Auction 333-341 Western Australia & Great Britain - Day 3

The Inverted Frame 1854 (Aug 1): 4 d. pale blue, wmk. Swan sideways, a used cut round example of this famous stamp (Row 8, stamp 1, Pane A, position 141), fine lightly used with Bowra circle and bars numeral "2" obliterator of Perth in black, insignificant closed tear, showing the sheet marginal watermark at left and thus confirming the sheet position from the first Pane. The "Inverted Swan" variety was noticed and replaced before the larger printings of late 1855 and examples of these replaced steroes can be found in the following lots in this collection. Of the 13 examples of this error known to have survived this example is listed at number 'VIII' in L.N. and M. Williams's work on the world's rarities, 7 of the 13 are in permanent or institutional collections: The collection of His Majesty King Charles III, the Tapling at the British Library, The Duke of Leinster collection at the National Museum of Ireland, The Western Australian Museum in Perth, The White collection at the Mitchell Library in Sydney and two in the Miss Vickery collection in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. The remaining six examples (Williams number XV was later found to be a forgery) are with collectors - including one extraordinary collection that contains no less than 4 examples (Nos. IV, VII, XI and XII). Thus as I write, just two examples can be considered to be possibly "available" on the philatelic market. An outstandingly rare stamp and a famous and iconic error. Cert. RPSL (1933) Gi = £ 180'000.
Provenance: Purchased in a collection by M. Kurt Maier in 1913 thence to the collection of H.P. Manus; Plumridge, London, Manus sale 8, 7 July 1933, lot 295 - purchased by Richard Roberts; R.B. Yardley, Harmers, London, sale 5, 12 Dec 1944, lot 469 - purchased by Noël Calnan; Robson Lowe, 20 Oct 1964, lot 193; H.A.V. Bulleid, Christie's, New York, 15 June 1989, lot 3454.
Exhibited at the Royal Philatelic Society London Exhibition commemorating the Silver Jubilee of King George V from 6-11 May 1935.