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Auction: 11001 - Winter Collector's Series Sale
Lot: 74

Canada 1851 Twelve Pence Black on Laid Paper One of the Finest Examples with Original Gum 1851 laid paper, imperforate, 12d. black, unused with part original gum, large margins nearly all round, lovely deep rich colour and sharp detailed impression. An outstanding example of this classic world-class rarity. Signed Holcombe. B.P.A. Certificate (1997). Sc. 3; S.G. 4, £170,000. Photo Estimate £ 60,000-70,000 Note: The Twelve Pence Black has an interesting philatelic history. The original die was engraved by Alfred Jones and the stamps were printed by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edison, the printers of the 1847 first issue stamps of the United States of America A total of 51,000 stamps (225 sheets, each of 200 subjects), together with a proof imprint sheet, were shipped to the Canadian postal authorities on 14 May 1851. The stamp proved to be quite unpopular with the public due to it´s limited usage for specific postal rates to distant destinations, hence it saw limited distribution with shipments being sent to only eighteen different Post Offices. Only a mere 1,450 stamps were ever sold in over three and a half years of use, of which only a fraction remain unused. All remaining stamps were destroyed on 1 May 1857 provenance: Theodore Champion, By Private Sale, Pascal & Bernard Behr, Amphilex, 1996

Sold for
£62,000