The desk, Fleet Street
Send us a stamp. We find its place.
We plate the line-engraved penny stamps of 1840 to 1880: we read the letters, check the plate, and write it up on a card you keep. We don't buy, sell or value stamps.
- Issue
- Penny Red, letters in four corners
- Check letters
- G H, top H G
- Position
- Row 7, stamp 8: no. 80 of 240
- Plate
- 77
- Edges
- Perforated 14
What it costs
- One stamp, read and written up£8
- Up to ten stamps from one collection£60
- Plate check for a numbered Penny Red (71 to 225)£12
- A sheet session at the desk: two hours with your strips and blocks£45
Scans: written up within 10 working days. Posted stamps: 15 working days, returned by Royal Mail Special Delivery.
How to send
- 01
Scan both sides
At 1200 dpi, or photograph the stamp on a dark ground with all four corners sharp.
- 02
Email the desk
Your name, how many stamps, and the scans. Large files can come as a download link.
- 03
Get your card
We reply with the card as a PDF and post the printed card. Stamps you sent come back with it.
Questions
No. We report where and when it was printed. A dealer or an auction house can price it, and our card is what they will ask for.
Not by position: it has dots in the corners instead of letters. We can tell you the die: 14 dots is Die I, 16 dots is Die II.
Often, yes, from flaws and re-cuts in the letters and lace. It takes longer; we tell you before we start.
AddressFleet Street, London EC4
HoursTuesday to Saturday, 10:00–16:00
Email[email protected]
Phone+44 20 0000 0140