Sunday, April 12, 2015

Queensland 1d imperforate used (SG 187 a)

The 1d sideface (without the full stop after the penny) was issued from 1887 -1895, covering SG 179, 187, 202, 203 and 206. SG 179 (May 1887 - 1891) and SG 187 (1890 - 1894) are the same stamp with the same watermark but different perforations, which would be impossible to distinguish in an imperforate copy.

Stanley Gibbons only lists 187 as imperforate, SG 187a imperf (pair) which catalogs at 300 pounds mint and 325 pounds used (2019 ed). SG 187 - 1d. vermilion red - was issued from 1890-1894 and has a watermark 6 (Crown over Q).

SG 202 and 203, (Feb 1895 - emergency printings when paper stocks ran low) have a different watermark (Crown and Q joined) and are on thick paper previously used for beer duty issues. I am not aware of any examples on the thick paper.

SG 206 (Feb 1895) is the burele band on the back (another emergency printing). Again I am not aware of any examples on this paper.

However several of the dates on the known Imperforate issues are October and November 1895. Scudder lists the latest date of issue for SG 187 as January 1895, a reddish orange shade and then in February 1895 a release of old stock in a deep orange shade.

In late February 1895 the 1d. with a clear background in the oval and no numerals (SG 210) was issued. Therefore the question can be asked as to why so many examples of a previous issue are dated from a time when these stocks had already been superseded by the new issue. An interesting question! How and why did a handful of these sheets appear at a handful of post offices after the issue had been superseded?

This stamp is very rare, but a number of examples exist. Ideally they should be collected as pairs or multiples otherwise one can never be sure if they are really imperf or just a perf issue cut down.

Scudder, Queensland postage stamps, p. 139, lists 16 examples known to him.

Here is Scudders list:
1 Used single, Reddish orange, dated 10 April 1889 (seen by me)
2 Used single, shade of around June 1894, pale brownish orange, indecipherable numeral cancellation (not seen by me)
3 Used pair dated 7 November 1895 in the Royal Collection (not seen by me)
4 Used pair on piece with 1895 half penny numeral cancel 369 - Parliament House (image seen  by me)
5 Used single on cover, cancelled Parliament House 23 November 1895 (not seen by me)
6 Used pair on cover, cancelled Parliament House 23 November 1895 (image seen by me)
7 Other similarly used pairs and singles exist from Parliament House post office (three images seen by me)
8 Used pair cancelled 215 - South Brisbane (copy seen by me)
9 Used pair on piece, cancelled Helidon 22 December 1895 (image seen  by me)
10 Used pair with numeral cancellation 87, Eagle Junction (image seen  by me)
11 Used pair, orange shade (not seen by me).

Not listed by Scudder (and shown in this post):
1 1d dull orange Imperforate pair as SG 187a, Brisbane duplex cancels of JA12/95
2 1d. vermilion-red used Imperforate pair, cancelled "G.P.O." in oval of bars. S.G. 187a
3 3 covers with Imperforate pairs bn 131 Caboolture - October 1895 (?) (images seen by me)
4 Cover with Imperforate pair bn 369 Parliament House dated 24 October 1895
5 Cover with Imperforate pair bn 121 Clifton dated 18 November 1895
6 Cover with Imperforate pair bn 472 Woolloongabba dated 24 July 1893
7 Cover with Brisbane GPO cancel dated 15 November 1895
8 1d. vermilion-red imperforate pair SG #187a, indistinct cancel
9 1d. Imperforate single, fiscal use, text is 20/5/9-, attach
10 1d. Imperforate single, indistinct ray cancellation
11 1d. Imperforate pair Brisbane registered cancel JX (January?) 31, 1894, sheet no 347
12 1d. vermilion red, Imperforate pair (SG 187a), tied on piece along with ½d green, Brisbane circular datestamp, 25 Apr 1895 with partial London receiver.
13 1d. Imperforate single, Brisbane circular datestamp, 13 November 1890, in the L’Estrange Collection, Queensland Museum
14 1d. Imperforate pair, with Brisbane GPO Obliterator type 7 cancel. Seen in a private collection
15 1d. Imperforate single, Brisbane GPO Obliterator type 7 cancellation. Seen in a private collection
16 1d. Imperforate single, indistinct datestamp, probably Dirranbandi, in the collection of Dave Elsmore
171d. Imperforate single,barred numeral cancellation 226, Albion, in the collection of Dave Elsmore
18 1d. Imperforate single, indistinct datestamp and ray cancellations, possibly a Brisbane duplex cancellation, in the collection of Dave Elsmore
19 1d. Imperforate single with an 1890 Brisbane cancellation
20 1d. Imperforate pair with an 1884 Brisbane cancellation
21 1d. Imperforate single with numeral 369 Parliament House
22 1d. Imperforate pair with a possible indistinct crown seal cancel
23 1d. Imperforate single, indistinct ray cancellation
25 1d. Imperforate single, Reddish orange, dated May 1889
26 1d. Imperforate pair dated Caboolture (Ray 131) 30 October 1895
27 Cover with Imperforate pair bn 369 Parliament House dated 15 May 1895
28 1d. Imperforate pair tied on piece along with ½d green, bn 369 of Parliament House
29 1d. Imperforate single, Reddish orange, with Brisbane GPO Obliterator type 7 cancel
30 Cover with Imperforate pair ray 72 Helidon dated 22 December 1895
31 1d. Imperforate pair with bn 472 of Woolloongabba
32 Cover with Imperforate pair dated Murphy Creek 11 November 1895
33 Cover with Imperforate pair dated Bundaberg 10 January 1894
34 1d. Imperforate pair with bn 369 of Parliament House

This post deals with used examples only, but mint examples also exist. My take on how to distinguish mint plate proofs from mint imperforate examples is as follows:

1 A watermarked and gummed paper example is an imperforate mint copy
2 An unwatermarked and ungummed example is a plate proof
3 A watermarked and ungummed example is a plate proof

So why do these copies exist? I think I can work out broadly what happened, based on the following 5 observations and given the caveat that several examples do not fit the timeline and therefore must have originated through different circumstances:

*Most of the known copies are mint
*Most of the known dates are October and November 1895, after this stamp had been superseded
*Most of the used examples come from one post office - Parliament House with the majority of the rest coming from the greater Brisbane area
*most of the used and mint examples are pairs - necessary to conclusively identify this issue as imperforate. This means people knew what they were doing and gives this issue a "philatelicaly contrived" flavour
*Imperforate issues cannot be bought at a post office unknowingly or by error. If a postal clerk tried to separate one of these stamps for sale they would very quickly know they were imperforate!

So, this is what I think broadly happened:

*Some sheets of this issue were left over and were, for whatever reason, never perforated.
* In October 1895 these sheets were made available in mint form, at Parliament House, either through the post office or to officers or members of the House. Most were kept in mint format by their owners / purchasers, either broken down into pairs or larger lots
*Some of these were later sent through the post, usually in pairs, for philatelic purposes at a number of post offices in and around Brisbane.

The covers and some used examples hold the key to their philatelic use. The bottom corner pair with the sheet no example is obviously for philatelic purposes. The address and names on the 12 covers I have seen could be telling as well. The addresses are;

*Mr D F Roberts, Plymleigh, Gladstone Rd, Brisbane - posted at Clifton, Brisbane on 18 November 1895
*Mr Robinson, Chatsworth, Union Terrace, George St, Brisbane - Posted at Caboolture, Brisbane on 30 October 1895 (x2)
*Mr J Robinson, Survey office, Brisbane, posted at Parliament House, Brisbane on 23 November 1895
*Mr J Robinson, Survey office, Brisbane, posted at Murphy Creek, 15 km north east of Toowoomba, on 11 November 1895
*Mr J Robinson, Chatsworth, George Street, Brisbane, posted at the Brisbane general post office on 15 November 1895.
*Mr F Hadlow, Chatsworth, Union Terrace, George St, Brisbane - posted at Caboolture, Brisbane on date indistinct (possibly October 1895)
*Mr F Hadlow, Government Printing Office, Brisbane - posted at Parliament House, Brisbane on 24 October 1895 
*Miss M C Biggar, Gladstone Rd, Brisbane, posted at Woolloongabba, Brisbane on 24 July 1893
*Miss M C Biggar, Leichardt Street Girls School, Brisbane, posted at Parliament House, Brisbane on 15 May 1895
*Mrs E W Robinson, Lydwin, Toowoomba, posted at Helidon on 22 December 1895
*Mr J H Parry, Sydney, posted at Bundaberg on 10 January 1894


So of these 12, 9 originated in Brisbane and were addressed to Brisbane. According to Campbell, the town letter rate at this time was 1d., and these are all 2d., more evidence that these are philatelic covers!

Looking at the linked names and addresses, there are obviously connections, although an internet search proved relatively elusive. I found Mr Hadlow advertising "Westralian stamps. Good prices for obsolete issues. F. Hadlow, George St Brisbane" in the West Australian of 1 October 1896, so as well as working at the Government Printing Office he was also evidently a stamp collector. On 22 and 23 February 1897 in the Brisbane Courier there is an advertisement as follows: "Australasian stamps wanted; all issues prior to 1880. F. Hadlow, Chatsworth, George street, Brisbane." Mrs E W Robinson is probably related to Mr J Robinson. J H Parry was a stamp dealer in Sydney and is also known for organising philatelically inspired covers from Tonga! Any further sleuthing would be appreciated!

On an unrelated note, some of the bisects seen for this issue, two of which are dated 16 October and 24 October 1895 at Parliament House, are probably also tied up with this fellow!

The only reference I could find in the literature was this: "A bouquet of Queenslanders", Australian Journal of Philately, 16 February 1905, pp. 54-5. It discusses the collection of W. Russell Wilkins and includes this comment:
"sheet of 120 1d. solid background, imperf, issued from the G.P.O, in 1894 (only three or four sheets supposed to have got out). This collection was bought by Leslie Hausberg later that year. Hausberg's collections were acquired by Stanley Gibbons in 1916.

Here are the examples I have seen. If you have any and would like them included for the sake of completeness, please contact me. As can be seen from these examples, there are some covers and dated examples that fall outside this period, including from SG 179, indicating that there was more than one release to the public of imperforated copies of this stamp.


Queensland - The Alan Griffiths Collection at Spink auctions. 1309 - 1895 (18 Nov.) envelope from Clifton to Brisbane, bearing 1890-94 1d. vermilion-red horizontal pair, variety imperforate, neatly cancelled "121 in oval of bars and with part despatch c.d.s. at left, T.P.O. (18.11) and arrival c.d.s. (19.11) on reverse; envelope with vertical crease at centre, well clear of the pair. A rare apparent commercial use of this variety. S.G. 187a. Then Ex Diffen at Spink auction no 20030 lot no 204

Queensland - The Alan Griffiths Collection at Spink auctions. 1308 - 1895 (24 Oct.) envelope (flap missing) from Parliament House to The Government Printing Office, Brisbane, bearing 1d. vermilion-red horizontal pair, variety imperforate, neatly cancelled "369" in oval of bars and with despatch c.d.s. alongside, arrival c.d.s. (24.10) on reverse

1895 (Dec 22) cover to "Lydwin/Toowoomba" with scarce franking of Sidefaces Imperf 1d pair SG 187a (Cat £300 x15+ on cover) tied by bold Rays '72' of 'HELIDON' (fine cds below), faint TPO transit b/s & Toowoomba duplex arrival b/s, two minor pieces of the flap removed. Seen at Abacus auction no 239

Prestige Philately auction no 88 lot no 1895 cvr to Brisbane (b/s) with very fine 1d imperforate pair tied by two very fine strikes of Rays '131' of Caboolture (fair cds alongside). Outstanding quality. Realised $1600

890-94 Lined-Oval Wmk 2nd Crown/Q Perf 12½,13 1d vermilion-red (colour changeling) Imperforate pair SG #187a tied by twin strikes of Rays '131' cancel to 1896 (Oct 30) cover from Caboolture to Brisbane (arrival backstamp), small section of back flap missing. Extremely rare on cover, Cat £325 (off cover). Seen at Phoenix Auction no 59 lot no 980. Realised $675

1895 (Nov 23) local cover to the Survey Office with scarce franking of Sidefaces Imperf 1d pair SG 187a (creased before being affixed; Cat £300 x15+ on cover) tied by BN '369' & 'PARLIAMENT HOUSE' cds, Brisbane arrival b/s, reduced at the base & a little soiled. Ex Colonel Harrie Evans: acquired at the Prestige auction of 4.5.2002 for $1344. Seen at Abacus auction no 234 lot no 28

1 d. vermilion-red, a fine imperforate pair used on 1895 cover to Brisbane, cancelled by "GPO" obliterators with despatch datestamp at left (Nov 15). Minor envelope imperfections but a scarce usage of the variety on letter Gi = £325 off cover. Seen at Corinphila auctions in November 2018

Premier Philately 101/251 - 1896 cover to Brisbane (b/s) with Lined Background 1d imperforate pair SG 187a tied by very fine Rays '131' of 'CABOOLTURE' (cds alongside), fold at left & minor blemishes. Ex Moya Land.. Estimate $600
Also Premier Philately 97/1082 - 1896 cover to Brisbane (b/s) with Lined Background 1d imperforate pair SG 187a tied by very fine Rays '131' of 'CABOOLTURE' (cds alongside), fold at left & minor blemishes. Realised $717. It then turned up at Millennium Auctions no 9 lot no 799, 890-94 1d Vermilion-Red, 'Imperforate pair', SG 187a, tied to 1896 (30th Oct) cover used Caboolture to Brisbane, filing crease at left. Very rare on cover, Estimate: $500 Realised Price : $380

1 d. vermilion-red, a fine imperforate pair used on 1893 cover to Brisbane, cancelled by "472" numeral obliterator with corresponding 'Woolloongabba' despatch datestamp at left (June 24). Minor envelope imperfections but a scarce usage of the variety on letter £325 off cover. Seen at Corinphila auction 2017. Realised 360 Swiss Francs

1d. Imperforate pair BN 369 date stamped Parliament House 15 May 1895. Seen in the Queensland stamp collecting Facebook group

1895 (Nov 11) cover to Brisbane with Lined Background 1d Imperforate Pair - the R/H unit damaged at L/R - tied by poor BN of 'MURPHYS CREEK' (cds alongside), a bit aged/soiled. Seen in Abacus auction no 234 lot no 538

1894 registered double-rate cover to Sydney with 1d & 2d x2 tied by poor BN '148' plus 1d Imperf Pair SG 187a just tied by 'BUNDABERG/JA10/94/QUEENSLAND - 148' duplex, 'R'-in-oval h/s unusually in red, Brisbane transit b/s of 11 January 1894 & Sydney arrival of four days later. Seen in Abacus auction no 239 lot no 1738. J H Parry was a stamp dealer, and so this is a philatelically inspired cover

1890-94 1d Vermilion-Red pair 'Imperforate', SG 187a, tied to piece by two strikes of 'R' within oval

Queensland - The Alan Griffiths Collection at Spink auctions. 1303 - 1d. vermilion-red mint and used horizontal pairs, both variety imperforate, the first fine with large part original gum, the latter (horizontal crease at foot) each cancelled "g.p.o." in oval of bars. S.G. 187a, £575. In my collection

Imperforate pair with Brisbane GPO Obliterator type 7 cancels. From the collection of Carl Burnett 

Brisbane GPO Obliterator type 7  cancel. From the collection of Carl Burnett 

Prestige auction no 146 lot no 1131 Manning collection 1d dull orange Imperforate Pair as SG 187 a but in an unlisted shade, margins good to huge, Brisbane duplex cancels of JA12/95 (?), Cat £200+realised $240

Phoenix Auction no 12 lot no 738, 1890 1 d. vermilion, and showing how difficult it is to be certain whether or not a single copy is imperforate. It certainly appears imperforate. The text is 20/5/9-, attach

A 1d imperforate example dated 13 November 1890 and housed in the L'Estrange Collection, Queensland Museum, Brisbane

1890-94 Type '12' & New Designs 1890-94 1d Imperforate SG 187a horizontal pair with light BN '215'. Prestige auction 96 lot 408 (Colonel Harrie Evans)

1890-94 Type '12' & New Designs 1890-94 1d Imperforate SG 187a pair tied to piece by Rays '72' of 'HELIDON'. Prestige auction 96 lot 408 (Colonel Harrie Evans)

Brisbane registered cancel 31 July 1894

1d Imperforate horizontal pair with light BN 87 (Eagle Junction). From the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

3 single 1d imperforate examples from the collection of Dave Elsmore. One has what is probably a Dirranbandi cancel, one is barred numeral 226 Albion, and the third one has what appears to be an indistinct Brisbane duplex cancel 

Barred numeral 369, Parliament House

1d. fine used IMPERF PAIR 369 Parliament House. Seen on Ebay

1d vermilion red, imperf (SG 187a), pair, tied on piece along with ½d green, Brisbane circular datestamp, 25 Apr 1895 with partial London receiver. Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions The "Grahway'" Collection of Australia, Australian States, New Zealand & Dependencies #658. In my collection

1d vermilion-red imperforate pair SG #187a, margins shaved/cut into (at right) to good, indistinct cancels, Cat £300

Seen on Ebay

1d. imperforate pair barred numeral 369 Parliament House. In my collection


Here are two more examples (one single and one pair) from a West Brisbane Stamp Sales auction catalog no 48 dated 12 August 1983 nos 1556 and 1557. Very poor black and white photos scanned in but both appear to be postmarked Brisbane (one 1890, the other 1884) and not listed by Scudder

Another used single, numeral 369 of Parliament House. Probably not seen by Scudder as it was purchased from Portugal through Ebay. In my collection

1d. Imperforate pair with a a possible but indistinct crown seal cancel, perhaps Parliament House. Seen at Spink Auction: 16030  lot no 1162. Ex Butler and Griffiths

1d. used with an Indistinct barred numeral cancel. Watermarked. From my collection

1d. Imperforate single, Reddish orange, dated May 1889. Seen on Ebay

1d. Imperforate single dated 10 April 1889. Seen on Ebay

1d. Imperforate pair dated Caboolture (Ray 131) 30 October 1895. Seen in Spink auction no 18047 lot no 90

1d. Imperforate pair tied on piece along with ½d green, bn 369 of Parliament House. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1d. used with a Brisbane GPO Obliterator type 7 cancel. Watermarked. From my collection

2 x 1d used with numeral 472, Woolloongabba. Seen at Abacus auction no 239

2 x 1d used with numeral 369, Parliament House. Seen on Ebay

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