1840 (May 13) Entire addressed to Mrs King in Bath bearing a...

Estimate

£5,000 - £6,000

1840 (May 13) Entire addressed to Mrs King in Bath bearing a 1d black (JD plate 2, three margins), not cancelled and without any postal markings but received through the post from Bristol, inscribed inside by George King "May 13, letter from London this morning", later sent by King to Francis Baring, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, enclosed within an interesting covering letter, "Bath May 15th 40, sir, The enclosed envelope of a letter received by me per post from Bristol yesterday is sent to you to show how easy it is to commit a fraud on the Post Office. I could with the greatest ease take off the penny stamp and use it again there being no Bristol or Bath mark on the envelope. My brother had a letter from the same party by the same post & his envelope is the same, he had taken off the stamp before I drew his attention to it & perhaps would have used it again. The letters ought to have had the Bristol or Bath postmark on them, there therefore must be great negligence on the part of someone in one or other of the offices. Being very anxious that the public should have the full benefit of such a boon as the penny post & that the present Liberal government should sustain no necessary loss is the reason why I trouble the Chancellor of the Exchequer with this letter. The preventive is very simple, compel the parties at the Post Office to put the Post Office mark over the penny stamp which would so mutilate the stamp as to tender it unfit for use again, George King". An interesting and unique pair, from the papers of Francis Baring (Baron Northbrook). (Cover + letter). Photo on page 106.