Auction 221 - Australia

Recess by Perkins Bacon 1855: 1 s. violet, wmk. Large Star, imperforate, prepared for use and sent to the Colony but never issued, a wonderful and fresh unused example with large margins all round and portion of adjoining stamp at left, of excellent delicate colour, an outstanding example of this enormously rare and elusive stamp. Signed Herbert Bloch Gi = £ 26'000.rnrnNote: The stocks of this stamp were destroyed on June 5, 1857 (date of confirmation letter from the Adelaide GPO signed by the Assistant Treasurer, Assistant Auditor and the Inspector of Stamps) as they could have been confused with the 6 d. value. It is thought that all surviving examples derive from a block of 24 released by Perkins Bacon, six of which were given to Ormonde Hill with the barred 'Cancelled' obliterator handstamp. From the balance of 18 stamps, four are in institutional collections and Michael Blake and Tony Presgrave located the whereabouts of 15 examples - one of which, judging by the margin on the left of this example is defective! What must be pointed out though is that these 24 stamps never reached South Australia.
Catalogue 221: The Besançon Collection Australia & Australien States