British Empire / Commonwealth

June 2023: Stephen Holder is unwell at the moment and is not, at present, able to take any orders or add new stock to this website.
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Mixed franking with France 3 x 50c 'Peace' cancelled with Ancy s/ Moselle Agence Postale hexagonal d/s 18 September 1936; forwarded from London to Lagos with added GB KGV 6d cancelled London FS 38  20(?) August; b/s Lagos 31 August 1936; a fine scarce combination

Reference: 1277

GB KGV Downey Head 1d cancelled large d/r cds Allahabad RMS, 3 January 1917; boxed h/s 'undelivered for reason stated Return to Sender'; T in circle and 1d postage due cancelled 1 February 1917; on reverse large MS 'refused'; on front 'Bombay DLO Postage Due 2 annas'; on reverse Bombay DLO, 3 March, 7 March; Lucknow DLO 14 March 1917

Reference: 1268

Gibraltar QE2 3d pictorial + US 8d Liberty definitive, cancelled USS Salem warship 21 May 1954; also with USS Saratoga cachet; on reverse 2 line h/s Algiers/North Africa and New York slogan d/s; probably sent during the production of 'The Battle of the River Plate', when USS Salem played the Graf Spee in the film

Reference: 1255

KE7 1d pink on grey PS card upgraded with ½d & 1d definitives, cancelled Potchefstroom (?) 21 December 1909 in the Walfish Bay enclave in German SW Africa (Now Namibia); no b/s

Reference: 1253

A Rhodesian stamp in the UDI era; cancelled 14 April 1970; stamp not valid, thus 1/2d postage due charged; GB postage due stamps 4d, 4 x 2d, 2 x 1d; cancelled Kenilworth 9 May 1970; front only but useful item

Reference: 1249

GB 1d lilac 16 dots cancelled FPO BO British South Africa 8 August 1900; s/r cds MODDER RIVER 7 Aug 1900 the d/s of origin; on patriotic Boer War card; a good scarce postmark

Reference: 1248

Large commercial envelope with label for 'The Harem Monthly" from Lahore to Nottingham; Pakistan pictorials 10p, 7p; m/s "not known at this address", Nottingham cds 13 June 1975; on reverse 'received in London June 1975'; from MV 'Nordwind', trapped in the Suez Canal after the Six Day War

Reference: 1246

Independent UDI Rhodesia 2 x 10c + 2 x 5c pictorials, Salisbury to Gloucester 15 April 1970; stamps not considered valid in GB; green 'To Pay'/'I.S.' (inland service) boxed h/s: red label added indicating unrecognised issues; GB postage due 2 x 1/- + 2 x 2/6 (2 applications): a fine example of this period

Reference: 1231

Christchurch Air Race, 5 Red Cross issues (50c) SG769-773 plus 25c airmail and 10c definitive; illustrated cover for 8 Oct 1953 with VF race cachet in violet; cancelled Rotterdam 23 September 1953; b/s Christchurch 11 Oct 1953

Reference: 1227
Brazil-Canada 1945

Diamond shape commemoratives 3 x 40 ctvos on registered envelope to Nova Scotia, inspected twice by censors and sealed with Brazilian & British censor tape; various b/s including 3 T.P.O.s; forwarded and mis-routed (?) in the post; cancellation on stamps unclear but presumed to be Brazil

Reference: 1209
Egypt prepaid 1935

Unstamped envelope franked with red crowned cachet "Egypt Postage Prepaid 17" with s/r cds M.P.O. ALEXANDRIA 17 February 1935; on reverse red "British Forces in Egypt" 1 piastre letter stamp; cancelled with a Retta diamond h/s

Reference: 1208

Airmail envelope franked with KGVI Coronation issue 30c x 5, 20c x 5 and (on reverse) 5c x 5 ; from Mbale, Uganda to Elmenteita, Kenya 12 May 1937; FDC

Reference: 1201

3 x ½ Anna + 2 annas all cancelled s/r cds WADHWAN CITY 31 October 1907 (error for "3 October"?); re-addressed several times; b/s Vichnia Kathianar 3 October, 5 November, 11 November; Chuda 1 November; Morvad 1 & 2 November;  forwarding details uncertain; ms in red 'refused'; fragile but interesting native language cover

Reference: 1199

Cut down 3as registered envelope with added 17 copies of QV 3 pies grey + 1 dropped off and endorsed in blue crayon (7 ½ as rate); cancelled Lahore 2 November 1936; b/s Sutton Coldfield 23 November 1936; late use of QV issues

Reference: 1198

Mixed franking France 10c Merson + Gibraltar KEVII 1d purple on red, both cancelled 2 September 1904; on twin view of Gibraltar PPC; with s/r cds on readdressing from Llangefuis to Llanberis

Reference: 1182

KGVI 2/- and 10/- on airmail envelope lightly cancelled GRENADA 26 September 1942, to Sussex; wartime airmail, uncensored; small faults to envelope and front only but a good franking

Reference: 1181

QV 1c yellow cancelled circle of bars and s/r cds, St Catherines, 15 August 1894; h/s 'Not called for' and 'Returned to'; arrival d/s St Catherines, 31 August 1894; no b/s; 1c used alone for the local rate; 2 different cds of the same town

Reference: 1178

complete envelope (has been opened out) with illustrated advertising for Hats and plastic tablecloths (front & back), franked with 6 x 3d pictorials, for 1/6 airmail rate to Bristol, cancelled Kingston 16 September 1955, slight faults to envelope but a very striking cover

Reference: 1169

Canada 2 x 3c Royal Visit issue (SG 374) cancelled Hamilton 26 August 1940, with censor's sealing strip 5636: Lundy 2 puffins orange cancelled by green Lundy slogan d/s and s/r cds 21 September 1940: a most unusual combination

Reference: 1168

Gold Coast KGV issues overprinted Togo Anglo-French Occupation 4 x  ½d & 3 x 1d, (2 stamps on reverse), cancelled 16 June 1916 with bridged d/r cds, registered; violet h/s ' Passed by Censor Lomé (Togo) ',  b/s Registered Plymouth 10 July, London 11 July, Buchs, Aarau 14 July 1916: note one ½d has the variety small 'F' in French.  A fine scarce item

Reference: 1167
Bermuda threepence registered envelope 1922

KGV 3 pence embossed registration envelope 8" x 5"; c1922, unused, scarce (previous owner sold for £50)

Reference: 1164
South Africa Unclaimed on two ships 1947

3 x 3d (SG 113) ROYAL VISIT on envelope rather battered by forwarding, cancelled m/c d/s Port Elizabeth, 14 May 1947, to a Union Castle ship, forwarded more than once: 2 boxed violet h/s "UNCLAIMED ON BOARD ARUNDEL CASTLE" and "UNCLAIMED ON BOARD CARNARVON CASTLE 21 MAY 1947"; airmail label; b/s London 20 May 1947; faults to envelope but spectacular maritime item

Reference: 1158
Trinidad & Tobago OHMS to Bristol 1964

Official envelope inscribed "On Trinidad and Tobago Government" franked with 12c QE2 stamp, to Bristol 19 August 1964: h/s "On Postal Service" & "Postmaster General" and "Air mail" with an official letter from Trinidad Postmaster General, signed, enclosing a typed list of all the Post Offices then open (in August 1954) including in Tobago, with 27 added in ms; important historical document

Reference: 1157
Egypt to UK 1940 censored

King's Head 5 mils, 10 mils, 4 x 15 mils, 13 mils + 30 mils airmail pictorial, all cancelled bilingual s/r bridged cds Alexandria 16 January 1940 to London; m/s "Imperial Airways" and h/s "English language"; red circular censor's h/s 'M'; no b/s; attractive franking

Reference: 1142
Nigeria registered airmail 1950

KGVI 20 x ½d, 2 x 1/d, 1/- on 3d registered envelope; by airmail, cancelled with oval registered d/s MAIDUGUN, NIGERIA (also on reverse) 16 August 1950 & s/r cds KANO; blue-green GB Customs Inspector's cachet; a striking 2/3d rate

Reference: 1136
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June 2023: Stephen Holder is unwell at the moment and is not, at present, able to take any orders or add new stock to this website