A RARE illustrated envelope sent to a Worcester address in 1842 sold for less than expected at an auction in London yesterday.

The envelope -- described by experts as "fine, extremely rare and attractive" - was snapped by a collector from the south-east of England for £2,415 at London auctioneers Spink.

It was sent to Worcester in the summer of 1842 - just two years after the introduction of Britain's first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, on May 6, 1840 - and had been expected to fetch between £3,000 and £4,000.

The envelope was addressed to Mrs Millman, at either Ross Hill or Cross Hill, Worcester, and was posted in Scotland, stamped "paid" and features the words Inverness and Edinburgh and drawings depicting "50 miles round Ben Nevis".

The envelope was among 260 19th Century illustrated and caricature envelopes belonging to American collector Louis Grunin which went under the hammer - fetching a combined total of £336,000.

Richard Watkins, director of the stamp department at Spink, said he was pleased with the price the Worcester envelope fetched, despite it not reaching its estimated price.

"Obviously one puts an estimate in a catalogue and sometimes it can fall above this and other times it can fall below," he said.

"We're still very happy with the price it fetched as it was still a good sum and reflects the rarity of the item."