Lot 10364 – 1853, First London Printing, 5c red-brown on blued paper, five examples on cover with « SANTIAGO » pmk

THE LARGEST FRANKING OF THE « NUMBER ONE » ON COVER

1853, First London Printing, 5c red-brown on blued paper, five single examples, with predominantly large margins with just three touched on one side, used on second page of entire letter from Santiago to Valparaiso, each neatly tied by six barred target handstamp in black with pre-philatelic « SANTIAGO » straight-line postmark below, used in lieu of the circular datestamp and presumably used between July 1st and August 15th, 1853. Acid ink corrosions and folds of sheet internally reinforced, in no way detracting from the great appeal and rarity of this exhibition item. The highest known multiple franking of this stamp, with the greater significance of being the « Number One » of Chilean philately. Cert. B.P.A. (1992).

Note: Only one similar cover originating from the same correspondence is recorded, and it was use to embellish the front cover of the Gerhard Blank auction catalogue by Robson Lowe (lot 922), which was sold for CHF16,875 in 1991.

Provenance: Gerhard Blank (Robson Lowe, December 1991, lot 923).