This variety appears on Plate 3 (1892 - 1895) of the 1d issued in 1887 and was printed in February 1895 on plain paper with the Burelé band on the back, perf 12.5 / 13 comb. It is a type 2 die and is in position no 2 (2nd stamp from the left on the 1st row) on the sheet
The "PE" of Penny is almost entirely obliterated. It is a transient flaw and is known on stamps of both red-orange and pale yellow-orange shades
It is believed that no more than 180 sheets were produced before the flaw was spotted and the defect corrected. Stanley Gibbons lists it as SG206b and prices it both mint and used. However, I have never seen a used example, which strongly suggests that the sheets containing this flaw never went on sale at post offices, and therefore any existing examples came from within the Queensland Post and Telegraph Department
This is confirmed by Samuel Dalby, writing in the Philatelic Journal of Great Britain (Philatelic Fragments, 20 September 1914, p. 160), where he wrote that "the faulty sheets were not thrown out, but were included in the quantity sent to the Postal Department". They would have come from the Government Printing Office where they were printed
How did this flaw occur? Dalby suggests the following: "Soon after the printing of this emission was started, an unnoticed air bubble on the inking roller burst and the composition from the bubble clogged the letters PE on one of the stamps. In the earlier feedings the defect appeared as a large blot; as it became more consolidated by repeated pressure an even surface was formed which gave a clear impression, "ONE --NNY” until a few sheets had gone through the machine, when the fault was discovered and the electrotype was
cleaned."
Ken Scudder (Queensland Postage Stamps 1879 to 1912, p. 170), provides additional information. "Initially this bubble of ink sat upon the tops of the "PE" but soon worked down to obliterate these two letters. Curiously, this flaw is known on stamps of both Red-Orange and Pale Yellow-Orange. As the flaw was transient, it would seem that the changes in colour may have, to some extent, been random. It is believed the air bubble came about when a new inking roller was used for the first time."
It is believed that at least 2 complete sheets containing this flaw have survived, one held by Ken Scudder and the other by Dr Andrew Mortlock.
Spink auction no 12043 Lo no 1305. Ex Griffiths
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