The 2d Tyrian Plum is one of the most celebrated postage stamps of Great Britain and a key stamp in any rare stamp investment portfolio.
Issued in May 1910 the stamp arose because of a desire to economise on the costs of stamp production.
As a result all stamps were issued in one colour to reduce ink costs.
A new 2d stamp, the Tyrian Plum, bearing the portrait of King Edward VII, had been agreed and was in the process of being printed.
One hundred thousand sheets, totaling 24,000,000 stamps, were delivered to the post office stores for distribution to Postmasters.
However, following the death of Edward VII on 6 May 1910, it was decided not to go ahead with the new stamp and almost all the stock was destroyed.
To this day only a few examples survive in private hands, making this stamp one of the great rarities of British philately.
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Rarity
There are believed to be 12 known examples.
Only one example is known in 'used' condition. This is postmarked 5th May 1910 and was ironically sent and received by the newly crowned King George V, an avid stamp collector.
That example is held in the Royal Philatelic Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Examples of the Tyrian Plum are rarely seen on the open market. That's reflected in the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue pricing the stamp at £110,000++.
The example offered here is accompanied by a 1961 British Philatelic Association Certificate of Authenticity stating that the stamp is genuine. The stamp has a light gum bend on the reverse, not mentioned on the certificate.
This represents a rare opportunity to purchase one of just 12 known examples of this superb rare stamp.
Price: £85,000
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All items are sold with:
- Certificate of Authenticity with lifetime moneyback guarantee
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For further information please contact Adrian Roose @ adrianroose@paulfrasercollectibles.com
or telephone +44 (0) 117 933 9503
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