£600
TRISTAN RELIEF 2½c+3d SINGLE-FRANKING COMMERCIAL SURFACE RATE COVER TO G.B.; 12 Oct. 1961 env. (Union Castle Line flag device printed on flap) to Godalming franked only by the very rare Tristan da Cunha 2½c with "ST. HELENA/Tristan Relief/3d +" opt tied by a mainly fine "ST. HELENA" cds with "C" code and "OC 12/6[1]" (the first day of use of the Relief stamps) just discernible. Very few covers with the Tristan Relief stamps have survived and hardly any such as this that had genuine contents. The addressee had fortuitously been in correspondence at the time with the St. Helena Postmaster, C.J. George, about postal services on Ascension and this envelope (addressed by C.J.G. himself) contained a hand-written letter from Mr. George on that subject. This cover was illustrated in the 10 Nov. 1961 issue of 'Stamp Collecting' (p.293; photocopy included) when the news of this short-lived emergency issue first broke. The original contents of this letter are now held in the archives of the Royal Philatelic Society in London, amongst a file of research papers on Ascension compiled and donated by Gavin Fryer. Important Exhibition Item, which has never previously been offered for sale. [Ex Gavin Fryer.] Cross Reference: TRISTAN DA CUNHA
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