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Auction: 11027 - The Chartwell Collection - Great Britain Line-Engraved Essays, Proofs, Stamps & Covers Part 1
Lot: 1061

1840 One Penny Black Plate Ia Covers 1840 (6 May) unusual cover bearing EA with close to very large margins applied as a wafer seal across the reverse of an entire letter from Bath to Wells, tied by a neat strike of dull vermilion Maltese Cross with a very clear strike of "bath/my 6/1840" c.d.s. alongside. The postage stamp was applied on the reverse of the letter, contrary to regulations, and a further strike of the Maltese Cross has been applied to the front - indicating some confusion of the use of the new labels by both the sender and the postman. The stamp has been removed from the cover and replaced (with stamp hinge) and is creased; the cover has a small tear running up from the side of the stamps position and there is some light tone spotting. An extraordinary example of the use on the first day of issue. A charming and delightful cover and thought to be one of only two first day covers which used the new Penny Black as a wafer seal. Cat. from £125,000 Estimate £ 30,000-40,000 provenance: Robson Lowe auction, November 1957 literature: May Dates, Michael Jackson, 1999 (illustrated)

Sold for
£22,000