Rare Papua Imperf ?

Hello, I have this Papua imperf stamp, sorry about the quality, as you know you must really tone it down to get it on here. As far as I can tell it is a #51? It is watermarked and as you can tell it is too big to have been chopped. I have had a professional stamp person sending it from place to place, even through the Papuan government's stamp department and they dont know. Last I heard it was off to London to a specialist (my photos that is, I have the stamp). I was wondering if any of you folks had any info for me or maybe a good place to send it. Thanks

[EDIT: First line remove to hide my color-blindness!]

Regarding certification, it is EXTREMELY unusual for an expert to be willing to certify an imperforate error single. There are extremely wide-margined perforated singles to be found. Most experts will almost always require them in pairs, or showing part of the next stamp design on opposite sides to demonstrate genuine imperforate.

This issue DOES have very wide margins.

So the stamp is a bust...I havent got any such comments as from khj but then again I havent got too many comments at all except that it looks large enough to rule out being cut. The Papuan government has no records of producing such a stamp but I heard a lot of printing was done by different people, some of which made mistakes. Maybe this is one of them, I guess it is really not likely...

I'm not saying it is not genuine. I'm simply noting that it is extremely unusual for an imperforate error single to be able to receive a certificate. When it does happen, it is usually because the imperforate error has some other factor uniquely associated with it that makes identification possible (such as paper type, plate flaw...).

Thinking aloud...

1. I know nothing about the Lakatoi.

2. The scan is appalling, I would find it hard to assess
any stamp on what looks like a magazine reproduction.
3. What sort of watermark was found?
Thick or thin paper?
As BeeSee pointed out, it does come with wide margins, how can you rule it out?
The watermark is the most important aspect, as the 2 1/2c
bright ultramarine has been forged (block of 4 imperf)

Any stamp I found, where I thought may be a major "find"
I would have 1200 dpi res scans of front and rear
scans of the wmk etc.
What is a professional stamp person?
what you need is a Lakatoi specialist.

Having said that, I do wish you every success, really!

This looks to be SG 85 or 92, both printed only by the Australian Government Printer here in Melbourne. Gibbons doesn't list an imperf error for any value in this set, so I'd say the chances are very strong indeed that it's a cut down specimen.

I'd echo Rod's question about the watermark. It should be a Crown over A. If it isn't, but it is watermarked in some way, it could be some sort of postal stationery cut-out.

Ahhh, good point! Does anybody have a Higgins and Gage (or something comparable) and look it up?

Indeed, how often do we encounter that?
I tinkered around with perhaps an aerogramme without success,
the watermark is the first item that needs determination.

Much too early for an aerogramme, I think, Rod. The single colours, like this, were issued in 1911-15, and were replaced by the bicolours in 1916. (As I recall, the single colours were very unpopular with collectors and were soon replaced.)

Checking Robson Lowe, there doesn't appear to be an eligible postal stationery item - the only 1d items were postcards, and the thickness of the card would be a giveaway. Too early and wrong rate for air letters.

Regarding imperforate Papuan stamps, Robson Lowe reports an imperforate 1 shilling yellow perforated OS (SG O44 variety). That is the only one, and it is not listed by Stanley Gibbons. The solitary example, according to Robson Lowe, was held by a Mr. R. Simpson of New South Wales. There may be others, but I don't follow Papua through the auctions, so I don't know.

'R. Simpson' - Bobby Simpson? But surely not!

It would seem pretty unlikely, on the face of it, that the Australian printers would have slipped up so badly with their perforating. From memory and a quick flick through Gibbons, the only perforation error they let through from around that period was the famous 3d 'Roo imperf three sides. And the fact that Gibbons still doesn't list Mr Simpson's Papuan imperf 1/- must cast that stamp in a rather doubtful light, too.

No: the more alternative explanations we discard, the more inevitable it becomes that this stamp has had its perfs trimmed.

I only have Part II of Robson Lowe. Is there anything to be made of the cancellation on the stamp?

bi coloured, line perforated.

Could you trim this one to receive a similar opinion?

If you turn the scan on its side, the CDS appears
to be a stretched oval, similar to a registration strike.
It may be the result of the owner reducing the *.gif file.

My tiny little collection, mostly has NEW GUINEA
at the bottom of the CDS, but some like the RELIEF strike
you own, Tony, (LAE), has PAPUA-N.G. at the bottom.
We can't take anything from that.

Illustrates how important a clear fine scanned image is.

FYI
There is a 32 page booklet, and CD Rom that addresses
the Lakatoi $39.95

http://www.pnrphilately.com.au/Coll...iSeries.aspx

Great example of the extra-wide margins Rod.

I have a CD of all the Pacifica issues, from the Pacific island Study Circle, fully searchable. I will check it this weekend.