1841 1d Red-Brown Imperforate on Cover to Dublin, Black Maltese Cross
£150.00
An 1841-1844 one penny red-brown imperforate on a COMPLETE ENTIRE addressed to DUBLIN, the stamp cancelled with a black MALTESE CROSS.
WHY A COVER IS WORTH MORE THAN A STAMP. An entire is the whole folded letter, not a stamp cut from it. It carries the address, the postal routing and the datestamps, and it proves the stamp did the job it was printed for. Covers of this period survive in far smaller numbers than loose stamps, because most were opened, used and thrown away. Postal historians collect the route, not just the adhesive.
WHY THE IRISH DESTINATION MATTERS. Mail to Ireland in this period travelled by packet and carried its own transit and arrival markings. Irish destinations are collected as a specialism in their own right, independently of the stamp on the front.
WHY THE MALTESE CROSS MATTERS. The first British obliterator, used from 1840 until January 1844. This entire therefore dates from the first three years of the penny red, and from the earliest period of prepaid postage anywhere in the world.
THE CROSS NUMBER HAS NOT BEEN READ. London used numbered Maltese Crosses between 1843 and 1844, and 5, 6 and 7 are the scarce numbers. This cross does not show the clear circular centre a numbered cross has, so it is offered as PLAIN and priced as such. It has not been checked in hand under a glass. No numbered cross is claimed or charged for.
WHAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE. The cross number has not been read in hand. The reverse datestamps and any transit marks have not been catalogued - worth examining, as they establish the route and the exact date. 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.