1895 ½d green blob - a transient flaw (SG 223)

This page shows examples of a spectacular transient flaw where an irregular shaped piece of paper has adhered to the plate. The adhesion is in the same colour ink as this issue, albeit more concentrated, suggesting it has come into contact with the ink used to print the sheets of stamps. 

The flaw has been seen in two different positions, indicating that it shifted on the plate before either being noticed and removed or naturally being loosened off the plate. It is not known which of the two positions (assuming it is in fact the same paper adhesion) came first

Flaw at bottom left

A lovely example on a pair. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

An example on a single stamp. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Flaw at top centre

Here the flaw is at the top of the stamp. From my collection

Queensland 9d brown and ultramarine postally used blocks

A census of Queensland 9d brown and ultramarine (SG 265 and SG 266) used blocks. This issue first went on sale in July 1903. Most of these stamps, being of a high value, were used on telegrams and parcels and while postally used examples are not that scarce,  postally used blocks are

Postally used

1908

9d block of 6 cancelled with a Cairns type 5a date stamp dated 28 October 1908. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

1910

9d block of 4 cancelled with a Mount Perry date stamp dated

August 1910. Seen in the collection of Henk Godthelp

1911

9d block of 4 cancelled with a Brisbane Parcel Post Branch datestamp dated 13 February 1911

9d perf 11 block of 4 cancelled with a Brisbane Parcel Post Branch datestamp dated 19 December 1911. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

1912

9d block of 4 cancelled with a Townsville type 6t date stamp dated 29 August 1912. Seen on Ebay

1913

9d block of 4 cancelled with a Toowoomba type 5a date stamp dated 23 February 1913

9d block of 4 cancelled with a Brisbane Parcel Post Branch datestamp type 5 dated 14 May 1913

Unknown year

9d block of 4 cancelled with a Brisbane parcel post branch roller cancel type 6

9d block of 4 cancelled with a Cairns type 5a datestamp with an indistinct date. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

9d block of 4 cancelled with a Brisbane registered datestamp with an indistinct date. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

9d block of 4 on a parcel label cancelled with an indistinct barred numeral. Seen in the collection of Dr Tim Dexter

Queensland 9 brown and ultramarine on covers

A census of Queensland 9d brown and ultramarine (SG 265 and SG 266) on covers with details of the postal rates used. This issue first went on sale in July 1903. Most of these stamps, being of a high value, were used on telegrams (the basic rate was 9d for the first 20 words) and parcels, and while postally used examples are common, postally used multiples and examples on covers are very rare

1909

A registered cover from Brisbane to Germany dated 9 September 1909. The postage paid was 1s ½d. including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate to Apolda, Germany was 2½d. per half ounce, so this was a 4 x letter rate cover with ½d. still to be paid. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1402. Ex Alan Griffiths

A registered cover from Brisbane to Germany dated 22 November 1909. The postage paid was 1s 6d. including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate to Charlottenburg, Germany was 2½d. per half ounce, so this was a 5 x letter rate cover with ½d. left over. Seen on Ebay

1911

A registered cover from Brisbane to St louis, USA dated 4 December 1911. The postage paid was 1s 1d including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate to the USA was 2½d. per half ounce, so this was a 4 x letter rate cover. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1403. Ex Alan Griffiths

1912

A registered cover from Brisbane to Newton, Massachusetts, USA dated 11 September 1912. The postage paid was 11½d. including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate to Charlottenburg, Germany was 2½d. per half ounce, so this was a 3 x letter rate cover with 1d. left over (perhaps a late fee?). Seen on Ebay

1913

An official registered cover from the Correspondence Branch, Postmaster- General's Department, Brisbane to Lyon, France dated 4 December 1913. The postage paid was 9d including a registration fee of 3d. The letter rate to France was 2½d. per half ounce, suggesting that this was a 2 x letter rate cover with 1d left over. Seen on Ebay

1d Vermillion - Imperforate at right-hand margin

Discussion

This issue is known imperforate on the right-hand margin with the Crown over A watermark on Cowan gummed paper which was used from November 1907 onwards. There are three types of imperforate issues known; 

• wholly imperforate (discussed HERE)
• imperforate on the right margin of the sheet due to sheet not being rotated to perforate the margin. (discussed on this page)
• Left imperforate margins associated with the perforation 12 x 9½ stamps from mid-1901 (discussed HERE)

Not much is known about the imperforate on the right margin of the sheet issue but presumably, as was the case with most other mint imperforate Queensland 2nd and 3rd Sideface issues, a sheet or two was for some reason not perforated properly.

When perforated with the comb 12½, 13 perforating machine, the sheet was usually rotated & perforated a second time due to the insufficient number of columns of perforations on the Buncle's perforating machine. In this case it wasn't rotated which left the right margin imperforate. It appears that t two sheets were inadvertently issued with this error. Assuming this is correct, then a maximum of 24 stamps with an imperforate right hand margin can exist. 

It never went on sale at a post office but instead must have come from within the Queensland Post and Telegraph Department and made available for purchase to certain unknown favoured collectors.

It is not listed by Stanley Gibbons but is listed by Brusden White in their 2023 Australian States Federal Period, 1901-1912 catalog, where it is listed as Q11ba. Imperforate at right and priced at $450 mint. It includes the following note: "Available evidence suggests two sheets were issued showing the right-hand column imperforate at right. "

Below is a census of examples seen by me. I have so far seen 17 of the 24 possible examples. I also show, at the bottom, an example that is perforated to the end of the right margin horizontally but not vertically, so it must be from a different sheet

Census

A block of 12 on gummed Cowan paper from the top right-hand corner of the sheet. Seen in the collection of John Pearson

A block of 4 on gummed Cowan paper from the bottom right-hand corner of the sheet. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1407. Ex Alan Griffiths and now in the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

A block of 4 on gummed Cowan paper. Seen in Corinphila auctions in 2023. Ex Bernard Manning and E.R Slade

A block of 4 on gummed Cowan paper. Seen in Corinphila auctions in 2023. Ex James Mursell

A block of 4 on gummed Cowan paper. Seen in Spink auction no 20030 lot no 215(x). Ex Gary Diffen

A horizontal pair on gummed Cowan paper. Seen in Phoenix auction no 29

A horizontal pair on gummed Cowan paper. In my collection

A single on gummed Cowan paper. Seen in Corinphila auctions in 2022

Perforated to end of the right margin

A block of 6 perforated to the end of the right margin so it must be from a different sheet to the others, on gummed Cowan paper from the top-right hand corner of the sheet. Seen in Corinphila auctions in 2016. Ex Bernard Manning

1d Vermillion - Imperforate

Discussion

This issue is known imperforate with the Crown over A watermark on gummed paper which was used from November 1907 onwards. There are three types of imperforate issues known; 

• wholly imperforate (discussed on this page)
• imperforate on the right margin of the sheet due to sheet not being rotated to perforate the margin (discussed HERE)
• Left imperforate margins associated with the perforation 12 x 9½ stamps from mid-1901 (discussed HERE)

Not much is known about the fully imperforate issue but presumably, as was the case with most other mint imperforate Queensland 2nd and 3rd Sideface issues, a sheet or two was for some reason not perforated. It never went on sale at a post office but instead must have come from within the Queensland Post and Telegraph Department and made available for purchase to certain unknown favoured collectors.

It is listed as SG 288a (Imperforate pair) by Stanley Gibbons and is priced at £400 in the 2022 catalog. Brusden White in their 2023 Australian States Federal Period, 1901-1912 catalog list it as Q11b. Imperforate (pair) and priced at $750. They include the following note: 

"There does not appear to be any contemporary evidence that the imperforate error was sold over a post office counter, but a full sheet of 120 seems to have reached the philatelic market. At least one pair is known used on cover, almost certainly philatelically contrived."

Kenneth Scudder in Queensland Postage Stamps 1897-1912 p. 256 suggests that the stamps come from an April 1912 printing. My block of 4 appears to a pale scarlet vermillion shade on Cowan paper. Below is a census of examples seen by me. A total of 56 stamps with watermark Crown over A are shown below. I have yet to see the philatelic cover mentioned in Brusden White.

Scudder (p. 245) also lists imperforate pairs and blocks issued with Crown over Q watermark in use from 1897 -  October 1907, suggesting there was more than one of these imperforate "releases"! These are not listed in Stanley Gibbons and I show immediately below the only example I have seen so far

Census

Watermark Crown over Q

1d. left margin horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper with wmk Crown over Q!

Watermark Crown over A

1d. Imperforate left lower corner marginal block of 4 on gummed paper. Seen on the Michael Eastlick Website

1d. right marginal Imperforate block of 4 on gummed paper. Seen in Corinphila Veilingen auction no 260

1d. Imperforate left lower upper marginal block of 4 on gummed paper. Seen on Ebay

1d. Imperforate block of 4 on gummed paper. Seen in Abacus auction no 256 lot no 318 and previously in David Feldman auctions. Ex Bernard Manning. Now in my collection

1d. Imperforate block of 4 on gummed paper. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1405. Ex Alan Griffiths

1d. Imperforate block of 4 on gummed paper. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1406. Ex Alan Griffiths. Now in the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

1d. Imperforate block of 4 on gummed paper. Seen in Spink auction no 20030 lot no 216(x). Ex Gary Diffen

1d. left margin Imperforate strip of 4 on gummed paper. Seen in Abacus auction no 229 lot no 424

1d. bottom margin horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Abacus auction no 237

1d. left margin horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Status auctions

1d. left margin horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen on Ebay

1d. left margin horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Abacus auction no 237

1d. right margin horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Leski auction 2019 lot no 443. Ex Bernard Manning

1d. horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Millennium auction no 21


1d. horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Spink auction no 16030 lot no 1180

1d. horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 152. Now in the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

1d. horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Abacus auction no 239

1d. horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen in Classicphil auctions

1d. horizontal Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Seen on Ebay

1d. vertically Imperforate pair on gummed paper. Positions 41 and 51. Seen in the collection of John Pearson