9d - Perf 11

This 9d Queensland stamp was issued on 4 July 1903, perf 12 x 12.25 comb and watermark "V over Crown". on 7 September 1906 it was issued as  perf 12 x 12.25 comb and watermark "Crown over A". It is also known issued both single line perf 11 and with compound perf 12 x 12.25 and single line perf 11

Brusden White catalogue, Kangaroos and the Early Federal Period, 1901-12, Sydney, 2004, p. 1/92. In connection with the two compound perf 12 x 12.25 and single line perf 11 examples; Scudder suggests that these are probably from the September 1911 printing

Since then many more single line perf 11 examples have come to light and this page is a census, compiled by myself with the assistance of members of the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group, to track them 

32 examples (including one mint and two used in the Royal Collection), are known so far, including 6 mint, one block of four and one pair. 11 examples are punctured 'OS' for official use. Dates range from 21 May 1910 to 18 July 1912 and post offices seen are Atherton, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cloncurry, Gayndah, Mareeba, Morven, Mount Morgan, Toowong and Windorah

Mint

The 6 mint examples are one in the Royal Collection, one owned by William Frazer which sold for £4370 at auction in London in 2003 and the four examples shown here 

9d perf 11 brown & blue Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45 (SG 285) inverted watermark. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1399 ex Alan Griffiths

9d perf 11 brown & blue Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45 (SG 285) inverted watermark. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 112 lot no 755

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45B (SG 285). Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 146 lot no 122. Ex Bernard Manning

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45B (SG 285). Seen in Corinphila auctions. Signed Brun

Used examples

1910

9d perf 11 yellow-brown & ultramarine Type B ACSC Q45b (SG 285) dated Toowong 8 July 1910. Seen in Abacus auction no 249 lot no 2323. Ex Griffiths (Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1400)

1911

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45B (SG 285). Dated 9 June 1911. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 150 lot no 264

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45B (SG 285). Dated Mount Morgan 20 June 1911. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1401. Ex Alan Griffiths


9d perf 11 yellow-brown & ultramarine dated Mareeba 1911. Seen in Mayfair auctions


9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45B (SG 285). Dated Windorah 1911. Seen in Abacus auction no 229

No or unclear date

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45B (SG 285). Date stamped at Morven. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 152 lot no 405

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine. Registered Atherton. Seen in a private collection

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine Type B Perf 11 BW #Q45B (SG 285). Registered Atherton. Seen in Millennium auction no 80 lot no 397

9d perf 11. Four examples seen in the L'Estrange Collection in the Queensland Museum

Punctured 'OS' examples

1910

9d perf 11 yellow-brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS'. Dated Brisbane registered 21 May 1910. Seen in Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1401. Ex Griffiths

1911

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS'. Probably postmarked Bundaberg and dated 25 November 1911. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS' Type B BW #Q45B (SG 285). Dated December 1911. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 146 lot no 1223. Ex Bernard Manning

9d perf 11 yellow-brown & deep ultramarine Type B punctured 'OS' ACSC Q45Ab (SG 285var). Dated December 1911. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

1912

9d perf 11 yellow-brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS' dated Cloncurry 18 July 1912. Seen in a private collection

Date unknown or not clear

9d perf 11 yellow-brown & ultramarine Type B punctured 'OS' ACSC Q45Ab (SG 285var). Seen in Abacus auction no 249 lot no 2324

9d perf 11 yellow-brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS' inverted watermark. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS' Type B BW #Q45B (SG 285). Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 146 lot no 1224. Ex Bernard Manning

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS' Type B BW #Q45B (SG 285). Date stamped at Bundaberg. Seen in Status auctions

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS' Type B BW #Q45B (SG 285). Date stamped at Bundaberg. Seen in Status auctions

9d perf 11 brown & ultramarine punctured 'OS'. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1d vermillion (1897 - 1912) Zig-Zag Roulette (SG 256-61) - examples on covers and on piece

The zig-zag roulette perforations of the Queensland 1d postage stamp were introduced in an attempt to cope with the increased demand. The idea was to perforate a whole sheet in one operation rather than the 12 separate ones needed with the comb perforating machine. The experiment was largely unsuccessful - mainly due to the problem of aligning the perforator, the difficulty of separating the individual stamps without tearing adjacent ones, and a tendency for the sheets themselves to come apart - and I will discuss this in separate blog posts in greater detail at some future date.

This post shows postally used examples on cover and on piece - and which are far more scarce than the usually seen mint examples that were avidly collected at the time by collectors and speculators.

5,000 sheets went on sale in mid-November 1898 and around half of these were returned to the Lithographic office in January 1899 to be perforated on the Buncle comb perforating machine and then reissued to various post offices. Despite this very short run they were popular with collectors and examples could be seen postally used for several decades afterwards!

So, to sum up; conventional perforations were replaced by a zig-zag roulette - initially with plain incisions, then with black inked incisions, then with both types and finally with standard comb perforations added to make it work!

Mint examples of both plain and black inked zig-zag roulette perforations

On Cover

1898

Plain roulette perforations on what is an apparently 3d commercial rate letter from Brisbane to England on 29 November 1898. Seen in a private collection

Plain roulette perforations dated Muttaburra 28 December 1898. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Plain roulette perforations used on a single rate letter from Gympie to London, England on 31 December 1898. Seen in Abacus auction no 234 lot no 63

1899

Plain roulette perforations used on a country rate letter from Brisbane to Rockhampton on 3 January 1899. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Plain roulette perforations used on a letter from Brisbane to South Australia on 18 January 1899 with a comment on the front: "These stamps have the new style of perforation which the P.M.G [Post Master General] of Queensland objects to. Datestamp is Brisbane duplex type 7 Code 29. Seen on Ebay

Plain roulette perforations used on a country rate letter from Clifton to Gympie on 22 January 1899. Seen in the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

Plain roulette perforations block of 6 from the top right hand corner of the sheet used on a country rate letter from Rockhampton to Brisbane on 9 August 1899. Seen in the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

1900
Plain roulette perforations used on a double 2.5d rate plus 3d registration letter from Gympie to France on 3 November 1900. Seen on Ebay

1901

Black inked roulette perforations commercially used on a town letter in Brisbane on 23 May 1901. Seen in Abacus auction no 237 lot no 207. The year plug has most probably been transposed in this Brisbane type 9 duplex, as it was in use from 1899-1905

1903

Black inked roulette perforations used on a double rate town letter in Wellington Point, Brisbane on 3 September 1903. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 171 lot no 560

1909

Plain roulette perforations used on a double 2.5d rate plus 3d registration letter from Brisbane to Germany on 11 June 1909. Seen in a private collection

1910

Black inked roulette perforations commercially used on a town letter in Brisbane on 19 June 1910. Seen in Spink auctions no 12043 lot no 1374. Ex Griffiths

On Piece

1898

San Jose manuscript cancellation dated 7 December 1898. Seen in Phoenix auction no 9 lot no 827. Ex Smithies

Black inked roulette perforations dated One Mile Creek 9 December 1898. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1899

Plain roulette perforations dated Yatala 10 January 1899

Plain roulette perforations dated Mungarr 10 January 1899. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Plain roulette perforations dated Goombungee 20 January 1899

Plain roulette perforations dated Oontoo 10 February 1899. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Plain roulette perforations cancelled by a Brisbane duplex type 7 code 20 dated 13 February 1899

Plain roulette perforations dated Stanthorpe 18 February 1899

Southern and Western Railway datestamp type 1b DOWN on a plain roulette. Dated 25 February 1899

2d blue - Diseased Queen (SG 234) 1906

The 2d blue 3rd Sideface issue (SG 234), was issued from April 1897 to September 1906. There were several plates during the life of this issue. Plate 3 was introduced in about September 1900 and included the "cracked head". In June 1906 plate 3 was rearranged following the repair and replacement of the "cracked head". Known as 3a, this plate had a very short life - June to September 1906.

Very shortly after this rearranged plate was introduced, some very badly blotched stamps were printed. They as now known as the "Diseased Queen" or the "Blotchy Queen". It is probable that they are from the first printing of plate 3a as the only known dated used copies are dated 18 June 1906.

Samuel Dalby, writing in the Australian Philatelist, 7 June 1916, p. 159 (Queensland: The 1897 Series of Electrotypes - II), describes what happened: 

"Also a few sheets presented a curious phenomenon: the head on stamps in column 1, on lines 2 to 6 (Nos. 11, 21, 31, 41, 51) had an unsightly mottled appearance, blotches of blue marring the shading lines from the diadem down to the neck. An official explanation was that through carelessness, part of the ink was insufficiently mixed or thinned before being served to the inking rollers; some of the thicker portion having got down to the end of the roller the colour was applied too solidly near the edge of the plate, and clogged the shading lines during several feedings of the press".

It is not listed as a variety in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue. It is however listed in Brusden White, The Australian Commonwealth Specialists' Catalogue: Kangaroos and the Early Federal Period, 1901-12 as Q16c - Blotchy Printing and priced at $200 mint and $125 used. An included note explains: "The blotchy printing is very scarce and occurs for a short period in September 1906. It varies from stamp to stamp and at its most extreme can almost totally obliterate the Queen's head. It is believed to be due to an unsatisfactory mix of ink." It would appear from this description that the author had not seen the block dated June 1906 as it almost certainly was not still occurring three months later. As soon as the error was detected, the printing would have been stopped and and any existing diseased Queen stocks destroyed.

This is a composite illustration shown in Kenneth Scudder, Queensland Postage Stamps 1879 to 1912, p. 266

Mint Examples 

A vertical strip of 4, positions 11, 21, 31, 41, Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 146 lot no 1184 and ex Bernard Manning. The auction description was "TWO PENCE: 2d blue Blotchy Printing ("Diseased Queen") BW #Q16c affecting all units - progressively more dramatic from the bottom to the top - in a marginal vertical strip of 4 from the left of the sheet, also with Double Perfs at Left (unlisted by the ACSC in this value), unmounted, Cat $800++. A marvellous piece!" The estimate was $1500 and it sold for $4,000

A block of 4 from the collection of Dave Elsmore

A block of 4 showing the variety at position 11. Sold at Prestige Philately auction no 137 lot no 399 for $675

Two vertical pairs from my collection

A horizontal pair seen at Prestige Philately auction no 129 described as "1897-1908 Four Figures 2d blue "Diseased Queen" BW #Q16c horizontal pair, both units with pronounced blotchiness though it is more evident on the left-hand unit, large-part o.g., Cat $400+. [ACSC states "...very scarce......occurs for a short period in September 1906". A single example of the pronounced variety sold for $380 in our auction of 24/6/2006]" This pair sold for $300. Now in the collection of Dr Andrew Walker

Horizontal pair courtesy of Dave Elsmore

Horizontal pair courtesy of Dave Elsmore

A vertical pair seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Two examples from my collection

An example seen at Prestige Philately auction no 124 lot no 491 and which sold for $150

Three examples sold as part of a larger lot in Abacus auction no 237 lot no 199 and ex Alan Griffiths

An example courtesy of Dave Elsmore

An example seen at Phoenix auction no 19. Description as follows: "1897-1908 4-Corners Wmk 2nd Crown/Q Perf 12½,13 2d blue diseased face BW #Q16c ("blotchy printing"), the stamp also has constant variety break in framelines in the centre-left margin, well centred example, large-part gum, BW Cat $200. Mint examples have sold for up to $400+ at public auction." Previously sold at Prestige Philately auction no 122 lot no 665 for $380

Used Examples

A block of 6 postmarked Crows Nest 18 June 1906. Positions 01, 11, 21. From the collection of Dave Elsmore

A horizontal used pair (positions 41-2) from the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

A used single that appears to have been posted at Winton (numeral 219) that was sold as part of a larger lot in Prestige Philately auction no 139 lot no 324

On Cover

Rockhampton dated 6 July 1906. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Rockhampton dated 6 July 1906. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group