19th CENTURY POSTAL RATES: Group of mail showing all of the 1812 postal rates from 4d to over 1/-. All are very fine examples of ELs from a variety of locations, specially selected for particularly fine manuscript charge marks. Two of the ELs bear good strikes of the Scots addl. ½d marks. Rates included are 4d, 5d, 6d, 7d, 8d, 9d, 10d, 11d, 1/- & 1/2d with date ranges of 1814-35. Lot also includes a group of 4 ELs and a front with town marks of Doncaster, Guildford PP, boxed Holkham, Inverkeithing & Liverpool. Also UPP 1d rate (m.s "1") on EL North Walsham to London and 4d rate (m.s "4") on EL Leeds to Halifax - this also having oval "PAID/at/LEEDS" in red. (17 items) (Image)

MANUSCRIPT "4" USED INCORRECTLY: Sep. 1841 EL from Wellington to Ludlow, incorrectly stamped with 3 x 1d red imperfs. (there was no threepenny rate at this time). Charged "4" and endorsed "More to pay". Also incorrect as the correct charge would have been either 2d (below 2oz) or 6d (above 2oz). Evidently neither the sender nor the Post Office clerk understood the rates correctly. Unusual thus. Cross Reference: SHROPSHIRE, 1841 1d REDS (Image)

REDIRECTED MAIL - BOTH JOURNEYS PREPAID: Jun. 1842 double-weight EL from Salisbury to Hursley, near Winchester prepaid by 2 x Pl.23 1d red imperfs. BK-BL. Returned to Salisbury, prepaid again with 2 x Pl.20 1d red imperfs. ND-NE with a v.fine "Hursley/Penny Post" mark struck at the start of the second journey. Unusual thus. Cross Reference: WILTSHIRE, REDIRECTED MAIL, 1841 1d REDS (Image)