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Auction: 1026 - British Empire Stamps & Covers from the Vestey Collection
Lot: 268

India 1854 Issue Four Annas, First Printing, Head Die I, Frame Die I Blue and pale red, variety head inverted, an attractive example, Head [1], Frame [12], both head and frame printed in attractive light colours and sharp impressions, cut-to-shape with clear to good margins largely all round and lightly cancelled with diamond of dots in red leaving the inverted head variety readily apparent, so often not the case with many of these stamps; horizontal bend at top which is barely apparent, and with trace of thinning at foot. A most appealing and attractive example of this famous and exceptionally rare classic error. B.P.A. Certificate (2007). S.G. 18a. Photo Estimate £ 18,000-20,000 provenance: C.J. Phillips Phillip H. Ward Jnr. literature: "The London Philatelist" Vol. XLIV (1935), page 176 "Stamps of Fame" by L.N. and M. Williams (1949), page 75 and illustrated on Plate II "The London Philatelist" Vol. LVIIII (1949), page 52 "Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps", Vol. 1 (1997), example H

Sold for
£90,000