Watermarks On NSW 5-D And 6-D 1854

There seems to be a few different watermarks for these but a couple aren't mentioned in the SG catalogue so I'm hoping an Aussie expert can help
Sorry about the not so good quality pictures

Hi Eiger,

These are marginal inscriptions. At the top and bottom of the sheet the watermark says 'NEW SOUTH WALES POSTAGE'

Your second photo shows the W and part of the A of WALES, the line around the sheet and the bottom of the crown over NSW watermark.

Shade - Dark bluish green. The stamp was issued around 1870. Perforation 13 with a watermark of a double lined figure of value (SG162a / page 5).

I have no idea about the hand stamped "HT", couldn't find anything on it.

Thanks Rob. Yes the HT is a mystery

Maybe it's the th from south. That would make a very large stamp of New South Wales though.

Eiger,
with respect, you should always offer full descriptors, when seeking ID.

Here, we are missing the Perf guage?

It is, as Bobby explained, Crown over "NSW"
however, there are two types 1 with 1mm gap, the other 2mm gap,
The perf guaging may offer a solution.

(see fig 17 and fig 19 in that watermark sheet I posted)




It is, the double lined letters on the dandy roll, go the entire frame of the print / pane, so only partially hits each margin stamp.

There is an image of the NSW watermark layout somewhere on SCF, but I can't find it in a quick look. Here is a representation of a sheet showing the layout of a Crown Agents watermark, which will give an idea of how the letters end up appearing on a stamp.

Adding in the perf would be ideal but I haven't got a handle on that yet.

Rod is spot on. In the first photo the letters are TH from SOUTH. You can see part of the 'U' at the right also.

In other words, a stamp from the bottom of the sheet.

"The watermark is in four panes of 60, each pane being surrounded by a single-line frame, with the words NEW SOUTH WALES POSTAGE at top and bottom of the sheet." Quoted from Hutson, page 58.

Further to what Rob041256 said, this stamp was originally issued Imperf with a double lined numeral watermark '5' in 1855. Then perf 12 (1863) and 13 (1863-70), same Wmk.

Eiger's third photo could be either Gibbons Wmk 40 or 65, the difference as Rod said. With this watermark the stamp cannot be perf. 13 as this gauge was only used on the De La Rue stamps, not the diadems.

The Scott equivalent is Wmk 55. Scott makes no distinction as Gibbons does but does have a note under no. 68 about the spacings between the crown and NSW.

Hope all this makes sense