Queen Elizabeth II: 1953 - 2018 (Second Set 1974-1994)

Australia each year since and including 1974 issued quantities of stamps far exceeding the amount printed the previous year, in this case for example, from 1953-1973, the first 20 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign, I was able to put that set onto 14 pages.

The amount of pages to house the next 20 years, 1974-1994, 32 pages were needed.

The 3rd twenty years and so-forth, the amount of pages will only increase and a lot longer to place them into order.

Here is the second set split into 3 sections.

Section 1

Impressive collection!
I like the classic car stamps.

Hi modernstamps
There is more to come. I like the vintage cars, fire engines and trams. It reminds me of the metal matchbox vehicles I had when I was 12.

Yet another impressive lot. However, I can't seem to find that very stamp that started me on stamp collecting - the yellow 22c Kingfisher . I thought it was issued some time in the late 70s or early 80s.

Great stuff Rob. The late 70s/early 80s stamps bring back many fond memories.

I'm with Prexie3c, where is the 22c white tailed kingfisher?

Hi Prexie3c

Thanks for pointing out the missing kingfisher. The 22c Kingfisher was issued in 1978, I forgot to add that stamp plus two others on each side of it, I have just corrected the mistake.

Hi Bobby De La Rue.

Noticed the mistake and have corrected it, plus adding the two stamps on both sides of it that I also forgot to add as well as a 1979 National Park issue. Collating these stamps into display order and proportionate size to the actual stamp was some task (takes a few weeks), and there will be times when I may overlook a stamp or two.

I had a good look at the display and I'm sure (with fingers crossed) that I have them all on display now. It is good to know that there are people in this forum who are able to spot the missing stamp(s).

With this many stamps it's like trying to find Waldo.

Hi Rob,

I now see the yellow 22c Kingfisher. It sure brings back memories. Same for the 1988 Living Together series.

Thank you for taking the effort to put everything together in such a visually-appealing format so that collectors like me can drool and admire.

I am just curious:

(a) How easy or difficult is it to collect the same series (and the KGVI-era series) but postally used? I would like to think that it is a cheaper pursuit.

(b) Is collecting the stamps postally used on cover (or other kinds of postal articles such as tags) popular, and has anybody tried to undertake the mammoth task of collecting each KGVI-era and QEII-era stamp postally used on cover? I collect the Prexies used on covers, in particular the 3c. There are hordes of collectors just like me who collect Prexies used on covers, and there are loads of literature on Prexies postal history!

I couldn't figure out what a "Prexie" was until I read that it involves collecting the 1938 US Presidential series from the ½ cent to the $5 featuring all 29 presidents (excepting the living Presidents, which I believe are not featured on postage stamps while alive).

I'm glad you like the presentations. I have yet to do the 1995-2015 and then the 2016 to the present year. The living together series is one part of a larger series of stamps celebrating the 1988 Expo' and Bi-Centenary.

The series commenced in 1984 and lead up to and including 1988. It's amazing how stamps can trigger childhood memories of what stamps we liked.

I hope you have a towel beside you to catch that drool as there is a lot more to come. Altogether about 3,000 decimal issues not including varieties and errors.

(a) If you are referring to the decimal QEII 1966-2018 series, it is much less than half the cost of MUH which is what my entire album from Victoria to QEII consists of. Unfortunately I have no idea what the estimate on the QEII used stamps are, easy to collect though a rare few can be a little difficult to find, and is it a much cheaper pursuit? Definitely yes.

The KGVI series I have displayed is valued by invoice (real value) not catalogue at nearly $14,000. Minus the thin £2 Coat-of-Arms, even a postally used version is worth nearly $1,000, and there are no used versions of the 1938 £1 coronation specimen, there are quite a few collectors who have collected the KGVI series, minus the rare stamps cheaply, that includes the set of thick coronation and the scarce thin coronation stamps and a set of Coat-of-Arms (5/-, 10/-, £1 and £2, excluding the specimens as none were issued postally used).

Though collecting the postally used 3d white wattles (all postally used stamps will have a Queensland cancellation as all of these stamps were only distributed in Queensland), and the 3d joined "TA" of Postage and the 3d tapered "T" of Postage can be costly.

The various shades of the KGVI coronation series can be difficult to obtain but very easy to afford in a nice postally used condition.

(b) Collecting covers is popular, and tags, that is a collection by choice as I haven't seen many people collecting tags, though they do make a special entry into a stamp collection and I have seen some very interesting tags come to the surface in various forums.

(c) I do know of a person that has collected many KGVI covers (excluding the FDC as some can cost as much as $7,500). Collecting KGVI era covers may not be every-one's cup of tea but it has picked up momentum in the past few years going by the collections on various forums.

With the Elizabeth II covers it definitely is a mammoth task, there are far too many to collect, especially the decimal FDCs, and many collectors do not bother collecting them past a particular year. I have quite a few FDCs within the past 5 years and will be selling them at face value, although there are many collectors who still collect them up to the present day.

To put it into a nutshell, collecting the postally used series of KGVI & QEII is by far a much cheaper pursuit.

Thanks Rob. I think your displays are awesome! I inherited my father's KG6 FDC collection but it's just a basic run from 1950 to 1965, thus avoiding the arms and robes issues which I'm sure would be very expensive now.

Post 1995 (or thereabouts) issues in used condition I believe are harder to find, especially as you get closer to the present year. There's just so many stamps from recent years to collect. I'm glad I stopped at the end of 1988. Even then, I have the odd QE2 decimal stamp that has been taken off a FDC.

KGVI FDCs can be scarce, you will have to show them so I can see if they have a philatelic value, but as far as I know KGVI FDCs are worth something providing of course there is no rust or damage to the stamp(s).

A 1938 coronation FDC with a 5/- and 10/- thick paper stamp is currently selling for $750.

And the QEII FDCs, if they involve the pre-decimal navigators then there is definitely money in them.

I've also been told that from the mid 90s onward it can be difficult to find, I'll have to look at the issues that are known to be hard to find.

I really think Australia Post has gone overboard with stamp issues and FDCs including the PNCs.

If you are stuck with a particular stamp(s) let me know and I may be able to help out.

A wonderful collection Rob, have you included the 1974 10c Christmas stamp as yet? it isn't showing or mentioned in posts. Cheers