CAPE OF GOOD HOPE
Postal History, Postal Stationery
POSTAL HISTORY
AC1066
Postal History 1870 (15th December), envelope addressed to England and endorsed ‘Per Steamer Briton’. Bearing two examples of the 1/- blue-green (SG 26b) in a particularly deep shade, tied by ‘3’ Barred Oval Numeral Cancellers with a Cape Town (DE 19) transit datestamp struck alongside. The reverse with an originating GRAHAMS-TOWN (DE 15) single circle datestamp, also backstamped with a PAID / PLYMOUTH / CAPE-PACKET (23 JA) transit and Halifax (JA 24) arrival datestamps. A few small edge faults and the reverse with some damage, mainly under the flap and not affecting the datestamps. An attractive and very scarce example of a double-rate packet letter to England.
 
Note: the ‘Briton’ was part of the fleet of the Union Steam Ship Company which held the Cape packet-letter contract at this date.
£475