Schuyler J. Rumsey Philatelic Auctions Sale - 124
Great Britain
Chalon Portrait & Queen Anne's Colonial Postal Law
| LotNo. |
Symbol |
CatNo. |
Lot Description |
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| 1 |
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 Great Britain, Chalon Portrait of Queen Victoria in Her Robes of State. 29½ x 20¾'' gouache on porcelain painting, under glass in ornate gold gilded frame (38 x 29 x
3¾''), purported to be the work of Alfred Edward Chalon and one of three full length paintings rendered by Chalon, circa 1837-39; some repairs to frame's gingerbread, Very Fine, offered "on its own merits" (read story text below), be
mindful of shipping charges.
Estimate; $5,000 - 7,500.
THE FAMOUS EXAMPLE OF THE PORTUGAL CHALON FULL LENGTH PORTRAIT PAINTING OF QUEEN VICTORIA IN HER ROBES OF STATE.
A paper given by Robson Lowe at the Royal Society of Arts in
London on April 15, 1955 stated: "In 1837, on the occasion of Queen Victoria's accession to the Throne, Her Majesty stood at the foot of the grand staircase while the artist painted a sketch of the young Queen in her robes of State. From that sketch
Chalon made three copies of the portrait which was to become the most famous royal portrait in the world. The first of these was given to her mother, the Duchess of Kent, who later presented it to her son-in-law, the Prince Consort. The two other
copies painted by Chalon were given by Queen Victoria to the King of Prussia and to the King of Portugal. It is believed that the first of these copies was destroyed by the R.A.F. during the last war, but the King of Portugal's copy came to this
county when his successor, King Manuel abdicated in 1910. In 1947 this copy was sold and I was fortunate enough to acquire it."
In 1981 after Christies had purchased Robson Lowe Auctions and Lowe's office was on King Street in London, New
Zealand collector, Dale Forster, purchased the painting which was shipped to his address in Oregon. Recently members of the Royal Philatelic Society, John Stimson and Brian Hart researched the provenance of the painting and were unable to confirm
Lowe's provenance. In fact, they have questioned in an article in the London Philatelist if Chalon painted the "Portugal Chalon".
Although this painting is lacking definable provenance, it has been held with great esteem at many exhibitions
from 1955 to 1980. It has been used by the New Zealand Post Office in the design of their 1988 $1 mini-sheet, and featured in Robert Odenweller's 2009 publication "The Postage Stamps of New Zealand 1855-1873 - The Chalon Head Issues". The painting is
accompanied by letters from the P.O. and designer of the 1988 mini-sheet, Marcel Stanley, essay items, commemorative covers, etc. (Image1)
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Est. $5,000-7,500
Selling for...$2,500.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 2 |
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 Great Britain, 1710 Queen Anne's Colonial Postal Law: An Act for Establishing a General Post-Office for all Her Majesties Dominions, and for Settling a Weekly Sum out of the Revenues thereo.
28 page printed document (pages numbered 287 to 311) entitled "Anno Regni ANNAE REGINAE, Magnae Britanniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, NONO. At the Parliament Begun and Holden at Westminster, the Twenty fifth Day of November, Anno Dom. 1710. In the
Ninth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady ANNE, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Queen, Defender of thr Faith &c. being the first Session of this present Parliment", with Royal Crest and printer "Printed by the
Assigns of Thomas Newcomb, and Henry Hills, deceas'd; Printers to the Queens most Excellent Majesty. 1711." imprints; missing cover (as almost always) with binding intact, housed in specially made solander.
Estimate; $1,000 - 1,500.
A
RARE AND IMPORTANT "QUEEN ANNE ACT" PUBLICATION ESTABLISHED POST OFFICES IN THE COLONIES AND ALLOTTED ITS WEEKLY REVENUES FOR THE ONGOING WAR AND OTHER USES.
This document, known as The British Post Office Act of 1710, took effect in North
America on June 1, 1711. The postal laws set out in this document remained in effect in North America until 1789. Colonists came to view the postal rates set forth in the act as an excessive and unwelcome form of taxation. The rates were revised by a
later act, which took effect on October 10, 1765. The act, also known as the Queen Anne Act, created a formula that was used to improve the colonial postal system. It created a deputy postmaster general for the colonies and established uniform rates
for carrying letters. (Image1)
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Est. $1,000-1,500
Selling for...$500.00
Will close during Public Auction |
Mulready Envelopes, Lettersheets & Caricatures
| LotNo. |
Symbol |
CatNo. |
Lot Description |
|
| 3 |
 |
U3 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Letter Sheet, 1d black, Pre-First Day Cover. Stereo A 64. Lovely fresh Mulready Lettersheet from London to Oxford, postmarked bold red "Lombard Street Paid 5
MY 1840" Maltese Cross postmark, manuscript "1" rate marking has been removed, couple tiny mended tears at bottom, Very Fine and attractive, with 2010 Brandon certificate. S.G. Spec. £25,000 ($31,500).
Scott No. U3; Estimate
$5,000 - 7,500.
ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZED AND SOUGHT AFTER ITEMS IN ALL OF PHILATELY.
Mulready Stationery was put on sale on May 1, 1840 and valid for use on May 6, 1840. As part of Great Britain's postal reform movement, the
Mulready envelopes, letter sheets, and the first postage stamps were issued. Before this reform, the addressee was responsible for paying the postage. However, people soon realized they could avoid paying by simply refusing to accept their mail,
which led to significant revenue losses for the postal system.
To address this issue, the British government, under Queen Victoria, invited proposals for a solution. Sir Rowland Hill presented a simple yet effective plan. He argued that to
recover lost revenue, the sender should be required to prepay postage. While this idea was controversial-since it was considered insulting to suggest that an addressee couldn't afford to pay-Hill also proposed that reduced postage rates could
encourage more people to use the mail system, which would in turn generate more revenue. The government quickly adopted Hill's idea, establishing a universal penny post where a half-ounce letter could be sent anywhere in Britain for just one
penny.
Hill believed that the Mulready envelopes and letter sheets would be a hit with the public, with the adhesive stamps being more of an afterthought. However, the public ridiculed the Mulready designs, with satirical caricatures
circulating widely, many created by stationers who resented the government's interference in their business. The negative reaction led to the quick withdrawal and destruction of the Mulready products. In contrast, the postage stamps were embraced for
their convenience and quickly gained widespread acceptance. (Image1)
|
Est. $5,000-7,500
Selling for...$2,500.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 4 |
|
U1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Envelope, 1d black, First Day Usage. Stereo A150, used from London to Leicester, light "C-May-6 1840" circular datestamp on back, red Maltese Cross and
black straight line on front, slight edge wear, Very Fine, Mentioned & illustrated in "May Dates" by Jackson. S.G. Spec. No. ME2 £18,000 ($22,680).
Scott No. U1; Estimate $4,000 - 6,000.
A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE ONE PENNY
MULREADY ENVELOPE USED ON MAY 6, 1840 - THE FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF USE.
The Mulready envelopes were placed on sale May 1, 1840, with instructions that they were not to be used until May 6. A small number were posted prior to May 6. (Image1)
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Est. $4,000-6,000
Selling for...$2,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 5 |
|
U1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Envelope, 1d black with red and black Maltese Cross cancels. Stereo 151. Choice envelope from Whitby to Yarm, first a black Maltese Cross was applied over
Britannia followed by red Maltese Cross applied of black Maltese Cross, postmarked "Whitby AU 31 1840" date marking on reverse, Extremely Fine, with 2008 B.P.A. certificate. S.G. Spec. No. ME2vk £12,000 ($15,120).
Scott No. U1;
Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
A WONDERFUL MULREADY RARITY FOR THE SPECIALIST IN EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY. (Image1)
|
Est. $3,000-4,000
Selling for...$2,700.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 6 |
|
U1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Envelope, 1d black. Stereo A 144. Sent from Scotland to Huntingdonshire with rare Magenta Maltese Cross, backstamped straight line "Luss" in matching
magenta ink and Glasgow datestamp, Very Fine, with 1986 R.P.S.L. certificate. S.G. Spec. No. ME2 ve £12,000 ($15,120).
Scott No. U1; Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
A VERY RARE MALTESE CROSS COLOR CANCEL ON THIS 1D MULREADY
ENVELOPE. (Image1)
|
Est. $1,500-2,000
Selling for...$750.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 7 |
|
U3 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Mulready Letter Sheet, 1d black. With John Besemeres & Sons printed advertising on inside, posted in 1854 from London to Penzance with Britannia cancelled
by oval numerals "3" and "7" of the London Inland Branch, some edge wear & re-enforced edge splits, Very Fine appearance, a rare late usage with advertising and exceptional combination of two differing numeral cancels.
Scott No. U3;
Estimate $500 - 750. (Image1)
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Est. $500-750
Selling for...$250.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 8 |
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 Great Britain, Thomas White's "New Post Office Envelope" Caricature. Small lettersheet with White's imprint at right folded so as to appear on back, "CJG" designer's initials at lower left,
addressed to Wandsworth with red "London Ju 10 1840" oval cancel, light file fold and some slight wear, still Very Fine, with 1997 Brandon certificate.
Estimate; $2,000 - 3,000.
ONLY FOUR OR FIVE USED EXAMPLES OF WHITE'S MULREADY
CARICATURE ARE KNOWN.
A Mulready parody filled with outrageous remarks coming from the characters and captions lampooning elements of the original design. (Image1)
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Est. $2,000-3,000
Selling for...$1,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 9 |
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 Great Britain, Southgate Mulready Caricature "Ladies School" Envelope, No. 2. Humorous allover design on cover to Liverpool, franked with four margin 1840, 1d black (S.G. 2) lettered
JG, plate 5, tied by red Maltese cross handstamp with second strike alongside, reverse with circular "Ju 25, 1840" origin date stamp;cover with some minor edge wear and light soiling, Very Fine.
Estimate; $2,000 - 3,000.
A VERY RARE
USED EXAMPLE OF THE "LADIES SCHOOL" SOUTHGATE MULREADY CARICATURE ENVELOPE.
In Bodily et al "British Pictorial Envelopes of the 19th Century" the census records only thirteen used examples of this design, not including this example. (Image1)
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Est. $2,000-3,000
Selling for...$1,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 10 |
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 Great Britain, Southgate Mulready Caricature "Papal" Envelope, No. 6. Stunning used and handpainted design from Bristol to Worcestershire, reverse with red Bristol AP 8 1841 cds with
black arrival postmark of Worcester of the same date, Extremely Fine and choice, with 2021 M. Jackson certificate.
Estimate; $1,500 - 2,000.
AN OUTSTANDING HANDCOLORED MULREADY CARICATURE IN PERFECT CONDITION.
Jackson
certificate notes there is a small manuscript "Pre Paid" endorsement above the address and should have either an adhesive or manuscript charge. He goes on to state there is no indicate of either and surmises "that the Post Office clerk must have made
a mistake, possibly confused by the colorful design."
Jackson Conclusion: "In my opinion, the item is an 1840 Southgate No. 6 Mulready Caricature Envelope, Hand-Painted and Postally Used, and is genuine." (Image1)
|
Est. $1,500-2,000
Selling for...$750.00
Will close during Public Auction |
1840 1d Penny Black & 2d Blue
| LotNo. |
Symbol |
CatNo. |
Lot Description |
|
| 11 |
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1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d black. Plate 1a, Lettered A-I, o.g., lightly hinged, four nice margins; surface rubbing noted on cert. (however this is not readily
apparent), Very Fine and choice, with 1978 R.P.S.L. certificate. SG No. 2.
Scott No. 1; $12,500. (Image1)
|
Scott $12,500
Selling for...$500.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 12 |
o |
1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d black. Choice group of eleven four margin singles; includes plate 1a in gray black, three plate 1b in intense black, black and gray black
shades, plate 2 tied on piece, three plate 3 with intense black, gray black and black left margin single, plate 4, plate 5 & plate 10; red and black Maltese cross cancels, all Very Fine or better, a wonderful group. SG No. 2 £5,070
($6,390).
Scott No. 1; Estimate $1,000 - 1,500. (Image1)
|
Est. $1,000-1,500
Selling for...$450.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 13 |
o |
1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d black. Plate 7, Lettered T-R, four clear to ample margins, nice strike of black upright Distinctive Maltese Cross of Plymouth,
Fine, a lovely example of this rare Maltese Cross cancel, with 1959 B.P.A. certificate. SG No. 2.
Scott No. 1; Estimate $300 - 400.
(Image1)
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Est. $300-400
Selling for...$150.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 14 |
o |
1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d black. Plate 10, Lettered QF, four nicely balanced margins; and bold black Maltese cross, F.-V.F. Scarce plate. SG No. 2
£950 ($1,200).
Scott No. 1; $1,100. (Image1)
|
Scott $1,100
Selling for...$150.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 15 |
o |
1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d black. Plate 4, Lettered QK, large balanced margins and light red Maltese cross, Very Fine. SG No. 2 £375 ($470).
Scott
No. 1; $425. (Image1)
|
Scott $425
Selling for...$80.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 16 |
o |
1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d black. A spectacular horizontal strip of 8 from Plate 6, Lettered RA-RH; canceled with neat red Maltese Crosses and having margins
all around (just clear in two spots); very faint vertical crease in the center, between RD & RE, otherwise Very Fine. SG No. 2.
Scott No. 1; Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
A TRULY MAGNIFICENT SHOWPIECE! (Image1)
|
Est. $2,000-3,000
Selling for...$1,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 17 |
|
1 |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d black, horizontal pair. Plate 8, Lettered IK-IL. Four ample to large margins, nice impression and color, tied two strikes of red Maltese
Cross cancels on 1841 folded Mourning Cover (with black piping along edges) to Brighton, backstamped London cross postmark and red Brighton arrival, Very Fine and attractive, with 1991 Sorani certificate. SG No. 2.
Scott No. 1;
Estimate $400 - 600. (Image1)
|
Est. $400-600
Selling for...$325.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 18 |
|
1a |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d intense black, vertical pair with part imprint. Plate 6, Lettered DL-EL, full o.g., a stunning vertical pair with large margins including
large sheet margin at right with small part imprint, deep color; bottom stamp with small thinning re-enforced by hinge, vert. crease in right margin, Extremely Fine appearance. SG No. 1.
Scott No. 1a; $40,000.
A RARE AND STRIKING
MARGINAL PAIR OF THE 1840 1D BLACK. (Image1)
|
Scott $40,000
Selling for...$1,500.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 19 |
 |
1a |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d intense black. A lovely, four margins example from plate 1a, lettered CB, tied by a neat red Maltese cross on a piece from a folded
letter, alongside a bold, matching "BRIGHTON, MY 6, 1840" c.d.s. with a lighter strike of another red c.d.s., "A, 7 MY 7, 1840", Very Fine, with 2021 Brandon certificate. SG No. 1 £75,000 for a First Day Cover ($94,500).
Scott No. 1a;
Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
AN EXTRAORDINARY EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST DAY OF USE OF THE WORLD'S FIRST POSTAGE STAMP. (Image1)
|
Est. $3,000-4,000
Selling for...$2,200.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 20 |
o |
1b |
 Great Britain, 1840, Queen Victoria First Issue, 1d gray black. Plate 11, Lettered QH, ample to mostly large margins and canceled with a light black Maltese cross, Very Fine. SG No.
3 £4,600 ($5,800).
Scott No. 1b; $5,750.
AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF THE VERY RARE PENNY BLACK FROM PLATE 11. (Image1)
|
Scott $5,750
Selling for...$450.00
Will close during Public Auction |
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