv wmk. Mixed condition and gum. (10 items)Cross Reference: SPECIMENS (Image)

INVERTED WATERMARKS - PLATES 71 to 94 - virtually complete range, missing only plate 93 (which is as yet unknown inv.); fair to fine. Stoneham (2014) £1400. (21) (Image)

INVERTED WATERMARKS - PLATES 95 to 115 - selection of most plates inc. very fine from plates 98, 99, 101 and 114; fair to fine. Stoneham (2014) £1100. (17) (Image)

INVERTED WATERMARKS - PLATES 117 to 140 - almost complete run, missing only plate 125 and including the very scarce plates 124, 129, 131 and 134; fair to fine. Stoneham (2014) £1700. (20) (Image)

INVERTED WATERMARKS - PLATES 141 to 162 - large part complete selection of plates, including the very scarce 152 and 159; fair to fine. Stoneham (2014) £1300. (18) (Image)

INVERTED WATERMARKS - PLATES 163 to 184 - close to complete range (missing 172, 175 & 183), includes very scarce plates 163, 168, 171, 178, 181, 182 & 184 (perfin); fair to fine. Stoneham (2014) £2000. (20) (Image)

INVERTED WATERMARKS - PLATES 185 to 205 - close to complete (missing 193, 194 and the very rare 191), includes the scarce plates 189 & 205; fair to fine. Stoneham (2014) £1300. (19) (Image)

INVERTED WATERMARKS - PLATES 207 to 221 - selection of this difficult range of plates, inc. scarce 211, 212 (2), 214, 219, 220 and 221; fair to good. Stoneham (2014) £1580. (13) (Image)

COVERS - 1864-77 GROUP - inc. range (4) with railway marks inc. 1867 env. ex Carnarvon with small Bangor & Leeds TPO 'star' on the back and 1875 EL to London with 1d red tied by "GLASGOW-CARLISLE/SORTING TENDER" duplex; 1865 env. Cullompton to Ashburton with "TOO LATE" on the front, and 1867 env. to Cardiff with London "TOO-LATE" duplex; 1866-77 range (4) with various quartered circle missorted marks inc. red "M/S/E/A" on env. Carnforth to London; 1873/77 env./part env. with small red "INSUFFICIENTLY/ADDRESSED" or "INSUFFICIENTLY/E.C/ADDRESSED". (12)Cross Reference: LATE FEE/TOO LATE MAIL, RETURNED MAIL, MISSENT MAIL, LONDON POSTAL HISTORY (Image)

COVERS - 1864-78 GROUP - inc. Azemar trio inc. July 1869 first type on EL to Congleton; underpaid inc. 1870/73 env./part env. with circular London EC unpaid marks (2, different types) & charged '1d' or '2d' and 1871 env. Bournemouth to Cheltenham with red "MORE TO PAY/N/ABOVE[½]OZ"; Redirected group inc. 1864 env. to Cambridge fwd back to London with red framed "REDIRECTED/POSTAGE-UNPAID", 1868 env. (faults) sent locally in Bradford with multiple delivery attempts endorsed front & back and finally 'Not to be found', and 1869 env. London to Farnborough fwd to Clevedon without charge; 'Per Book Post' wrapper sent Edinburgh to Peebles; Scots range inc. Brunswick star tying 1d red (2) on 1869 env. to Hawick, Edin. dotted circle tying 1d red on 1875 local env, and 1878 env. to Peebles turned and reused in 1943 to Sanquhar; 1866/74 Irish duo with Belfast or Mullingar duplex. (24)Cross Reference: POSTAGE DUE MARKS, CANCELLATIONS, SCOTLAND, LONDON POSTAL HISTORY (Image)

COVERS - 1865-78 GROUP MAINLY TO FRANCE OR US - 1865 E Goole to Bordeaux with pl 85 strip of four; 1869/70 duo to France each with framed "L1" in black or red franked 1d red (4 or 5, nicelt showing the 1870 rate change from 4d to 3d); 1d printed matter rate to France (3, 1876/78) or US (2, undated wrappers each apparently charged? '2' in blue on arrival); 1873 env. to Ohio with pl 165 strip of three; and 1867 env. to Altona with 1d red (4) and 2d blue pl 9 plus another stamp missing. Also 1865 EL ex Bordeaux to Glasgow with 40c orange redirected to London with 1d red. (11)Cross Reference: OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS, FRANCE, PRINTED MATTER, LATE FEE/TOO LATE MAIL (Image)

COVERS - 1866/70 PAIR OF UNDERPAID COVERS TO FRANCE - 1866 env. (file notes) to Paris with 1d red pl 100 tied Cambridge numeral, "INSUFFICIENTLY/STAMPED" alongside and Calais transit cds and "7" applied in France, "LINTON-CAMB", LONDON & PARIS cds on the back; and 1870 env. to Paris with 1d red pl 106 pair tied Edin. Brunswick star duplexes, "INSUFFICIENTLY/STAMPED" at lower left, redirected in Paris and most unusually endorsed '6' plus handstruck "6" (possibly the combined redirection and deficiency?). (2)Cross Reference: OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS, POSTAGE DUE MARKS, FRANCE (Image)

CANCELLATION STUDY ON ELEVEN PAGES - inc. page of Azemar cancels (11 stamps, 9 pieces); page of various dumb cancels (29, two pairs and strip of four); page of scarce London 1862 series of Dubus type 2 (bars with number only) Nos. 52-74 inc. "58" on C13 block of eight, and page of scarce Dubus type 16 or 24 inc. "4" on rejoined block of 16; Newspaper Branch group inc. "FB" Dibden type 38 on plate 155 block of twelve; Scots experimental duplex & Brunswick star range; railway range, mostly various sorting tender marks; scarce "D30" & "D48" bulk mail cancels; single solely cancelled with circular "MORE TO/PAY"; and 1887-1915 late usages with various cds and 1901 env. (faults) with 1d red used to Hull. Mixed condition; there is the occasional C10 etc 1d red inc. (c200 & 1 cover) Cross Reference: 1854-65 1d REDS, CANCELLATIONS (Image)

UNDERPRINTS - BORROWMAN/GSS/HENRY/NAYLOR - mostly fine BORROWMAN, PHILLIPS & Co on plate 171; very fine G.S.S. & Co. on plate 184; good A. & S. Henry/Manchester on plate 107 (creased); and fair NAYLOR, BENZON & Co. on plate 137. Stamps mixed condition; SG PP13/147/205/272 £1850. (4)Cross Reference: UNDERPRINTS/SECURITY OVERPRINTS (Image)

UNDERPRINTS - COCKER BROS./H.H./MITCHELL HENRY/ SMITH & LISTER - mostly good COCKER BROTHERS on plate 191; good H.H. on plate 124; very fine Mr. Mitchell Henry's Committee on plate 111; and mostly good SMITH & LISTER on plate 120. Stamps mixed condition; SG PP32/130/154/284 £2550. (4)Cross Reference: UNDERPRINTS/SECURITY OVERPRINTS (Image)