Engraver Signatures On Proof Sheets Etc.

I started thinking about this when AKPhilately posted Karl Bickel's signature on the engraved stamps thread.



It started me thinking how we can sometimes work out who was the most likely engraver by signatures on proof sheets. It isn't definite as sometimes a head engraver might sign off on another's work, or so I'm told.

I thought it was worth a separate thread where we could collect the signatures that we have found in one place and discuss how likely it is that they engraved the stamp. Most of the ones I have are French and as they tend to tell you who the engraver was, they don't add much.

Today, I was working with Canadian stamps and looking at the Canadian archives site at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/...30113_e.html

When you look at a stamp there, there is a spot where you can click to see all the other items related to that stamp and this generally includes proof sheets.

There are several proof sheets of stamps known to have been engraved by Yves Baril, such as this one.



All have this signature on at least one of the proofs so I'm pretty certain, looking at the backward sloping "B" that this is Baril's signature. Actually, this looks less like a B than most of them.



Following on from here, there are several stamps that were engraved around the same time that have no engraver listed in Gibbons or in the canadian Archive. These do, however have that signature on a proof sheet.


1956 Prime Ministers: Bennett. SG 483 Scott 357


1956 Prime Ministers: Tupper. SG 484 Scott 358

There are others but rather than write a book, I'd like to get opinions from other engraved stamp enthusiasts.

In general I think that these 'approval' signatures won't ever be from the engravers themselves, but from others who have to approve the engraver's work. Though I could be wrong of course!

But anyway, that is not Baril's signature. All the items I have signed by him bear a signature looking like this one:

Thanks Adrian. Canadian has pointed out that engravers do not sign the proofs so I was barking up the wrong tree (making this thread pretty useless, I guess).

Apparently the signature is that of Alfred Bouchette, a VP at ABNCo.

I guess we just keep digging.

Indeed we do!
But at least you now know what Yves Baril's signature looks like, so the thread hasn't been that useless...
:-)