GREAT BRITAIN 1866 Queen Victoria 3d Rose (SG 92 Pl 4) Surface Printed Wrapper to Amsterdam - Rare Double Strike Cancellation Anomaly
Overview
A remarkable and philatelically significant international postal wrapper sent from London to Amsterdam, Netherlands, in March 1866. This exhibition-grade piece features a classic Victorian surface-printed issue and showcases a highly unusual postal marking anomaly, featuring a doubled strike and a contemporary, handwritten cancellation correction by a postal clerk.
Item Specifications
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Issue / Monarch: Queen Victoria Surface Printed Issue
Date of Postmark: 5 March 1866
Catalogue Reference: Stanley Gibbons SG 92, Plate 4 (Large uncoloured corner letters)
Watermark: Emblems
Format: Commercial wrapper / entire letter sheet
Postal History & Markings
Route / Transit: Dispatched from London on 5 March 1866, routed via Ostend (Belgium) as per the elegant manuscript instruction "via Ostende" at top center. Arrived the following day in Amsterdam, Holland, on 6 March 1866.
Cancellations & Obliterations: Struck with a highly unusual London duplex configuration. The circular dispatch postmark reads "LONDON / MAR 5 / 66". The accompanying barred oval killer obliterator over the stamp was double-struck; subsequently, one of the strikes was carefully scratched out by hand with horizontal ink lines by a postal official.
Manuscript Endorsements: Features a neat handwritten "Paid" notation in the lower-left corner, confirming prepayment of the international transit fee. Addressed to Heeren Pieter Swithuysen (or Smithuysen) in Amsterdam.
Condition Report
This item is in excellent postal history condition. The 3d Rose adhesive features strong color and clear alignment. The entire wrapper is cleanly presented and mounted against a dark border display page, perfectly preserving the clear strikes and unique postal markings. A superb curiosity for specialists of Victorian-era postal operations.
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