1895 2½d Carmine / Rose Pink Imperforate (SG 213 and 214)

This page discusses and shows all the 1895 3rd Sideface 2 numeral 2½d Carmine / Rose Pink issues (SG 213-14) known imperforate.

This stamp was issued in August 1895 and continued on sale until October 1898 when it was replaced by a 4 numeral 2½d Rosine issue. This stamp was watermark Crown over Q, found originally on De La Rue (white gum 1895-6) and later Cowan paper (brown gum 1897-8), and was perf 12.5, 13 comb. It is estimated that around 839,000 were issued. 

Imperforate mint and used copies are known, the used copies all date stamped Charters Towers. It is believed that an imperforate sheet surfaced at the Charters Towers post office in mid to late 1898 and was sold to a collector by a postal official. Surviving examples all come from this one sheet. These imperforate copies are not listed by Gibbons.

In a mixed lot at Abacus auction no 229 lot no 414, held on 1 November 2018, this intriguing typewritten note was included:

"A stock of 2½ penny imperforated stamps was found by the Post Master at Charters Towers, Queensland, in his stock of stamps. He sold them to P.J.Allen of the same town, who is turn sold a block to Fred Deighton. Deighton sold me the block." 

This is the block included on the same page as the typewritten note. However it is described by Abacus as '2½d block of 4 in rose-pink on ungummed paper,' when it should be gummed if it did indeed come from a mint sheet. Perhaps Abacus has described it incorrectly?
P.J. Allen was an Alderman of the town at the time and then later the Mayor. 

Here are the used and mint examples seen by me.

This is the only known cover. Rose colour, registered and dated Charters Towers 24 December 1900, so a very late usage. Addressed to J. Allen in Sydney. This item was purchased by Colonel Harrie Evans at a Plumridge auction in London on 12 October 1928 and disappeared from view for over 70 years until his collection was auctioned by Prestige Philately in its public auction no 96 dated 4 May 2002, lot no 529. The estimate was $1,500 and the hammer price was $4,000. It resurfaced again in Abacus auction no 239 lot no 1744. The estimate was $1,000 and it sold for $1,250

One of two known used pairs. This one, Rose-pink in colour,  is cancelled with a Charters Towers 568 duplex dated 16 July 1899. Seen at Abacus auction no 237 lot no 198. The pre-sale estimate was $500 and it sold for $380

This pair came with an RPSL Certificate from 1985.

The 2nd known used pair, with a registered cancel, again probably from Charters Towers but undated. Seen at a Status Samps auction in August 2013 and described as '1895-96 QV 2½d rose IMPERF pair, large margins, oval "R" cancels. SG 214 but not listed imperf'

One other pair is known to Scudder but not seen by me. A Rose-Pink in the shade of similar shades dated from September 1898 and is endorsed on the reverse, in what is believed to be contemporary handwriting, 'Sheet no 209'. Scudder does not say whether this pair is mint or used, but it appears to be mint.

And on the question of mint examples, several copies appear to exist, but need to be distinguished from the existing plate proofs for this issue. This is comparatively easy to do as all the plate proofs were on ungummed paper, whereas the mint copies from the Imperforate sheet should all have gummed paper.

The plate proofs known are:

• Rose, on a pale yellowish paper, imperf
• Carmine, on De La Rue watermarked paper, imperf
• Bright Rose-Red, on Cowan watermarked paper, imperf
• Pale Rose-Red, on Cowan watermarked paper, imperf

This would appear to be a bright Rose-Red proof on Cowan (?) watermarked paper, from my collection

This would appear to be more a Rose-Pink imperforate mint pair on Cowan watermarked and gummed paper, from my collection. Ex Griffiths

One further Imperforate example not seen by me but stated in its description to be on gummed paper is shown below

Seen at Spink auction no 5025 and described as 'a marginal pair in pale rose on gummed Crown over Q Type II watermarked paper.' Ex Griffiths

And this imperforate mint gummed single is from the collection of Carl Burnett and seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group