1899 ½d green - Specimen overprint

This page is a census of known examples of the 1899 ½d green stamp (the so-called Widows Weeds) overprinted with the word 'SPECIMEN.' These handstamps are believed to have been for record or presentation purposes only and were not sold to collectors. They were not handstamped in this manner for distribution to the Universal Postal Union; mint stamps being used instead for this purpose.

A Scudder Specimen Type 9 overprint (Kenneth Scudder, Queensland Postage Stamps 1879 to 1912,  p. 364) overprint was used for this issue. It was typeset with sans-serif capitals, 15.5 mm long and 1.75 mm high plus a stop at the end. It was applied in red ink on mint gummed issues, wmk 2nd type "Crown Q", perforation 12.5, 13 in around 1899

Examples are also known stamped SPECIMEN after receipt by various UPI countries and colonies, and those for Natal and Tunisia are shown below

The Specimen overprint

CENSUS

From my collection

Image supplied by Dave Elsmore

From my collection

Seen at auction

Seen on Ebay

Seen on Ebay

NATAL SPECIMEN

Specimen receiving handstamp (sans serif 17.25 x 3.25 mm) in violet by Natal. Seen in Corinphila auctions

Tunisia SPECIMEN

Specimen receiving handstamps (sans serif 12.75 x 2.5 mm) in violet and black from Tunisia. Seen in Abacus auction no 237

1899 ½d green - Die 3a

This page is a census of known examples of the 1899 ½d green stamp (the so-called Widows Weeds) Die 3a essay, with blank white tablets.

What Scudder refers to as Die 3a was produced in September 1899, when the tablets in the Die 3 essays, which had the year 1837 in the left tablet and 1897 in the right tablet, were altered to have a blank white tablet - the issued stamps have a blank green tablet. 

Kellow in the Australian Commonwealth Specialists' Catalogue: Kangaroos and the Early Federal Period, 1901-12, refers to it as a plate proof Q1 (PP)1, p. 1/58

It was printed on the 'Crown over Q' watermarked paper, gummed and perforated with the 12 (or perhaps 12.5) gauge line machine and was quickly rejected with further work on the shading on the face and the lower frame being required.

A proof sheet of 40 stamps was produced with the largest surviving piece being a strip of 10 in the H L White collection in the State LIbrary of NSW

Seen in Millennium auction no 80

Seen in Kelleher auctions, 2019

In the collection of Dr Andrew Walker

Another example in the collection of Dr Andrew Walker

Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1384. Ex Alan Griffiths. Now in the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

Seen in Abacus auction no 237 lot no 208

Seen in Corinphila auction

1899 ½d Green - Die 3 Colour Trials

This page is a census of known examples of the 1899 ½d green stamp (the so-called Widows Weeds) colour trials.

What Scudder refers to as Die 3 was produced in September 1898, and the colour trial examples are from the miniature proof sheets from this die, with the exception of the slate-lilac on blue. They are known in black, and dull red on unwatermarked paper and in slate-lilac on blue watermarked paper in addition to the Universal Postal Union (UPU) approved green colour on unwatermarked paper. All were without gum and were perforated by the 12 gauge line machine. 

According to Scudder there are also colour trials which have been cancelled to order and which may have been printed at a later date, but I have yet to see any. 

These trials differ from the issued stamp being of a different colour (apart from the green examples) and having the year 1837 in the left tablet and 1897 in the right tablet - issued stamps have blank tablets.

Miniature Proof Sheets

Dull Red

Based on the number of examples seen by me, at least 4 miniature sheets in dull red must have been produced

Seen in Corinphila auctions 

Seen in the Henry Luke White Collection in the State Library of NSW

Green

Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1381. Ex Griffiths

Seen in the Henry Luke White Collection in the State Library of NSW

Black

Seen in the Henry Luke White Collection in the State Library of NSW

Dull Red

Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1382. Ex Alan Griffiths

An example from my collection. Ex Bernard Manning

Another example from my collection

Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 152

Seen in Abacus auction no 259 lot no 232

In the collection of Dave Elsmore

Seen in the Henry Luke White Collection in the State Library of NSW

Seen in the Henry Luke White Collection in the State Library of NSW

Black

In my collection

In the collection of Carl Burnett

Seen on Ebay

Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1383. Ex Alan Griffiths

Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 146 lot no 1197. Ex Bernard Manning. This was subsequently separated with the right hand copy surfacing as a single on Ebay in March 2025

Seen in Corinphila auctions

Seen in the Henry Luke White Collection in the State Library of NSW

Seen in the L'estrange collection in the Queensland Museum

Green

Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 152. Ex Manning

Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1383. Ex Griffiths

Seen in the L'estrange collection in the Queensland Museum

Seen in the Henry Luke White Collection in the State Library of NSW

Slate-lilac on Blue

Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1383. Ex Griffiths