Queen Elizabeth II: 1953 - 2018 (First Set 1953-1973)

This collection has only one stamp missing. There are over 3,000 stamps to date and far to large to create a single display, so a series of sets spanning 20 years each will be uploaded when each display is ready to upload. I have no idea where the white lines on some the borders come from.

The first set spans the years 1953-1973.

Beautiful work, a real pleasure to look at and
so informative.

Thanks for showing.

I have bookmarked this page for future reference.

Thanks lithograving for your kind comment.

It takes quite some time getting the display correct, but the end result comes out quite good. I will soon be uploading the second of the series from 1974-1994, and later the third from 1995-2015 and then the forth series 2016-2018.

Rob

So we are talking about Australia, here, as I can see ? Yes - title
Beautiful series, thanks !

René
Canada

Lovely display Rob. The booklet stamps with the tab always make me smile. I had them all in used condition many years ago.

Is the 10/- Flinders on cream paper with 'specimen' overprint a rare stamp?

Whatever positive adjective you wish to think of insert here ""
I love it!
I also go with white and a black background.
Page saved!
Fantastic Rob!
I do have one question though Rob, why no spot for the red 4c Queen Elizabeth booklet stamp (it came with six different slogan tabs, example, "Registered Post is Safest for Your Gifts"
Peter

Thanks René, the black background brings out the colour of the stamps, and being mint unhinged helps with a non-interrupted view of the front and if necessary the back as well.

Rob

Thanks Bobby De La Rue, I have a few which will be shown in the following series of stamps, 1974-1994, 1995-2015, 2016-2018.

The 10/- Flinders overprint on cream paper is not rare, it isn't even scarce, the 10/- Flinders overprint on white paper is scarce, which is shown in the display, the stamp dealer in the CBD has them, but all are badly off-centred, a stamp dealer just outside the city limit does not stock overprints (not much of a stamp dealer).

The specialist I buy all my pre-decimals has none in stock and has been out of stock for just over a year, he looked high and low and even he cannot explain why there are none on the market.

As I prefer only well centred to superbly centred stamps, this may be the cause, as some stamps that are not scarce can be very difficult to find in a particular condition.

It is frustrating though as I have all the QEII pre-decimals bar that one, I also have many of the scarce to rare varieties of the early Elizabeth II era.

Rob

Good question Peter, I normally buy booklet issues after I collect the stamps of that year, and as I started to collect the booklet stamps I thought purchasing the booklets that are seldom seen on the market the most important thing to do, if some-one obtained the booklet I may not see another for quite some time, if ever they are seen again.

Like the "Edition G6" 5d red in normal ink, I have this booklet and it is rare as it has a major error (only 6-8 such booklets in existence), it was printed in normal red ink and not in Helecon ink.

I also will be purchasing soon, the very scarce cousin of the 5d red, the 5d green overprinted on the cover "N8", it is missing colour lines on the top left of the stamps.

concentrating on these booklets caused me to forget about the booklet stamps you mention, I am very interested in those stamps and will purchase them in the coming week and will create a page with all the tabbed booklet stamps I have in my collection.

Thanks for reminding me about them.

Rob

Boy, am I glad I picked KGVI instead of QEII for my Commonwealth collection!

Jack Kelley

Hi Jack. You save a lot of albums too. In the KGVI I have 294 stamps on display and about 600 varieties, many major.

499 varieties are ½d kangaroos (1938-1949), in a few months an extra 2000 plus of these 'roos will be sent to me, many are half and full sheets. It is a study of the ½d kangaroos during the reign of KGVI produced from plates 1 and 2.

The study originally started with the stamps I have now in 1952 by two experts in ½d kangaroo varieties, many of these varieties are complete progression sets which are very scarce.

One is now deceased and I have no idea what came about the other, I was given the task to continue with the study this year.

These two men already had undertaken much research, resulting in a book being published of these stamps, with the equipment I have I will be able to study the stamps again and see if there are varieties that had been missed which I will record the new finds and locate their positions on the plates.

With the QEII collection, to date I have 4,600 and still climbing with new issues printed every few weeks, and that is not including the varieties and errors.

Rob

Hi Rob,

Thanks for providing us with such eye-popping philatelic candy. I do not collect Australia and it is the first time I have seen such a comprehensive display of Australian stamps of any era. Simply fantastic. You must have spent loads of money and time putting this up! And this is only the first set!

Just curious - is there a specialised catalog from which you based your collection on? I noted varieties such as prints on different paper types and different-sized overprints.

And I note that you will be conducting in-depth research into just 1 stamp issue - the ½d kangaroo. Where do you get the time and eyesight?

Thanks for the comment Prexie3c. The QEII collection runs into a few thousand dollars, and there is four to the series of stamps, 1953-1973, 1974-1994, 1995-2015, 2016-2018. Some of these series will run into many pages.

If it weren't for the missing 10/- Specimen on cream paper, I would have a complete set of QEII stamps from 1953-2018.

I use the ACSC (Australian Commonwealth Specialists' Catalogue), this catalogue only goes to 2001, and from that year on I use the Stanley Gibbons catalogue.

It's going to be a challenge continuing with the research of the ½d kangaroo, but I have modern equipment to deal with the varieties and time on my side.

I was invalided from injuries I received and now I have all the time I need, being partially colour blind doesn't help much, though I do get a lot of help from my partner.

And my eyesight, I just bought stronger glasses, and I have a new LED table magnifier with a 2000x lens, I'm well prepared to take on any stamp that comes my way.

Rob

Hi Rob,

I just spent quite some time admiring your KGVI collection. Again, simply mind-boggling.

You have conducted a lot of research into the KGVI and QEII stamps and spent much time and effort acquiring the scarce/rare shades and varieties. You even took extra effort to display the stamps in such a wonderful and lovely manner! To do justice to all you effort, have you considered publishing your findings somewhere and forwarding your findings to, say Stanley Gibbons and the ACSC?

The same goes for the mammoth undertaking to research the kangaroos. A new monograph on the way?

Hi Prexie3c

Thanks for the comment. The KGVI is a very impressive collection and quite rare, it has taken me quite some time locating the stamps, with three particular stamps giving a nice edge to the collection. The 1938 Coronation £1 Specimen is in superb mint unhinged condition, this is a rare stamp, and very seldom seen in this condition, I have noticed others that are seen on the market are always off-centre.

Then there are the two £2 Coat-of-Arms on thin paper, both are very rare, one has a roller flaw and is believed by experts to be unique.

I spend a great deal of time researching on the stamps I have so I can record detailed history of the stamps which makes collecting far more interesting. The shades would be the most difficult to collect as some are quite scarce.

I haven't thought of contacting Stanley Gibbons though it is a good idea to do so, there are stamps I have of the KGVI era that the GB does not have. And I will be contacting the ACSC editor, Dr. Geoffrey Kellow about the thin paper £2 Coat-of-Arms with roller flaw.

And the study of the ½d kangaroo will be a very interesting study as it will be entailing many thousands of the same stamp, some will be in full sheets.

As the magnifying glasses used in the 1950s and 1960s were hand held, the technology and types of powerful magnifiers we have today will be a great advantage in furthering the study.

I have uploaded some of the scarce sets of varieties already but will update the posts the I further go into the research, I have also posted some KGV and Victorian stamps as well a few months back and will be updating them soon.

I will eventually publish a second book of the ½d roos when much of the research is complete.

I will be uploading the second to the QEII series (1974-1994) very soon when I finish compiling the display.

Rob