Great Britain 1890 5s rose I.R. Official, SGO9.
A very fine used example lettered "NG", neatly cancelled by a crisp York circular date stamp for "DE.22.1896".
A lovely example of this scarce and eye-catching government departmental issue.
SG Catalogue Value: £2,500.
The Inland Revenue Official stamps were used by revenue officials in the provinces, mail to and from Head Office passing without a stamp. The London office used these stamps only for foreign mail.
None of these Departmental overprints were supposed to be sold, or otherwise made available to the public in unused condition. The use of these stamps was discontinued in 1904 due to concerns about unauthorised distribution and abuse.
