At its September auction Spink offers to collectors attention a rarity from the world’s first stamp issue - a sound unused example of Great Britain’s 1840 1d black Queen Victoria Official stamp (Scott O1) with original gum. Valued at $35,000 in the Scott Classic Specialized catalog (again, with the value in italics), this stamp featuring marvelous overall freshness and strong unblemished color is offered by Spink for $20,000.
The design of 1840 1d Black, "V.R." is similar to the 1840 Penny Black but differs by having the letters “V” and “R” positioned in the respective upper corners. The Penny Black shows a Maltese cross in each upper corner instead. Overall 3323 sheets were printed and were intended for use by government departments. However, the idea was shelved and apart from a small number of copies, the entire print was destroyed. All sheets were destroyed and only 21 of them survived.
Spink auction house described this lot as “a highly select and wonderfully fresh mint example of this sought-after rarity, possessing numerous desirable physical characteristics which are lacking on most copies, including a marvelous overall freshness which belies its age, four ample to large margins, strong unblemished color and a crisp impression on bright paper, while its reverse reveals full clean original gum with only a small light h.r., very fine.”
The auction that will offer many philatelic rarities will be held in New York on September 12-13.
