Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
First paragraph: "The form of postage stamps to be available to the public within the Commonwealth of Australia after Federation was one of the many matters exercising the minds of senior postal officers, firstly at joint conferences of the several Australian Colonies before Federation, and subsequently over the years until the appearance in 1913 of the first uniform stamp series."
That is nice prose, especially the "minds being exercised" part. As the story unfolds, it is not necessarily the fault of postal officials that it took 12 years or so to achieve the "uniform" stamps of Australia, but complications involving the Federal Government of Australia, which was in charge of the Post Office starting 1 Jan 1901.
It all worked out in the end, and this book describes the transition period.
This book arrived a bit musty, and I seem to be curing that by placing pieces of fabric softener drying sheets between the pages. Smells sweet now.
Eric
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"Printed by the Australian Post Office circa 1957"
Try 1971...
If you look at this newspaper from the period, bottom right corner "Aids in philately" and start reading/
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110665807
By the way, Trove has a lot of very useful stamp information, specially for older stamps.
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Another old yet very informative book.
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"By the way, Trove has a lot of very useful stamp information, specially for older stamps."
Very good website for archival information, I have used it many times.
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Than you David and Rob for the information -- 1971 it is. 
David that was very clever being able to snatch that musty fact from the past. I hate to use this over-used word, but, awesome.
I will bookmark "Trove" as well. More woot! I just knew it would be worth my time to post a bit of dry commentary about an ancient manuscript on philately.
Also, I have a pictorial of Mt. Wellington that has an S O perfin. Any idea what the S O stands for? Tried googling it and was unable to find -- bad searcher.
Thanks again!
Eric
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"Also, I have a pictorial of Mt. Wellington that has an S O perfin. Any idea what the S O stands for? Tried googling it and was unable to find -- bad searcher. "
I assume you are referring to the Tasmanian 1899-1912 pictorials. Normally the O.S. would be a government issue for official services. Though the majority of perfins are private businesses; so yours can other be the initials of a business or a very scarce reverse O.S. government issue.
You will need to scan the stamp so I can try and identify it for you.
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Scott 103 1905-1908 according to watermark and perf.
Also, in googling, appears there are a lot of fake perfins (I have no idea how to tell the difference). I got this with a mixed bag of other Tasmania stamps. At any rate, stamp is a bit mangled on the bottom.
Appreciate your thoughts.
Eric
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I have been designing and printing my own pages for Australia and have finished the Pre-Decimal Australia and am now up to late 70's.
I have been using Trove to cross reference stamps against the catalogue listings and have built up quite a little collection of articles. Why and when a stamp is released and sometimes a decent explanation that goes beyond the title. The earlier stamps have more info than the later ones.
In Trove, type "Stamp 1938" (or whatever year) and some keywords suitable to the set you are trying to research. I do a screenshot and save into MS Paint to tidy up a bit. I don't research every stamp, but do quite a few.
As for the 'OS' (official service), I agree with Robert. Australian stamps have a few sizes of the perfin 'OS' and this looks like one of them. Fake or real, no idea - I have wondered how to tell the difference myself. It is a specialty area of which I know little about.
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By the shape of the “S†it isn't "S.O." but "O.S" as the perfin was punched onto the stamp vertically instead of horizontally; it’s more likely a Government Issue rather than a private initial.
Here is an image of a Western Australian swan issue with the Government O.S. in exactly the same vertical position, it's irregular and is scarce in unused condition.
Hope this helped.
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Thank you David and Robert. O S of course makes more sense -- Official Services.
I have some used Western Australia swan stamps on order by the way. What a great design element. Thank goodness for the Swan River Colony. The swan is the badge on the Western Australia flag as well. Black swan in a yellow circle. (Swan was turned to face the hoist in 1953.)
Eric
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winedrinker wrote.
Received a book/booklet from Amazon today, "The Early Federal Period 1901 to 1912-13." Printed by the Australian Post Office circa 1957 (There is no date of printing in the book that I could find, but clues lead to 1957). And it is, as you might imagine, a spectacular read.
I have several of the booklets published by Australian Post Office ,very interesting to read.
The copies I have are The 1913-14 Recess-Printed Series and the King George V Sideface and Pictorial Definitive Stamps.The early Commonwealth Period and the Kangaroo and Map series.Australian Commemorative and Airmail Stamps 1927 to 1951 and a couple more on the pre decimal stamps of QEII.
Brian
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Thanks Snowy, I am going to keep an eye out for those.
Eric
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Checked all references to "The Early Federal Period 1901 to 1912-13" and it says the publishing date was 1971. The books mentioned I would love to read.
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'OS' was an abbreviation of "OHMS" (On His Majesty's Service).
There are many varieties and many fakes flooding the market.
Where the stamp is common, it is reasonably safe to assume it is genuine. The difficulty is buying rarer types online, particularly where a seller has a range of unusual material in a similar vein.
Careful examination to see if the cancel (postmark) on the stamp actually penetrates the 'OS' puncture can assist in working out if it is genuine. If the inside of the 'OS' perforations are clean of any cancel, be careful.
If you see a rare item for sale, google the seller's details to see if there is any commentary online about that seller. A number of sellers on ebay have made $millions from selling faked material.
In a lot of ways, collecting OS perfs has been spoiled by the actions of fraudsters.
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Thank you John. I am new to Great Britain and Australia, so this is great info.
"OHMS" is probably too many holes to punch in a stamp.
Cheers,
Eric
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"Thank you John. I am new to Great Britain and Australia, so this is great info.
"OHMS" is probably too many holes to punch in a stamp.
Cheers,
Eric"
"OHMS" is normally stamped on the top of the envelope, the stamp would look like confetti.
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Received a book/booklet from Amazon today, "The Early Federal Period 1901 to 1912-13." Printed by the Australian Post Office circa 1957 (There is no date of printing in the book that I could find, but clues lead to 1957). And it is, as you might imagine, a spectacular read.
First paragraph: "The form of postage stamps to be available to the public within the Commonwealth of Australia after Federation was one of the many matters exercising the minds of senior postal officers, firstly at joint conferences of the several Australian Colonies before Federation, and subsequently over the years until the appearance in 1913 of the first uniform stamp series."
That is nice prose, especially the "minds being exercised" part. As the story unfolds, it is not necessarily the fault of postal officials that it took 12 years or so to achieve the "uniform" stamps of Australia, but complications involving the Federal Government of Australia, which was in charge of the Post Office starting 1 Jan 1901.
It all worked out in the end, and this book describes the transition period.
This book arrived a bit musty, and I seem to be curing that by placing pieces of fabric softener drying sheets between the pages. Smells sweet now.
Eric
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this post
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
"Printed by the Australian Post Office circa 1957"
Try 1971...
If you look at this newspaper from the period, bottom right corner "Aids in philately" and start reading/
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110665807
By the way, Trove has a lot of very useful stamp information, specially for older stamps.
Login to Like
this post
Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
29 Mar 2016
01:31:10am
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
Another old yet very informative book.
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Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
29 Mar 2016
01:33:14am
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
"By the way, Trove has a lot of very useful stamp information, specially for older stamps."
Very good website for archival information, I have used it many times.
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re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
Than you David and Rob for the information -- 1971 it is.
David that was very clever being able to snatch that musty fact from the past. I hate to use this over-used word, but, awesome.
I will bookmark "Trove" as well. More woot! I just knew it would be worth my time to post a bit of dry commentary about an ancient manuscript on philately.
Also, I have a pictorial of Mt. Wellington that has an S O perfin. Any idea what the S O stands for? Tried googling it and was unable to find -- bad searcher.
Thanks again!
Eric
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this post
Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
29 Mar 2016
11:14:13am
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
"Also, I have a pictorial of Mt. Wellington that has an S O perfin. Any idea what the S O stands for? Tried googling it and was unable to find -- bad searcher. "
I assume you are referring to the Tasmanian 1899-1912 pictorials. Normally the O.S. would be a government issue for official services. Though the majority of perfins are private businesses; so yours can other be the initials of a business or a very scarce reverse O.S. government issue.
You will need to scan the stamp so I can try and identify it for you.
Login to Like
this post
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
Scott 103 1905-1908 according to watermark and perf.
Also, in googling, appears there are a lot of fake perfins (I have no idea how to tell the difference). I got this with a mixed bag of other Tasmania stamps. At any rate, stamp is a bit mangled on the bottom.
Appreciate your thoughts.
Eric
Login to Like
this post
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
I have been designing and printing my own pages for Australia and have finished the Pre-Decimal Australia and am now up to late 70's.
I have been using Trove to cross reference stamps against the catalogue listings and have built up quite a little collection of articles. Why and when a stamp is released and sometimes a decent explanation that goes beyond the title. The earlier stamps have more info than the later ones.
In Trove, type "Stamp 1938" (or whatever year) and some keywords suitable to the set you are trying to research. I do a screenshot and save into MS Paint to tidy up a bit. I don't research every stamp, but do quite a few.
As for the 'OS' (official service), I agree with Robert. Australian stamps have a few sizes of the perfin 'OS' and this looks like one of them. Fake or real, no idea - I have wondered how to tell the difference myself. It is a specialty area of which I know little about.
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Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
29 Mar 2016
07:12:02pm
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
By the shape of the “S†it isn't "S.O." but "O.S" as the perfin was punched onto the stamp vertically instead of horizontally; it’s more likely a Government Issue rather than a private initial.
Here is an image of a Western Australian swan issue with the Government O.S. in exactly the same vertical position, it's irregular and is scarce in unused condition.
Hope this helped.
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
Thank you David and Robert. O S of course makes more sense -- Official Services.
I have some used Western Australia swan stamps on order by the way. What a great design element. Thank goodness for the Swan River Colony. The swan is the badge on the Western Australia flag as well. Black swan in a yellow circle. (Swan was turned to face the hoist in 1953.)
Eric
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re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
winedrinker wrote.
Received a book/booklet from Amazon today, "The Early Federal Period 1901 to 1912-13." Printed by the Australian Post Office circa 1957 (There is no date of printing in the book that I could find, but clues lead to 1957). And it is, as you might imagine, a spectacular read.
I have several of the booklets published by Australian Post Office ,very interesting to read.
The copies I have are The 1913-14 Recess-Printed Series and the King George V Sideface and Pictorial Definitive Stamps.The early Commonwealth Period and the Kangaroo and Map series.Australian Commemorative and Airmail Stamps 1927 to 1951 and a couple more on the pre decimal stamps of QEII.
Brian
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re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
Thanks Snowy, I am going to keep an eye out for those.
Eric
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Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
30 Mar 2016
08:27:55am
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
Checked all references to "The Early Federal Period 1901 to 1912-13" and it says the publishing date was 1971. The books mentioned I would love to read.
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09:14:23pm
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
'OS' was an abbreviation of "OHMS" (On His Majesty's Service).
There are many varieties and many fakes flooding the market.
Where the stamp is common, it is reasonably safe to assume it is genuine. The difficulty is buying rarer types online, particularly where a seller has a range of unusual material in a similar vein.
Careful examination to see if the cancel (postmark) on the stamp actually penetrates the 'OS' puncture can assist in working out if it is genuine. If the inside of the 'OS' perforations are clean of any cancel, be careful.
If you see a rare item for sale, google the seller's details to see if there is any commentary online about that seller. A number of sellers on ebay have made $millions from selling faked material.
In a lot of ways, collecting OS perfs has been spoiled by the actions of fraudsters.
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re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
Thank you John. I am new to Great Britain and Australia, so this is great info.
"OHMS" is probably too many holes to punch in a stamp.
Cheers,
Eric
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Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
02 Apr 2016
12:43:25am
re: 1901 to 1912-13. The Transition. The horror.
"Thank you John. I am new to Great Britain and Australia, so this is great info.
"OHMS" is probably too many holes to punch in a stamp.
Cheers,
Eric"
"OHMS" is normally stamped on the top of the envelope, the stamp would look like confetti.
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