James, Thanks for your input. Your mention of SG 540 raised a flag for me. I have a quantity of covers awaiting assembly into my new collection, and I remembered this one which I bought on e-bay some time ago for very little. It has been used commercially for printed matter (gum of envelope undistur...

I am in the process of disposing of most of my collection (i.e. stamps mint and used), only retaining covers, with a view to forming a broad GB Postal History collection. Could any members put me on track for "required reading" for this purpose and perhaps indicate any sources recommended,...

Thank you both for your input. Yes, I did know that the basic rate was 2 1/2d per half ounce, but since the envelope is so thin and shows no sign of having contained a bulky item, I wondered if the extra 10d was for something like late fees. (I notice that the item was posted at 9.30 pm - does anyon...

I should love to know what the extra 10d was for? Can anyone help?

Since the line-engraved halfpenny stamp was not mentioned in the small list of exceptions to the demonetization, I guess it also ceased to be valid in 1901. As I said before, in my experience it is not uncommon to find invalidated stamps used well after their "use by" dates on GB covers at...

Your eyes must be sharper than mine, Bob. I had a quick look through Volume I and missed that bit! It would be interesting to know what was the source for Gibbons' information. Going by the content of the Gazette notice of April 1901, I think it it is pretty safe to assume that the 1d Venetian red w...

I quote from a paper read by HRH The Prince of Wales on 4 March 1904 to a meeting of the Philatelic Society, London (now the "Royal" of course), viz:- "...a notice in the London Gazette for 19th April 1901, by which, for the first time in the postal history of the country, certain sta...

Thank you for that. Yes, I received the same information from another source, also that on the particular route in question that it was not necessary to prepay at all at that time! It was also suggested that the "2" was applied in Russia and that it was possibly the local delivery fee (2 k...

Further to the above, as I understand it prepayment in postage stamps became compulsory on 1 August 1852. So how did this item get through without any such? Incidentally it is a single (very lightweight) sheet - an invoice in fact.

As you say, the last 18p's are certainly a darker shade, but as usual I suppose they are worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for them. If you question was not just rhetorical, why not try to auction them on E-bay?

Iraq was a British Mandate territory from April 1920 to 3 October 1932 when it became independent, so for that period the postage rates would have been those of the British Commonwealth (which I don't have). But when Iraq mail was subject to foreign rates, my copy of Johnson and Peet tells me that t...

I should much appreciate any information anyone can give me on the manuscript rates appearing on the front of this entire from Liverpool to St. Petersburg of July 1855. I presume that the black "2" refers to the amount due to the British Post Office. After studying my copy of the Moubrays'...

An afterthought. Mike, I do have Johnson and Peet's book and was aware of the limited information therein. As far as Michael Furfie's information about the rate is concerned, could it be that he means that the 6d. was in addition to the normal Commonwealth surface rate of threehalfpence?

Well, thanks to everybody for their input. It would seem that so far we have certainly not found confirmation of the information pencilled on the back of my cover, neither have we found an alternative agreed by the "experts". Could anyone perhaps point me in the direction of further resear...

Thank you for the confirmation. Do you happen to know if this is a constant variety? As far as I know it is unrecorded.

Looking at it again, I think it is probably Plate 9 with a deformed number on the right. Thoughts, anyone?

My first image was scanned at 300dpi and I don't think it was quite clear enough. I have uploaded a part image at 600dpi - perhaps this is better.

http://www.gbps.org.uk/boards/images/transferred/247_1.jpg Here's a ticklish one. The attached 4d vermillion is on a cover of September 1867. As can be seen, the Plate No. at left is a "9", but the one at the right is an "8". Has anyone seen this variety before? And which plate ...

I also have a copy with black background. Is this not normal?

I recently purchased an Airmail cover to India from London dated 9 May 1929 franked with stamps to the value of 7 1/2d (sevenpence halfpenny). On the reverse, there are some pencilled notes stating that the route followed was - air from London to Basle via Paris, rail to Genoa, air to Alexandria, th...

OK, I have found the articles you are talking about. (As a matter
of fact, I realise I should have studied them myself in more detail
before now.) Anyway, I shall continue this direct with you by e-mail.

I have the copies you refer to, but I am located in New Zealand. I
would not want to part with them, but if you let me know what it
is you are looking for, I should be quite happy to copy the material
and either e-mail or snail-mail it to you

I find the apparent randomness of both the incidence and quality of this flaw to be highly frustrating. I provide images of three stamps, P.14, which all exhibit the flaw quite markedly, but which also show a substantial break at the bottom of the "O". (On the unit "OA" Osborne a...