Lot 70325 – 1883-84 « Before And After The Stamp Committee » Presentation Book

« Before And After The Stamp Committee » presentation book comprising three pages with perforated imprimaturs or issued stamps, sunk mounted on card; original binding and very fine.

The first page is titled « Series superseded by the issue of April 1884 » and bearing a series of imprimaturs that have been line perforated 14, comprising 1865 9d straw pl.5 abnormal KB (SG Spec. J95), 1882 unissued 1s purple pl.14 DC (K8C), 1881 2 1/2d blue pl.22 CG, 3d rose pl.21 DC, 4d grey-brown pl.18 AF, 6d grey pl.18 QF, 1880-84 « Provisional » issue 1/2d to 5d and 1881 1d lilac with 16 dots. Second page titled « Series issued April 1884 » bearing the 1883-84 « Lilac and Green » 1/2d to 1s. The third page titled « Series determined by the stamp committee and issued January 1887 » and bearing 1887-92 « Jubilee » 1/2d to 4d, 5d die I, 6d, 9d and 1s green. An exceptionally rare book of which only thirty six examples were produced, not all including the 1s purple. Several of these books have subsequently been broken up and, of those that are still complete, many have had the rare stamps replaced with more common varieties.

This is one of the very few to have survived intact with all the original stamps. Other examples are in the Royal Philatelic Collection and in the British Postal Museum & Archive All three pages have traces of light foxing in places. The binding of the book is generally fine although there some signs of rubbing in places and the spine has slight damage at top and at foot. The book is accompanied by a piece of 110 Bunhill Row printed paper endorsed in manuscript « With the Compliments of Messers Thos De La Rue & Co. », a major rarity.