Lot 40175 – 1876, 80r violet black, block of four and single on cover

1876, 80r violet black, block of four and single applied on back of 13.2.1880 entire letter from Espírito Santo to Rio de Janeiro, paying the double registered rate, tied by cork cancels with French-type cds on dispatch on front and oval “Registrado”, part red Rio de Janeiro registration cds on back, single stamp crossed by filing fold and block of four torn at top right on opening, not detracting from its great significance; the largest used multiple, with no more examples recorded on cover, unquestionably this item ranks as one of the rarest and most celebrated large multiples on cover of all “Dom Pedro” issues; cert. Fevereiro (2021).

Note: Only four blocks of four and two strips of four are known as the largest “Perçé” 80r multiples, all but the example in this lot being off cover; this lot is the first example of only two listed by Paolo Comelli under “Peças Speciais” (including the most significant postal history items) in his per value individual censuses (the “Perçé” 80r in this case) in the “Mosaico” magazine. As a proof of the significance of this cover, it was estimated as twice the value of the extremely rare “Barba Branca” 700r single on cover in the Antonio M. Torres auction sale of the Paulo Comelli Part I collection of “Dom Pedro” (1.3.2002).

Provenance: Paulo R. Comelli and Alemany Indarte.