Great Britain 1864 Universal Private Telegraph Co 6d Brown Green Control MH, OG

Great Britain - Universal Private Telegraph Company, Limited 6 Pence Brown ' Green Control No. 4418 ' Issued 1864 ' Unused

A handsome example of one of Victorian Britain's most intriguing philatelic rarities - a prepaid telegraph stamp issued by the Universal Private Telegraph Company, formed in 1861 by Professor Charles Wheatstone, the celebrated inventor and scientist. The company operated private telegraph lines for banks, merchants, and public institutions, and also ran the West Highland Telegraph line from Glasgow to Helensburgh. These stamps were issued in 1864 to prepay charges on that line.

The design is striking and ornate, printed by Waterlow & Sons, with the denomination "SIX PENCE" displayed within a sunburst oval. The corner numerals 1 - 8 - 6 - 4 spell out the year of issue. At center is the typeset control number 4418 printed in green - one of five known control colors (red, black, green, yellow, and brown/lilac), believed by leading authorities to represent stamps intended for different locations or issued at different periods.

Records indicate four values were planned - 3d, 6d, 9d, and 1s - but only the 6d and 1s are known to exist today. All known examples are unused, making this essentially the only collectible state. The catalog references for this issue are Hiscocks (Telegraph & Telephone Stamps of the World, 1982) and Barefoot (Telegraph Stamps of the World, 2013).

Condition: Unused, Hinged with Gum. Color is fresh. Green control is cleanly struck and well-centered in the oval. No thins, tears, or creases visible. A very presentable and displayable example.

A wonderful addition to any British telegraph, Victorian private carrier, or 19th-century communications history collection.

The item(s) shown in the photo is an unmodified image of the exact item the buyer will receive unless otherwise noted.

For international shipments similar size/weight items ship free if you pay postage for this one.

Please use scans to verify any suggested Scott # as sometimes mistakes are made. If you notice an error please let us know so it can be corrected.

Item will be shipped with plastic wrapping and cardboard to help guard against shipping damage or water damage. No hassle returns available.


Offered by Vegas Stamps and Hobbies, Inc. Of Saint Petersburg, FL. Please let us know if there are any problems with your order and/or if you are not fully satisfied for any reason. If there is a problem we appreciate the chance to make it right for you so you can provide us +++ feedback which we will also do for you! Thank you for your consideration!




Get images that
make Supersized seem small. (https://auth.ebay.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=AUCTIVACORT1PCHF6D515E51ZQDYJ4&redirect_uri=Auctiva_Corpora-AUCTIVACORT1PCH-oxgahqg&response_type=code&state=eyJTZXNzaW9uSWQiOiJpbWdMbmsyIiwiUmV0dXJuVXJsIjpudWxsLCJJc1NpZ25pbmdVcFdpdGhFYmF5Ijp0cnVlLCJJc0ViYXlEaXJlY3RTaWdudXAiOnRydWUsIk9BdXRoU2NvcGVWZXJzaW9uSWQiOjJ9&scope=https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.marketing.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.marketing%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.inventory.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.inventory%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.account.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.account%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.fulfillment.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.fulfillment%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.analytics.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.inventory.mapping&tt=1)



THE simple solution for eBay sellers. (https://auth.ebay.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=AUCTIVACORT1PCHF6D515E51ZQDYJ4&redirect_uri=Auctiva_Corpora-AUCTIVACORT1PCH-oxgahqg&response_type=code&state=eyJTZXNzaW9uSWQiOiJjcmVkTG5rMiIsIlJldHVyblVybCI6bnVsbCwiSXNTaWduaW5nVXBXaXRoRWJheSI6dHJ1ZSwiSXNFYmF5RGlyZWN0U2lnbnVwIjp0cnVlLCJPQXV0aFNjb3BlVmVyc2lvbklkIjoyfQ%3d%3d&scope=https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.marketing.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.marketing%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.inventory.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.inventory%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.account.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.account%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.fulfillment.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.fulfillment%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.analytics.readonly%20https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope/sell.inventory.mapping&tt=1)