There were 9 issues of the deer/ gazel set, and 7 of the ship set, between 1926-1951. How do I recognize and attribute a stamp to the right set? Some sets had the same perf and WM. Most of them have the same watermark, and any diff in colour might have been faded or altered by age.
Here are Scott numbers for the English Gazel: 23, 33, 45, 46, 47, 98, (should be more).
For complicated stamp issues (which these two examples seem to be), I put together a little chart of each stamp's attributes. For each stamp listing, identify the catalog number, denomination, color, perforation gauge, watermark, and other attributes the catalog describes. It doesn't have to be a spreadsheet on a computer, it could written with pencil on a blank sheet of paper.
By process of elimination, you should be able to narrow it down to one or two catalog numbers. For example, if your stamp is perf. 9, you can eliminate the perf. 10 stamps from contention, etc.
It takes some time to do this, but I think it's worth it. In the end, you'll have a handy reference you can use in the future if you get more of the same stamps.
These issues can cause a bit of confusion at first but once you get to know them they are OK.
First, look at the way "Suid Afrika" is written. If it's all one word (Suidafrika), then you have either the 1926 or the 1930 printings. If it's hyphenated Suid-Afrika then you have either the 1933 or the 1947 printings.
Next, check out the perforations. Unhyphenated issues are either 14.5 x 14 (1926 printing) or 15 x 14 (1933 printing). Hyphenated issues are 15 x 14.
Finally, have a look at the printing method. The 1926 and 1933 stamps are typographed. Later designs are screened rotogravure, which is very easy to see under a magnifying glass.
To complicate matters slightly, there was an additional printing of the 1/2d in 1937 in which the horizontal shading in the vignette is heavier than in the 1933 printing. This is best seen with two different types side-by-side.
By the look of it, you probably have the 1933 printings, but check the printing method first. Hope this helps a little
That's an awesome link! Not updated in 14 years yet just as relevant today! I never collected Dominions stamps when I was serious about KGVI (except for Fiji) but this website makes things more intriguing as it pertains to SA. It's too bad the author didn't tackle SWA which I assume is just as interesting.
All that said, my old friend Tom Cusick has developed a really useful website to help with sorting KGVI printings, and he included KGV-era SA and SWA:
Are there more famous sets that look the same at first glance, but can be distinguished without the need of a forensic lab? I know of the Italian Syracusean Coin triple sets: The first two sets differ in WM visible to the naked eye, the third set has drawing smaller in size.
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Posted 08/04/2017 09:59 am
