On the first day of the world’s first universal national postal service, a single letter was sent with two of the pioneering Penny Blacks affixed to the envelope.
Now, the legendary Protestant Dissenters cover is for sale with a British collectibles dealer.
The letter is rather mundane, but very important to its sender and recipient: the envelope contains an insurance policy from the Protestant Dissenters & General Life & Fire Insurance Company. It was sent to Robert Squirrell of Stowmarket from the insurers in London.
Mr Squirrell got his insurance cover and the senders created what Mike Hall of sellers Paul Fraser Collectibles calls, “the most important philatelic item you can possibly own,” and “a titan of the philatelic world”.
The contents were heavy enough to demand two stamps.
And that makes this a unique survival from the biggest red letter day in postal history.
The contract the stamps sent is also the only document of its kind to survive after being posted on the first day of the post.
Only 70 stamped letters sent on that revolutionary day 185 years ago are known to survive today.
Many look their age.
Not this one though, which is described as being in “exceptional condition”.
Stowmarket’s Baptist Church, which was built in 1813. Mr Squirrell wanted cover for a new meeting house in nearby Finborough. Image by Simon Knott, flickr.
Mr Hall says the cover’s story is very well known.
He says: “The cover has only appeared for sale once: in 2002. The buyer was the renowned British philatelist Alan Holyoake.
“The Protestant Dissenters cover was the centrepiece in his unparalleled ‘The First Official Day of Use – 6 May 1840’ exhibit, which won the London 2010 Grand Prix, the highest possible philatelic award.”
It’s been authenticated by two of the most respected stamp collecting authorities: the British Philatelic Association and David Brandon.
It is not valued by catalogues, because it is unique, but single-stamp first day covers from May 6 1840 have gone from a catalogue value of £750 in 1970 to as high as £160,000 in 2011.
Mr Hall says he believes that – after an anomalous drop in prices caused largely by problems at Stanley Gibbons – prices are now heading back towards that 2011 peak.
The Protestant Dissenters Cover is listed now at the Paul Fraser Collectibles website.
