Lot 60082B – Westport Ship Letter – 1820 (December 24) Entire letter from the Portuguese Colony of Madeira, to Edinburgh, sent by private vessel and landed on the west coast of Ireland and bearing on the face the extremely rare serpe

Westport Ship Letter – 1820 (December 24) Entire letter from the Portuguese Colony of Madeira, to Edinburgh, sent by private vessel and landed on the west coast of Ireland and bearing on the face the extremely rare serpentine strike of the fancy scroll “SHIP LETTER” handstamp of Westport in black, with matching WESTPORT/133 2-line mileage handstamp, alongside, sent via the Dublin Ship Letter Office where large Ship Rtae handstamp “6” in red was applied. Backstamped Dublin tablet SHIP LETTER and octagonal General Post datestamp, plus Edinburgh arrival. Rated “1/7” (later amended to “2/9 1/2”) to include the Scots Additional Halfpenny Tax.

A very rare cover, with only two recorded examples of the Westport Ship Letter handstamp known from this single landing of mail there in January 1821, the other being from Funchal to Cardiff. A major rarity of Irish Maritime Postal History.