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Rare Truro blue marked letter found in Exeter archive | |
(1 day later) | |
A letter, with a date stamped in blue ink in Truro about 170 years ago has been discovered in an Exeter archive. | |
The letter, addressed to a Helston solicitor, has been valued at £3,500 because of the unusual stamping colour. | |
From 1819 to 1843, Truro's postmistress was a Miss Thomas, who preferred the use of blue ink instead of the normal black stamping. | |
An envelope bearing a penny red with the usual black date stamp would only be worth about £5. | |
'Genuinely rare' | 'Genuinely rare' |
Colin Harding, from Scotia Philately, in Surrey, who valued the letter, said: "We were amazed at this find. | Colin Harding, from Scotia Philately, in Surrey, who valued the letter, said: "We were amazed at this find. |
"However if it had been a penny black with the blue marking it would be worth between £10,000-£15,000." | "However if it had been a penny black with the blue marking it would be worth between £10,000-£15,000." |
The letter, which was addressed to solicitor TP Tyacke, was discovered in his family's archives. | The letter, which was addressed to solicitor TP Tyacke, was discovered in his family's archives. |
Mr Harding said: "The blue makes all the difference. Truro was quite a special place in postal history. The earliest letters go back to 1710." | Mr Harding said: "The blue makes all the difference. Truro was quite a special place in postal history. The earliest letters go back to 1710." |
He said Miss Thomas's last name appears in the post office records but her first name is not recorded. | He said Miss Thomas's last name appears in the post office records but her first name is not recorded. |
"It was terribly strict in those days, and the post office insisted on black ink," he said. "The fact this lady decided to use blue, she must have been a bit unusual. She just liked the blue ink." | "It was terribly strict in those days, and the post office insisted on black ink," he said. "The fact this lady decided to use blue, she must have been a bit unusual. She just liked the blue ink." |
Mr Harding said such findings are "genuinely rare and very collectible." | Mr Harding said such findings are "genuinely rare and very collectible." |
The content of the letter itself is not rare as it discusses income from tin mining stocks, at a time when the industry was still a driving force in Cornwall. | The content of the letter itself is not rare as it discusses income from tin mining stocks, at a time when the industry was still a driving force in Cornwall. |
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