A single example of the elusive ‘plate 77 Penny Red’ has been sold by rare stamp and collectibles dealer, Stanley Gibbons

Just two months after acquiring a rare example of the legendary ‘plate 77 Penny Red’, described as “the finest used example in existence inside or outside a museum” by Stanley Gibbons Director of Great Britain Philately, the company has announced its sale to a private client in Australasia for £550,000.

The original acquisition of the stamp attracted much media attention; being featured on the BBC website as well as gaining a slot on ITV’s Alan Titchmarsh Show where Stanley Gibbons Magazine and Catalogue Editor, Hugh Jefferies, was interviewed about the complexities of stamp valuation.

Its appearance on prime time television was heralded as, ‘a coup for the hobby’ in the philatelic press.

The buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased the Plate 77 Penny Red through the company’s recently opened Hong Kong office; a move which has allowed the company to provide expert advice and guidance to the maturing markets in Asia and is to be followed up this year with expansion into more new territories.

About the ‘Plate 77 Penny Red’

Successor to the famous Penny Black, millions of Penny Reds were printed but the perforations would not line up correctly on the printed sheets produced by certain plates so they were never “put to press”. As a result Penny Reds from plates 69, 70, 75, 77 and 128 should not exist. However, a tiny handful of plate 77 Penny Reds did find their way into public domain by mistake.

To date, four mint and five used examples have been reported; of the five used examples, two damaged examples were found in the early 20th Century, neither of which has been seen on the open market for over 50 years. A third was in the “Crocker” collection and lost in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and a fourth example from the “Adams” collection is now in the British Library.

This fifth example, sold by Stanley Gibbons, is “unquestionably the finest used example in existence inside or outside a museum”.

For further information or images or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Louise Reynolds
+44 (0) 1425 481045
lreynolds@stanleygibbons.com

www.stanleygibbons.com