HI Newbie Here Needs Help - Are These 1934 King George V 10/- Seahorse Stamps Of Any Value?

Hi Stamp Community,
I found an old box of stamps and among the albums was this set if 14 Seahorse King George V 10/- Seahorse used stamps.
They have the hash design behind George so I know they are 1934 Indigo SG452 - but that's it.
See pics
Is there any value here?
Any guidance appreciated.
Thank you




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Do the B.W. perfins detract from their value?

Hi holahello,

Yes the perfins will detract from their value. Also remember that the SG catalogue price is almost unattainable in the open market - it is their selling price for a top class example.

Besides that, in the condition the stamps are in, I'm afraid they're not going to be worth a whole lot. There's a lot of toning ie: the brown staining. This may be alleviated to varying degrees with a quick wash in boiling water.

Take the most bashed up example (if it were me I'd choose the second stamp in the last row) and leave it some water that's just come off the boil. If the ink runs then don't soak the others. If the ink is going to run it'll be apparent pretty quickly. If it doesn't, leave it in for 10 minutes or so.

Someone here will know if the ink on these is OK to soak.

Please feel free to ask any questions

Thanks Bobby. I really appreciate your reply. Have a good day

My pleasure. We're a friendly helpful bunch here!

I am almost certain the ink is water resistant, but do as Bobby says and try the worst stamp first.
Value? well don't pack in work yet but they are worth something in England I would expect to pay 2 or 3 Pounds for one of the cleaner specimens even though they are perfins. !0/- stamps were almost always heavily and messily cancelled because they went on big parcels. They weren't stuck on a nice flat well supported envelope.
If they were from an earlier series they would be worth more, but they are not cheap stamps, even in less than perfect condition.

Can anyone please explain to me why the perfins would detract from the value/stamp. I really do not get that.

They detract from the appearance of the stamp, hence the lowering in value - except to perfin collectors, of course!

Thank you for the explanation Geoff.

I understand, different views between stamp and perfin collectors.

I have to say that I am not a perfin collector but a stamp/cover collector. And I personally do not mind if a stamp has a perfin, to me it is part of its history.

Seahorse is one of my favorite stamp designs.

Stampworld has these at $69 in very fine condition.

My suggestion if you plan to sell them is to put them one at a time on ebay with a $1 opening bid.

They will surely sell for at least that.

Photograph them against black paper so the perfins show. It is always possible perfin collectors might notice it.

They won't sell for much, but they do make nice spacefillers.

The BW Perkins I assume are Bradbury Wilkinson and you have inverted, sideways etc. Might make a good lot for the Perrin collector.

Any members aware of the BW perfin? Not in my database.

Burroughs Wellcome? British Waterways?

Apparently the B.W perfins are Babcock & Wilcox Ltd, Boiler Makers, Oriel House, Farringdon St, London EC4, recorded from 1913 to 1940 which needs confirmation.

I'll go ahead with the stamp wash and post the before and after result.

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

Care to share how you found the Perfin information?

Of course. I posted this same collection in another stamp group and without asking someone posted the above answer. I cannot verify it nor confirm its accuracy. Perhaps someone here can shed confirmation light on the matter.