What Is The Writing On This Victoria Stamp??

Can anyone tell me what this is for and why it's there? I mean, I know it's obviously someone's initials and a date but I wouldn't think it's a cancel, is it?

"Stamp Duty" indicates a revenue stamp, and like its US counterparts, hand-cancelling with initials and a date was perfectly acceptable.

Ohhhhhkay, lol - thanks! Is my "newbie" showing?

As doug2222 says, that stamp is a dedicated revenue stamp, so you'd expect a revenue cancel.

Whenever you see a pen cancel on a British Commonwealth stamp, start out assuming that it is a revenue cancel, as "regular" stamps were often valid for postage, or revenue, purposes.

This hobby wouldn't be interesting if there weren't exceptions to the rule. In some instances, manuscript cancels were used to cancel stamps used for postage, but those usages were typically of short duration, and the stamps are rather rare.

So, pen cancel (probably) = revenue cancel, but keep them around, just in case.

You'll also come across revenue stamps with what look to be postal cancels. Stanley Gibbons does a good job of listing those usages that were officially sanctioned. Sometimes the unofficial usages slip through the cracks, too.

Here is an example of a revenue stamp used for postal purposes, from the Indian State of Kishangarh:



In 1948, just after India gained independence, the formerly separate princely States of Rajasthan were merged into the new state of Rajasthan. Some, including Kishangarh, had operated their own post offices before the merger.

During the transitional period from 1948 to 1950, Kishangarh overprinted just about every postage stamp it could find 'Rajasthan' in Hindi. It still ran short of a few values, and so authorised the use of the blue 1 Anna stamp, which was normally a revenue stamp, for postage for a short while. Usages like this are quite scarce, and worth far more than the ordinary - revenue - usage (and only to be bought with a cast-iron certificate of authenticity, which this cover has).

Tony - what a great piece, thanks for sharing!