274th - 283th Corinphila Auction - Day 6

1901 (Oct 8): 1 d. brown overprinted ♚ in black, a single example used on commercial cover with contents from Lieut-Colonel W.E. Gudgeon, the Resident Commissioner, to the Earl of Ranfurly, Governor General of New Zealand tied by "Cook Islands / Rarotonga" circular datestamp (March 3) in black. The letter is superb on the subject of the recent provisionals - "I have managed to secure ten stamps of the ones you want and have placed them on envelopes which I have addressed to various people and got stamped by the Post Office...it seems that only 2400 of these stamps were available for the surcharge and therefore they are already scarce...it did not occur to me or I would have secured some of the Crown stamps. I believe the only man who did so was Dr. George Cray and a Mr. Davis.." thereafter the letter turns more political and concerns the weather, harvests and later states "It is not easy to make these Maoris understand that they can't go on in the same feckless manner that has been the rule in past years...believe me my Lord, I very much regret you have retired...". A wonderful cover.