Recently, I acquired ( as part of a much larger Lot) about 50 British covers and cards sent from stamp dealers to their clients circa 1890 - 1960. Some pretty items, some rubbish. I went through them a first time and noted the better ones - maybe £5 to £20 each - then I looked through the rejects wondering how to use them. I came to this dirty looking cover from a Strand stamp dealer:
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I was about to throw it in my £1 Box when I realised it felt a bit thicker than a normal envelope. And so I looked inside:
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I laughed. And even more so when I checked the catalogue. In 1932 this stamp cost Monsieur Fontein 35/- (thirty five shillings = £1.75). Today it is catalogued by Stanley Gibbons at £180 for hinged mint.
Obviously, the stamp should stay with the envelope and letter - it would make a nice page in an Iraq collection.
But perhaps I should put it in my £1 Box and see how long it takes for someone to spot it. Well, the stamp has been there since 1932 so maybe another 80 years ....
Hi Trevor, I've been a longtime collector of older stamps and postal history but am a newcomer to your blog. As a postal history collector I think you raise an important lesson. More than once I've found little bonuses tucked away inside an envelope. Often these have been very common but like you I've had the odd "find" that brought a smile to my face. Thanks very much for an interesting and well written post.
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