Lot 2009
Great Britain, 1840, 1p Mulready Lettersheet (U3), A63, Cancelled by Maltese Cross with "Monk Waermouth/Penny Post" Two-Line Handstamp on 1841 Cover from Sunderland to London
Very Fine and Unusual Usage with Penny Post Handstamp
Mise à prix: $200
Estimation: $400 - $500
1p Mulready Lettersheet addressed to London, cancelled by Maltese Cross with "MONK WAERMOUTH/PENNY POST" two-line handstamp, indicating the letter was collected by the penny postman in Sunderland. "SUNDERLAND MY 11, 1841" and red May 12 receiving backstamps. Docketed "M Atkinson/Sunderland/May This item was stolen and later recovered in 1983 as part of the legendary Charles J. Starnes Collection, presumed lost to philately for over twenty years, and finally recovered by the FBI after the stolen items surfaced in 2005. Charles Starnes collector's handstamp on reverse.
Provenance
Ex Charles J. Starnes
Informations sur la vente
The Philatelic Icons Sale 2026 | June 26-28
Sale 28: U.S. & Worldwide Stampless Postal History, and 18th Century American Historical Documents — Friday, June 26, 2026 | 3pm EST, 12pm PST
We are honored to present The Philatelic Icons Sale, the largest and most significant auction Americana Stamps has ever offered.
America's history lives in the letters that crossed goldfields and battle lines, in express covers that linked frontier towns to the outside world, and in the stamps that mark how a young country built its postal system from scratch. This sale brings together more than 1,500 lots that trace that story, including philatelic icons seldom offered to the public.
This auction is a natural fit for 2026, the 250th year of the United States, and for the Boston 2026 World Expo (May 23 to 30, Booth 141), the once-per-decade international exhibition where we are proud to open the sale. More than 750 lots are accompanied by Philatelic Foundation certifications, the largest concentration of certified material we have ever offered in a single sale.
As always, the sale is designed to serve both the collector and the researcher. Whenever available, you can expect:
✔ High-resolution imagery of all aspects of the item
✔ Links to reference articles and supporting research
✔ Links to philatelic certifications
✔ Census data and population insights
✔ Provenance details to trace notable histories
Whether you are pursuing a long-sought rarity or simply enjoy the chance to study material of this caliber, we invite you to explore the Philatelic Icons Sale and join us in Boston for our largest in-person preview to date.