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Oceania/Australia : Mystery Surrounding the ½d Kangaroo Cracked Plate

 

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Rob1956
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Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)

02 Jan 2020
06:21:52pm
This 1938 block of four ½d kangaroos I have shown on Stamporama and other stamp forums in the past, there are two other blocks of 4 that make a complete set, a unique combination of a cracked plate.

There are three states of the cracked plate.
1. Very Early state
2. Early state
3. Late state

The early and late state are scarce but there are a few around, the very early state is unique as only one has been cited, which happens to be the one in question.

Chris Ceremuga has seen the block of 4 with the very early plate crack and believes it is but it needs to be recorded and published before he can officially certify it.

Geoff Kellow cannot find any provenance of the very early plate crack and has promised to write about it in a magazine to see if any-one has any information about it.

The invoice I have from the Juzwins state that it is the block of 4 mentioned in the ACSC (Australian Commonwealth Specialist’s Catalogue).

There are other 1938 ½d kangaroo stamps in strips that have similar markings but are they the same?

I am currently researching on the provenance, as all stamps have a provenance, but it seems this block of 4 should never have existed.

The cracked plate marks are burnishing marks caused when the new government printer W.G. McCracken decided to remove the John Ash imprint and replace it with his own.

The burnishing weakened that section of the plate and after continuous use the plate weakened more until it started to crack.

Considering that although the plates and watermarked paper were indeed made for the 1938 printing, the stamps were actually printed when McCracken took over in 1940 after the retirement of Ash; and that all ½d stamps from 1942 – 1949 were made by McCracken showing the “By Authority” imprint on unwatermarked paper.

The stamp in question is the very early cracked plate, but finding its provenance is going to take some serious investigation.

Image Not Found
Very Early Cracked Plate

Image Not Found
Early Cracked Plate

Image Not Found
Late Plate Crack

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"Specialised Collector of Australian Pre-Decimal & Decimal Stamps"
Horamakhet
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02 Jan 2020
07:11:36pm
re: Mystery Surrounding the ½d Kangaroo Cracked Plate

Hi Rob

Again I am jealous, and I am still searching for any type of 1/2d Kangaroo cracked plate.

The 1/2d Kangaroo cracked plates must be some of the most elusive of Australian stamps as I am always on the lookout for one.

I love items that should not exist, it makes for an interesting search.

This year I am going to concentrate on trying to find the unusual, and try and concentrate on collecting imprint blocks of four or more, but I will still buy anything that excites my collecting genes.


Regard

Horamakhet


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Rob1956
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Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)

02 Jan 2020
08:51:13pm
re: Mystery Surrounding the ½d Kangaroo Cracked Plate

Just my luck getting a mystery variety, To say that the joy of stamp collecting is in the hunt for the elusive stamp is an understatement when it comes to this block of 4. It's going to take a lot of research to find anything on this variety.

It would be a lucky find to locate one in a standard collection for sale, these are specialised varieties. But then, who knows what one will find in a collection.

Only a few weeks ago a long-lost painting by a celebrated Italian artist (pre-Renaissance artist Cimabue) was found hanging in the kitchen of an elderly French woman, it was just sold for $26.6 million at auction.

Rob

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"Specialised Collector of Australian Pre-Decimal & Decimal Stamps"
Horamakhet
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03 Jan 2020
03:42:46am
re: Mystery Surrounding the ½d Kangaroo Cracked Plate

Hi Rob

I heard about the painting, but did you hear about the one by El Greco, it was also found in a french flat, but hidden in the roof, it sold pre auction for $127 million.

Horamakhet

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Author/Postings

Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
02 Jan 2020
06:21:52pm

This 1938 block of four ½d kangaroos I have shown on Stamporama and other stamp forums in the past, there are two other blocks of 4 that make a complete set, a unique combination of a cracked plate.

There are three states of the cracked plate.
1. Very Early state
2. Early state
3. Late state

The early and late state are scarce but there are a few around, the very early state is unique as only one has been cited, which happens to be the one in question.

Chris Ceremuga has seen the block of 4 with the very early plate crack and believes it is but it needs to be recorded and published before he can officially certify it.

Geoff Kellow cannot find any provenance of the very early plate crack and has promised to write about it in a magazine to see if any-one has any information about it.

The invoice I have from the Juzwins state that it is the block of 4 mentioned in the ACSC (Australian Commonwealth Specialist’s Catalogue).

There are other 1938 ½d kangaroo stamps in strips that have similar markings but are they the same?

I am currently researching on the provenance, as all stamps have a provenance, but it seems this block of 4 should never have existed.

The cracked plate marks are burnishing marks caused when the new government printer W.G. McCracken decided to remove the John Ash imprint and replace it with his own.

The burnishing weakened that section of the plate and after continuous use the plate weakened more until it started to crack.

Considering that although the plates and watermarked paper were indeed made for the 1938 printing, the stamps were actually printed when McCracken took over in 1940 after the retirement of Ash; and that all ½d stamps from 1942 – 1949 were made by McCracken showing the “By Authority” imprint on unwatermarked paper.

The stamp in question is the very early cracked plate, but finding its provenance is going to take some serious investigation.

Image Not Found
Very Early Cracked Plate

Image Not Found
Early Cracked Plate

Image Not Found
Late Plate Crack

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"Specialised Collector of Australian Pre-Decimal & Decimal Stamps"
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Horamakhet

02 Jan 2020
07:11:36pm

re: Mystery Surrounding the ½d Kangaroo Cracked Plate

Hi Rob

Again I am jealous, and I am still searching for any type of 1/2d Kangaroo cracked plate.

The 1/2d Kangaroo cracked plates must be some of the most elusive of Australian stamps as I am always on the lookout for one.

I love items that should not exist, it makes for an interesting search.

This year I am going to concentrate on trying to find the unusual, and try and concentrate on collecting imprint blocks of four or more, but I will still buy anything that excites my collecting genes.


Regard

Horamakhet


Like
Login to Like
this post

Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW)
02 Jan 2020
08:51:13pm

re: Mystery Surrounding the ½d Kangaroo Cracked Plate

Just my luck getting a mystery variety, To say that the joy of stamp collecting is in the hunt for the elusive stamp is an understatement when it comes to this block of 4. It's going to take a lot of research to find anything on this variety.

It would be a lucky find to locate one in a standard collection for sale, these are specialised varieties. But then, who knows what one will find in a collection.

Only a few weeks ago a long-lost painting by a celebrated Italian artist (pre-Renaissance artist Cimabue) was found hanging in the kitchen of an elderly French woman, it was just sold for $26.6 million at auction.

Rob

Like
Login to Like
this post

"Specialised Collector of Australian Pre-Decimal & Decimal Stamps"
Members Picture
Horamakhet

03 Jan 2020
03:42:46am

re: Mystery Surrounding the ½d Kangaroo Cracked Plate

Hi Rob

I heard about the painting, but did you hear about the one by El Greco, it was also found in a french flat, but hidden in the roof, it sold pre auction for $127 million.

Horamakhet

Like
Login to Like
this post
        

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