1841 1d Red-Brown Imperforate, Black Maltese Cross - Group of 4
£180.00
Four used 1841-1844 one penny red-brown imperforates, each cancelled with a black MALTESE CROSS. One is on piece, still attached to part of the original envelope and showing part of a second strike on the paper.
WHY THE MALTESE CROSS MATTERS. The Maltese Cross was the first British obliterator, introduced with the Penny Black in 1840 and withdrawn in January 1844. A penny red bearing one is therefore from the first three years of the issue - the earliest widely collected British stamps after the Penny Black itself. Ordinary later penny reds carry barred numeral cancels and are worth a fraction of these.
THE CROSS NUMBERS HAVE NOT BEEN READ. Between 1843 and 1844 the London office used Maltese Crosses with a NUMERAL, 1 to 12, in the centre. Numbers 5, 6 and 7 are the scarce ones and a single stamp bearing one can be worth many times this whole group. The four crosses here have been examined at high magnification from photographs: no numeral could be resolved, and none shows the clear circular centre that a numbered cross has. On that basis they are offered as PLAIN crosses and priced accordingly. They have NOT been checked in hand under a glass. If you buy these and find a number, the gain is yours - and equally, no numbered cross is claimed or charged for here.
CONDITION. Margins vary across the group, as is normal for imperforates of this period. The stamps are sold as a group, not individually.
WHAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE. Cross numbers not read in hand. Plates not identified - the 1841 penny red carries no printed plate number, and plating requires matching individual plate characteristics against reference studies. No certificate is offered.
The identification, condition assessment and valuation in this listing were produced by an AI analysis of photographs. ALL PURCHASES ARE MADE ENTIRELY AT THE BUYER'S OWN RISK. Sold as seen. These are second-hand goods and there are no returns beyond your statutory rights.