Queensland 1 shilling mauve / lilac/ violet covers

A census of Queensland one shilling 2nd Sideface covers with details of the postal rates used. Most of these stamps, being of a high value, were used for fiscal purposes. When used for postal purposes, it was mainly for parcels, so covers are scarce

1883

Bundaberg to Herrnut, Germany dated 30 November 1883. The postage paid was 3s 10d including 6d registration. The letter rate was 8d per half ounce, so this was a quintuple (5x) rate letter. Seen at Heinrich Koeler auction no 382 lot no 1678

1884

Townsville to Bradford, England dated 1 March 1884. The postage paid was 1s 10d including 4d registration. The letter rate was 4d per half ounce, so this was a quintuple (5x) rate letter. Seen at Leski auctions 

1885

Townsville to Brisbane dated 16 February 1885. The postage paid was 1s 6d. The Queensland letter rate was 2d per half ounce and 4d for registered so this is a 7 x (septuple) rate cover. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Cooktown to Troppau, Austria dated April 1885. The postage paid was 1s. The letter rate via England was 6d per half ounce so this is a double rate cover. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 161 lot no 362

1886

Brisbane to Middlesex, England dated 27 October 1886. The postage paid was 1s 4d including a registration fee of 4d. The letter rate was 4d per half ounce so this is a triple rate cover. Seen in Spink auction no 12015 lot no 2346

Maryborough to Scotland dated 18 November 1886. The postage paid was 1s. The letter rate was 4d per half ounce so this is a triple rate cover

1887

Rockhampton to North Shields, England dated 16 April 1887. The postage paid was 1s 10d including registration of 4d. The letter rate was 4d per half ounce so this is a quadruple rate cover

South Brisbane to Manchester, England dated 8 September 1887. The postage paid was 1s. The letter rate was 4d per half ounce so this is a triple rate cover

1888

Mackay to Staffordshire, England dated 16 June 1888. The postage paid was 1s 4d including a registration fee of 4d. The letter rate was 4d per half ounce so this is a triple rate cover. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1293. Ex Alan Griffiths

Brisbane to Glasgow, Scotland dated 13 July 1888. The postage paid was 3s 6d plus a missing stamp. The letter rate was 4d per half ounce so this could be an 11 x rate cover with the missing stamp being 2d!

Bundaberg to Hamburg, Germany dated 19 November 1888. The postage paid was 3s 9d. The letter rate via the French packet boat was 9d per half ounce, so this was a quintuple (5x) rate letter. Seen at Abacus auctions no 234 lot no 122

Bundaberg to Graz, Austria dated 19 November 1888. The postage paid was 1s 10d including a registration fee of 4d. The letter rate via the French or German packets boats was 9d per half ounce, so this was a double rate letter. Seen at auction

1889

Brisbane to Meriden, Connecticut, USA  via Brindisi dated 14 May 1889. The postage paid was 1s 10d. The letter rate to the USA via England was 8d per half ounce, so this is a triple letter rate with a shortfall of 2d; and accordingly 4d to pay (2d + 2d fine) is noted in manuscript in red. Seen in Rumsey auction no 93 lot no 4167

Brisbane to Erlof, Sweden dated 10 June 1889. The postage paid was 1s. The letter rate via the French or German packets boats was 9d per half ounce, so this was a single rate letter and registration incorrectly charged at 3d. Seen in Corinphila auction no 291

Bundaberg to Freetown, Sierra Leone dated 12 June 1889. The postage paid was 1s 1d including a registration fee of 4d. The letter rate was 9d per half ounce via England. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1890

Cooktown to Halle, Germany dated 21 January 1890. The postage paid was 1s 6d.The letter rate via the French packet boat was 9d per half ounce, so this was a double rate letter. Seen at Cavendish auctions in December 2017

Goondiwindi to Oberhessen, Germany dated 22 July 1890. The postage paid was 1s, including 4d registration. The letter rate via the French or German packets boats was 9d per half ounce, so this was a single rate letter and registration incorrectly charged at 3d. Seen on Ebay

Brisbane to Boston, USA  via San Francisco dated 4 August 1890. The postage paid was 1s 6d. The letter rate to the USA via San Francisco was 6d per half ounce, so this is a triple letter rate. Seen in Gaertner auctions no 25 lot no 6322

1891

Brisbane to Leipzig, Germany dated 27 May 1891. The postage paid was 1s 4d, including 4d registration .The letter rate was 6d per half ounce, so this was a double rate letter. Seen on Ebay

Brisbane to London, England dated 23 September 1891. The postage paid was 2s 9.5d. including a registration fee of 4d. The letter rate was 2.5d per half ounce, so this is a 11 x  letter rate with 2d left over or else a 12 x letter rate underpaid by half pence? Seen in Abacus auction no 240 lot no 608

1893

Gympie to Budapest, Hungary dated 1 May 1893. The postage paid was 1s. including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate was 2.5d per half ounce, so this is a 3 x  letter rate with 1.5d left over or else a 4 letter rate underpaid by one penny? Seen in Corinphila auction 2023

1895

Brisbane to New York, USA  via San Francisco dated 31 May 1895. The postage paid was 1s 4d including registration of 3d. The letter rate to the USA was 2.5d per half ounce, so this is a 5 x letter rate with halfpence left over. Seen on Ebay

1898

Brisbane to Baden, Germany dated 12 February 1898. The postage paid was 3s including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate was 2.5d per half ounce, so this is either a 13 x rate (highly unlikely and a ha'penny too much) or, more likely, a philatelic cover. Seen at Abacus auction no 239

Philatelic use after the 1s stamp was withdrawn from sale in June 1899

The 3rd Sideface 1s stamp went on sale in June 1899, replacing the 2nd Sideface 1s stamp. Therefore any examples of the 2nd Sideface 1s on cover from mid-1899 onwards, especially if posted in Brisbane or a larger regional post office, are most probably philatelic

1900

George Street, Brisbane to Salzburg, Austria dated 2 January 1900. The postage paid was 3s 6d including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate was 2.5d per half ounce, so this is either a 14 x rate (highly unlikely and 2d left over anyway) or, more likely, especially as the 1 shilling 3rd Sideface issue went on sale in June 1899, a philatelic cover. Seen at auction

1901

Brisbane to Sydney dated 23 March 1901. The postage paid was 1s 3d including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate was 1d per half ounce, so this letter was either the 12 x rate or, most likely, philatelic, especially as the 1 shilling 3rd Sideface issue went on sale in June 1899. Seen in the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

1913

South Melbourne to Paris, France dated 21 August 1913. Seen in the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock. Ex Butler

1916

Thursday Island to Wellington, New Zealand, dated 11 April 1916. Seen on Stampboards

1965

Sydney to Birmingham, England via American Samoa dated 11 July 1965. Seen on Ebay

Queensland 1 shilling mauve beer duty paper article extract

This is an extract from "Queensland Philatelic Fragments" by Samuel Dalby that appeared in the Philatelic Journal of Great Britain from 1913-15. This extract relating to the Queensland 1 Shilling Beer Duty Paper appeared on January 20 1915, p. 4.

One Shilling, Beer-duty Paper

Though sheets had been supplied to the Parcels Post branch during the last week of August, and dealers had also been able to obtain limited quantities at the Accountant’s  office during September, the one shilling on thick paper was first purchasable by the general public at the stamp counter, Brisbane, on 15th October, 1895. Whilst the writer would hardly go so far as to stigmatise this emission as unnecessary, its sale was certainly strung out for a period which was quite unwarranted by the small quantity printed; it was sold intermittently with the regular paper until late in 1897, a period of over two years.

The shilling on beer-duty paper was printed in pale mauve from the 1883 plate or a reconstruction of that plate. At column 1, line 12 (No. III), was a small white horseshoe-shaped defect which twice cut the dotted border and the outer white oval just above the O of “one"; that and three or four other, less prominent, varieties all appeared in the bottom line, not alone on the beer-duty paper, but also on the normal paper printings of about the same time. In a large unused block from the upper half of a sheet on normal wmk. paper. I found at column 1, line 2 (No. 11) a similar, but not quite identical, horseshoe flaw which did not appear on the beer-duty paper. The writer having no means of fixing the date of this block of stamps, he cannot opine if the fault developed after the printing on beer-duty paper, or if it existed prior to 1895 and had been eliminated by substituting a new cliché of four stamps. 

It may be remarked that both these "horseshoe " damages happened on a type Ill. stamp; one on lower left, the other on upper left, corner block of four. In the thick paper emission on line 4, column 7 (No. 37), the foot of the letter L closely approached the A of " Queensland," in some specimens the letters touched at points; an additional mark of identification was that the second dot in the outer border (above the centre of letter S of "Queensland") had a smaller white dot surmounting it. In the succeeding printing on ordinary crown over Q paper, the LA of this stamp (No. 37), became quite joined similarly to the well known type Il. variety of the 1d., 2d., 5d., and 2/-, but in the solitary specimen of 1/-, the variety occurred on a stamp of type III. In cliché No. 9. owing to the close spacing of the shilling stamps not fitting the Buncle No. 1 comb machine, they were perforated I2 with the Hughes & Kimber single line machine.

Queensland 1 shilling synopsis

NAME	COLOUR	WMK	PERF	Issue date	Paper	SG No	Scott No	Robson Lowe No	Price Mint £ 2012 SG cat	Price Used £ 2012 SG cat
1 shilling	Violet	6 (Crown above Q)	12 line	6 Feb 1883	De La Rue	171	70	123	35	6.50
1 shilling	Lilac	6 (Crown above Q)	12 line	1883	De La Rue	172		124	18	4.50
1 shilling	Deep mauve	6 (Crown above Q)	12 line		De La Rue	173		122	16	4.50
1 shilling	Pale mauve	6 (Crown above Q)	12 line		De La Rue	174		122	12	4.50
1 shilling	Mauve	6 (Crown above Q)	9.5, 12.75	1884	De La Rue	178	73		250	65
1 shilling	Mauve	10 (Crown joined to Q)	12 line	Aug 1895	Thick (Beer duty) paper	205	100	145	28	13

  

SG 205 was printed from the February 1883 plate. 32,400 were printed and 30,000 were issued from August to October 1895.

SG 172 and SG 174 were printed on Cowan paper from mid 1896 onwards.

Stocks of the 1 shilling reportedly lasted until 1897 although I have seen later dates:

 Texas, 4 July 1901

2 examples from Mackay, dated 2 March 1899 and presumably on the same letter / parcel. Note how they both have fiscal cancels, which from their appearance someone has tried to remove. Not sure how it got through the post office, unless done per favour by the postal clerk on duty!

Queensland 1 shilling watermarks and papers

Watermarks

There were two types of watermarks used.

For all issues except SG 205, which was issued on the thick beer duty paper, the watermark used was Crown over Q. The watermark is 19 to 19½ mm. high, measured from the top of the crown to the lower curve of the Q, the central compartment of the crown has the sides nearly parallel, and both outlines of the tail cross the body of the Q.


Crown over Q Watermark

For SG 205, issued on the thicker beer duty paper in August 1895, the existing beer duty large crown Q watermark was used. This watermark is much bigger than he normal Crown over Q watermark as the beer duty stamps were bigger than the 2nd sideface issues. With the smaller-sized stamps the watermarks were very considerably out of register, and specimens may be found with scarcely any watermark showing.


Beer duty watermark used on SG 205.

Papers

There were three types of papers used, all issues except SG 205 were printed using the De La Rue Crown Q (2nd Type) Paper. This paper was supplied by Messrs. De La Rue & Co., the first consignment being received in Brisbane about the middle of October, 1879. It is a medium white wove paper with a watermark Crown above a double-lined Q (2nd type) to fit each impression on the electrotype plate. The 120 watermarks (10 x 12) are enclosed in a single-lined frame 8¼ inches (20.95 cm) wide and 11¾ inches (29.85 cm) high. There are no marginal inscriptions, but crosses, 5/16 in. (0.8 cm) x 5/16 in. (0.8 cm), are situated in the centre of the top and bottom margins, and in a position in the side margins in which the horizontal limbs of the crosses are in line with the lower edges of the fifth row of watermarks.

The De La Rue Crown Q (2nd type) paper was specially designed to give the best results with electrotype printing, and seems to have had a certain proportion of zinc white or white lead, probably the former, in its composition, giving it a dead white, and sometimes a chalky appearance.

SG 172 and SG 174 were also printed on the Cowan Crown Q paper from the middle of 1896 onwards. The Cowan paper has the same Crown over Q watermark but can be distinguished from the De La Rue paper by its being of a more open texture and generally showing a distinct mesh, and being thicker and not so surfaced as the De La Rue paper. It is also of an ivory white tint as against the dead white of the De La Rue manufacture.

The stamp on the left is dated 1899, so it is the Cowan paper, showing the distinctive mesh. The block on the right is from 1892 and is the De La Rue paper.

The colour is harder to show, but usually the De la Rue paper looks whiter.

SG 205 was printed on the Beer duty paper which was used as an emergency paper for the 1d. 2d. and 1-/ 2nd sideface stamps in 1895.

It is a very thick white wove paper with 120 watermarks, large Crown and Q, in twelve horizontal rows of ten, enclosed in an interrupted single outline frame, which only shows for 1 inch (2.54 cm) each side of the four corners. There is a cross in the centre of each margin, and an inscription "QUEENSLAND BEER DUTY" in double-lined capitals, reading upwards in the left margin. 

It is not known who supplied this paper, but it has the general appearance of being of a similar manufacture to the De La Rue 2nd Crown Q paper.

About 1894 Queensland experienced a period of financial stringency, and it is probable that only a small reserve (if any) of the De La Rue Crown Q (2nd type) watermarked paper was maintained. Thus, when towards the end of 1894 a shortage of paper occurred, probably owing to a delayed shipment from England, recourse was had to provisional papers.

The Beer Duty paper was the first to be requisitioned, and printings of the ld. and 2d. were issued on 16th January, 1895, and of the 1s. in August, 1895. It is not known when the printing of the 1s. was made, but it was issued to the Parcel Post Branch at Brisbane on the date mentioned, and to the general public on the 15th October following. 

Queensland 1 Shilling flaws

There are no known varieties. Here are a number of flaws that I have found on this issue. Click on the images to enlarge them.

Damaged oval on left-hand side in line with the spandrel in both stamps.

Oval flaws. Top left: Break in right hand oval opposite the spandrel. Top right: Oval below "A" of Queensland is broken. Bottom left: Gap in Oval under "N" of Queensland. Bottom right: Broken oval above "NS" of Queensland.

Break in oval frame above "N" of One

Top left: Top stroke in "E" of One thin and damaged. Top right: The bottom stroke of "E" in One is misshapen. Bottom left: Broken "O" in one and dot in "S" of Shilling. Bottom right: Break in oval below 2nd "L" of Shilling.

Top left: Broken top stroke in "E" of One.  Top right: Mishapen second "I" of shilling. Bottom left: Blotchy "S" of shilling. Bottom right: White excrescence on top left of the second "I" of shilling.

Broken top stroke in "E" of one

Top left: White dot in "S" of Queensland, broken bottom left frame line. Top right: Broken left frame line. Broken bottom bar of the second "E" in Queensland. Bottom left: Misshapen middle horizontal line in the first "E" of Queensland. Bottom right: Dot in "S" of Queensland.

Top left: Dot in "S" of Queensland. Top right: First "E" of Queensland elongated bottom horizontal stroke. Bottom left: Misshapen middle stroke in the first "E" of Queensland. Bottom right: Disjointed 2nd "N" of Queensland.

Top left: Damaged 2nd "N" in Queensland. Top right: Damaged "A" in Queensland. Bottom left: Broken middle line in "A" of Queensland. Bottom right: "LA" in Queensland almost joined. Dot on 2nd "E" of Queensland

Top left: "LA: in Queensland almost joined. Top right: Blob on "S" of Queensland. Bottom left: Protuberance at left of the bottom stroke of the first "E" in Queensland. Bottom right: Damaged 2nd "N" of Queensland.

Top left: White line above "N" of shilling. Top right: Damaged top frame, white blotch on Queen's face in line with her mouth and nose. Bottom left: Whole prong above "O" of One detached. Worn plate.  Bottom right: Blob above "E" of One.

Top left: Curl on right spandrel detached. Top right: Damaged bottom left hand prong. Bottom left: Bottom inner left frame line is crooked. Worn plate.  Bottom right: White blob in front of the neck.

 Joined dots at top right frame

White blob on Queen's forehead above her nose very pronounced.

Beer duty paper, flaw on Queen's neck on right hand stamp

White horizontal line in upper right hand corner

SG 205 mauve on thick paper. Blotchy printing