First postal order sold at action (UK 1881)

Telegraph ^ | February 10, 2010 | Staff

[C19fan]

The perfectly-preserved payment, which has the serial number 000001, was the first of millions produced by the Post Office in Lombard Street, London, in 1881.

It sold for £4,485, smashing the guide price of £2,500.

Auctioneer Richard Beale, of Warwick and Warwick Auctioneers, said: “This was a very unique item and as such went for a lot more than predicted. There were lots of bids from enthusiasts. It’s been in the same family for over 130 years so the opportunity to own something as rare as this doesn’t come up very often. Collectors were always going to have to dig into their pockets to own this and clearly they did.”

[C19fan]

Nice little piece of Victoriana. I love the decorative elements instead of the pure-utilitarianism we see in a similiar instrument today.