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1d Black - VR and Star
VR-PJ-1a.jpg

ACCORDING to Stanley Gibbons, all but 21 sheets of the 1d Black "VR" Official stamps were destroyed on 25 January 1843.


Of those 21 sheets, 15 were used to notify postmasters of their existence and purpose. The 

stamps used for that were presumably intended to be destroyed at some future time.

​

As often happens, some may not have been.

Here is one that may have survived.
 

It has been torn into two pieces and someone has had a go at putting it back together again. 


So not a great example, but it does have one saving grace.

 

This example is from position PJ, which as E D Bacon pointed out in his "The Line Engraved Postage Stamps of Great Britain", has a variety in the "R" square. 

VR-PJ-1b.jpg
VR-PJ-1c.jpg


These stamps were prepared by removing the top stars and replacing them with the letters "V" and "R".
 

In position PJ however, the star was not fully removed from the top-right corner.


Amazing what people throw away, or try to.

Steve Panting

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