Australian Pre-Decimal Progressive ½d 'roo Varieties

The blocks of stamps I obtained were once used as research material by Bryan Young (who gave considerable assistance to the publication of a book from the research he had undertaken, and there are collections from J.C Thompson of Rushcutters Bay, Sydney.

The collection consists of 7 x blocks of 56 stamps, 1 block of 44 stamps, 1 x block of 6 stamps and 1 x block of 4, each block with various flaws; a monumental task but the results are rewarding; also with the collection is a book in which Young had contributed greatly with the findings of his research of the stamps I now have in my collection.

Altogether there are 446 ½d 'roos and nearly every row has varieties. The research undertaken by Young with these stamps was to put together a catalogue of progressive varieties, clearly seeing the progression of major flaws.

As far as I know, there has never been a display of such state of colour flaws, and the development of progression of the variable colour flaw just below the outstretched branch behind the kangaroo, also the development of progression involving the double lines between the 'O' of 'POSTAGE' to the 'roos ear, both complete progressions are rare.

There are also unrecorded major errors such as a large colour flaw on the top left of a stamp and the value covered with a large colour flaw, also, there are stamps showing electro scratches, various stages of retouches, misplaced cliches and re-entries.

It is going to be a monumental task cataloguing this collection and the varieties, and I will upload any other varieties I may find listed in the collection.

6 states of the branch flaw were discovered and believed to be the entire set of this variety after completion of the research.

SHEET B - ELECTRO A


1st stage - very early development: 2nd stage - early development: 3rd stage - developing bush: 4th stage - well grown bush: 5th stage - thicker extra bush: 6th stage - fully developed bush


1st stage - very early development: 2nd stage - early development: 3rd stage - developing bush: 4th stage - well grown bush: 5th stage - thicker extra bush: 6th stage - fully developed bush

The Book

Great info, Rob. I'll need to look through my meager collection again for these varieties and progression of such. Thanks for posting.

Hi Partime

There is more to come, I just need to catalogue them and then upload the material. The stamps have positional numbers written onto the selvedge explaining what part of the sheet the variety belongs to and is then edited into the book, the research was very detailed.

It is the largest and most comprehensive collection of one type of stamp acquisition I had bought, it came in a box, the stamps still attached to the research sheets with the information were either typed or handwritten in pencil.

These research sheets were compiled from 1952-62, and quite detailed, the book (limited publication) explains more.

I'm pleased to see that it pricked your interest in looking at your varieties.

I am compiling the progression of the 'O' to ear variety, it is rarer than the 6 variations of progression involving the 'extra foliage' at the back of the kangaroo.