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STAMP IMAGES
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Great British First day Covers (FDC) Issued 1840 to ...
The
first postage stamp FDC was the Penny Black issued on the 6th of May 1840 and is obviously worth a considerable amount of money. Issued is not really the correct term for early First day Covers, as the Covers were not really done by design but by accident in nearly all cases. In a lot of the
earlier issues (mostly Queen Victoria) the exact date is unclear so the earliest used date known prevails. Unless you have very deep pockets and can find this material, I would not bother unless you really want to.
Since then a large percentage of the stamps of GB have had a known First Day Of Issue date (FDI).
Condition is a very important part of FDC collecting. The cover below on the left is of a poor quality as far as collecting goes. It is poorly hand addressed and the stamps have not been applied straight. it is of such a poor quality that I would not sell it as a cover but would cut it up for the fine used stamps. The one on the right has much more going for it. It is very pleasing to look at. Some people like the personal look of covers such as the one on the left, which is fine, but do not expect much of a return on your money.
All FDCs after 1965, except the very rare ones, should in my opinion, always be either typed, printed, label addressed or unaddressed, unless the price is such that it becomes a real bargain.
Before 1970 the general rule would be the higher the catalogue value or the earlier the cover, the more acceptable hand written becomes. Pre 66 hand written FDCs should be about 50 of the typed addressed price.
The majority of pre 48 FDCs are hand addressed and are very collectable and are the norm. Typed or unaddressed of this period generally command a premium. Slit or opened tops do lower the value (particularly poorly opened) but this is very much a personal decision as the appearance from the front is seldom affected.
All covers should have the full set of stamps, except rare ones, where sometimes due to price or availability the only option is to get a one stamped cover as a space filler. Make sure all the stamps are postmarked and have not been missed or applied at a later date.
If you would like to read more about Great British stamps,
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