May 6 (First Official Day of Use): 1d.intense black, plate 1a,
lettered EA, clear to large margins, used as wafer seal to reverse
of folded
May 6 (First Official Day of Use): 1d.intense black, plate 1a,
lettered EA, clear to large margins, used as wafer seal to reverse
of folded entire from Bath to Wells, tied by red Maltese Cross
cancellation, neatly-struck Bath c.d.s. alongside, dated May 6,
further Maltese Cross strike on front, the stamp with horizontal
crease and having been lifted, cleaned, and replaced with hinge,
some restoration to cover, one of only two recorded examples from
this date with the adhesive used as a wafer seal, a delightful and
rare first day cover. Cert. PTS Expertising Ltd. (2015). Gi AS1ta =
£75,000 The usage of the 1d. black as a wafer seal is most unusual,
and was contrary to regulations. The postal clerk, evidently still
unfamiliar at this early stage with the appropriate procedure,
perhaps thought it most efficient to make dual use of the adhesive
both as an indicator of prepayment, and to seal the wrapper. The
second Maltese Cross strike on the front further indicates some
confusion as to the proper usage of the new stamps. Provenance:
Robson Lowe, London, November 1957 Collection Chartwell, Spink,
London, 29 June, 2011, lot 1061 Literature: Illustrated in "May
Dates", by Michael Jackson, 1999