Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
19 Jul 2018
10:11:04pm

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John Ash was the former Government stamp and banknote printer from 1927-1940. In 1988 part of his collection was sold to the public, all being of great philatelic importance, soon I will be in possession of a stamp which there is only one sheet in existence and never issued.

First a brief history of this unissued stamp from the ACSC King George V (2015)

"These proofs, identical to the issued stamps but with the perforation used for the 2d instead of the normal single-line perf 11, were unknown before 1988, when part of a sheet was acquired by an Australian dealer from a source in Great Britain, believed to be the estate of John Ash, Australian Stamp printer.

Newly-available archival records now enable the status of these stamps to be established as plate proofs. A proof sheet of the 1/- stamp submitted to the Post Office for approval is specifically mentioned as being comb perforated, as would be the issued stamps.

This sheet duly approved, was duly returned to the Note Printing Branch, and would seem to have been retained by Ash for some reason, rather than being destroyed, as was normally the case. Subsequently, the 1/- sheets were perforated by the gauge 11 line machine. This was probably because the comb machine, designed for the 2d value, did not quite fit the 1/- sheets (the 2d design is very slightly longer than the 1/- due to the curvature of the plates)".

The stamp is classified as very rare. I will display that stamp which has a perforation of 13½ x 12½ with its issued twin which has a perforation of 11.

I was sent a copy of the Ceremuga certificate that will be accompanying it showing the superb centring of the stamp.



Rob

Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
20 Jul 2018
12:49:38am

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re: 1/- 1935 ANZAC COMMEMORATION Proof: From the estate of the late John Ash (Stamp Printer)

Hi smauggie.

I have always wanted to have a very specified specialised collection, which through a long wait to get the stamp(s) I want, or see worthwhile to my liking will eventually turn up.

I have some quite rare acquisitions, some will now be listed in the ACSC (Australian Commonwealth Specialists' Catalogue 2018) when it comes out by the end of this year.

With this particular stamp only 80 plate proofs were printed for approval by the Post office and that sheet was kept etc (the story in my last post explains it all). Any stamp from that sheet is highly prized and not all are superbly centred, so I was lucky to obtain one with such a hard to get centring.

I'll be getting something else with it, but I'll keep that a secret until it arrives with this stamp, it is quite scarce and it will also be compared with a normal version.

I also own a few ex-Arthur Gray stamps, he was an Australian merchant banker whose collection is valued at $12 million, I recently viewed a very small part of his collection worth nearly $1 million, in one of the displays was an early decimal 8 cent stamp depicting the head of QEII and an 8c over 7c proof, neither were ever issued, as sea life adorned our 8 cent stamp, they are the only two outside the British Museum and worth over $100,000 for the pair.

The 1/- example shown in the ACSC is badly centred to the right as with nearly all the proofs of this stamp.

I believe my knack comes from a lot of patience and keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

Rob

Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
20 Jul 2018
06:37:38am

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re: 1/- 1935 ANZAC COMMEMORATION Proof: From the estate of the late John Ash (Stamp Printer)

Hi Dave

He definitely was hands-on with many of Australia’s great rarities, what I saw at the display was quite impressive and indeed he had hidden for decades many very important rarities that would have been of keen interest to philatelists wanting to view such stamps.

I knew for the past 30 years that Australia had an unissued 8 cent QEII proof yet had no idea where it can be seen, knowing that the only other was in the Royal Philatelic Society in London, after seeing it in the collection I now know where it has been.

I have stamps that are ex-Arthur Gray and not speaking ill of the dead, his passing now make such stamps in reach of collectors who otherwise would never see such items.

The very rare 1/- Anzac Commemoration proof is not an ex-Arthur Gray, although it would not surprise me that one or more are in his collection. But I can say there is one block of stamps that I do have that he does not have in his collection, and that is my 1938 ½d roo with the very early state of cracked plate, it is the only example seen.

When more of Arthur Gray’s stamps go on sale later this year, it will be interesting how much each lot will sell for.

Rob

Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
22 Jul 2018
04:29:34pm

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re: 1/- 1935 ANZAC COMMEMORATION Proof: From the estate of the late John Ash (Stamp Printer)

Thanks AntoniusRa, it will be a great addition to my collection, never thought I would be getting one this well centred as mostly all are off centred.

Rob