1850-51, 4 cents black on pale yellow, pelure paper (very thin and transparent, almost onionskin), Townsend Type B, with initials of postal official Lorimer “WHL”, cut round with mainly clear and almost complete margins, tear at right, with central 17 October 1851 Demerara datestamp; the very harsh BPA certificate states “small thins and tear at right, colour washed out”, which is to be put in relation with the description in the Robson Lowe sale of the Frederick T. Small collection, where the stamp was described as with “fine small natural paper fault”; (SG £25’000).

To our knowledge, only ten cut-round examples are known in private hands, also including one on cover (offered in this sale). A GREAT RARITY IN WORLDWIDE PHILATELY.

Provenance:

Frederick T. Small (Lot 13, Robson Lowe, March 1970)

John E. du Pont (Lot 60030, David Feldman SA, June 2014)

Expertise: Cert. BPA (2014)

Census of the cut-round 4 cents on pelure paper:

– Used on 7th February, very fine

– Used on 1st April, ex Ferrary and Townsend

– Used on 1st April, ex “Tatiana” (David Feldman, June 2016)

– Used on 25th April, (Spink London, July 2012)

– Used on 7th October, ex Ferrary

– Used on 17th October, ex Frederick T. Small, (the example presented here)

– Used on 29th November, ex Caspary

– Two unreadable postmarks, ex Isleham

– Unreadable postmark (small margin nick, repaired and cleaned, Felzman Auktion in May 2007)

– Used on cover from Demerara on 7th Februry 1851, (lot 30053 in the current “Imperium” sale)