U.S. & Worldwide Stamps & Postal History
November 1-2, 2017
| Images | Description | Current Bid |
 | Lot #319 GREAT BRITAIN British Offices in the Turkish Empire 1887 "40 Paras" on 1/2d vermilion, horizontal strip of five, top of the "S" of "Paras" broken (Gibbons notes that the handstamp was damaged during use, hence the defective letter), folded between stamps, separations hinged reinforced between fourth and fifth stamps, others mostly l.h., fine. This is the largest possible multiple of this scarce provisional surcharge (another strip of five realized £10,836 in a 2012 London Sale, believed at the time to be not only the largest extant mint multiple, but also the only mint multiple in private hands). The British Postmaster in his haste to create a 40 paras substitute, neglected to send examples of this provisional overprint to the U.P.U. When this omission was brought to his attention by the G.P.O. in London, a further printing of some 800 examples was ordered. These all show the late state of the handstamp with broken “S” in “PARAS”. Strips of five were then circulated to each U.P.U. member in December 1894. A much undercataloged stamp in mint condition * Catalog #6 | Unsold |
