Queensland 4d Yellow Specimen Overprint

This page is a census of known examples of the 1898 4d yellow issue 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) 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 black ink on mint gummed issues, wmk 2nd type "Crown Q", perforation 12.5, 13 in around 1901. At least one sheet was overprinted.

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

The Portuguese postal authorities in Lisbon stamped their examples ULTRAMAR in blue and them provided them to postal authorities in their colonies and examples from the Goa postal archive are shown at the bottom of the page.

The Specimen overprint

CENSUS

A block of 50  from the bottom of the sheet (positions 71-120). Seen in Abacus auction no 237

A block of 4 from my collection

A block of 4 from the collection of Dave Elsmore

A single from my collection

A single seen on Ebay

A single seen at Abacus auction no 237

A single seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

BECHUANALAND SPECIMEN

Specimen receiving handstamp (seriffed 22.5 x 2.75 mm) in Black by Bechuanaland. Seen in Status auctions

NATAL SPECIMEN

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

Tunisia

Specimen receiving handstamp in black by Tunisia. Seen in Abacus auction no 237

Ultramar

Ultramar receiving handstamp (sans serif 15 x 3 mm) in blue ex Goa postal archives. Seen in Abacus auction no 237. Ex Bill McCredie and Bernard Manning

2 Ultramar receiving handstamp (sans serif 15 x 3 mm) examples in blue ex Goa postal archives. Seen in Abacus auction no 237