Australian 1882 Large Chalons & Proofs

IMPERFORATE PLATE PROOFS ON CARD

10/- blue-green imperforate pair on thick wove paper handstamped 'SPECIMEN.' in rosine across the two units, with a higher faint impression that was probably applied first. [Basset Hull at page 159 refers to a single of the 10/- in blue-green "overprinted [sic] 'SPECIMEN' horizontally in black in large sans-serif capitals, probably extending over three stamps". This may well have been derived from the same sheet as this item & the h/s may be the same, as its length of 27mm is sufficient to appear on 3 units]

AUD$ 1000.00

IMPERFORATE PLATE PROOFS ON CARD

10/- blue-green complete imperforate sheet of 30 (5x6) with 'BRADBURY, WILKINSON & CO BANK NOTE ENGRAVERS &c. LONDON' imprint below units 2-4 on the bottom row, "on yellowish wove paper of medium thickness" (Basset Hull's terminology) & affixed to a piece of thin board. An exceptional exhibition item that fits neatly on a standard page. It appears that the imprints were burnished-off the plates before the main print-runs commenced in Brisbane. Apart from the imperforate proofs, only a few perforated stamps handstamped 'SPECIMEN' are recorded with part-imprint.One of the most outstanding items from the Bradbury Wilkinson Archives and the only such sheet in the sale: sold for £5175 at auction in 2000. The Robson Lowe "Encyclopaedia" states "Plate proof sheets of the 2/- 5/- 10/- & £1 appear also to have been included in the consignment forwarding the steel plates." Clearly, this particular sheet was retained by the printers & may have been the only such sheet kept for their archives. Very few other complete proof sheets have survived: Sir Gawaine Baillie's set of sheets were all defective.

AUD$ 12500.00

2/- die proof in black on thin card

reduced to stamp-size with margins good to large.

[Basset Hull recorded the 10/- only but states

"Similar die proofs may exist for the other values"]

AUD$ 5000.00

DIE PROOFS

Master die proof with blank value tablets below the Queen's portrait

& in the four corners, in black on thin card (55x60mm) recessed behind a

larger piece of grey card (120x114mm) to which is attached a printed
'ENGRAVED BY BRADBURY, WILKINSON & CO. LTD.' label, a few insignificant

tonespots on the Queen's neck otherwise very fine.

A dramatic item of the highest level of importance. Ex Bradbury Wilkinson Archives.

[This most beautiful of all Australian Colonial designs was engraved by Herbert Bourne]

Superb Very Rare aprox value AUD$ 15000.00