ONE PENNY: 1d yellow-green SG 5/6 group, good even margins except at the top where close, bold 'PAI[D]/JU--/1859/=ADELAID[E GPO=]' cds in blue, Cat £600. A rare dated example. As noted in the introductory chapters, our experience suggests that SG 5 & 6 should be treated as a single entry, there being little difference in shade across the many examples we have handled. Note also, that most examples in the market are, or are likely to be, SG 13 or 14 with the roulettes trimmed-off. This situation means that genuine examples of the Imperf Adelaide Penny are much scarcer than the catalogue value would suggest.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

ONE PENNY: 1d yellow-green SG 5/6 group horizontal pair, margins close to large, the right-hand unit with a small writing-ink mark at the top, light indistinct numeral cancels largely clear of the portraits, Cat £1200+ for singles. A very scarce multiple. RPSofL Certificate (1943) does not mention the blemish, perhaps because it was evident in the photograph.

Grade A/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$600

ONE PENNY: 1d yellow-green SG 5/6 group horizontal pair, margins just touching - at lower-left - to large with fragments of both the adjoining units below, both units but especially the left-hand stamp stained by the acidic gum, the pair just tied by numeral '71' of 'GOOLWA/JU6/1859/=STH AUSTRALIA' (cds alongside) to an outer lettersheet, GPO arrival b/s of the next day, Cat £1200+ x2+ for being on cover, the cover itself has an ironed-out horizontal filing-fold but is otherwise very fine. A very scarce franking. Ex Julian Beresford and Henry Frenkle. Michael Blake's very fine pair on piece only - also with '71' cancels & Goolwa cds - sold for $1165.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,000

ONE PENNY: 1d yellow-green SG 5/6 (margins close to large) overlapped on 2d pale red SG 9 (apparently with full margins) and London Printing 6d deep blue SG 3 (three margins & a little cut-into at the top) on outer with embossing of 'ABRAHAM ABRAHAMS/MERCHANT/ADELAIDE' at upper-left, to London "Pr Contract Packet/via Marseille 11 6 58", circle-in-bars cancels of the GPO & 'PAID/JU11/1858/=ADELAIDE-SA=' cds in blue, 'LONDON/ MY /AU9/58/PAID' arrival cds in red, minor blemishes and ironed-out horizontal filing fold clear of the stamps. A rare franking.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$5,000

TWO PENCE: 2d blood-red SG 8 with Obvious Doubling of the Design, margins just clear - at base - to large with a fragment of the adjoining unit at right, unused, Cat £3500+. A rare stamp in unused condition, and a technically interesting variety. Michael Blake's large example - "a little soiled" - sold for $5125. Because of the heavily-saturated 'blood'-red ink, many examples have the blurry appearance associated with 'double' or 'kiss' prints. The doubling here is most noticeable on the inscriptions in the upper & lower tablets, where it presents more as extensive re-entries to the plate rather than double-printing of the sheet. Considering the evidence of re-entered electros on Lot 1005, we offer the suggestion that this may have been the case here.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$4,000

TWO PENCE: 2d blood-red SG 8 block of 4, margins just touching - at upper-left - to large with fragments of the two adjoining units at right, both upper units affected by Dry Ink or Ink-Stripping at the top, a couple of ironed-out creases/bends, indistinct circle-in-bars cancels of the GPO clear of the pale areas. Acquired at our auction of 23.9.2011 for $1105. Such varieties are a feature of the blood-red printing, caused by inconsistent wiping of the printing-plate. This and the next lot are the only two 'blood-red' blocks recorded. 

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

TWO PENCE: 2d blood-red SG 8 block of 4, margins just clear - at upper-right - to large, light & indistinct numeral cancels, pencilled initials "AD" (= Alberto Diena) on the reverse, Cat £260+. Superb! A rare & beautiful block. Ex AE Fryar. [This and the previous lot are the only two 'blood-red' blocks recorded]

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,250

TWO PENCE: 2d blood-red SG 8 three singles with All-Over Kiss Print, Major Misplaced Offset or Pre-Printing Paper-Fold (a little cut-into) and a pair with Pre-Printing Paper-Fold on the first unit, Cat £325++ as normal singles.  (4)

Grade A/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

TWO PENCE: 2d blood-red SG 8, superb example with margins close to large, tied to Captain Bishop cover to Port Lincoln by light circle-in-bars cancel of the GPO, 'PAID/JY7/1857/ =ADELAIDE SA=' cds in blue & worn 'TOO LATE' h/s. A superb-quality Classic cover.

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

TWO PENCE: 2d pale red SG 9, margins just clear - at the base - to large, unused, Cat £750.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

TWO PENCE: 2d pale red Printed on Both Sides SG 9a with the original light impression upright relative to the 'face', almost three margins, very fine small circle-in-bars cancel of the GPO, Cat £2500. A very rare error in the imperforate issues. Gary Diffen's examples with the original impression upright, as here, was unsold, and with the original impression inverted sold for £1440.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

TWO PENCE: 2d red SG 9 superb single on very fine town letter being a largely-printed Bank of Australasia demand on a dischonoured cheque. [The addressee, Padman & Co was a brokerage business formed by Thomas Padman, who arrived at Adelaide in 1848. For many years, he was the very successful South Australian agent for the Australian Mutual Provident Society (AMP)]

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

SIX PENCE: 6d slate-blue SG 10, an unusually large example with margins good to very large, light parcel-roller cancel of the GPO, Cat £200. Superb: the finest example we have encountered, superior to Harry Lower's large example - graded 'A' - that sold for $1630. This is a perennially underrated stamp, yet it is priced by Gibbons at only £20 more than the much more often-seen London Printing 6d deep blue SG 3. Our experience suggests that the ratio between surviving examples of SG 3 & SG 10 is at least 10:1.

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

SIX PENCE: 6d slate-blue SG 10 horizontal strip of 3, margins just clear - at upper-right - to large, ironed-out horizontal crease from where the stamps were folded over the edge of the envelope, light indistinct cancels, grossly undercatalogued at £600+, for singles. Ex Colonel Harry Napier. The largest recorded multiple. 

Grade (A/A-) (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,250

SIX PENCE: 6d slate-blue SG 10, margins just touched - at lower-right - to large with a fragment of the adjoining unit at left, a little aged, solo franking on cover paying the shipletter rate to England with light circle-in-bars cancel & 'PAID/MR4/1858/=ADELAIDE SA=' cds in blue, London arrival cds of MY12/58 in red, peripheral soiling on the envelope. A very scarce franking. 

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

SIX PENCE: 6d slate-blue SG 10 two overlapping singles on mourning cover to Scotland "overland/via Marseilles", small circle-in-bars cancels of the GPO and 'PAID/JU17/1859/ =ADELAIDE-SA=' cds in blue, unframed 'PAISLEY/AU6/1859' arrival backstamp, minor opening-tear across the flap. A very scarce franking. Harry Lower's pair on 1858 entire to Great Britain sold for $3030.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,500

ONE SHILLING: 1/- imperforate plate proof/colour trial in dull rose-pink on ungummed Large Star Watermark paper, horizontal pair from the left of the sheet with 'P' of 'POSTAGE' from the sheet watermark in the margin & vertical marginal watermark lines across the first unit, the second unit bisected leaving about 75% of the design, light ironed-out diagonal crease & the partial unit with a small stain. Ex AE Fryar, where it was stated to be "the only recorded proof on this watermark". We have ascribed this proof to the Adelaide Printings for the following reasons: 1) all the known London proofs are on unwatermarked paper; 2) the London Shillings were officially destroyed so a new printing, in a new colour, was required for this denomination; and 3) the quality of the impressions is consistent with having been made subsequent to the violet printing in London. In 1905, reprinted plate proofs in five different colours  were produced on ribbed card. Peter Jaffé had a single in "rose-carmine" (that sold for $1105) & Harry Lower had an example in "deep yellow-green", that sold for $1280. The fact they were reprints, significantly enhances the status of the watermarked proof offered here, which is still the only recorded example and, we believe, the only known proof in this design produced in Adelaide.

Grade (A)/D (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

ONE SHILLING: 1/- red-orange SG 11, margins just touched - at upper-left - to large, two fine strikes of the circle-in-bars cancel of the GPO, grossly undercatalogued at £750. There is a major discrepancy between the catalogue values for SG 11, which is rare, and SG 12 (Cat £500), which is not. Michael Blake's very fine example sold for $1280.  Our experience suggests the ratio between 'orange' or, more correctly 'yellow-orange' shades and the 'red-orange' is in the region of at least 50:1. Except for examples on three covers, SG 11 was absent from most of the auction catalogues we have consulted, which supports our contention that SG 11 is greatly under-appreciated and undervalued. In all, we identified a mere twelve other examples, including Maurice Burrus' exceptional strip of 3, the current wherebouts of which is unknown. At least two of the singles, both Ex AE Fryar, are defective. Interestingly, research by Don Pearce has shown that there was only one 1/- printing, that became increasingly darker during the run. He says the 'red-orange' stamps were printed last but ended up on top of the pile of sheets and were therefore issued first.

Grade A-1 (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,500

ONE SHILLING: 1/- yellow-orange SG 12 horizontal strip of 5, remarkably with virtually full margins, folded between the third & fourth units, a few tiny & almost insignificant imperfections at the base, fine strikes of the 'PAID/OC11/1858/=ADELAIDE SA=' cds in blue, Cat £2500+ for singles. A very rare multiple, stated by Don Pearce to be "the second-largest imperforate 1/- item known". The very fine 'Besancon' (III) strip of 3 sold for SFr3385.

Grade A/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,500

ONE SHILLING: 1/- yellow-orange SG 12 with 2½ margins tied to small envelope to Shropshire by the 'PAID/JY8/1858/ADELAIDE SA=' cds in blue & another strike alongside, 'SHREWSBURY/ SP10/1858' transit b/s & 'WEM' arrival cds of 'SP 1' (an error for 'SP 11') on the face, overall soiling. Not the prettiest, but a very scarce franking. Harry Lower's similar 1858 cover, to Scotland, the 1/- with three close margins & a fault at lower-right, sold for $5125. Wem is an ancient settlement, touted by its own local newspaper as "one of the finest medieval-planned castle towns in England".

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000