CORINPHILA AUCTIONS 297 - 308 Day 1

1874: De La Rue Master Die Proof on glazed white card with the head-plate printed in violet, with hand-painted Duty Plate ONE PENNY in red, the ornamental surround hand-painted in violet with LAGOS / POSTAGE in grey. Handstamped "16 JAN 74" in black and signed off in manuscript "Approved M.S.". Illustrated in Ince & Sacher "The Postal Services of the British Nigeria Region" on page 66. A spectacular and unique Essay.rnNote: An order was recxeived by De La Rue from the Crown Agents on 6 January 1874 for a Die, a Keyplate of 60 and four Duty Plates. It was stated that the stamps should be "of a similar design as trhose supplied to Sierra Leone in 1871". De La Rue acknowledged this order on 16 January and submitted this Essay which was approved on the same day.rnProvenance: Collection H.G. Porter; Collection Col. J.R. Danson, RL, London, 10 March 1971, lot 1507.rn