Lot 50268 – 1840 1d black pl.11 DK/EL, an exceptionally fine and fresh mint marginal block of four

1840 1d black pl.11 DK/EL, an exceptionally fine and fresh mint marginal block of four from the right of the sheet with full sheet margin at right showing small part inscription « PRIC », virtually full original gum, the lower pair with light crease not detracting from the fine appearance of this great rarity a classic exhibition item.

Expertise: Cert R.P.S. (1985).

Provenance: Offered by order of a fellow of the R.P.S, Robson Lowe 1958; David Field (1985); and Lord Steinberg (2011).

The above block originates from the block of sixty described in a paper read before the Philatelic Society, London, on November 30th, 1894, by the then President, the Earl of Kingston – ‘Four years ago I purchased a block of black pennies. It once formed the top of the sheet, and consists of five entire rows of twelve stamps each. The margins are intact and contain the plate number 11. Although somewhat thin in substance and placed rather far apart, by reason of their being no registration sheet of plate 11, I took these figures to represent No. 2 in Roman numerals; but from enquiries made this summer I ascertained beyond doubt that the practice has always been to number the sheets in Arabic numerals. It proves, therefore, that the block above described is not an impression from plate 2, but from plate 11, one of our missing (black) lambs!’ (The London Philatelist, Vol. 3, page 290). Part of a most interesting piece of philatelic history.