Determining Date Of Issue On Classic Stamps

Hi guys...As a stamp collector I gather information such as..

How many stamps were produced.
Perforation statistics.
Date of issue.
paper information.
etc, etc.

Here is an example of what I run into identifying pertinent information about each and every stamp...I have picked a Newfoundland stamp.(Queen Victoria issue Scott 51) shown below.



Here is the frustrating part of collecting "date of issue"
1 - Scott catalogue 1887.
2 - N.S.S.C. catalogue 1880.
3 - Archives Canada 1888.
4 - Unitrade catalogue 1887.

It is very frustrating..WHO DO YOU BELIEVE...?


*** Edited by Staff to clarify topic title. Titles are important! ***

Robsen Lowe (Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps) has issue date of 1887. He was pretty accurate, I think.

SG gives a date of January 1888 for SG 52.

Thanks guys....I use N.S.S.C. (Newfoundland Specialized Stamp Catalogue) for NFLD only and they are 300 pages of extreme detail...They say 1880..Go figure, eh...?

Robert

Have you looked at the BNAPS Newfoundland study group (assuming you are not a member). They have a lot of back issues of their news letter on line . Perhaps there is some information on the earliest known dates of use in these. That may eliminate some dats from consideration and there could be a definitive answer.

AQ

Anthraquinone..I have not done that yet, and yes I am a member and I will check it out..BNAPS is an organization that any serious stamp collector should become a member of.

Robert

The archived website, Canadian Postal Archive, I have found is a helpful resource:

https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca...80601_e.html

In looking for the ¢3 stamp wert shows, I find 3 stamps issued: 1880, 1886, and 1888 but they are different stamps.

https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca...30603_e.html

wert: What year for each catalogue have you been using above since newer versions of catalogues update such information as time goes on?

2017 Unitrade
2002 Newfoundland Specialized Stamp Catalogue.
Canada Archives.
And other on line information.

Robert

Important to have updated versions of specialized catalogues such as NSSC.

NSSC 2010; 2012; 2014; 2016 which is

46 3¢ Queen Victoria, umber brown (Nov. 01, 1887)

46a violet brown (January 1896)