Lot 51321 – 1831 (February 10th) Folded letter sheet with crisp strike of crowned “TO•BE DELIVER’D FREE” type 1 hs

1831 (February 10th) Folded letter sheet to “his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant / Castle / Dublin”, showing a clear crisp strike of crowned “TO•BE DELIVER’D FREE” type 1 hs in black (DF No.130), a wonderful example of this rare mkg.

Note: Crowned handstamps TO•BE DELIVER’D FREE were in use from 1816 to 1831. Edward James Baynes, as comptroller of the Dublin Penny Post used two types of the crown handstamp to exempt official mail from local postal charges to which ordinary franked letters were liable.