Expertizers In Sydney, Australia

I own what appears to be a unique, and I suppose therefore possibly valuable, Chinese stamp.

However, I can't really think about trying to sell it until I get a certificate. As I've had many problems with the postal system in recent weeks (4 items gone missing in the last 6 weeks), I simply am not willing to send it overseas, even by registered mail, for expertizing.

Unfortunately, there are no accredited expertizers in the field of Chinese philately in my city (Sydney), let alone Australia.

Since the most important question about the stamp relates to the kind of paper it was printed on - something which cannot be done from looking at a scan - I was wondering whether any forum users know of someone in Sydney who'd be able to take a look at it and tell me what kind of paper it was printed on.

I'm not even sure what kind of person I'd be looking for, so I have no idea where to begin.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

jimjamtwo!

I do not think you will get exactly what you are looking for in Australia.
But it sounds like the real issue is the type of paper.
Under strong magnification I can see the paper types with my Aust KGVs.
I am sure you could find an expert on paper types in Sydney, even if they know nothing about China's stamps.
It sounds like you have an idea what the 2 paper types are and that is the main part of the battle.

My 2c worth! KGV

Welcome JimJam2! Show us a nice scan anyway!

Yes, a scan. Capital idea.

You wouldn't really sell a unique item except through auction; does Sydney have a good auction house that could help? (I note that Lawsons claims to be having a book, map and stamp auction next week...don't know what that implies, though.)

This is a scan of the back of the stamp. I'd welcome comments on the kind of paper used, but there is a drawback in that the scan is somewhat deceptive. In real life, so to speak, the stamp has a slightly glossy look (and smooth touch) which is at odds with its fibrous appearance in the scan. For this reason, I'm not sure how useful the scan is. This is why I fear my only option may be to sent it to expertizers in London or New York.



The reason I'm not posting a scan of the front of the stamp is that (1) I'm wanting to focus for now on the question of the paper being used and (2) I understand it's going to get a mention in this month's British Journal of Chinese Philately. It probably like to wait to see what comes out of that before I say anything more.

Cjd I agree that an auction house could be the go.

Hi! jimjamtwo.
Prestige Philately have stamp auctions in the top end of the world stamp market.
The expertise in there descriptions of auction lots has made them the best auction house in Australia. They are based in Melbourne but have a contact in Sydney to consider possible auction lots. They are very fussy about what they take on, for there auctions.
More to the point. I use them for the hard to get anythings. If they do not know who can help you, nobody in Aust can. They have always been good to me, even though I do not use there auction. I can not buy the top end stamps!They have a huge wealth of information.
Hope it is helpful! KGV

Regarding auction houses in Sydney, yes, there are some, and Lawsons is one of them, but they tend to be focused on Australiana. I'm not sure how much they know about Chinese philately and in any case there are apparently no experts in the field in Australia.

I feel my best course of action is to identify as precisely as possible what kind of stamp it is and then, if it does indeed seem that this is a very rare stamp, approach someone with expertise in Chinese stamps such as Inter-Asia or Michael Rogers.

It looks like a very coarse mesh paper.
Keep us in touch! It is sounding very interesting!
I think you might know, more about what I have been talking about than myself!

What sort of a journey have you been on with this stamp? Amazing! KGV

KGV Collector. thanks for the welcome to the forum. You're right, at the very least I hope I can be put in touch with someone in Sydney who could tell me exactly what kind of paper it's printed on.

Jimjamtwo, I've done business with Michael Rodgers & Assoc. alsoI have been at their shop in Winter Park, Florida. They are very knowledgeable & forth-rite. Even though I've not recently made a purchase from them, I would recommend working with them.

Would it be possible to scan & post the front of the stamp.

Is there any help with a date on a postmark?
Is there a shade difference that can help?
Is there a perforation difference that can help.

Just starting at the power point and working forward.

KGV Collector, it has been something of a journey! I first noticed the stamp when a few months ago I started compiling the many lots of Chinese stamps I've purchased this year into sets. After a while I had to put this particular stamp aside, because it clearly didn't fit in. It looked completely different from every other stamp from the same era, including the regular examples of the same issue. I assumed at this point that it was just an example of a different printing, but I've never across any more stamps from this theoretical printing and eventually I began to think that I probably never would.

At this stage I began emailing various experts on Chinese stamps in the UK and the US. Through the editor of the British Journal of Chinese Philately I was put in touch with someone who has actually just completed writing a monograph on this particular series of stamps. My communications with him confirmed that a stamp like this hasn't been seen before, but he wouldn't commit himself to saying anything specific until he'd actually seen it in real life. As I've said, I'm not ready to commit it to the postal system just in case it is a unique item.

Fortunately, the editor of the JCP expressed interest in mentioning it in the journal's December issue. I hope to find out very soon whether anyone knows anything about this issue or has even seen a similar one before.

Q: Is there any help with a date on a postmark?

A; No, it's MNH.

Q: Is there a shade difference that can help?

A: It on some kind of tinted paper. Because the paper is coloured the image appears to have a different shade than the regular issue, but I don't think it really is. I think the paper has just absorbed more of the ink.

Q: Is there a perforation difference that can help?

A: This is perf 11.2 - apparently the lowest recorded for this particular issue.

It looks 'like a very coarse mesh paper.'

Indeed, it does, from the scan. But how does that kind of paper get a slightly glossy finish and smooth touch?

A possible clue is that this stamp would probably have been printed in Hong Kong within a few months of its occupation of the Japanese.

Could this stamp have been printed on a kind of paper that had previously been used for Hong Kong issues?

Wow! Whatever it turns out to be! Wow!
Extremely interesting topic and one that I will enjoy watching grow.
Thanks jimjamtwo for sharing. John

jimjamtwo, the most you can hope for from any expert in Sydney is guidance on the paper type. For a definitive judgment, you'll have to go to a China expert in the relevant area.

In the area I collect, the Indian States, papers are often of crucial importance too. In this example from Barwani



paper makes the difference between a £3 stamp on the left, and a £3000 stamp on the right. I would only buy the £3000 stamp - only accept it as genuine - after I had examined it, although I might find a generalist auctioneer's or other collector's thoughts on the matter interesting.

The only way you're going to have certainty is to have your stamp examined by an expert.