My Australian Oddities

Also in today's mail was this item. Scott 57, ACSC53xd, which is a Type C Specimen with sub-type 1, a damaged "C". The frequency is one in every 6 stamps, so not quite as interesting as my previous example. It is also a marginal copy, as can be seen by the through scan.

Steve I am having a nosey around,
albeit, I only have an earlier catalogue than you, so doubtful if I can help.




I presume you realise this is the 6th column of the overprint forme,
whether this can have any relavence to the stamp, I am unaware.
No idea on overprint forme size / quantity.

The dandy roll line indicate RH border, so with information on the opt forme, may well indicate your stamps plate position.

Regarding the black line through the Kangaroo (extraordinary)
look at ACSC 41g 2/- Maroon
There exists a scratch across kangaroo very similar.

I am thinking your black line may be a unwanted part of the overprint forme print, yet it seems weird that it just fitted the kangaroo.
The mark does not match the Kangaroo colour.

Also look a little above the large black line
There is also a faint line mark going across the back of the Kangaroo
This is listed as a white line in that position in ACSC 56
You need to look under magnification.

Rod. Thanks as always for your help. I did a little more snooping on that 2 pound item myself. ACSC says that the machine-printed formes of 30 were used (5 horizontal rows of 6). The full sheets of 120 (two panes of 60 each, 10 horizontal rows of 6), were divided and all marginal paper was removed.

As far as I can tell, the battered "N" is from forme column 6 and probably arose during use. I found a battered "N" on a 10sh Gray and Pink in the Siegel Auction of the Goldfarm collection from October 7, 2014. That stamp was ACSC 50x, which means C of A Watermark, which was printed starting in July 1932. My 2-pound stamp, ACSC 56xb var, was from two printings starting in February 1930 totaling 1800 stamps. Therefore, the only thing I can conclude is that the battered "N" started on or before February 1930. If that is true, then I would expect a battered "N" on every Type C overprint issue after that date, with a frequency of at least 1 in 30. Maybe more examples will show up?

I have another example coming in a week or two that should be more interesting.

Partime.
Some info on your One Pound Grey Roo.


£1 Grey Kangaroo and Map
RIGHT 37

---Third Watermark (Harrison printing)---
no 2013 ACSC listing

Kangaroo: Small nick slightly to the left of the high point
on the roo's back.

Harry. Does that position match with the marginal watermark line? Identifying these are not as easy as I thought.

Yes it does.
Position 37 of any plate

Rod. Thanks so much for that Plate Layout. I'm sure it has been posted before, but I just couldn't find it. Now I'm very confident that I have Sub-type 1 in position R37. Fantastic.

Can I also assume the same plate layout for the 2-pound? If so, it also looks like the Position R, but I can't quite make out if any of the POSTAGE is visible on the right side ... it's almost too compact to determine the exact letters that might be visible. To be honest, the letters are so close that it looks like COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA somewhere, but that means the watermark would be reversed, which would be very strange indeed. Anyway, thanks for your detective work.

Steve,
I was a bit nervous replying, the Kangaroo is not my strong suit.
So without research
As far as I assume, all Kangaroo plates were of 60 dies.
6 across 10 down

For printing, the press may have "120 on", "240 on" or "480 on"
So a plate can be left or right, upper, or lower.
The plates come in a matrix, depending on the issue.

Ergo: All Odd numbers 1 through 55 (multiple of six) shall always be the left hand margin of a plate.

No doubt the intelligentsia shall correct me/us

You need to research what config your particular Kangaroo used

The penny red was "480 on"
(2, four plate configurations)
excuse my crummy drafting, imagine these joined together with a vertical gutter in the middle

According to ACSC, we have a 120-on, two panes of 60 each 10 horizontal rows of 6, so I think it matches your original pane drawing.

Excellent.
So you have it plated (R37) R7/1

The 1d Roos were printed 480-on up to November 1913. After then plates E/F, G/H and K/H were printed 240-on.

After plate 1 was substituted by plate 3 in the 2d Roo although the printing was 240-on the plates were a different type - Die 1 and Die 2A - technically each type was only 120-on. Important to note if you are counting cliches by type.

The remaining low values were 240-on.

There was a slight aberration in the bicolours. According to ACSC the 5/- vignette panes were swapped for one printing. Although this did not affect the 120-on configuration it does affect plating the vignette varieties. See General Notes for the bicoloured series.

Regards
Frank

Thank you Frank.

Any members have an image of the 3rd Watermark Dandy Roll ?

or, a drafted image of the Dandy Roll 3rd Watermark Image replete with Marginal Markings please ?

Partime
Some info on your 2 pound roo.
I believe the Letters on the right side outside the margin coincide with the ALT of COMMONWEALTH.
If so, then that would make your stamp R30. Right Pane, Stamp 30




R30 (5/6) Line 5 Stamp 6. Small faint colour flaw just below junction of hind legs.

The best I could come up with

Location of colour Flaw........