One Of My Favorite Revenue Stamps - The R19A With "Sewing Machine" Perforations

Every now and then I become enamored with a certain stamp type or cancel type, whether I find it aesthetically pleasing, interesting, or I feel the catalogue value doesn't accurately reflect its actual scarcity.

The "sewing machine perforated" stamps of the 2nd issue (R112c, R115c, R120a) get all of the attention as they are the sewing machine perfs most commonly seen in the marketplace (R120a notwithstanding, as it is the most scarce of all of the Scott-listed sewing machine perf revenues).

The next most "common" (if you can call it that) to come to market is the 3-cent Proprietary, RB3a.

Lastly, we have the R19a, the first issue 3-cent Telegraph. Unlike the other sewing machine perfs, Scott hasn't given it a letter designation.

I remember first becoming aware of the R19a sewing machine perf in 2008 when it became listed in Scott for the first time. There had been a single example on fragment in the Henry Tolman collection auctioned by Siegel in May of 2007. It had a 1992 PF certificate (#258325). However, one of the balance lots contained six additional examples, four out of the six on piece, but all inferior in condition to the one lotted as a single. I believe Michael Aldrich was the buyer of this lot, and he submitted them all to the PF, where they received certs as genuine (#454597 through 454602).

At least some of them he listed on ebay, as over the next year I purchased the 3 most flawed examples of the six as he became more willing to entertain offers, so I was able to obtain them at prices commensurate with their condition. Had I known then just how few are out there, I probably wouldn't have held off as long as I did.

Since that "hoard" evaporated, the only other example I've seen come to market since then was in one of Eric Jackson's auctions in 2010, which I also purchased. I seem to vaguely recollect there might have been one other example come up at major auction in the last 10 years, but for the life of me I'm not finding it in my data anywhere. I could be misremembering though.

I've come up with a population of reported examples totaling 10. Virtually all are faulty.

If anyone owns or knows of any examples other than the examples shown below, please let me know.

Thanks.

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10.

Interested onlooker.
I was curious as to whether these items come in other separation types?
Item #5 and #7 look decidedly different than "sewing machine"
Angled lancet punctures.
I was wondering if these may be "perce en serpentin" rouletting.

I recall #6 from the Tolman sale in 2007, and wondering if the document fragment in #3 were once on the same document. Thanks for the effort to pull all these together in a census.

I don't know that Scott is that nuanced. When Jim Drummond wrote his article for The American Revenuer ("A Hypothesis: Privately Produced Sewing Machine Perforations Were Neither", Vol. 69 #1, First Quarter 2016) discussing "sewing machine" perforations and how that term was a misnomer, I pointed out that in my exploration and accumulation of the R112c sewing machine perfs I had noticed two distinctly different types of private/unofficial perforations, but they are both classified as "sewing machine perforations".

See examples of the two types below. The first has "fluffy" edges like the R19a examples shown above. The second shows distinct holes, similar to what one would expect to be done by a sewing machine. The latter are what are most frequently seen on RB3c. Perhaps it's simply a matter of being separated via scissor/knife vs. torn along the perfs by hand.

Thanks for responding,
the last image is indeed a sewing machine separation, being familiar with similar results on Indian stamps, and early Turkey.

The other, is a case perhaps, of "a little knowledge can be dangerous"
I had read somewhere recently, of a bar type Lancet Puncture roulette, but dashed if I can find it again. (Hand operated)

I find those angled slits, fascinating, but it seems in-depth rouletting is not addressed very much in everyday Philately.

The only remote address was an instance where Wurttemburg had ordered a roulleting machine from Berlin, as they could not wait to have their in demand stamps, perforated in the usual mannner.

Perhaps one day your separation methods will be focussed on.

...or, perhaps we shall see, one day, an unseparated pair of revenues, showing the pristine punctures.

Multiples exist, at least of the 2nd Issue R112 and R115. I'm not aware of multiples of any of the others. Sadly, none of these are mine.

Wow. Fabulous scans. Thank you.
Yes all look like sewing machine, one does appear to have additional cross slits, perhaps a differing private needle shape / design.