1841 1d Red-Brown Imperforate with Black Maltese Cross - Two Stamps, One Lettered A-A
£85.00
Two used 1841-1844 one penny red-brown imperforates, each cancelled with a black MALTESE CROSS. ONE IS LETTERED A-A.
WHY A-A MATTERS. Every line-engraved stamp carries two check letters giving its exact position in the sheet of 240 - the first letter the row, the second the column. A-A is therefore the FIRST STAMP IN THE SHEET, top left corner. Collectors building a plate reconstruction want the corner positions specifically, and A-A is the one everyone wants first. It is a genuine premium position, not a curiosity.
WHY THE MALTESE CROSS MATTERS. The Maltese Cross was the first British obliterator, used from 1840 until January 1844. A penny red bearing one comes from the first three years of the issue. Later penny reds carry barred numeral cancels and are worth a fraction.
CONDITION. The A-A stamp was examined at high magnification: clear margins on the left, right and top with the bottom close, and a well struck black cross.
THE CROSS NUMBERS HAVE NOT BEEN READ. London used numbered Maltese Crosses, 1 to 12, between 1843 and 1844; numbers 5, 6 and 7 are scarce. Neither cross here shows the clear circular centre a numbered cross has, so both are offered as PLAIN and priced as such. They have not been checked in hand under a glass. No numbered cross is claimed or charged for.
WHAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE. Cross numbers not read in hand. The 1841 penny red carries no printed plate number and these have not been plated. 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.