2169

Sale number: 17

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 1 single [R1/1] in a 'cold' red-brown shade on unwatermarked, gummed, white wove paper, vertical crease along frame-line at left and tiny natural paper flaw not detracting from appearance, otherwise fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(1), cat. £3,000. Photo.

Price Realised £850

2170

Sale number: 17

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 1 single [R2/4] in a red-brown shade on unwatermarked, gummed, white wove paper, small fault at left, otherwise fine with part original gum. S.G. Spec. DP20(1), cat. £3,000. Photo.

Price Realised £600

2171

Sale number: 17

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 1 single [R3/1] in black on unwatermarked, ungummed, thick white wove paper, faint vertical crease or bend not detracting from appearance, otherwise fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(1), cat. £3,000. Photo.

Price Realised £1300

507

Sale number: 19

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 1 single [R3/4] in reddish-brown on unwatermarked, ungummed, white wove paper, very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(1), cat. £3,000. Photo.

Price Realised £2100

508

Sale number: 19

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 block of four [R1/3-2/4] in lilac-rose on unwatermarked, ungummed, wove paper, deeply blued by prussiate of potash, the lower pair with light crease, otherwise very fine and most striking. S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. £10,000+. Photo.

Price Realised £4500

906

Sale number: 32

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 top marginal single in lilac-rose on unwatermarked, ungummed, wove paper, deeply blued by prussiate of potash, very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. from £4,000. Photo.

Price Realised £2200

907

Sale number: 32

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 single [probably R1/3] in blue showing strong ivory head on white wove paper, very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(3)b, cat. from £4,000. Photo.

Price Realised £2300

908

Sale number: 32

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 single [R2/5] in deep blue on white wove paper watermarked small crown (sideways), very fine and rare. S.G. Spec. DP20(3)c. Photo.

Price Realised £2700

928

Sale number: 38

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second Trial Plate, state 3, a complete sheet of twelve printed in a deep blue oil based ink, as an experiment for colour for the 2d. stamp, on white unwatermarked wove paper, endorsed 'B Pruss. blue plain' by Joshua Bacon in ink at foot and with similar pencil endorsement at top, very fine, a light bend crosses lower left stamp but in no way detracting. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 3(c). Photo.See 'Rainbow Trials' by David Rowse, pages 133–140 'Bacon's letter of 2 November says he is sending Rowland Hill ''thirteen variations''. The letters A, B, etc. on the sheets denote the shade of ink. None of these trials was found to be sufficiently fugitive and all were rejected by Hill'.

Price Realised £30000

929

Sale number: 38

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second Trial Plate, state 3, [R1/3–2/4] upper right corner block of four in blue on white wove paper dipped in prussiate of potash and showing double lined ''(MORBEY & SAUN)DERS/(183)9'' paper makers watermark, very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 3(c). Photo.

Price Realised £11000

930

Sale number: 38

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 single from base of sheet [R3/3] in red-brown on white wove paper, very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20b. Photo.

Price Realised £2500

3420

Sale number: 41

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 1, the complete sheet of twelve in black, on unwatermarked ungummed wove paper, superb and a great rarity, a key item of classic Great Britain philately, to our knowledge the only state 1 sheet in black to have been offered at auction in at least the last fifty years. S.G. Spec. DP20(1). Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

3421

Sale number: 41

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 1, lower right corner marginal block of four [R2/3–3/4] in orange-red on unwatermarked white wove paper, with ''NATIONAL BANK OF IRELAND/No. 183'' trial cancellation in black, endorsed in pencil on reverse 'No. 1 Stamp', prepared for cancellation removal trials but pristine as none carried out on this block, superb and of great rarity. S.G. Spec. DP20(1). Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

3422

Sale number: 41

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 2, nine one penny stamps, all printed in black containing 'Prussiate of Potash' in the inks, affixed to sheet of watermarked laid paper. Four of the stamps are of a black/greenish tinge and come from position 12 of the sheet, and five a black/reddish hue.t. This sheet is exactly the same as a sheet in the Royal Collection but stuck down in a different order. No other example of this sheet is known. These stamps were almost certainly produced as a final attempt to make a fugitive black stamp and examples must have been used for trial cancellations but none are now known. A superb exhibition item of the highest calibre. Photo.The sheet in the Royal Collection is dated '19th Augst 1840' and has a legend appended at right in Joshua Bacon's son Perkins' hand as follows:'No. 1 Ink. Composed of the usual black ground in oil with addition of Prussiate of Potash and turpentine. Paper wetted in Prussiate of Potash and Carbonate of Potash.No. 2. - Same as No 1 except a little more potash in ink.No. 3. Paper stained in Prussiate of Potash, logwood and cochineal - to aid the obliteration of Head in an attempt to take out diurnal stamp.No. 4. Same as No 3 lighter tint, 5. Lighter tint

Price Realised UNSOLD

3423

Sale number: 41

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 3, [R2/1] single in rosy-mauve on unwatermarked white wove paper, used for cancellation trial and with an almost complete strike of a black Maltese Cross. Very rare, we know of only three other similar examples, one of which is in the Tapling collection in the British Library and another in the Philbrick collection in the Archiv für Philatelie, Bohn (see page 92 of 'The Invention of Stamps' edited by Andreas Hahn). S.G. Spec. DP20(3). Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

3424

Sale number: 41

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 3, [R2/1] marginal single in the selected red-brown colour 16G with very strong prussiate in the ink showing on reverse, on gummed paper watermarked small crown and cancelled with the long spiked Maltese Cross probably in use at 11 Downing Street. Very rare. S.G. Spec. DP20(3). Photo.

Price Realised £8000

3425

Sale number: 41

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 3, [R3/3–4] marginal pair in a most attractive deep blue shade on gummed watermarked small crown sideways paper, used for cancelletion trials, each stamp with a black Maltese Cross and an 11mm horizontal cut. Extremely rare, we know of only the adjoining pair similarly cancelled, and an uncancelled single from this sheet. Photo.This pair must relate to the abrading experiments which Rowland Hill carried out and reported on 17 September, to Sir Francis Baring, the Chancellor. Hill was contemplating a drastic solution to the problem of an immovable cancellation; namely to 'tear, prick or abrade the surface' so that the stamp could not be used again.

Price Realised UNSOLD

2671

Sale number: 45

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 1 single [R3/2] in a deep red-brown shade on unwatermarked, white wove paper, used for cancellation abraiding trials with grid of punctures and 14mm horizontal cut, very rare. S.G. Spec. DP20F, cat. £12,000 (2006). Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

476

Sale number: 49

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 1 single [R3/2] in a deep red-brown shade on unwatermarked, white wove paper, used for cancellation abraiding trials with grid of punctures and 14mm horizontal cut, very rare. S.G. Spec. DP20F, cat. £12,000 (2006). Photo.

Price Realised £2200

477

Sale number: 49

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 [R2/4] marginal single in lilac-rose on unwatermarked, ungummed, wove paper, deeply blued by prussiate of potash, faintest trace of a horizontal crease not detracting from appearance, otherwise very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. £5,000. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

387

Sale number: 54

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 [R2/4] marginal single in lilac-rose on unwatermarked, ungummed, wove paper, deeply blued by prussiate of potash, very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. from £4,000. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

388

Sale number: 54

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3, a complete sheet of twelve in olive-green on slightly bluish thick laid paper, endorsed 'C. P. Paper Nov 23  B' in Joshua Bacon's hand, also showing diagonal stitch watermark at left crossing stamps 5, 9 & 10, very fine and rare. S.G. Spec. DP20(3)d, cat. £54,000+ (as singles). Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

389

Sale number: 54

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 [R3/1-2] lower left corner marginal pair in deep blue with prussiate of potash in the ink showing strong ivory heads, on white wove paper, endorsed 'F 1/2 Pruss. & 1/2 Ch(i blue plain)' in Edwin Hill's handvery fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(3)b, cat. £8,500+. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

388

Sale number: 61

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 2, [R2/1] single in deep red-brown on thin wove paper with traces of dried gum, shows unusual 'dragged' print at left, fine. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 2(c), cat. from £4,000. Photo.

Price Realised £950

389

Sale number: 61

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 2, [R2/1] single in deep red-brown on thin wove paper, close or just touching at top, otherwise fine. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 2(c), cat. from £4,000. Photo.

Price Realised £450

390

Sale number: 61

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 3, [R2/1] marginal single in deep blue with very strong prussiate in the ink showing on reverse, very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 3(b), cat. £4,250. Photo.

Price Realised £1600

391

Sale number: 61

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 3, [R2/1] single in pale red on white wove paper, creases, otherwise fine. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 3(b), cat. £4,000. Photo.

Price Realised £350

1436

Sale number: 62

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 single [R2/3] in red-brown on white wove paper, very fine. S.G. Spec. DP20b, cat. £4,000. Photo.

Price Realised £1800

639

Sale number: 68

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 1 single [R1/3] in reddish brown on unwatermarked, ungummed, white wove paper, fine. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 1, cat. from £5,000. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

714

Sale number: 71

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 1 single [R1/3] in reddish brown on unwatermarked, ungummed, white wove paper, fine. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 1, cat. from £5,500. Photo.

Price Realised £1600

585

Sale number: 76

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 single [R2/1] in red-brown on white wove paper, stuck down to mounting card. S.G. Spec. DP20b, cat. £4,500. Photo.

Price Realised £700

586

Sale number: 76

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3c single in red-brown on watermarked Crown (sideways) white wove paper, probably used in cleaning tests, rare. S.G. Spec. DP20(2)c, cat. £16,000. Photo

Price Realised UNSOLD

587

Sale number: 76

1840 (June) Paper and Gum Trials, 1d. black plate 7 EI, trial printings on lighter weight paper - 24lbs, 26lbs, and 28lbs, (the normal paper weight being 30lbs per ream), with concentric circle trial cancellation, fine with full margins, extremely rare. R.P.S. and Brandon Certificates (2008). S.G. Spec. DP20G. Photo

Price Realised UNSOLD

1506

Sale number: 96

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 [R3/4] corner single in lilac-pink on unwatermarked, ungummed, wove paper, dipped in prussiate of potash, mounted in corner of margin, very fine. B.P.A. certificate (2014). S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. from £4,500. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

407

Sale number: 106

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 [R3/4] corner single in lilac-pink on unwatermarked, ungummed, wove paper, dipped in prussiate of potash, mounted in corner of margin, very fine. B.P.A. certificate (2014). S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. from £4,500. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

525

Sale number: 114

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Very fine four margin example printed on white wove paper in rosy-mauve cancelled by a black Maltese Cross. Very rare, only three examples recorded, one of which resides in the Tapling collection at the British Library. S.G. Spec. DP20F. Photo.

Price Realised £6000

990

Sale number: 118

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 single in lilac-pink on white wove paper, dipped in prussiate of potash, imperf., with cancellation removed, fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. from £4,500. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

991

Sale number: 118

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 top marginal single in lilac-rose on unwatermarked, ungummed, wove paper, deeply blued by prussiate of potash, just touched at top, otherwise fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. from £4,500. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

992

Sale number: 118

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 single in blue on white wove paper, dipped in prussiate of potash, imperf., fine. Brandon certificate (2000). S.G. Spec. DP20(3)a, cat. £4,500. Photo.

Price Realised UNSOLD

993

Sale number: 118

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 single in red-brown on white wove paper, fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(3)b, cat. from £4,500. Photo.

Price Realised £650

409

Sale number: 121

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 2 [R. 3/4] corner single in lilac-pink on unwatermarked, ungummed, wove paper, dipped in prussiate of potash, mounted in corner of margin, very fine. B.P.A. certificate (2014). S.G. Spec. DP20(2)a, cat. from £4,500. Photo.

Price Realised £1300

515

Sale number: 125

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate, state 3 single in deep blue on white wove paper, dipped in prussiate of potash, imperf., diagonal crease, otherwise fine. S.G. Spec. DP20(3)a, cat. £4,500. Ex Chartwell. Photo.

Price Realised £1000

561

Sale number: 128

1840 Rainbow Colour Trials: Second trial plate state 2, single in red-brown on thin wove paper, close at upper left otherwise good to large margins, thinned area at left. S.G. Spec. DP20 state 2(c), cat. from £4,000. Photo.

Price Realised £280