the high denomination of $10 – very rare for this bank – which dates from 1907. It is estimated at £7,000-10,000, while the most valuable among postage stamps is a sheet of 12 Penny Blacks with cancellation removals from the so-called Rainbow Trials, which is believed to be unique in private hands. Roland Hill’s new UK flat rate postage stamp costing a penny produced an enormous increase in letter volume, but some people still tried to evade paying for the service. Between May and December 1840, various coloured inks were trialled by post offices to frank or “cancel” stamps in an attempt to find one other than black which could not be removed by applying chemicals. Black ink on a black stamp was not reliable, but red proved satisfactory, as the present sheet shows. Penny Red stamps replaced Penny Blacks just nine months after their inception.
of such chemical experiments and one of only three known sheets with red cancellations, the others being in the British Royal Family Collection and British National Postal Collection. Believed to be unique in private hands, it is estimated to fetch in the region of £200,000. Triple-A is a not for profit organisation which aims to provide an easy channel for Chinese buyers to access the UK auction market and to provide solutions to the historic challenges to Chinese buyers at auction of language barrier, foreign currency payments, and shipping. The Triple-A membership represents the highest level of standards and service in the profession, jealously guarding its accreditation standards with a rigid code of practice to which all members must adhere. For further information, please contact the auctioneer on 01483 223101 or antiques@ewbankauctions.co.uk.
This is believed to be the earliest known example
Picture shows Chris Ewbank, second from left, meeting the deputy mayor of Beijing and his entourage at the Triple-A stand at the Beijing International Art Fair in December.
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