Prince Consort Essay
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The Prince Consort Essay was a surface printed printer's sample stamp created in 1851[1] as an example of the surface printed stamps that Henry Archer proposed to print and perforate under contract with the British government at a lower price than the current printing firm of Perkins Bacon. The Prince Consort stamps were provided by the artist Robert Edward Branston, from an engraving executed by Samuel William Reynolds.
Although commonly known as an essay, the stamp was not really an essay as it was never intended that a postage stamp be produced based on the design, nor was it an un-adopted design. It is more accurately described as a printer's sample stamp, or dummy stamp.
Background
The first essay depicted
Production
The Prince Consort Essay was printed from electros taken from one
Collecting
Imperforate copies are available to collectors, typically for around several hundred pounds. There are approximately 36 perforated examples recorded and these sell for much higher prices. Of the 36 examples, 3 are in brown, three are in blue (the latest realized £38,080.00 at auction)[citation needed] and the remainder are in black.
References
- British Postal Museum & Archive, 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013. Archived here.
External links
- Full sheet of the Prince Consort Essay in black. British Postal Museum & ArchiveR.M. Phillips Collection Vol.XXII.
