Lot 60126 – THE RAREST “COTTON REEL” ON COVER: 1850-51 4 cents black on lemon-yellow

THE RAREST “COTTON REEL” ON COVER

THE FINEST 4 CENTS DENOMINATION ON COVER

1850-51 4 cents black on lemon-yellow, with initials of postal official Lortimer “WHL”, cut round with excellent margins for this stamp, just touched in small place at top left and preserving the continuous frame line, used on cover from Mahaica (Quayle Squire correspondence) to Georgetown, exhibiting uncommon centrally struck Demerara datestamp of 14 January 1851; (SG £ 96’000).

The only cover recorded bearing the Stanley Gibbons no. 3: the 4 cents on lemon-yellow, consequently being the rarest “Cotton Reel” on cover. As an additional degree of importance and rarity, if we consider all covers recorded bearing the 4 cents denomination -Stanley Gibbons no. 2 & 3-, this example is the finest available (only two examples possess the continuous frame line all around).

Provenance:

Henry C. Gibson

David Feldman “Rarities” sale, November 1992, sold for CHF24’000

Expertise: Two B.P.A. certificates (1969 & 1992)