...a very expensive piece of paper!

This week, a rare "wanted" poster for Charles II has been sold for just over £33,000 at an auction in Shropshire. The poster offers a reward of £1,000 for the capture of the king, who had escaped after the battle of Worcester in 1651.

Issued by Oliver Cromwell's parliament, the poster calls for "the discovery and apprehending of Charles Stuart and other traitors, his adherents and abettors".

Apparently for a piece of paper that is over 350 years old, it is in surprisingly good condition.

Rather sadly I have been unable to find out anything further about where the (handmade) paper was made. Anyway, I think it's still quite interesting and is a reminder that paper does have a permanence that many people forget!

I could suggest that the poster had been printed on our lovely Offenbach Bible, but that wouldn't be true - although it is worth pointing out that Offenbach Bible has archival qualities  - it's acid free, rosin free and alum free.

£33K might seem like a lot of money for this poster but it's cheap in comparison with the book that sold for over £7million! (see previous post below)
http://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.com/2010/12/worlds-most-expensive-book-sells-for.html

Posted by Justin Hobson 09.03.2012