Questions About Watermarks ...

These are questions I find myself asking about watermarks. I wonder if anyone here knows the answers to at least some of them.

(1) Which countries, if any, still use watermarks on their stamps?

(2) Why did Canada (apparently) never have watermarks on its stamps?

(3) What other countries have also never had watermarks on their stamps? The US? The PRC?

(4) What is the most valuable watermark variety (i.e., the stamp which is worth the most because of its watermark and no other factor)?

(5) What are some of the more unusual or sillier watermark designs that countries have used?

(6) Many watermarks seem intentionally to have been designed so that they look the same whether they are upside down or reversed. Was there a reason for this, for example, to stop watermark varieties from emerging???

(7) What stamp exists with the most watermark varieties?

and last:

(8) Does anyone know stories behind episodes in which paper with the wrong watermark was used? For example, I read somewhere that some stamps have been produced using watermarks that were only intended for use on that country's banknotes. How could this possibly happen?

A little about U.S. watermarks. The U.S. used 2 different watermarks Double Line USPS (Scott wmk191) from Apr. 1895 to about Oct 1, 1910 and Single Line USPS from Oct 1910 to about Sept 1916.

They had 3 major watermark errors. All 3 involved using USIR watermarked paper for revenue stamps on regular postage stamps. In 1895 6 cent (Scott 271a) and 8 cent (Scott 272a) were printed on USIR paper and in 1951 the $1.00 (Scott 832b) from the presidenyial series of 1938 was printed on this paper.

The 1898 1 cent (Scott 279) and 2 cent (Scott 279B) were issued on Double Line USPS paper that was that was miscut by the supplier so that the watermark was sideways.

Canada definatly had watermarks pre 1900 and a few stragllers shortly after that. However the watermarks are not throughout the entire area of the paper. For example The Bothwell paper company watermark can be found but generally only parts of the letters would fit on a single stamp so you may only see half a letter or less. There is also the stitch watermark that can be vertical or horizontal but again is noy consistant and very rare as well as difficult to detect. I have 100's of canadian stamps that potentially have either of these marks and have yet to discover a single one.
An example of value would be the canadian 1/2cent large queen- In unused F condition unitrade value of $60 with Bothwell watermark value of $25,000 . Definatly a dream find of a lifetime.

Thanks for the interesting and informative responses, guys!

nitrolures, is that an exceptional or typical value for a stamp with Bothwell wmk?

On your point (6), and possibly (5) according to taste, Cochin State in India for many years used an umbrella as its watermark. The umbrella, or perhaps more appropriately parasol, was a symbol of royalty throughout much of India and Southeast Asia. It also appeared in the designs of most Cochin stamps. In any case, it looks exactly the same either way, front or back. It can be found sideways or inverted.

And not quite fitting in your (8), the Australian George V 1d red Die III (SG 53) was a special printing on paper originally intended for use for War Savings stamps.

On (4), probably not the most valuable, but the Singapore George VI $2 with error watermark St Edward's Crown (SG 29a) is currently listed at £16,000, though what it might fetch if it was actually offered for sale is anyone's guess.

That is an exceptional value where as most other in the large queen issue vary in the $1000-$2500 range .The 1/2c large queen is approximatly half the size of the others in the series. The bothwell watermark was done by the paper supplier and not as a special request . The day I find one I will do my best to somehow scan or show it.

nitrolures, thanks for the info!

tonymacg, didn't Cochin also have the most involved watermark of them all?

Cochin did have a large sheet watermark, with all the bells & whistles. I'd hesitate to say it was the most involved, because as soon as I did, someone would come up with an even more involved one. I won't even try to scan it from a sheet of Cochin: much, much easier for people to look at the illustration in a catalogue!

Re Canada, I found this online:

Bothwell Paper Variety

"1868-69, wove, medium to thick with a distinct vertical mesh and WATERMARKED "E&G BOTHWELL CLUTHA MILLS" in two lines of sans-serif letters" (Boggs page 251)

"Bothwell paper is watermarked on part of the sheet, singles without watermark (21vii) are identified by the distinct vertical weave of the paper." (2002 Unitrade Specialised Catalogue of Canadian Stamps page 30).

"The Bothwell paper copy is unlisted as mint". (Firby, 10 Feb., 2001, lot 87)

http://www.canadianstampauctions.co...umber_34.htm

and

A stitch watermark is an unusual feature of some of Canada's early stamps. Hans Reiche explained this in an article he wrote for the Canadian Forces Philatelic Society Bulletin. He wrote:

"A stitch watermark looks like a thinning of the paper but is done unintentionally by the paper manufacturer. A finely woven wire cloth is used to make the paper. To produce an endless wire cloth, the ends are stitched together by fine wires, similar to a staple. These stitches show up as short almost parallel fine lines, like a watermark."

http://www.canadianstampauctions.co...umber_81.htm

Russ, thanks for the info about the USPS watermarks.

I had a quick look through my oldies and found two Double Line 'U's - one reversed and one inverted. Clearly, the error rate was high!

Given the nature of the watermark, I guess finding an 'S" is the most common?

Watermarks are very intriguing especially those non consistant . It seems they were used for varying reasons worldwide wether it be on purpose or unintentional. Sideways, upside down could be as simple as a right or left handed printer grabbing the sheets of stock from a different position or switching positions purely as a comfort level. Cost effectiveness also played a important part . Intentions may very well have been to do 500,000 stamps with watermark but paper cost and availiability could easily make 2nd-3rd printings done on whatever paper was most cost effective and availiable.
You may also note that when looking for such treasures it is always better to buy items on paper from old albums instead of loose material that has likely been searched. Also items on cover but of course the value is tied with the cover but if I had a 1/2c CAN large queen on cover I would have a hard time not investigating.
When I decided to start looking I went with the most cost effective Ronsonol lighter fluid and have checked 100's and still have half a bottle and no adverse effects but be extremely careful with any high dollar classics . I'm also playing with scanner options but the stamps I have that are watermarked I can see easily but once I have one that is difficult I will put the time in to bring it out on a scan . Great topic , great study, great history!

I wasn't able to work out how to do the lighter fluid thing.

So I bought a Morley Bright watermark detector that works about 60% of the time.

Of the remaining 40%, I seem to be able to see about half of them when the stamp is immersed in water. Some of those that I can't see in water show the watermark better when they dry out.

I don't often do this with mint stamps, though, if they still have gum.

Question: are US stamps worth anything with reversed or inverted USPS watermarks?

I can only find one such stamp on ebay. It has an inverted 'P' and it's listed (Buy It Now) for nearly three hundred dollars. However, it's mint, so perhaps that's the more important factor in the price:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/271-Var-INVE...em20ab5989cc

They don't carry any premium. The sheets were cut rectangular and were placed on the press rather randomly so the they produced 4 horizontal orientations; regular, reverse, inverted and inverted reverse. All orientations are common on the 1895 and 1898 issues.

Russ, I have quite a few common definitives from this period still on paper. I was planning to soak them off to inspect the watermarks, but from what you say there's no point.

Unless, possibly, some don't have watermarks that should?

The 6 and 8 cent 1895 (Scott 271 and 272) do have the USIR error though they are very rare. The 1 and 2 cent of 1898 (Scott 279, 279B) have a vertical watermarks from May 1902 for the 2 cent it is only known on the orange red variety. The 10 cent (Scott 283) had vertcal watermark from early 1902. All 3 carry a modest premium.