STAMP COLLECTING

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 2 (Supplement)

STAMP COLLECTING

By

Dennis Barry

Everyone is well advised to look through tlie family's old papers anti letters just to see that part of a fortune is not left lying forgotten because of lack of initiative or lack of energetic explorers.

The age of stamp discoveries is not past. This was never better illustrated than, recently in London. Looking over some malerittl sent in for auction one of tlie staff at Robson Lowe’s Regent Street offices in London recently found a fine example ot Doekwra’s penny stamp used on a letter dated .June 27, 1682. and addressed to "Mr. Peter Clayton at Sr. Robert Clayton’s house in Old Jury." Seven copies of this rare stamp "gent" are known —all used on letters that rest in the archives of the British Museum lint, until now, no other copy lias been found “out of captivity.” The new discovery is inscribed “Penny Post Paid" and lias a "T” in the centre to show that it was used at the Temple Office. It also bears a heart-shaped time mark "Afternoon 6.” ACTION AGAINST DOCKWRA A few mouths after this stamp was used the Duke of York took action against William Doekwra for infringement of tlie postal monopoly. Doekwra lost the case, ami triangular stamps with slight differences from tlie original were used from 1683 to 1784. "We have examined millions of letters during the past live years." Mr. Robson I, owe said, "always hoping that we should find an original Doekwra. and it is hai-d to realize even now that at last we have been successful. Tlte late J. 11. Daniels, of Brighton, who spent over fifty years studying tlie hamistruek stamps of Great Britain, passed away a few years ago without finding one example of the London Penny Post stamp that was issued by the founder of tlie service in 1689.

"It is remarkable." Mr. Lowe continued, “that only last June I was wagered a pound that we would find a copy of this stanqi before tlie centenary of the adhesive postage stamp, which is to open on May 6, 1940.” What better proof is there that there is yet hope for all of us if our search is sufficiently painstaking? There .-ire many less important discoveries to be made, and it is interesting to note that there is scarcely an issue in wliicli there are not varieties and "freaks.’ Last year it was recorded tiiat a 1/Board' of Education stanqi of Great Britain was found in a penny packet of stamps! The lesson to be learned from this is to always study carefully all Hie stamps you handle. Tlte careful collector U the successful collector, and in being careful you learn far more thoroughly. •- It has been well said Hurt very few stamps are so cheap that they are not worth sorting.

THE SILVER JUBILEES 'The Silver Jubilees have proved one of the most popular issues that have been released in any country in recent years, and today they are worth reviewing just to take stock of the various facts concerning their quite amazing appreciation in value. So great has been the demand for Silver Jubilees that when the speculators put their sets on the market there was not the normal drop in price, and those sets seem to have been wonderfully absorbed by those who missed them as new issues in 1935.

Today Hie various sets are so distributed over the world Unit it is by no means easy to secure a full collection, and it is well known that the number of certain values printed, was very low; so Ipw that only a small percentage of the world's collectors are expected to secure a complete set. It. is still possible to colk-et a very representative selection, and all these things considered the prices asked for Silver Jubilees today are very reasonable. The jubilees were produced quickly in most cases and a number of constant and interesting varieties have result.d. The most valuable known is that which occurs on the -Stli stamp on the sheet of Morocco Agencies 10 centimes on one penny. A second printing was made shortly after the jubilee and through ir compositor's mistake the 28th stamp was overprinted “10 centimes” in mistake for “10 centimos."

When supplies of the second printing were received very few dealers bothered to check them thoroughly, and thus a great many sheets were broken up, .before tlie error was found. Thus distribution took place in the usual way and the hunt is still going on. As in many other instances care has to ’bo taken with this find tlie variety is only recognisable when in pair with a normal. The error in a block of nine is listed at £GO,-but there is a warning attached that forgeries have been found even in blocks of nine.

A less important but collectable variety occurred on most Morocco stamps and consisted of an “F” instead of the second “E” in “Agencies.”

LITTLE-KNOWN BRITISH TYPES The story cf the British “Prussian Blue" variety is w.ll known-now. but there are different types in the British set that are not so well known. There are three distinct types of eaeh value, varying in the shading at the top of the stamp. Tlie first type came from the usual printings. Tlie second type came from booklets witli inverted watermark, and the third type came from booklets of the normal watermark. Very few collectors noticed the third type, and it is regarded as very elusive today. The scarcest normal jubilee stamp is tlie 1 piastre letter-seal issued to British troops serving in Egypt to enable them to write home al a redue. d rate. For the jubilee the seal was printed in blue and overprinted in red “Jubilee Commemoration, 41)35." Next to this comes the Mauritius I

rupee stamp. So great was the demand for silver jubilee.-, that several printing* were made ofmost values, but only one printing was made of tlie Mauritius I rupee and it is very scarce, in view of this it is considered to be one of the lightest catalogued of the jubilees today. the Windsor castle varieties To the serious collector the most interesting are the "Windsor Castle" types. They w. re issued to Hie Crown Colonies. • Shortly after they were, issued certain stamps were found t"’ vary from the normal. • The most obvious variation was a line to the right of the central turret, and these are known to s]>ecialists as tlie “extra flagstaff” variety. It is not gen; rally known that this is only one of many important varieties which it is now believed wore inserted deliberately—-to give a distinguishing mark to each plate. When the “extra flagstaff" variety was discovered enthusiasts collected any stamps that varied in Hie slightest degree from the normal and they were disappointed when they found that th'' large percentage of these variation* wire merely dots or scratches on the plates. That was not all, however, am! it was finally discovered that certain of these dots and scratches were constant and therefore varieties were estab lished. Of course this was not a job for tlie small collector. It was possible for those who had whole she ts to d 1 the work and they did it well enough.

DISTINGUISHING PRINTERS Tlie facts are that tlie Windsor Castle series was done by three printers--Bradbury. Wilkinson and Co.. Lid.. Thomas De l-'i Rue and Co., Ltd., and Waterlow and .Son*. Ltd. The first distinction to be noted wa.- ttiai tlie De La Rue stamps bad a smaller pelforaliou than those of tiie olh r iwo firms and other minor diiTerem es. However, when it was all boiled down this was the result as to differences: — (J) Bradbury, Wilkinson primings have Otte thick stroke on lite wall ot’ Windsor Castle below the chapel: (2) Watei'iow printings have two strokes:

(31 De La Rue printings nave three strokes.

it is now possible to tell the printer of each stamp at a glance.

It was following this that it was discovered that the dots and scratches al first thought airiiless were m r. aljty deliberate and identified plates. ’lm.’ “extra flagstaff" variety i< known as Blate 1 and there are seven oilier plates each with a distinguishing mark. Before closing commentary on Ibe jubilees the “mystery stamp’ of 81. Helena is worth meution'ng. U i- the 6.1. variety ami in it lire engraver omitted to "line in" between the first seven letters of Hie titli. Ail the other varieties of lire Windsor Castle are lined in.

ENTERTAINING ERROF.S Attention has been drawn recently to some very amusing ;:nd interesting errors made by stamp de-igners. Evvryone'in New Zealand knows of the "Luke Wakitipu" error. It is rather amusing to hear it discussed, nevertheless. I have heard many say, "Uh, yes. Tlie error in the lake issue. There is an ‘a’ instead of an ‘i’; or is it an - i’ instead of an ’a.’” Perhaps you do not need me to tell you that Wakatipu is spelt with an “a.” The last time I wrote ibis 1 received an acid note stating that ■Wakatipu was "spelt with TWO ’a’s." In the latest issue of the "New Zealand Stamp'Monthly,” -Mr. M. T. Johnson points out one or two rather good errors very suitable to the average collector.

Attention. i s drawn to the New Zealand “map” issue. It was Hie issue of 1923 to commemorate —or celtbrate — the reintroduction of penny postage. It is a fairly washy product but varieties have made it interesting to most collectors. However, Mr. .Johnson points out the very bad error in the designing. At first sight the map may appear correct, but look more -closely. You will see that Cape Farewell is far too near Cape Egmont to make navigation :rs easy as the easiest-going mariner would wish.

In the 1921 New Zealand charity stamp the boy portrayed on it lias his hair parted on the wrong side. The first issue of St. Kitts Nt vis shows Co lambus looking through a telescope

COCONUTS ON DATE PALM In 192 S the Gold Coast issued stamps bearing the head of King George \. and Christiansborg Castle. To the right of the castle is what is intended to be a date palm. That date palm is bearing large coconuts! According to natural historians, Mr. Johnson comments, the whale in the bottom left-hand corner of the set issued by the Falkland Islands, lias be;u dead at least a month. It is far too high out of the water. Although from its floating position it should be dead it is portrayed spouting freely' In the Newfoundland set of 1866 the five cent, bears a seal. The designer gave the seal claws! In 1860 the error was corrected and tlie seal given a pair of flappers. No doubt that made him more at home. The Transvaal lia* a stamp showing a covered wagon fitted with shafts. Shafts wire not used of course —wagons had a single pole. Mt. Johnson mentions many more—all very interestingly set out —and it is worth the while of any collector to scan bis catalogue carefully so that be ma.v recognise these errors. They are fascinating in a collection.

Wileox. Smith and Coy.. 14 Manse St., Dunedin, New Zealand (the oldest stamp firm in Australasia). Semi paid Retail, and air. Buying and silling lists free. Estd. 54 years.—Advt.