In February 1872 official permission was given to the printers, (Perkins Bacon), to print a single proof sheet in black for the South Kensington Exhibition.

     For the production of this sheet plate 27 was used. This plate had the revised, (Die 2), head and the check letters in the bottom corners were from alphabet 3. (All issued Penny Blacks have alphabet 1). This plate was chosen by the printers as it had proved excetionally in service for printing the general issue red stamps, (1,011,900 sheets had been produced from this plate). The printing was made on thick white card and was imperforate.

     At the close of the exhibition, the printers were allowed to retain the sheets and it remained in their archives until 1935 when the company went into liquidation. At this point the sheet was sold as a single lot which was then broken up for re-sale.

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