Pooh
I have been thinking about your post for a few days, it raises a few questions not least as to how you are going to manage your collection going forward.
1. Rough paper. Used around 1916/1917. It was originally designed for banknote use. It has a slightly rougher feel and often the printing contains more unplated white flaws due to the slightly uneven surface. If you handle enough copies you will get to pick it by feel.
2. The secret mark is a flaw encountered on plate 4 and is a small notch below ‘N’ of ONE’
3. Inverted watermark. Some inverted watermarks are not common, other like the 2d die 3 are very common. The normal watermark is Crown over A, inverted is upside down. Very rarely do some varieties have a sideways watermark.
There are three basic levels of collecting the KGV’s:
1. A basic collection based on the SG catalogue.
2. A more advanced collection including main flaws, shades etc, for this the BW catalogue suggested by Horamakhet is essential.
3. Plating collection, there are a number of specialised checklists for all values and dies, you could end up spending several thousand dollars getting them all. The minor plating flaws are not covered by the BW catalogue.
Due to the nature of the printing process, different papers and watermarks and the physical conditions under which the printers operated there are numerous ‘one off’ flaws which are not recognised as constant, your next two posts appear to fall into this category.
I built up a large stock of material before retiring and have worked at level 3, I have many thousand different varieties of flaws some of which have several noted states. Currently I am no longer buying much as the material has normally been pretty well picked over. It is still possible to make a find but not common. Many of the so called ‘deals’ on e bay have been well checked! I have a couple of friendly dealers in NZ who occasionally offer me unchecked batches.
You appear to have a good selection of pre decimal stamps that you are working through and Rob 1956 is clearly the expert to help you there. I now work mainly on the Tasmanian Pictorials, there are still plenty available at reasonable prices that have only been checked for postmarks. The main problem has been the lack of resources but more are coming available all the time.
I would suggest you decide on the area you wish to collect and get the appropriate catalogues and resources.
Hope this helps a bit!
Tasnaki
Thankyou for this as it has been a very big help but could you also tell me what are tin flaws on KGV stamps. where I live this is the only way I can find out information on stamps. Is there a secret mark on these stamps??
Pooh
The early printing in Melbourne was carried out in a building described at the time as a tin shed. It was an older building, drafty and damp which caused occasional problems for the printers. The early equipment used was also primitive compared to todays printing techniques.
The term 'Tin shed flaw' refers to generally one off flaws, most probably caused by the conditions. It could be a simple as a bit of dust on the plate or a splash of glue on the front of the stamp so the ink would not stick. These are probably the two main causes. A spot of dust or similar would often cause a so called 'bulls eye' flaw.
The secret mark only refers to the one plate 4 position.
Tasnaki
Could someone please tell me how to tell the difference between rough and smooth paper and inverted watermark on these stamps What is the secret mark on stamps??
re: KGV one penny stamp
Pooh
I have been thinking about your post for a few days, it raises a few questions not least as to how you are going to manage your collection going forward.
1. Rough paper. Used around 1916/1917. It was originally designed for banknote use. It has a slightly rougher feel and often the printing contains more unplated white flaws due to the slightly uneven surface. If you handle enough copies you will get to pick it by feel.
2. The secret mark is a flaw encountered on plate 4 and is a small notch below ‘N’ of ONE’
3. Inverted watermark. Some inverted watermarks are not common, other like the 2d die 3 are very common. The normal watermark is Crown over A, inverted is upside down. Very rarely do some varieties have a sideways watermark.
There are three basic levels of collecting the KGV’s:
1. A basic collection based on the SG catalogue.
2. A more advanced collection including main flaws, shades etc, for this the BW catalogue suggested by Horamakhet is essential.
3. Plating collection, there are a number of specialised checklists for all values and dies, you could end up spending several thousand dollars getting them all. The minor plating flaws are not covered by the BW catalogue.
Due to the nature of the printing process, different papers and watermarks and the physical conditions under which the printers operated there are numerous ‘one off’ flaws which are not recognised as constant, your next two posts appear to fall into this category.
I built up a large stock of material before retiring and have worked at level 3, I have many thousand different varieties of flaws some of which have several noted states. Currently I am no longer buying much as the material has normally been pretty well picked over. It is still possible to make a find but not common. Many of the so called ‘deals’ on e bay have been well checked! I have a couple of friendly dealers in NZ who occasionally offer me unchecked batches.
You appear to have a good selection of pre decimal stamps that you are working through and Rob 1956 is clearly the expert to help you there. I now work mainly on the Tasmanian Pictorials, there are still plenty available at reasonable prices that have only been checked for postmarks. The main problem has been the lack of resources but more are coming available all the time.
I would suggest you decide on the area you wish to collect and get the appropriate catalogues and resources.
Hope this helps a bit!
Tasnaki
re: KGV one penny stamp
Thankyou for this as it has been a very big help but could you also tell me what are tin flaws on KGV stamps. where I live this is the only way I can find out information on stamps. Is there a secret mark on these stamps??
re: KGV one penny stamp
Pooh
The early printing in Melbourne was carried out in a building described at the time as a tin shed. It was an older building, drafty and damp which caused occasional problems for the printers. The early equipment used was also primitive compared to todays printing techniques.
The term 'Tin shed flaw' refers to generally one off flaws, most probably caused by the conditions. It could be a simple as a bit of dust on the plate or a splash of glue on the front of the stamp so the ink would not stick. These are probably the two main causes. A spot of dust or similar would often cause a so called 'bulls eye' flaw.
The secret mark only refers to the one plate 4 position.
Tasnaki