GB 1840 1d Black on piece with *BROWN INK* Maltese Cross cancellation - Bought in a lovely collection of early GB I am breaking down. His 2/- Brown with Cert will be listed shortly. Owner had it noted it on page as 'Brown Ink Maltese Cross' and his pencil note also said 'purchased Stanley Gibbons, Strand, May 1982.' Annoyingly, he left no note re price paid. The SG Specialised QV catalogue lists and prices Maltese Cross cancels in all sorts of different colour ink, more than in 'Part 1' as tiny town postmasters needed to mix up the ink themselves for these new fangled cancel devices, as very oddly, no ink supply was supplied from the GPO - the steel cancel only. So clearly all sorts of odd local variations occurred, using whatever ink colour was easiest to source! Even YELLOW ink exists. :mrgreen:
Colour cancels that are SG listed include Blue (£8,000) Violet (£12,000) and Magenta (£2,250) etc. ‘On cover’ SG trebles these prices - ‘on piece’ I have no firm idea - probably double. SG A1(vi) Cat £3000 off piece, and £9,500 ‘on cover’. SG Specialised notes the Brown ink MX exist from many different villages. I'd call it a 'Russet-Brown' if it were a stamp colour being discussed. British Paints seem to agree -
www.tinyurl.com/Russet-Brown - VERY fortunately, being on neat piece still, the chances of ink changing or altering when being washed etc can be discounted. I put it into stock at 250 quid as it cost me a modest sum in the Estate - attractive looking 4 margin example, very clean, no foxing, sold as seen - $US325 at $A500 - Stock 547LH
https://stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=97479
