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Auction: 14011 - Fine Stamps and Covers of China and Hong Kong with Japan and Korea
Lot: 2463

Great Britain
Line Engraved Imprimaturs
Lucky Numbers
An impression of each new printing plate was required to be made on watermarked paper and submitted to Somerset House for approval. This was called the imprimatur sheet. Once approval had been given, this sheet was stored in the archives. During the 19th century a number of stamps were officially removed from each sheet as gifts to important people. Around the year 1900 three of the corner copies were removed from each sheet and made into presentation sets. One set was given to H.R.H. The Duke of York (later King George V) and remains in the Royal collection. The second set was given to the Earl of Crawford, which later passed into the collection of Col. A.S. Bates, his collection being sold in 1934. The final set being given to Leonard H. Clark. This final set did not change hands until after the death of the owner and was sold by auction in 1946 The imprimatur sheets often show shade variations to the issued stamps. The sheets of Line-engraved are all without gum. The corner examples, showing the plate number, are particularly prized, there being only two examples from each sheet available in private hands. These command a significant premium over the normal examples 1841 One Penny Red-Brown Plate 88, AA-AB rejoined corner pair in light and deep red-brown showing plate number and margin inscription; AB with top margin trimmed a little. Slight bluing of the paper on the left side of AA. The stamps show the closed A of this plate. Fine. Photo

Estimate
HK$90,000 to HK$100,000