17th. Century Overseas Letters Carried Privately. 1676 (5 May) entire letter from Sir Richard Hopkins "To The Honourable Sir Thomas Modyford, Baronett, in the island of Jamaica in America". PhotoNote: Sir Thomas Modyford was appointed Governor of Jamaica in February 1664. Under him the island was divided into Parishes.. Under his rule the island prospered though he was said to 'Council in the Kings Name' with pirates and buccaneers, particularly Sir Henry Morgan (Image1)

Est. £300-350

17th. Century Overseas Ship Letters. 1675 (20 May) entire letter from Sir Thomas Modyford, Governor of the Island, to Sir Richard Hopkins in London, headed "Jamayca" and carried courtesy of Capt. Molesworth outside the post. PhotoNote: Modyford was the son of a mayor of Exeter with family connections to the Duke of Albemarle, who emigrated to Barbados as a young man with other family members in 1647, in the opening stages of the English Civil War. He had £1,000 for a down payment on a plantation and £6,000 to commit in the next three years. Modyford soon was dominant in Barbados island politics, rising to be speaker of the house of assembly in Barbados during the reign of Charles II, and factor for the Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa, who had a monopoly in the slave trade to the islands.. He negotiated with the Commissioners of the Commonwealth to be governor of Barbados, which put him in an awkward position with the Restoration of the English monarchy.. He was appointed Governor of Jamaica, by commission dated 15 February 1664. He arrived in Jamaica on 4 June 1664, with seven hundred planters and their slaves, marking the wholesale introduction of a slavery-based plantation economy in Jamaica. He appointed to his council his brother, Col. Sir James Modyford. Under Modyford the island was first divided into parishes. Modyford remained a factor for the Royal Adventurers until 1669, overseeing their plantation in Jamaica. Sir James was granted a royal licence in November to ship convicted felons from England to his brother in Jamaica. In Jamaica Sir Thomas used a labour force of twenty-eight indentured servants from England. Sir Thomas had a cacao plantation at Sixteen Mile Walk in St. Katherine's parish. In the second half of the 1660s Modyford waged war against the Karmahaly Maroons, led by Juan de Serras, but the governor failed to subdue this community of runaway slaves. In 1670 he was "Governor of His Majesty's Island of Jamaica Commander-in-Chief of all His Majesties Forces within the said Island and in the Islands adjacent Vice-Admiral to His Royal Highness the Duke of York in the American Seas", according to the commission to Henry Morgan to make war upon the Spanish. The issuance of the aforementioned privateer commission to Morgan, who used it to attack and plunder the Spanish possession of Panama, resulting in revocation of Modyford's governorship and arrest in 1671. King Charles II of England, in desperate need of Spain as an ally in an impending war with the Dutch, had ordered the arrest and revocation merely to appease a Spanish Crown, furious over the destruction of their prize city. Though charges were never preferred, and no trial was ever held, Modyford spent two years in the Tower of London. He was released in 1674, and returned to Jamaica in 1675.. Modyford died in 1679. He was buried at the cathedral in Spanish Town. . . provenance:. Bob Swarbrick, September 1995 (Image1)

Est. £1,200-1,500

17th. Century Overseas Ship Letters. 1679 (12 Aug.) entire letter "p g(alley) Welcom, Joseph Batholomew Ma(ster)" to Lawrence Crabb Mart in Love Lane in London, triple rated "9d" from port of landing to London over 80 miles, "oc/29" Bishop mark on reverse; contents include "I enclose for thee, Bill of lading and Invoice". Photoprovenance:. Sissons, December 1982 (Image1)

Est. £1,000-1,200

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Die Proofs. 1d. State 3 (final), in black on glazed card (60x92mm.), fine. Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Die Proofs. 2d. State 8 (final), in black on glazed card (92x60mm.), fine. Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Die Proofs. 3d. State 5 (final), in black on glazed card (60x92mm.), fine. Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Die Proofs. 4d. State 6 with uncleared corner spandrels, stamp-size in black on glazed card, fine. Photoprovenance:. V.N.F. Surtees, September 1976. (Image1)

Est. £150-200

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Die Proofs. 4d. State 7 (final), in black on glazed card (92x60mm.), fine. Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Die Proofs. 6d. State 6 (final), in black on glazed card (92x60mm.), marked "before hardening" and dated "Sept. 14-60". Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Die Proofs. 1/- State 7 (final), in black on glazed card (92x60mm.), marked "before hardening" and dated "Sept. 11-60". Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Imperforate Imprimaturs. 4d. orange upper left corner example with "30ct 1860" pencil notation in top margin, large part original gum; fresh, fine and unusual, possibly being used as a colour sample for another country. Photo (Image1)

Est. £100-120

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Specimen Stamps. Small Seriffed Type, Samuel D8. 2d. rose, 6d. lilac and 1/- brown, each imperforate at left, all handstamped at centre and affixed to piece ex the De La Rue day book of August 1867. A unique trio. Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Specimen Stamps. Small Seriffed Type, Samuel D8. 1/- dull brown with wing-margin at right, handstamped in blue, large part original gum. Rare and believed to be one of only two examples recorded. Photoprovenance:. V.N.F. Surtees, September 1976. Christie's Robson Lowe, January 1986 (Image1)

Est. £250-300

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Specimen Stamps. Medium Seriffed Type, Samuel J2. 1d. blue, 2d. rose, 4d. orange, 6d. lilac and 1/- dull brown (wing-margin) horizontal pairs, and 3d. green single, all handstamped diagonally inverted or vertical (6d.) with a full stop and one 1/- with overprint double, fresh mint; one 6d. with defective corner, and a few other small faults though a rare group. Photoprovenance:. V.N.F. Surtees, September 1976. Christie's Robson Lowe, January 1986 (Image1)

Est. £1,000-1,200

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Specimen Stamps. Large Sans-Serif Type, Samuel D2. 2d. rose imperforate strip of six from the foot of the sheet with complete imprint, fine with large part original gum; some creasing in lower margin though a rare multiple. Photoprovenance:. Christie's Robson Lowe, January 1986 (Image1)

Est. £400-500

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Specimen Stamps. Large Sans-Serif Type, Samuel D2. 1/- purple-brown with wing-margin at left, variety pronounced double print, part original gum; light horizontal crease, otherwise fine and very unusual. Photoprovenance:. V.N.F. Surtees, September 1976 . Christie's Robson Lowe, January 1986 (Image1)

Est. £250-300

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Issued Stamps. 1d. pale blue block of eight (4x2), fresh mint with the upper row lightly mounted and the lower row unmounted. very fine. S.G. 1. Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Issued Stamps. 1d. pale greenish blue block of nine, fresh mint with most remaining unmounted. A scarce and attractive multiple of this scarce shade. S.G. 1a. Photo (Image1)

Est. £500-700

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Issued Stamps. 2d. rose block of six (3x2), large part original gum. A fine and scarce multiple of the earlier delicate printing of this attractive stamp. S.G. 2. Photo (Image1)

Est. £1,000-1,200

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Issued Stamps. 4d. brown-orange block of four, fresh with large part original gum, A rare and attractive multiple. S.G. 4. Photo (Image1)

Est. £1,000-1,200

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Issued Stamps. 6d. dull lilac interpanneau block of eight (4x2), fresh lightly mounted mint. A scarce and unusual multiple. Photoprovenance:. Christie's Robson Lowe, January 1986 (Image1)

Est. £600-800

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Issued Stamps. 6d. deep purple block of six (3x2), fresh brilliant colour, one with part original gum, the others lightly mounted mint. A beautiful looking block of this rare and highly attractive rich shade, and an outstanding showpiece multiple. S.G. 5b. Photo (Image1)

Est. £4,000-4,500

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Printer's Remainders. 1/- yellow-brown marginal block of four from the top of the sheet cancelled with parallel diagonal pen stroke lines, fresh mint with the upper pair remaining unmounted. A fine and scarce multiple (Image1)

Est. £200-250

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Covers. Internal. 1861 (22 Aug.) "Money Letter V173" entire letter from Black River to Kingston, bearing 6d. lilac pair both cancelled "A30" and showing despatch and arrival (24.8) datestamps at foot. A rare franking of 6d. postage and 6d. for a registered money letter. Photo (Image1)

Est. £300-400

1860 Watermark Pineapple. Covers. Internal. 1864 (14 July) "Circular" wrapper from Lucea to Montego Bay, bearing 1d. pale blue bisected diagonally and cancelled with superb "A49", despatch datestamp at lower left corner, arrival datestamp (21.7) on reverse; fine. Photo (Image1)

Est. £350-400