Plating Resources For GB Stamps

I picked this up recently. I understand that the work of plating these stamps is a delicate process. Is the SG Specialized Catalog of QV stamps the go-to book?

Hi Smauggie

There is a specialist group in Yahoo called the "Mulready Group" and they are well versed into the plating of these stamps. Maybe you might want to give them a try? There is a good site explaining some of the plating techniques at http://www.pennystars.com/Tips-for-platers - that might stear you in the right direction too??

Hope this will help you out

Chimo

Bujutsu

Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Specialised Stamp Catalogue Volume 1: Queen Victoria.

There are other even more detailed reference books for plating the QVs, but this one is usually easier to get and cheaper than the others. If you don't get a headache after using Volume 1, then you are ready for the other books.

I agree, getting into a study group will speed up the learning process.

Have fun!

I'm just starting to get into these early British stamps and learning something new everyday.

As a side note, is the diamantoid border for the number in the cancellation a relatively common occurence?

Turns out it is a SG29/Spec. C8 plate 40. Now if I only knew what that was. Looking for SG QV Specialized Cat. Any idea on the value of this stamp?


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Edit: Granted I paid 50¢ for the stamp so, as Rodney might say, I am not expecting a world cruise.

Bought one (the catalog).

My 1979 edition of SG GB Specialized has it listed at 6.50 GBP. The base price is 3.50 GBP, so it is a little less than double the price of the common plates. Of course, that's a 30+ year old catalog price.

Smauggie - It would be great if you could sum up how you identified it as SG29/Spec. C8 plate 40.
I am certainly interested in this topic.

The postmark is used in the London Office
for letters passing by the general post.

The number 17 indicates Ilford which was a coaching town,
9 km from cental london, train services arrived there in 1839

I didn't identify it, Anthony. I posted an image of this in my introductory post to the Mulready Group web forum. Someone plated it for me. Once I receive my catalog I will begin to figure out how they did it (reverse engineer it, so to speak).

Thanks K. The catalog I ordered is about 30-years old, but for $12.50 postpaid, it was a good deal.
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Re-read your post Rod. Thanks for the info. What is a "coaching town".

Lot of football teams there? Yeah, I couldn't resist.

Oh that's useful to know. Thanks.

I think a coaching town is one on the route of the horse drawn coach possibly where horses could be changed over. It would have been a place that had a mail presence as the coaches would also have carried mail.

Thanks Anthony, that makes more sense. :o)

A "coaching town" is a village that has grown up
around the intermediate stops or "posts" of
a mail coach route.

It is the genesis of the word we use "post"
"Australia Post" "postage"

The first mail coach route was london to Bristol
and Bath, to get the news from the colonies, from
ships and packets arriving from overseas destinations
that pulled into Plymouth

(That's how Stanley Gibbons got his first
Cape of Good Hope stamps)
His (father's) shop was in Plymouth.

The "posts" were generally about 12 miles apart,
people could get refreshed (usually weak beer, because
often water was too foul) water the horses, and take
on freight.

A coach:


The "horse posts" London to Hull, going North in 1677
Later on, Ilford would probably be on this route

Got the book, now to study. And get some more inexpensive penny reds to plate.

The postmark with the number 17 in a diamond within the bars is from the London Inland Section, i.e. it was handled in a main London office.

The similar postmark with the number 17 in a circle within the bars would be from London District post offices in Ilford or Leytonstone.