BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA, 1898, 1p Vermilion & Ultramarine, Ty. I, Oval Inverted (58i; SG 54b). Without gum as issued, Position 6, brilliant colors, tiny natural paper indentation at top right from strongly impressed frameline, tiny thin speck, expert restoration of scuff in oval is barely noticeable even under high magnification

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA ONE-PENNY "CHEQUE STAMP" WITH THE OVAL INVERTED. ONLY FIFTEEN IN TOTAL WERE PRINTED. A GREAT RARITY OF BRITISH AFRICA.

According to Robson Lowe's Encyclopedia, in 1891 the Imperial Post opened its first post office, and in 1893 the post was greatly expanded. The first issues were those of Rhodesia overprinted "B.C.A.", which were followed by British Central Africa stamps printed by De La Rue & Co. in England. In a monograph by Fred J. Melville, the author refers to the theft of a case of stamps containing several denominations that disappeared en route from England. The theft occurred about January 25, 1898, and it was claimed that the case was lost overboard. The stamps were eventually found about a year later. In response to this theft, on March 11 the Post Office issued a notice requiring that all mail addressed to places within the British Central Africa Protectorate be paid in cash rather than stamps, and that new stamps (called "tokens" in the notice) would be affixed to indicate payment. The new stamps were printed locally at Blantyre (now Malawi) which was a major center for colonial trade. A new supply of stamps was received in November and use of the local stamps was discontinued.

The stamps were printed in sheets of 30 comprising two horizontal rows of fifteen. For the first setting, the blue portion of the design was printed in two operations. This resulted in the top row of one sheet to be printed with the oval inverted. Of the fifteen printed, a pair (Positions 11-12) is in the Royal Collection and another pair (Positions 14-15) once existed but has not been seen for decades. Of the remaining eleven singles printed, many have not been seen for some time, and most are faulty to some degree.

Ex Cunliffe. SG £27,000.

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