USA
First letter with stamp could fetch millions at auction
The so-called “Mulready” envelope with an integrated “Penny Black” stamp is to be auctioned at Sotheby’s auction house in New York. photo
© Jeffrey Rose/Sotheby’s/dpa
In May 1840, an unknown sender in London sent the first known letter. Now the envelope and stamp are being auctioned off in New York – for a lot of money.
The first known letter with a prepaid stamp, almost 200 years old, could be at auction in… New York will bring in around two million dollars (around 1.8 million euros). The so-called “Mulready” envelope with an integrated “Penny Black” stamp was sent in May 1840, said the auction house Sotheby’s in New York.
An unknown sender in London sent the letter to a man named William Blenkinsop in the town of Dalston, about 120 kilometers away, it was said. While the envelope and stamp are in good condition, the actual letter has been lost. The auction is scheduled for February 2nd.