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Auction: 5034 - GB Stamps & Postal History featuring Collections of J Carruthers, O O Ffooks and others
Lot: 160

GREAT BRITAIN Postal History 1879 (31 Dec.) letter insert from Dundee, acknowledging receipt of a page of stamp approvals from a stamp dealer in Birmingham called J.D. Russell, the letter states "I received..... the Foreign Stamps in a rather damp and dilapidated condition as it came with the Train which fell over the Tay Bridge on 28th inst..... many of them were sticking to each other and others of them were off the sheet altogether, which is not to wondered at as the mail bags were found about four miles from the spot where the disaster occurred...", the letter comes attached to the dealer´s printed approval folder (dated 27th December) which contains thirty-nine stamps (mostly European) with others missing and evidence of water damage; some faults and strengthened splits along the folds but in no way detracting from this wonderful item which combines a very rare reference to the famous Tay Bridge disaster and an extremely early example of a philatelic dealer´s approval service. Photo Estimate £ 500-600

Sold for
£380