Great Britain 1840 2d blue Plate 1, SG5.
A very fine used four margin horizontal strip of three lettered "SC-SE", neatly cancelled by red Maltese Crosses.
A scarce multiple of the Twopenny blue.
Because the 2d blue was issued contemporary with the 1d black, it shares the distinction of being one of the world's first two postage stamps. The die for these first 2d stamps was taken indirectly from the original die of the 1d stamps.
Provenance: Ex. Dr. Pichai Buranasombati, one of the world's leading collectors of classic Great Britain. His collection of line-engraved issues, especially Penny Blacks and Twopenny Blues, was regarded as one of the finest ever assembled and contained numerous exhibition pieces. Following its dispersal, many items entered other major collections, including those of Bill Gross when his collection was sold by Shreves Philatelic Galleries in 2001.
