Collecting By Engraver

I have some partial information about those stamps (Liberia 1942).

1 ct. Royal Antelope
Vignette engraved by WILLIAM F. FORD
Background engraved by WARRELL HAUCK

5 cts. Zebra Antelope
Vignette engraved by SYDNEY F. SMITH
Background engraved by WARRELL HAUCK

10 cts. Bay-Thighed Diana Monkey
Vignette engraved by HAROLD OSBORN
Background engraved by WARREL HAUCK

That's brilliant jorgesurcl. Thanks! I'll add those details to the database. What a shame that ABNCo, in their rush to sell off all their archives, didn't let someone publish them. They could have still been getting royalties from book sales.

Hi Jorgesurcl,

On page 101 of this magnificent thread you showed us that beautiful book The story of American Bank Note Company, by William H. Griffiths - 1959.

I've seen it for sale but it's a bit pricey so before I try and buy it, can you tell me whether there is any relevant information in the book with regard to engravers and what items they actually engraved? Or is it more a general story? Does it contain any engravers' biographical information? And is it true that the 1959 edition contains recess-printed material? Is that in the book or as loose additions?

AKPhilately - The book contains information about the story of ABNC since its foundation until 1959.
The information includes reviews about its directors, buildings, equipment, etc. There is no information or biographies of engravers.
It includes several pages with images (recess-printed) with portraits of American Presidents, foreign personalities, landscapes, ships, trains, airplanes, animals, etc.
Most are ilustrations that were used in banknotes, bonds or other printed material, but they are in smaller size than the original.
In short : this is a book dedicated to corporate and historical aspects of the Company and not to the artistic or technological information.

jjarmstrong47 - It is true. It's a shame that ABNC archives has dispersed and no one save the information in a publication before its sale.
Fortunately, in the case of my country, most of the Chilean archive was purchased by some members of the Philatelic Society of Chile, and therefore we have copy of all these information in our library.

CHILE 1911
3 cts. Toro Zambrano
Printed by American Bank Note Co.



Vignette engraved by EDWIN GUNN
Frame and lettering engraved by GEORGE H. SEYMOUR

In 1912 was re-issued (new face value 4 cts)
Same dies, but numbers "4" were re-engraved by JOHN O'BRIEN

Thanks for all your information, Jorgesurcl. Looks like this is one I don't have to put on my want list, no matter how gorgeous it will be!

PERU 1897
President Piérola

Printed by ABNCo.

Vignette engraved by ELIE TIMOTHEE LOIZEAUX (1873-1956)
Frame and lettering engraved by GEORGE H. SEYMOUR



Imperf proof

A lot of the proofs are still appearing for sale but the prices are way beyond my budget. I check when I see them but I haven't seen any with signatures that I recognise. I read that the Canadian section was withdrawn from the sale as the Canadian library made an offer for the whole Canadian section but my understanding is that it has not been digitised yet.

The current Canadian site holds a wealth of information and it says it is not going to be updated so I'm guessing they are planning a completely new site in time.
If you haven't seen it, have a look.
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/...11703_e.html

VENEZUELA 1948

Grancolombiana Merchant Fleet

Printed by American Bank Note Co.



Vignette, frame and lettering engraved by JOHN HAY (1908-1989)



All (horizontal and vertical stamps) were engraved by John Hay

I was looking at some Austrian test stamps, when I bumped into these West German ones. They somehow intrigue me, possibly because there are at least 16 different colour combinations, so they'd make a great display page. Has anyone seen them before? They apparently date from the 1950s. Any idea who might have engraved these?

I am currently engaged in researching Soviet era engravers, to a greater extent (where possible) than merely putting names to stamps. Several questions, general and specific, have arisen, and I wonder if anyone reading this thread can help. Here are a few to begin with:

1. I am working from Stanley Gibbons catalogues. As far as Russia goes, there are several gaps, date-wise, where no engravers to recess stamps are specified. Are any other catalogues (Scott, Michel or especially Zagorsky) more complete in their linking of engravers to particular stamps?

2. I assume that DIEZPO (the department which commissions stamp issues from Goznak, the printers) distributes technical details of each issue to worldwide outlets, such as catalogues. Can anyone verify this for certain? Or is it up to philatelic outlets to apply for this information themselves?

3. OK, some very specific puzzles:
(a) Is I.Mikheev, engraver of two stamps in 1958, actually the same man as N.A.Mikheev, about whom I do have some sketchy details.
(b) Is V.Molchanov, engraver of a stamp in November 1970, actually V.Mochalov, engraver of a couple more the following year?
(c) Is A.Sapronov, engraver of a stamp in 1966, actually the more prolific Ivan Sapronov who worked from 1958 to1968?

These may be nothing more than clerical errors at Stanley Gibbons, but the studio at Goznak featured husband-and-wife teams, as well as father-son employees - designer Vasily Zavyalov had two sons who also designed stamps (A. and L.Zavyalov).

Any authoritative information is welcome. For example a blogger who may be familiar to readers ('Adrian') has listed stamps engraved by Lydia Mayorova which are not ascribed to her in Gibbons (but does not specify his sources). Conversely I have reasonably sound information on the same engraver of which neither Adrian nor Stanley Gibbons seem to be aware.

So... I'd be glad to hear from anyone out there who has Soviet-engraver-related information, or indeed anyone at all who might want to find out more.

Arjan,

it only takes ONE plate - the Giori-process - and two ink-rollers. It does not necessarily have to do with West German stamps?!

Promoting the printing presses of Goebel, Darmstadt will do.... Goebel did produce quite a lot of "stamps" in the 1930-ies....

Thanks Adrian for showing that test stamp.



When I first looked at this stamp I thought I saw 3 colours.
Yet the bottom inscription reads ZWEIFARBEN (two colour)
STAHLSTICHDRUCK.

Meaning that probably the bottom inscription in light blue was
printed via offset/litho.

But at a closer look the vertical inscription is
dark blue and appears that it was printed
engraved if you take in consideration the red colour
bleeding into the blue which is a characteristic
of the Giori process.

So then this would be 3 colour engraving combined with one
colour offset?

No?





To me this one looks like its from the early to late sixties
going by what was issued by West Germany and West Berlin
at that time.

Since this thread is about engravers and we have to stick
to that, I would guess it was probably Egon Falz or even
Hans Joachim Fuchs since these two were the main
engravers working in the Bundesdruckerei from the mid fifties
to nearly the end of the engraved era.

The item in question is totally intaglio, as shown on the transfer roller of the die, below.

It also dates from the 1950s (1958), not sixties, as shown on two pencil inscribed pieces. (Yes, it could be wrong, but why bother to falsify the date?)

GLENN

Re the test stamp:

Rein, I see where you're coming from, but there's also a much much rarer second version which states that it is a steel engraving by the Bundesdruckerei, so this one would originate from Germany.

Lithograving: the whole image, including frame and lettering, was engraved. Despite its wording, the stamps were printed in monochrome, bicoloured and in three colours. There are apparently examples with 1958 dates pencilled in the margin, so it would most probably be produced in that year. But that would still point to either Fuchs or Falz, I presume.

Ha, I see you beat me to it, Glenn!
:-)