Great Britain 1888 £1 Brown-Lilac (Watermark Three Orbs), SG186.
A superb unused example with original gum, lettered 'TD'. A lovely example with wonderful colour and gum. Without doubt one of the finest examples we have ever handled.
One of the rarest and most challenging Queen Victorian surface printed stamps to find in mint condition.
Provenance: ex Sold by Stanley Gibbons in 2015 for £48,000.
The £1 brown-lilac stamp is a heavyweight of British philately. The Long One Pound stamp is a stunning feature of Great Britain’s postal history. They are widely adored amongst collectors, but outside the financial reach of many because they are so rare and valuable.
The unique horizontal format caused a great stir at the time when it was first issued in 1884. These surface-printed stamps were produced by the printers, Thomas De La Rue.
It has an ornate style with corner letters which are different for each stamp in the sheet, typical of the stamps in the reign, to deter forgers.
The December 1887 printing of the £1 brown-lilac included just 997 sheets and they were printed on Orbs paper in error. It was easier to let it be issued than try to call back the paperwork and accounts. The precise issue date is unknown.
As a result of concern about a photographic forgery of the £1 brown-lilac around the middle of 1890, it was decided to change to colour of the stamp to green.
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