Lot 20123 – THE LARGEST KNOWN MULTIPLE OF THE 1859 LAPIROT ON COVER AND TO A RARE DESTINATION

THE LARGEST KNOWN MULTIPLE ON COVER AND TO A RARE DESTINATION

2d blue, HORIZONTAL STRIP OF FOUR, positions 9-12, touched to small margins, all cancelled or tied by black oval bars cancels, on 1859 refolded cover from Port Louis “per Mail Steamer” to Adelaide, South Australia, with ‘ADELAIDE/NO.11.1859’ cds alongside and ‘MAURITIUS GPO’ bs, the stamps have been lifted, the wrapper and stamps pressed and then reaffixed.

There is no larger multiple known in the entire Lapirot issue than this franking, which may be unique for the worn impression, and has been missing from most of the great collections

Rate: 8d overseas letter rate

Provenance: Hiroyuki Kanai, November 1993 (Lot 187)

Vikram Chand

Expertise: Cert. David Brandon (2007)