CORFU – RARE USAGE OF THE ½d ORANGE + 1d BLUE ON 1½d-RATE (BY AUSTRIAN STEAMER) COVER TO CEPHALONIA; 30 Aug. 1859 E (reinforced inside around stamps, and other faults incl. some stains and most of the small lower flap removed) from Corfu to “Cefalonia” with near-4-margined 1859 1d Blue (shaved along the foot) + near-4-margined rare 1859 ½d Orange (touched at top right) tied to each other by a single mainly fine grey-black Corfu oval-framed “FRANCA” with mainly v. fine blue 2-ring “CORFU” cds alongside, along with a faint blue fancy oval Cephalonia arrival d.s. The ½d stamp has clearly been torn from the cover many years ago and then been carefully put back in the correct place; both stamps clearly belong to this cover. The 1½d rate represented 1d Ionian Is. postage + an extra ½d for carriage by the Austrian Lloyd steamer. A rare example of this rare rate (of which only 15 are recorded) and franking. Rare cover with two values of this short-lived and most attractive Perkins Bacon issue; these stamps were in use for less than 5 years, as the islands were finally ceded to Greece on 30 May 1864. [Ex Corinphila auction, Dec. 2007, lot 4170; realised CHF5,950=c.£2,542.] [With 1998 Simmermacher Certificate of Genuineness.] (Estimate 1500 GBP)
(via Philasearch.com – Ionian Islands)
http://ift.tt/2seHIP7 Club June 15, 2017 at 05:30PM
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