Need Help Understanding How To ID This Stamp?

I have a lot of old world stamps. I am new to this forum and hope I can learn some things. I have been collecting for two weeks. I have to start somewhere so here we go. I see this stamp is from Nigeria. What does the 1 1/2 d amount to? what year frame is this stamp? and what condition would this stamp be evaluated at?
Thanks Big Ed

HI Big Ed. Welcome to the forum.
This is a Nigeria from the 1938-51 series. Scott# 55 with perf 12. Minimal value.
The 1 1/2d refers to the denomination of 1 1/2 pence or 3 half pence, as it says at the bottom of the stamp.
I would think the centering of this stamp could be rated fine to very fine, leaning toward the very fine.
It's got a nice SON (socked on the nose) cancel, with a December 12 1944 date.
Hope this helps

Hi Biged239, welcome to the forum.

In order to identify it, once you determine the country Nigeria, you really need a catalog. The 1 1/2d is like a us stamp that says 5c for example, This is the postal rate that the stamp was used for. In this case 1.5 pence in Nigerian money.

In this case assuming the stamp is perf 12 (the number of perforations in 2 centimeters) then you have a scott #55 which was printed from 1938 to 1951. Worth about 20 cents according to the catalog.

And I see that as is often the case, James is faster than I am.

1 1/2 d is one and a half 'pennies' . In those days there were 240 pennies in the British 'pound'. The value of the pound to the dollar varied, but I think $2.40 was the nominal exchange rate. So, this stamp had an equivalent face value to a US 1 1/2 cent stamp. It has always had the minimum philatelic value. The cancel shows 12 December 1944. It first came out in 1938. The condition looks attractive to me - I like readable date cancels.

Welcome to the world of stamp collecting, and also to Stamp Community Forum, Big Ed!

The 1½d is the original face value of the stamp. The stamp was originally issued in 1938, although there is a perforation variety (number of teeth/holes per 2 cm) that was issued in 1950. The stamp was in use for quite a while, so both varieties are rather common. The 1950 issue is priced at the catalog minimum of 20c. The original 1938 issue is only slightly more at 30c.

Since your stamp has a nice clean 1944 postmark, I know it cannot be the 1950 issue -- I don't have to measure the perforation.

Your stamp appears to be free of faults, with a grade of F for centering. However, since the stamp is very common, you will often find it in penny/nickel auctions or in bulk stamp lots.

Nice stamp to have!

k

Ask a simple question, and you get pounded with answers :) Which is of course, a good thing.

Wow. Thanks to all. I am going to love this forum. I have been on CCF about a year and love that forum also. I already see I will learn quickly on this forum. Post marks and cancellations are confusing.
Big Ed

If you rotate your stamp clockwise about 135º, the postmark will be upright. You will see

12 DE
44

That indicates December 12, 1944.

At the bottom arc, you can see part of the lettering for NIGERIA.

At the top of the arc is typically the city name, office, mail type... Really hard to make it out, but possibly for the city of MAIDUGURI(?).

I would guess that your stamp was postmarked in Maiduguri, which is a state capital of Borno state, Nigeria. It is a nicely-centered cancel, so the stamp is interesting for that reason (to some of us...too heavily canceled, to others), but I would assume that the cancel is common since the town is so large. (It is nice when you can identify a cancel from a village of 300 people, for instance.)

If anyone has a better guess than Maiduguri, I'm all ears.

[edit: I should include for the Googlemonster that the town appears as Maidugeri on old postmarks.]

You guys are good. Great info. I have been all over this forum and haven"t made a dent yet. LOL.
Thanks Big Ed

The d in 1-1/2d stands for denarii, the Roman word for penny, that was taken and used by the British for their stamps and their colonies and outposts stamps.

That is why the British used to have such a seemingly mixed up currency. It was taken from the Roman and they used a simple system that was easy to divide and multiply in your head.


Regards the different grading mentioned I am used to the older way that ended with Very Fine (VF) and not the newer Scott (American) way of going up to Superb or something.

Is there an online explanation for this new system/ I have to get newer catalogues than 2005!

If this was an expensive stamp you would also consider the colour, the state of the paper, whether there are any thin spots or scrapes or stains or rips, tears, blemishes, repairs, faked or forged cancels or actual stamps, etc, etc.

Or, you can just be happy you have a copy in whatever condition until you come across one in better shape.

As Cjd mentioned some of us like cancels and getting a stamp with most of a cancel showing is a good thing while others like a mint (post office fresh) stamp and others just a bit of a circular cancel showing, leaving most of the design free. Some will pay more for what they like.

Hello Puzzler
Great info. You have it right, prices in books give us a guide. A appraised professional value is one thing, and a want to have a certain something is another. The price for anything collectible is always subjective. I feel it will only take a little bit of time before I can make good calls on a stamp. The information I have received in one day on this forum is like taking a crash course. I have been reading a lot of old post, and researching the whole site.
Thanks Big Ed