The firm of Copestake, Moore, Crampton & Co. were a Mail Order company operating from:

    5 Bow Churchyard,
    London E. C.

as well as:

    50 Cheapside
    London E.C.

and

    Bread Street
    London E.C.

According to an 1865 Commercial Directory they were warehousemen for:

“lace and sewed muslins, scotch and Manchester goods, cambrics & lawns, crapes, gossamers, velvets, stays, artificial flowers, millinery, baby linen, mantles, outfitting, shawl & haberdashery, umbrellas & parasols”

The senior partner in the firm was one Sampson Copestake.  Another partner George Moore went on to use his fortune for philanthropic purposes.

The firm changed its name to Copestake, Hughes, Crampton & Co. in 1877.  At some other time (still to be established) they were called Copestake, Lindsay, Crampton & Co.

1867. Official underprint type 12 (under the gum) in red.

PP23 1d lake-red (SG 43 or G1)
Plates 74, 76, 78, 79, 80, 81, 85, 90, 92, 95, 96, 97, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 125, 127, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 152, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 162, 163, 164, 166, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 191, 192, 194, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 204, 205, 206, 207, 211, 213, 214, 215, 219 and 224

Plate 111 has been found unused.

Multiples are hard to find but I have been lucky enough to acquire a few.  Currently I have used pairs from plate 204 and plate 214 as well as a strip of 3 from plate 97.  I also have a vertical pair of mint stamps from plate 111.

PP23a As above but underprint double.
Plates 110 and 111

PP24 1 1/2d lake-red (SG 51 or G6)
Plates 1 and 3

Note.  PP24 Plate 3 also exists with the standard Copestake perfin on the same stamp.

PP24a Error of lettering OP-PC for CP-PC
Plate 1

Official underprint type 12 (under the gum) in blue.

PP25 2d blue (SG 45 or G2)
Plates 9 and 12

PP26 2d blue (SG 46 or G3)
Plates 13, 14 and 15

Official underprint type 13 (under the gum) in red.

PP27 1/2d. rose-red (SG 48 or G4)
Plates 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 20

Plates 5 and 13 have been found unused.

Multiples are again hard to find but I have been lucky enough to acquire a few.  Currently I have examples from plate 4, 11, 13, 14 and 20.

Official underprint type 14 (under the gum) in the colour of the stamp.

PP28 3d. rose (SG 103 or J30 and J33 respectively)
Plates 5 and 8

PP29 3d. rose (SG 143 or J38, J42, J43 and J44 respectively)
Plates 14, 18, 19 and 20

Note.  PP29 Plate 20 also exists with the standard Copestake perfin on the same stamp.

PP30 6d. violet (SG 109 or J76/7)
Plates 8 and 9

PP31 6d. grey (SG 147 or J84)
Plate 14

PP32 1s. green (SG 117 or J104)
Plate 4

PP33 1s. green (SG 150 or J112)
Plate 12

PP33a 1s. green (SG 150 or J112) Underprint inverted.
Plate 12

PP34 1d. Venetian red (SG 166 or K3)

Note.  PP34 also exists with the standard Copestake perfin on the same stamp.

Unofficial underprint as type 13 but smaller (over the gum) in red.

PP35 1/2d. rose-red (SG 48 or G4)
Plates 10 and 11

Unofficial underprint as type 15 (over the gum) in red.

PP35a 1/2d. rose-red (SG 48 or G4)
Plate 4

PP35b 1/2d. rose-red (SG 48 or G4) -Underprint sideways, to the left
Plate 10

PP36 1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1)
Plates 71, 73, 74, 78, 79, 81, 89, 90, 91, 92, 95, 96, 98, 99, 101, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 127, 129, 130, 131, 132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 165, 166, 167, 168, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 186, 191, 202 and 204

PP36a 1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1) Underprint inverted
Plates 111 and 165

PP36b 1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1) Additional underprint inverted on the face
Plate 106

PP36c 1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1) Additional underprint on the face
Plate 103

PP36d  1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1) Underprint double
Plate 183

Note.  PP36d is my numbering as this underprint is currently unlisted by Stanley Gibbons.

PP37 1 1/2d. lake-red (SG 51 or G6) Underprint inverted
Plate 1

PP38 2d. blue (SG 45 or G2)
Plates 9 and 12

PP39 2d. blue (SG 45 or G2) in violet
Plate 12

PP40 2 1/2d. rosy mauve (SG 139 or J1 and J3)
Plates 1 and 3

PP41 2 1/2d. rosy mauve (SG 141 or J5)
Plates 4

PP42 3d. rose (SG 103 or J30)
Plate 5

PP43 4d. vermilion (SG 94 or J55, J56 and J58)
Plates 8, 9 and 11

PP43A 6d. mauve (SG 109 or J76)
Plate 8

Note.  PP43A is my numbering as this underprint is currently unlisted by Stanley Gibbons.

PP44 10d. red-brown (SG 112 or J97)
Plate 1

Unofficial underprint type 16 (over the gum) in black.

PP45 1/2d. rose-red (SG 48 or G4)
Plate 5

Unofficial underprint type 16 (over the gum) in red

PP45A 1/2d. rose-red (SG 48 or G4)
Plate 9 and 11

Unofficial underprint type 17 (over the gum) in black, vertically, reading upwards

PP46 1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1)
Plates 99, 101, 103, 104, 106, 113, 115, 116, 117, 118, 121, 123, 124 and 125

Multiples are again hard to find but I have been lucky enough to acquire one from plate 123 .

Unofficial underprint type 17 (over the gum) in black, vertically, reading downwards

PP47 1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1)
Plates 92, 101, 103, 105, 106, 107, 114 and 116

Unofficial underprint type 17 (over the gum) in red, vertically, reading upwards

PP48 1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1)
Plate 118

Unofficial underprint type 17 (over the gum) in red, vertically, reading downwards

PP49 1d. lake-red (SG 43 or G1)
Plate 73, 106 and 111

A number of perfins also exist that have been identified as belonging to this firm - at least one for each of the incarnations mentioned above.

A number of stamps exist with both an underprint and the C3400.01 perfin.  It is believed the perfin was applied to existing stocks of stamps so that the "box" part of the perfin went some way to obliterate the name of the ex-partner "Moore".

Jennings lists this as occurring on two stamps, these being PP29 and PP34.  I have been lucky enough to find examples on PP29 Plate 20, PP34 but also on PP24 Plate 3.