CORINPHILA AUCTIONS 297 - 308 Day 3

First Printing Group 1865: 1 real pale bistre, the famous block of 28 used on 1865 large part cloth cover to Riobamba, positions 19-25/28-34/37-43/46-52; with faults on three or four adhesives of no great significance, all cancelled by ten strikes of the 64 dot lozenge and eight strikes of the "Guaranda" circular datestamp (Oct 29) on despatch. Position 43 showing additional vertical line at SE corner and doubling of top outer frame line and position 50 showing the extended "R" in "Correos" flaw. A magnificent Exhibition piece, the largest and finest of the two known large blocks on cover, almost certainly the largest multiple of the fine early impression on or off cover, a famous and undeniably important item of Ecuadorean and South American philately.rnProvenance: Collection 'Crown Point', Corinphila sale 131, Oct 2001, lot 6729.