J29 & 30??

Could I really have J29 & 30? That's just not my kind of luck. Design and perfs are right. Color is sort of faded rose, more like vermillion than deep claret. And I can't find a watermark.

Am I doing the watermark business correctly? I put the stamp in a small black tray and wet it with Clarity watermark fluid, then examine with a glass.

Does it matter what brand of fluid I use? The stamps have been around for a while. Do watermarks really endure?

Thanks for your help. Don

Could I really have J29 & 30? [probably not, they are scarce and the colors are tricky]
That's just not my kind of luck. Design and perfs are right.
Color is sort of faded rose [this usually happens because the ink on these is not 'fast' - it can float away when the stamps are soaked in water],
more like vermillion [the vermillion on these is not the same as seen on 2cent banknotes] than deep claret. And I can't find a watermark.

Am I doing the watermark business correctly? [probably] I put the stamp in a small black tray and wet it with Clarity watermark fluid, then examine with a glass.

Does it matter what brand of fluid I use? [Clarity is excellent but practice makes perfect] The stamps have been around for a while. Do watermarks really endure? [YES]

also - I was one told that J29/J30 look different under black light than the other's but can't find the reference, can anybody verify?

If you want to practice watermarks use stamps that you know for sure what they are ( because they only came 1 way) to practice and big stamps ( like special delivery) are good because with the size the watermark cant really hide.

Ddreisba, Clarity watermark fluid results are debatable. It works sometimes, not at other times. Most likely it is the person that is using it, but if you try Ronsonol you will get much more reliable results. Just my opinion! Also, search "Clarity" on our forum and you will read some of the results!

Peter

Don, I, too, have a 1 cent postage due that puzzles me. It is just as you described, and I share your feeling, that it's not my kind of luck it'd be a J29. (I've quite a bit of Irish in my family tree.)



The perf is 12, the color is tricksy, and there is no watermark. I used a light, as opposed to Clarity, seeing as how, at the bottom of the stamp, it appears the ink is already somewhat smeared, though from printing or age I do not know.

I really didn't look too hard at the stamp itself, being that I am organizing according to cancel, but even that is proving difficult for me. About all I can say is, it's a cork cancel.




Then, I've this 2 cent, same thing, but with a manual cancel.




Hey, at least I do have a couple of postage dues represented in the collection, to go in the back of book section. It's kind sparse, at the moment.

Cet,
Glad to hear I'm not alone in my puzzlement.

Don