Collecting By Engraver

Here is some information on the family tree of SMILLIE engravers.
Walter de Forest was the only one son of William C. Smillie.
G.F.C. Smillie have 2 or 3 sisters not included in the tree



Catherine Van Valkenburg, Olivia M. Smillie and Agnes Earle born in U.S.

I would like to present you here my system to collect the work of engravers.




Above, see a part of my work. The listing contains more than 260 Engravers from all over the world!
For each engraver, a list with all engravings which I know from him, is available (according to Michel/Yvert & Tellier catalog as the lower example shows)

@panda1953, looks like a great piece of work and something I've been looking for actually.
Thanks for showing it even though it's only a part.

You should get together with nethryk, he stated previously that he
also had a data base of hundreds of engravers.

Any chance to see your complete list?

PANAMA (1964) - 21st Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church.
Scott C300 to C321 (22 stamps)
Printed by American Bank Note Co.
Some stamps (C307-C310-C311-C312-C314-C315-C321) were engraved by :

Ken Guy (Kenneth Graham Guy) (Jul.5, 1926 - Dec.24, 2011)

URUGUAY (1928) - Gen.Eugenio Garzón
Scott 391-92-93 - Issued in sheet of 4, imperf.

Printed by Waterlow & Sons
Engraved by John August Charles Harrison (1872-1955)

PANAMA - 1942 - National Highway (Scott 349)
Printed by American Bank Note Co.
Engravers :
Vignette : Clifford H. Dawson (1892-1944)
Frame and lettering : McPherson

Hi jorgesurcl, From where you get your informations about engravers from the American Banknote Company? There are so many stamps engraved by this company, but not many informations about their engravers! Do you know a source for the names of engravers from this company?

Hi panda1953. My principal source of information are the Index Copy Cards from the ABNCo archives and die proofs signed by engravers.

MEXICO - 1922 - Airmail - Scott C1
Printed by Oficina Impresora de Hacienda - Mexico
Designed by Alfredo Barrón
Engraved by Emiliano Valadez

Here is a proof of Pierre Albuisson's engraving for the 1995 550th anniversary of Botticelli's birth for Monaco.

AUSTRALIA - 1960 - Scott 377
Melbourne Cup Centenary
Engraved by Frank Davies Manley (1894-1976)

AnthonyUK - Enthralled with new additions of beautifully engraved stamps to your photostream, I continue admiring your images in the original size. Just splendid. Thanks.

Many thanks Florian. I just wish I had more time as I have so much scanning to do and I'd also like to update the index at some point too.

https://goscf.com/t/9106&whichpage=81#248705
lithograving surmised in his above posting who the engraver was.
On the 6 cents and the 7 cents, the engraver was Donald J. Mitchell, but more correctly the word to use is "etched"; there was no master die so to speak; the first one to be tried on the etching by Ferric Chloride process on a new etching machine; the master plate was copper, coated with photo sensitive polymer and then went to etching; the second of this type of etching was done on the Scott#629-632, keep fit stamps, again by Donald; there was no master die, but an etched master plate in this case as well; Don did not do the 10/15 cents printed at CBNC;
Canadian

Thanks canadian for the info re who engraved Canada Scott 554 and 555.




May I ask the source ?

Actually this 1971 Christmas issue always puzzled me as to the way it was printed.
Not so much the lower two values you mention which to me seem to be printed more or less in the traditional line engraved/recess method but the 10c and 15c (Canada Scott 556 - 557)




They 10c and 15c were both combination print, 2 colour lithography and one colour (the snow flake) engraved.
But to me the snowflake portion has more the appearance of etching than line engraving.
It does not have the fine detailed work of a master engraver more like an apprentice.

Also compare the back of the 7c with the 15c.
Whereas the 7c shows the normal indentations which you would expect from an engraved stamp, it's hardly visible on the 15c.





All this talk about etching reminds me of a previous thread I started here on SCF about Etch Art Printing of Austrian stamps.

https://goscf.com/t/28830&SearchTer...an,etch,art,

https://goscf.com/t/9106&whichpage=108#267792

Following on lithograving on Canada Scott#554/555;

Lithograving's Question posed: May I ask the source ?
Answer: Straight from the Horse's mouth - Don himself!

Lithograving: "Actually this 1971 Christmas issue always puzzled me as to the way it was printed".
Comments from Canadian: That was the very same intrigue that prompted my research; traditionally, the engraved parts on a die that would eventually hold ink and print (also from a printing plate) is either cut or etched on the die itself; #554 struck at me as if the engraver would have spent months to painstakingly cut away portions or etch the die, resulting very narrow green diamonds and triangles and lines that define the snow flake. That to me was a puzzle. I thought there was the old method of pantograph where a larger model in zinc was used and the reduction was then done on the die. Then in that case, the coating on the die would have to be carefully cleared of the portions to print the green. I wanted to find such an engraver to shake hands with him and tell him 'you are the best', because to do such a task was Herculean.

When I spoke with Don, he said "I should not think of old methods, but think NEW; 'Traditional Engraver' was on the way out; this stamp was an ace of an experiment; from this stamp onwards, etching was to become a standard, a mechanical process which posed no challenges; and thus boring".
He went on to explain to me the process and then I realized how little I knew! notwithstanding this fact, I did congratulate him for the work he had done.

About 10c and 15c (Canada Scott# 556/557), that topic is still open and research continues.
Canadian

PS: This Forum, I must admit amazes and educates me all the time; the wealth of information is priceless; Thanks to all posters and I in turn must give back something.
C