Australia 1906/8 Postage Dues 1-D (D51) With Upright Watermark

Does anyone know if this stamp (I show a copy on sale from Richard Juzwin's online store) prices differently for upright watermark? My Scott catalogue, which is all I have for postage dues, says no more than that the stamp has W12.

My copy, which has upright watermark, must be one of the 'common' inferior quality examples - and, indeed, it has a crease across the middle.

Jimjamtwo,

There is no difference.

While not a common stamp, its rarity is overstated. More a $3-400 item than the $1k plus often sought.

I've had upright and inverted in equal proportions.

Surprisingly, the 4d and 6d values (SG D49 and D50) are scarce with inverted watermarks.

John

Hi jimjamtwo

Never take seriously catalogue prices of stamps, I have seen the Scott catalogue and the value of Australian stamps is far from correct. I have been collecting scarce to extremely rare stamps for 40 years and since the publication of the ACSC (Australian Commonwealth Specialists' Catalogue) have used that as it shows all Australian stamps, errors, varieties, shades, rarity scale etc, though the value of the stamps can be very wrong.

And the Stanley Gibbons catalogue on Australian stamps, it's only worth is for stamp identification, the values listed is very inaccurate.

For instance, I paid $500 for a stamp and the ACSC says it is valued at $150, the true value of the stamp is $500.
Just recently I paid $3,250 for a stamp, the ACSC says it is valued at $5,000, the true value is $4,000.

The Juzwin's are world renown experts of Australian stamps, and the prices are for high quality stamps, and with high quality stamps one must expect to pay a premium.

I have bought many stamps from the Juzwins and expensive as some may be, these are the prices to expect for such valuable premium quality stamps.

The stamp you are referring to is priced at $1,250.00; try and find one that has equal quality and you will realise why it has a premium value.

When the Juzwins said that inferior quality examples are common, he was referring only to the inverted stamp in bad shape, such as tears, creases, heavy cancellations, missing perfs, missing corners, repaired damage, any imperfection that would render the stamp inferior, rendering some to be worth only a few hundred dollars, others even far less, they were not referring to the upright watermark type.

Rob

Rob,

It is such a great point to make. Catalogues and the values given are only an indication of relative scarcity.

Digging deep into an area gives you a feel for the real scarcity of something, the catalogue value is neither here-nor-there.

As an example, the 5s Sydney Harbour Bridge is not a scarce stamp, every dealer has one. The collecting and dealer community was aware of the issue and took it up. Mint and cto are easy to find, getting a contemporary postally used copy in good condition is the only challenge if you want one.

Hi 64idgaf

I must admit the 5/- Harbour Bridge is not a rare stamp and only borders scarcity, it is what I call a cult icon of KGV commemorative stamps, I also have one (they are like diamonds, diamonds are quite common, yet they are one of the most expensive stones in the world), at the moment I am concentrating on scarce and rare KGVI and QEII stamps.

Rob

Thanks for the comments regarding the watermark and the pricing. I fully realise my example is not going to sell for the $1250 Juzwin wants for his. However, mine has something his copy does not have - an almost perfect strike from the Haymarket office, so it has a nice contemporary cancellation. (Scans to follow in due course.)

On the subject of postage dues, does anyone know what this violet streak down the centre of the stamp would be? Was this an invalidation rather than a cancellation?

Jimjamtwo,

I think caused by dragging contact with a mechanical cancelling device.

In the monochrome issues, I have purple cancels from several states so it hard to isolate where this would have happened.

Postage dues cancelled with pen and like instruments are collectible in their own right, less valuable than postmarked copies but still a proper (and not just lazy) way to cancel the adhesives.

I don't think there were any cancelling devices that used purple ink in use in NSW at this time, were they?

I've seen tens of thousands of NSW stamps from this era and haven't seen anything like it before. If you have an example, it would be interesting to see.

Jimjamtwo,

I don't have any reference material to assist in where the cancel may have originated. Most of my good reference material relates to Victoria and these stamps were never used there.

The 4d value was distributed to Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia only (not New South Wales), it is most likely one of these states provided the purple ink. Postage due stamps were most likely to be applied when collection of the fee was expected. A letter underpaid from Tasmania to Queensland would be marked a deficient in Tasmania but the tax collected and the postage due adhesive affixed at destination.

I do not have and cannot recall seeing an obliteration or marking such as the one you have.


John

Jimjamtwo,

I see your ebay listing for D51.

Give the stamp a quick bath in hot water (as hot as your fingers can stand) and a lot of the dirt and discolouration (as well as the paper adhesion on the front) will disappear.

45 seconds is as long as it will need, you should add an image of the back, too.

Shame the fantastic cancel is on a creased stamp.

Thanks for the advice, 64igaf. I am increasingly reluctant to put stamps into hot water in case the ink disappears. I have had stamps from this era that went almost blank after a soak. Is that why you're suggesting only 45 seconds? I've never tried a short hot bath before!

I'm glad you like the cancel. That's the main reason I bought the lot that the stamp came from.

Jimjamtwo,

Time in water is your enemy. These stamps are OK but my approach is always, 'as hot as you can for as short a period as possible'.

The same is not true for all stamps, some of the red shades in the red-and-green Australian (and Victorian) postage due issues don't like water at all.

Practice with some damaged stamps to build your confidence.

I know people who use 'drying' books, never liked the idea of leaving stamps for a week to dry.

If the stamps curl during drying, they will flatten out again in a mount or on a stock page.