STAMPS

Southland Times, Issue 21773, 30 July 1932, Page 10

STAMPS

THE COLLECTOR’S COLUMN.

(By Star N.Z.)

When writing last week about the mode of classifying the “Penny Universal” stamps, I omitted to mention one important point, namely, the paper upon which the stamps are printed. This varies considerably from the thick soft water low paper to the hard thin and crisp Basted and Cowan papers. I suppose most readers of these notes are familiar with the usual method adopted for testing for watermarks. The stamp is placed face downwards on a small black tray or dish, and a few drops of petrol are sprinkled on the stamp when the watermark (if any) usually shows up. The petrol does not in any way injure the stamp, as it rapidly evaporates. I need hardly remind collectors of the need of special care in using petrol owing to its highly inflammable nature.

In this week’s notes, it is proposed to deal with some of the “errors’* that have occurred in connection with postage stamps. Some of these are very interesting, and a few of them, at least, were entirely unintentional. A goodly number, however, were undoubtedly perpetrated “out of set purpose.” Amongst the former was the "waggon with shafts” issue of the South African Republic (Transvaal) which appeared in 1894’5. These stamps were printed in Europe (I believe in Germany) and the designers were unaware of the fact that in the Transvaal waggons with shafts were comparatively unknown and that the “trekking” waggon almost invariably had a pole to which were hitched a big team of oxen. President Kruger (Oom Paul) was furious when the error came under his notice, and the issue was almost immediately withdrawn, the waggon with its characteristic pole appearing in a new issue the following year. One of the oldest “errors” was perpetrated in the Newfoundland stamps of 1866. The central design of the five cent, stamp was a seal on an ice floe. But the seal was of a most extraordinary and rare variety; it had paws instead of fins and flappers. This mistake was not corrected until 1880. It looks, in this case, as if it was entirely unintentional.

The error which occurred in the Jamaican issue of 1903-4 could, however, hardly be classed as “accidental” as it appeared on only one stamp in each sheet. The design of this issue is* the “coat of arms” of Jamaica underneath which is the motto in Latin “Indus unterque serviet uni.” The error consists of the “vi” of serviet being omitted.

Nearly akin to this is the famous error in the stamps of a neighbouring component of the British Empire, namely, British Guiana. The motto of that colonj' is “Damus petimusque vicissim” (we give and we seek in return). This motto appears on very many of the stamps of British Guiana, and in the issue of January, 1852 “petimus” is misspelt “patimus.” These stamps are valued by Stanley Gibbons at £250 to-day. Sometimes the error is caused by the transposition or inversion of part of the design. This happened in connection with the 15 cent, (blue and dark brown) stamp of the 1869 issue of United States of America. The picture was (in the case of a very few copies) printed upside down. This “error” stamp is catalogued by Stanley Gibbons at £250.

A most uncommon error, very similar to this, was recently discovered in a New Zealand stamp, viz. the 4d pictorial giving a view of Lake Taupo with some beautiful cabbage trees in the foreground. The centre of this stamp, it will be remembered, is coloured blue, whilst the rest of the stamp is of a chestnut or yellow brown hue. A used copy was discovered, rather heavily post marked, in which the centre was inverted—this stamp was sold at auction in London and realized £6l. The error in the spelling of Wakatipu (viz., i for a) in the first issue of the 2’d pictorial (New Zealand . stamp is well-known, and only a passing reference is necessary. This error was probably in the first instance quite. unintentional, but it was, when discovered, very widely advertised with the result that huge sales were made by the Post Office.

The most frequent type of error in stamps probably occurs in overprints or surcharges. The collector who would believe that these were all genuine printer’s “errors” would, I fear be a very innocent cherub indeed. The Transvaal Republic was one of the worst offenders. We have instances of inverted surcharges, and double surcharges.—2/J for 2j>; pennij and pennv for penny surcharge printed both on face and back of stamp, and many other varieties.

Sometimes the error is not in the printing of the surcharge, but in the printing of the stamp itself. Such an error occurs in the 1890-1894 issue of Queensland where in some of the 4d value, pence is spelt penge. This subject (errors in stamps) is most interesting, and at some future time I shall endeavour to give some further examples. This week’s study of New Zealand stamps will be confined to two values in each of which there has been only one issue, viz., 4Jd and 7Jd. Both these stamps were issued on July 30, 1915 (during the Great War) at a time when, owing to increasing costs, the rate of postage on letters had been raised to ljd. These stamps bear the well-known figure of King George V and are printed in rich shades of deep green and red brown respectively. They were line engraved and printed in New Zealand from plates made" by Perkins Bacon and Co. The watermark is the single lined N.Z. and star. The perforation in each case is either 14 x 144 or 14 x 13£, both perforations being found se tenant (that is the one above the other) in the fourth and fifth rows of each sheet. Vertical pairs showing both perforations are a rarity and are valued by Stanley Gibbons (used or unused) at 10/- and 15/- respectively. These values are, in my opinion, likely to become rare as they were little used postally and were in issue for only a comparatively short time.