Classic British Stamps - 1929 PUC £1 St George & the Dragon FDC

We asked cover expert Richard Park of Cover Collecting to tell us about one of the most expensive GB stamps he has seen: the 1929 Postal Union Congress, £1 St George & the Dragon, used on the first day of issue, 10 May, 1929, on a registered cover at Sutton Coldfield Birmingham.

‘This cover was probably done by Francis J Field who was a dealer in Sutton Coldfield,’ says Richard.

‘The Ninth Postal Union Congress opened in London on 10 May, 1929; special commemorative stamps were issued on the opening day. The Congress was a four-yearly formal meeting of the Universal Postal Union, attended by representatives of most of the world’s major postal services. The General Post Office selection committee recommended the stamp designs, which were unusually approved by Her Majesty Queen Mary, as the King was unwell.

‘Harold Nelson designed the St George and Dragon artwork, on the larger format £1 PUC stamp, which was line-engraved and printed in black by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. This stamp has a unique watermark, with a large format GvR, with crown over single cypher.

‘The £1 PUC high value is one of the key stamps to acquire in GB Collections.

'You could buy a fine used stamp for around £450 and an unmounted mint one for around £750. It is very scarce used on cover, even rarer used on the first day of issue; an exhibition quality £1 PUC First Day Cover could set you back as much as £10,000! However there are plenty of British stamps available on covers that are more affordable!’

Richard Park has collected first day covers for 46 years, he helped set up and is Chairman of The Association of Great Britain First Day Cover Collectors (GBFDC) www.gbfdc.co.uk and specialises in selling Covers & Postal History through Cover Collecting (web: www.covercollecting.com; tel: 01403 241825, mobile: 07747 803220)