Kenya - Tanganyika Collection

Found some nice Kenya & Tanganyika today..I really like the designs on these! Which one do you think is most collectible or rarest?

The QE2 20/- is worth more than the rest put together. Catalogues used at £13 sterling 15 years ago. Has presumably gone up since then. The 2/50 catalogued at £2. All the rest are pennies ASSUMING that the GVI ones are the commonest perforations. Less common perf variations will push the value up a bit, but not tremendously.

The George V 5c is worth checking: the variety perf 13x12 rates £800 this year; the QEII 20/- used is currently £29.

What's the point of having it be 20/-, couldn't it just be £1?

Because 20 shillings is what the locals called it. I know earlier issues of the stamps had £1 and even £5 on them, but the term never caught on in the country itself, where they regarded the East African Shilling as the major currency unit and Cents as the minor currency unit. So they always referred to higher values as 20 shillings, 40 shillings, 100 shillings etc.

Some more stamps of the same series:

Tony you wrote~ The George V 5c is worth checking: the variety perf 13x12 rates £800 this year; the QEII 20/- used is currently £29.
Which stamp is that Tony?
I am veryyy new at this and dont at understand varity perf 13x12.. Are you supposed to count the perfeorations on the sides or something..Can someone please let me know on this?.Maybe I have a real good one then here??

The perfs on the KGV 5 cent green are not compound, so no joy there. We'll wait for a cleaner example to talk about the two types based on whether the left rope touches the sail, or not. This postmark makes it harder to see the rope touching the sail (but I don't think it does).

UFO, when perfs are listed as 13x12, it means that there will be 13 perfs in 2cm across the top, and 12 perfs in 2cm along the side. When the numbers are different, it is referred to as "compound" perforation.

You'll want to get a perf gauge and practice with it. Practice first on stamps with no varieties, so you know exactly what you should be reading. ("Exactly" may not be exactly the right word, because each catalogue system rounds up or down in its own preferred way.)

[edit: Sorry, there is another possible point of confusion here...the five cent green boat with the Mombasa 1938 cancel is KGVI, King George VI, or George V's son. The KGV (King George V) 5 cent green is the boat with the 1935 cancel, and that is the one we were talking about.)

UFOAirmail: If you have any volume of the Scott catalogue handy (and something on another thread of yours caused me to think you did), there's an introduction at the beginning that helps explain much of this: perforations, overprints, conditioning, centering, etc. This would help give you more of a foundation of the basics and perhaps help you feel less frenzied.

If you don't have a Scott catalogue within reach, since you are in the US, there's a good shot that your local library has a set in the reference area. (Pick the main location or a large branch.) If they update them fairly often, there'll likely be an older set available to check out. The introduction is the same in all the volumes, although some of the examples they use to show centering vary, using countries from within that volume, I think.

There is a learning curve to stamps, and that would help give you something of a framework.

Also, depending on where you live, there may well be a stamp club in your area, and it's likely they'd be happy to take a look at what you've got, and try to help point out anything worth a greater monetary value.

However, this board does have a lot of international specialists, who are likely to be able to spot something, too, and, fortunately, most of them like to answer questions. But consider looking through that Scott introduction.

There may also be some introductory materials on the web (probably not as detailed as the Scott intro) that someone else might be able to link to. Here's a start:

http://www.linns.com/

Hover over the "how to" text, and then select from the drop-down menu "Using Perforation Gauge".

On that same drop-down menu, there's also a series called "Refresher Course". Here's a link to all the articles in the series (it's ongoing). Perhaps some of the participants here can glance through some of them and make recommendations about which articles you might find particularly helpful.

http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/rc.aspx

Here's one on "Three Basic Stamp Tools", that might be useful:

http://www.linns.com/howto/refreshe...rcourse.aspx

Good luck, and, most important, find a way to enjoy this. I think this is one of those times where it's just as important, if not more important, to enjoy the journey, rather than just focus on the destination.

-- Dave

Free printable perf gauge if you need one
http://webspace.webring.com/people/...oad/perf.pdf

Cheers
Ram

I usually would get e-mails on SCF from worldwide collectors some I know ,but when you get a telephone call that's a difference, we are being viewed by private collectors on our display of stamps SCF has the highest ratings in stamps forum ,and more and more joining regular basis. other than that you got mail.wait and see the options before the new year.