Rarirty Red Sun Postmark On Qv 1d Red Stamp

Excellent info thanks everyone can anyone plate the stamp? This is the first scalloped sun mark I have come across so find it hard to imagine that they are common. 35 - 40 UK pounds is a good price do we have any examples of this being sold in other online auctions recently?

My opinion is that until proven otherwise that it is a fake, at least as far as the postage stamp is concerned. My reasoning is that not only is it not tied to the cover, but also because the black ink goes all the way to the very edges of the stamp and there is no trace of black ink on the cover itself from what I can see. It is also my opinion that there does not have to be a reason to fake an old letter based only on whether the value with the stamp makes it dramatically higher than without. Stamp collectors have been around since this letter was sent and it could have had a different stamp on it that was removed by a collector at some point and then this stamp was added as a replacement, or since there is no trace of cancellation on the cover then it could have been a stampless free frank that a collector at some point since 1846 decided was not collectible and so they added the stamp to make it fit their idea of a cover, or it could have been a recent addition by someone who was selling the cover but who did not know that stampless covers of this age are valuable just like stamped ones are. There are many possible reasons and I would think that it would take a close personal examination of the cover to determine whether this stamp was originally on the cover.

I too am impressed with the knowledge and help folks supply in this forum, a big thank you to those who contribute in this way. duncanvr, I hope that if any of these folks buy something from you that you give them a nice discount, many of them are helping you in your business quite a bit.
Don

The lack of postage due markings makes me assume that this was a stamped cover originally. The Chief Office postal marking on the back shows that it was fit to continue to destination. It is not possible for it to be a stampless Free frank.
Opinions differ on whether the stamp belongs to that cover. I'd suspect the value of the cover would, indeed, lie in the Sunday marking as duncanvr mentioned. Not rare if taken in the total of Sunday markings issued but the use by that date would have been infrequent. The most use would have been in combination with a Free frank as there was need for a distinct posting date.

Thanks all fantastic comments and help




This is why I hope someone can plate the stamp so we can determine if stamp is high value. If one had been removed there would have been postmark evidence from the old stamp?

Yes many thanks for all who help not only me on this site but the level of overall help to collectors on this site is fantastic.

Don I really could not tell you if folks on here have ever bought from my ebay shop no one has ever mentioned to me they belong to this site when they bought items from me. In anycase many of my items are dirt cheap so don't need to discount them.

Very nice letter indeed!

That SUN postmark with serif letters is known used from 1832 to 1855.

From 1857 to 1868 it is known used the type with sans-serif letters.

(info taken from British County Catalogue for London)

As it has already been said it cannot be a Free frank, in 1846 it didn't exist!

Members of either House of Parliament I think still had some postage exemptions but in your case the letter was sent to a private address.