Perfins

Just curious why hasn't anyone brought up the subject on perfins. You know the stamps with the little holes in them. I have looked and checked in a lot of areas and it seems no one wishes to bring up the subject, is this a bad thing or is it not worth talking about. If I am right are not perfins also part of the stamp collecting world. I do believe that it might be that they really are not worth much, but at the same time I believe that at some time everybody has had a few cross their paths. If I am talking out of line please send me to the correct area of discussion.(Will send pictures later,will be off to work soon will try to add later.

Chris,

Click on the "search" box above.
Type in Perfin in the search for box
select - match exact phrase
Select search in - subject only
Click search.

You should get many hits.

Steve

Christopher,
I know there are some perfin collectors here, I have a few in my stockbook. I have one that is the outline of the state of IL with an "I" in the middle, it is one of my favorites. Some collectors just dabble and use them as an extension of their primary collections and precancel collections. I just looked and there are 2 pages of topics with "perfin" in the subject line. I know a local collector whom is a precancel collector and also picks up perfins as well.

Stamperdude and Triggersmob, Thank you both for the information.

Hi Christopher

There are a lot of people who collect perfins and I am one of those people.

At one time they were frowned upon, but not any longer.

I have a couple of general philatelic reference books from the 40s and 60s both stating that these stamps are worth nothing more than the waste paper basket. This statement could not be any further from the truth as they are very collectible. Times have chaged and perfins have gained respect and there are groups and societies solely devoted to collecting these.

I agree with you, they certainly do have a place in the philatelic and postal history.

Cheers

Bujutsu

If it has a hole in it, keep it. It might be a perfin.

I agree with you, perfin information is difficult to obtain without
expensive catalogues.
Perfin societies do not release much info, wanting to protect
what must be difficult information to obtain.

However I feel if more info was available, that would encourage
more people to collect, and for prices to rise.
We all have lots living at the back of our albums without identification.

So true, Rod. I do wonder if a society or two just needs a new member/webmaster? (Or maybe it is intentional.)

Volunteering Collin ?

Some US for you to start.

I wouldn't blame the perfin societies. Perfins are such a vast area - potentially vastly greater than the countries that permitted them - that simply compiling an exhaustive list for a single country would be an enormous task if done properly.

No: if you want perfins to be appreciated, you'll need to show them off. Here's a contribution, from Cochin in India, far and away the most prolific source of perfins among the Indian States:

'D' for Dewaswom, the State Hindu Temple Administration, which used these perfins rather than Official overprints



and a close-up of the stamp



the 1916-30 Second Raja 4 Pies

Thanks Tony,
I was not aware of that fellow, probably influenced from Travancore.
I shall squirrel away that scan.

...and thanks also for the Cawnpore cover recently received,
a lovely Registration cover.
What is it about the Keralians? why do they write so much
on their covers? there is script, up, down, across their covers.

Would it be due to no street addresses? eg: "Pete's place, across the
bridge, past the shop, and near the fruiting lam yai tree"?

One must also be aware,
all punctures are not "perfins"

We have "Official" punctures of Australian issues.

..and "Anti speculation" punctures of Hungary.

I have 28 of the 79 known 3 hole punctures.

Info from Mr. Jay Carrigan.

There are quite a few Cochin perfins, but I don't recall ever seeing one from Travancore.

That was the only perfin I have on cover, I think, but I'll see if I can assemble a selection of off-paper Cochin perfins, some time.

The only other Indian State I know to have used perfins was Hyderabad. You can find S(alar) J(ung) E(state) perfins on the early issues. Salar Jung was a 19th century prime minister of Hyderabad, and a very wealthy nobleman in his own right, with extensive estates.

Argentina : Not a perfin, a punched cancellation

"Inutilizado" refers to "voided"
Similar to the Spanish "remainders" that were roller cancelled.

While I am not an active collector of perfins, I find them to be a fascinating aspect of postal history. If I could get more information on them, I would seriously consider persuing a collection of US perfins.

If you want your eyes knocked out,
check this site just for US Railway Perfins.

Man! what absolutely beautiful pages.

http://alphabetilately.com/TORRP.html

Gets a gold medal from me.

That is a great link Rod. I love the railroad images at the top of the pages. Those would be a great companion collection to a RPO cover and postmark collection.