54th AUCTION - Day 2

Ceylon / Sri Lanka: 1850, 11.6 cover from PUSSELAWA (Pusilawe) to Kandy showing

Ceylon / Sri Lanka

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1850, 11.6 cover from PUSSELAWA (Pusilawe) to Kandy showing a fine strike of the departure handstamp on reverse "PUSILAWE / POST" (Oxley #21 - "FREE" unrecorded; Proud #D2) with "Free, 11 June, 1850" inserted in manuscript. Lower left signature "GA M.B Worms"of Maurice Benedict de Worms (1805-1867), fabled as the "developer of Ceylon" brought the first tea seedlings together with his brother Gabriel from China in September 1841, and founded a nursery on his estate at Pusellawa. The signatory was a relative of Baron Anthony de Worms (1869 - 1938), one of the greatest students of Ceylon philately. In the foreword to Harmers' 1938 auction catalogue for the Baron's collection, it was stated he received important stamps "from uncles on the family coffee estates in Ceylon". A VERY RARE POSTMARK, UNRECORDED BY OXLEY WITH MANUSCRIPT FREE, MOST PROBABLY UNIQUE.

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Condition: Cover