Henry Bishop Cinderella Label GPO Tercentenary Cover
OVERVIEW
Offered is an original 1960 Great Britain exhibition souvenir cover from the London International Stamp Exhibition held at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank.
This unaddressed example features a large Henry Bishop Cinderella label alongside an official Philatelic Congress slogan cancellation, making it a highly desirable dual event crossover piece.
FRANKING AND STAMP DETAILS
The cover is franked with a single 1960 Great Britain Scott 387 and Stanley Gibbons 615 definitive stamp.
The stamp features a violet color palette and a 3d pence denomination. The design depicts a postboy on horseback alongside a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, issued specifically to commemorate the General Letter Office Tercentenary of 1660 to 1960.
The stamp was produced via photogravure printing on watermarked wove paper and is a postally used example securely tied to the cover.
CINDERELLA LABEL
A key feature of this cover is the large format Cinderella exhibition label affixed to the left side.
The label promotes the London International Stamp Exhibition and depicts a portrait of Henry Bishop, who served as Postmaster General from 1660 to 1663.
It prominently features an illustrated example of the famous early Bishop Mark datestamp reading 13 SE, adding strong standalone thematic collectibility.
POSTAL MARKINGS
The stamp is securely tied by a black circular date stamp reading LONDON S E 1 dated 14 JLY 1960 with a 3 05 PM time slug.
The datestamp is accompanied by a special instructional slogan cancellation reading 42nd Philatelic Congress of Great Britain 1960 complete with an illustration of a postman.
These hand stamped dual event cancellations were cleanly applied at the event post office.
USAGE AND CONTEXT
This unaddressed exhibition souvenir was produced specifically for collectors attending the event.
It marks the 300th anniversary of the General Letter Office and honors Henry Bishop, who is credited with introducing the first recorded postal datestamp system in 1661.
WHY IT MATTERS
The primary sales trigger is the strong thematic crossover appealing to postal history and Cinderella collectors.
The combination of the large Henry Bishop exhibition label, the dual event postal history capturing both the Exhibition and the Congress, and the clean London SE1 strike makes this an attractive and versatile thematic presentation.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Year of Issue: 1960
Country: Great Britain
Scott Number: 387
Stanley Gibbons Number: 615
Denomination: 3d Pence
Currency: Pre Decimal British Currency
Color: Violet
Type: Exhibition Souvenir Cover
Topic: Bishop Mark Exhibition Congress Cover
Theme: General Letter Office Tercentenary
Era: Queen Elizabeth II
Postmark City: London SE1
Features: Cinderella Label Dual Event Cancel
SKU: GB-1960-BISHOP-MARK-EXPO-CONGRESS
CONDITION
This is a clean unaddressed exhibition souvenir cover in very good collectible condition.
There is light age toning on the front and back consistent with standard archival storage.
The envelope remains structurally sound with sharp strikes and a strong visual presentation.
Minor handling wear is present but does not distract from the display quality.