Australian KGV Stamps Explained.

Cheers,
with checks and balances, I would have thought
the majority of plate proof examples, would have been
destroyed as printers waste, for security reasons.
But with a lot of stamps plate proofs abound in their thousands.

Interesting to note acsc reads,
specimens soaked in water occaisionally show stripping
of the chalk surface, and at first sight appear very similar
to "printed on gum" varieties.

Well, I offer you a scenario, Rod. The stamps were issued in March, so presumably were printed towards the end of the previous year. It's the end of a long, hot Melbourne day in the printing works. All the machines have been switched off for the day, except for the perforator, which is being operated for the last few sheets of the 1/- by the idiot apprentice boy. Idiot apprentice boy manages to run a line of perfs through a row of stamps. What to do? Start up the press again to print one sheet of the 1/-? Or grab that proof sheet, and do the paperwork for it in the morning?

"A well reasoned point there, Watson!
However, you miss one very important point, my friend,"

(Sherlock removes his serpentine pipe, and a muffled
tap tap is heard, as he empties the still glowing contents into
the nap of the ashtray, his mused gaze travelled through the leadlight)

"Did the idiot apprentice boy think the extra weight
proof sheet paper would pass muster?
I think not."

"No, Watson, I think there is a more sinister reason".......

Readily explained, my dear Holmes. The idiot apprentice boy's supervisor discovered the blunder (after the IAB had tried to sneak it through) and took the, to him, most convenient solution to the problem. I could imagine other scenarios, if you wish ...

King Conn.
There is a lot more traffic on SCF now.
As the northern part of the world chills,
SCF is warming up.
Thought I would bring this thread forward for you.
Things are starting to get a bit hard to find now. John

KGV Collector:

My hat is off to you. I don't collect KGV or anything Australian, but I keep reading this thread, enjoying and learning.

I know Rod and others have contributed lots of information, but I think it's worth mentioning that you started this discussion a week or two after joining SCF and now 24 pages and over 10 months later, this is still one of the most active threads on the boards.

Well done,
KirkS

Thanks KirkS, that is very humbling and a great Christmas season gift.

I have learnt more about stamps in 10 month on SCF than I have in my entire stamping life. SCF has given us all a great opportunity to learn about stamping in a totally friendly environment. I was once an isolated collector but it is now a distant memory. SCF is the best. KGV

I'm with you Kirk,
Well done KGV, an excellent thread!

To; kGV Collector,
John;
I've been away for Christmas and just got home. I really appreciation all the help you have been already. I have copied most of this string and arranged it in some kind of order.I still have some problems and questions that I will be asking help for. anyway this is a fun project and I thank you for getting me interested in Australian KGV stamps.
Conn

Thanks for posting Conn.
Will look forward to any questions. John

OK John: I have a bunch of KGV stamps. First I sort them by denomination then color.
I want to start on ONE PENNY reds. Next is to sort by paper ( thin vs rough and thick)? Then WMK or Perf.?
I'm having a hard time with perforations. I have four gauges and still need a new pair of eyes I guess.
Any enlightenment you can send my way is appreciated.
Conn

Hi Conn!
First I will talk about perforation measuring the easy way.
I find that measuring perfs with a ruler type gauge is difficult and very easy to get the measurements wrong. It is also extremely slow way of measuring perfs, to the point of despair when it comes to KGVs for me.
Find 2 KGVs of different colours that are perf 14 as measuring tools. Perf 14 will count 17 perf teeth or tips, across the top of the stamp. Take one of these stamps that is a different colour than the stamps you want to measure and put the top of your measuring stamp to align with the top of the stamp you want to measure. If it lines up it is a perf 14, if it does not it is a perf 13.5 This is what I do.
If you look for the information about the stamp type you want to measure. It will tell you if there is more than one perf type. If not you save yourself a job. Also a perf 14 and a perf 13.5 in some of the KGVs this will tell you what the watermark is for your stamp.
KGV penny reds have the normal perf 14 comb as the vast majority of the stamps but there is a rare one that is called a single line perf. One of the ways to tell this perf is it will have more pointed perfs on the corners of the stamp. I do not look for this perf. Shade type is the way I will check these in the future or never. I just do not want to stress over it.
I will stop here and wait till you have the idea of what I am saying. I will try and help you step by step until it makes sense to you. If you need to ask more questions about this step please do.
Happy stamping KGV

Conn-

If you have any wounded KGV stamps, you can use a marker to write the perf on the stamp in large numbers...it is easy and quick to hold a stamp up to another stamp to match perfs.

C.

Measuring perfs with perfs.
The 2d orange is the measuring tool.



Above is a perf 14.



Above is a perf 13.5

Hope this is helpful. John

Australian KGV penny red shades.
How to start.

I have recently spent a bit of time with penny red shades.
The colour chart on page 2 of this thread was my guide.
Started by trying to get the darkest shades to fit the chart
and then started to fill in the shades that built up to that main shade.

For most of us this is all we need to do to have some fun with the shades.
It does not take long until a progression of red shades starts to happen.
When this shade progression happens in one of the shade groups that is found on the shade chart, I would put them in a stock book to keep them safe until the next time I wanted to expand my shade groups.

So what if there is some fadelings and changelings in it all.
To me it just adds up to more fun with penny red shades without being over the top on perfection.
Happy stamping. John