Lot 40750 – All World: 1840-1866, 1866 “The Permanent Postage Stamp Album” by Stafford Smith

All World: 1840-1866, 1866 “The Permanent Postage Stamp Album” by Stafford Smith, an extraordinary object, gilded edge with 231 pages and contents from Antigua to “Wurtemburg”, each territory with an introductory listing in a column at left of the page, where the stamps so far issued for each are numbered and divided by issue indicating the shape of the design, denomination and colour; all stamps, used or unused, are generally in poor condition with some better positions and have been stuck to the pages, following, although not precisely, the suggestion in the preface of the album: “Collectors are strongly urged to gum only a portion of the stamps when fixing them in this Album. As to what part of the stamp should be gummed, the idea suggested by an American journal, and conveyed by the annexed sketch, is unquestionably a good one. The heavy lines in the cut represent the gum which may be applied…”. As one of the curiosities, Mauritius has only started the list with the “Britannias”, as the issues from the “Post Office” to the “Lapirots” were not known to collectors or dealers then. The album commences with a map of the world on the first page, and finishes with one interesting “Money Table” in which 62 currencies or currency fractions included in the album (from the Anna in India to the Tornese in Naples) are converted into the G.B. currency then, followed by the last two pages containing interesting ads from English stamp dealers or stamp publications. One of the two metal latches to close the album is missing, with some spine breaks or other faults to be expected in such an antique object, still though in quite good state of preservation for this extremely rare and desirable, one of the earliest pre-printed postage stamp albums available.