Victoria stamp collection

I often moan about the large numbers of stamps issued by Australia Post in recent years but sometimes I have to admit that the postal administration gets things just right. It has been announced that the 2015 "Australian Legends" set due to be issued on 22 January will commemorate Australian recipients of the Victoria Cross. Australian forces have been heavily involved in recent years in Afghanistan and carried out great acts of valour as well as having suffered losses from among their ranks. The designs feature 5 Australian VC recipients - above is depicted the stamp which shows Keith Payne, Australia's oldest living VC recipient, who received his award for his bravery in rescuing injured soldiers during the Vietnam War in 1969. Mark Donaldson was awarded the VC for drawing Taliban fire away from wounded soldiers in Afghanistan in 2008:- Daniel Keighran received his VC for his actions during a fire fight in Afghanistan in 2010:- The VC was awarded to Ben Roberts-Smith for his action in drawing enemy fire in Afghanistan in 2010:- Finally, the VC was awarded to Cameron Baird who was killed in Afghanistan in June 2013:- These are excellent stamps and feature brave Australians whom Australia Post rightly recognises as worthy subjects for the honour of being depicted on a postage stamp. So many postal administrations and philatelic agencies devalue the honour given to such worthy subjects when they are commemorated on a national stamp because so many other stamps feature subjects which have no relevance to the country whose name appears on the stamp or, in the pursuit of squeezing money from stamp collectors, feature popular "celebrities" whose significance is ephemeral and whose contribution to the country on whose stamps they appear is transiently newsworthy but ultimately negligible. The stamps were designed by Lynette Traynor and lithographed by McKellar Renown. Congratulations to Australia Post for issuing a set of stamps whose designs are clear and understandable unlike the upcoming "Inventive Britons" set from Royal Mail (see below) which commemorates the important achievements of truly notable Britons but in obscure designs which, without the attached text, are incomprehensible in meaning. Details of the various products being issued in the 2015 Australian legends set are given in Blog 499J. The accompanying miniature sheet includes all 5 stamps and lists the Australian recipients of the Victoria Cross and compliments the miniature sheet (also detailed in Blog 499J) which is also to be released on 22 January 2015 and which commemorates the first award of a Victoria Cross to an Australian during the Boer War. First Victoria Cross miniature sheet. 2015 - World Wide Web 2000 - Millennium Issue - National Space Centre. The next special stamp issue from Royal Mail will be released on 19 February 2014 on the subject of "Inventive Britons". One of the designs is said to feature the "World Wide Web", the invention of which is ascribed to Tim Berners-Lee in 1990. The design of the stamp needs some explanation to those of us who have difficulty understanding such things and is remarkably similar to the stamp issued in 2000 to commemorate the new millennium and titled "National Space Centre/Leicester". Since the upcoming stamp does not depict the inventor (it does not even name him) but depicts an interpretation of the invention perhaps the issue is wrongly titled and would be better called "British inventions" rather than "Inventive Britons". The other inventions to be featured in the set and their inventors are:- 1st:- Colossus, the first electronic computer (Tommy Flowers, 1943) and World Wide Web; 81p:- Cat's Eyes (Percy Shaw, 1933) and Fibre optics (Kao and Hockham, 1960's); £1.28p:- Stainless steel (Harry Brearley, 1913) and Carbon fibre (RAE Farnborough, 1963); £1.47p:- DNA Sequencing (Sanger, 1979) and i-Limb advanced prosthetic limb (Gow/Touch Bionics 2007). The designs by GBH are interesting but, as mentioned above, obscure so that without reading the text ordinary members of the general public would not have a clue as to what is being commemorated on the stamps. The set was printed in lithography by International Security Printers and the issue will include the first of Royal Mail's prestige booklets to be released in 2015:- Cat's eyes and Stainless steel. DNA sequencing and i-Limb prosthetic limb. The second part of Cyprus Post's Intellectual personalities definitive series will be issued on 4 February 2015. It consists of a further 12 stamps (2 each of 4c, 50c, 60c, 75c, €1 and €1.50 values). The set was designed by Costas Panayi, Marianna Iacovou, Sofia Malecos and Xenia Christodoulou and printed in lithography by Giesecke and Devrient Matsoukis SA of Greece:- Meanwhile the provisional new issue programme of Turkish Republic Of Northern Cyprus for 2015 is:- 9 February - St. Valentine's Day; 18 March - "Centenary of victory in the naval battle at Gallipoli"; 1 April - Struggle against cancer; 14 May - Traffic; 6 June - Europa - Old toys; 5 August - Cats and dogs; 12 October - Historical artifacts smuggled from Cyprus; 23 November - Traditional production. Namibia Post will issue a very attractive miniature sheet containing 3 different stamps on 6 February 2015 on the subject of the Namibia Sand Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site:- Namibia Post's proposed issues for the remainder of 2015 are:- 21 March - 25th anniversary of Independence - 1 miniature sheet, 21 March - Inauguration of Hage Geingob, the 3rd President of Namibia - 1 stamp, 15 May - Bee-eaters of Namibia - 5 stamps, 22 June - Small antelopes of Namibia - 4 stamps, 6 July - Baby "Big Five" - 5 stamps, 19 August - Sharks of Namibia - 4 stamps, 1 October - Coursers birds of Namibia - 4 stamp miniature sheet.

Stamp Duty Changes !! Thinking of Investing in Melbourne / Victoria ? Time to act is now, did you know major changes to stamp duties is applicable t...

1852 Scott 4 3p red "Beaver' Wove paper Into the Deep Blue Update: Recent Stamp Acquisitions - USA & Canada I've been waiting patiently for Canada, and finally it is here! As the reader knows, I've been redoing the earlier country posts which did not have much illustration of the stamps themselves. Canada, with essentially all of the stamps engraved during the classical era, and wonderful designs, is going to be a pleasure! Naturally, Canada will require more than one post - in fact, three. This post will look at the 19th century issues. The next two posts will illustrate the larger format commemorative pictorials prevalent between 1908-1939. Let's begin. Original Canada blog post and BB Checklist A Closer Look 1852-1902 12 Pence = 1 Shilling 100 Cents = 1 Dollar (1859) Canada Province 1865 Used by general permission of Gerben Van Gelder The United Province of Canada existed between 1841-1867, and was a British North American colony (Colony of Canada). It consisted of Canada East (formerly mostly French speaking Lower Canada) and Canada West (formerly mostly English speaking Upper Canada). They became the provinces of Quebec and Ontario respectively after Confederation in 1867. Stamps were issued for the Province of Canada beginning April 23, 1851. 1852 Scott 4 3p red "Beaver' Wove paper Province of Canada The first design issued for the Province of Canada was the iconic "American Beaver" by Sir Sanford Fleming. This stamp, and the next seven stamps shown following in this blog post (through 1859) were engraved by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson, New York. This is the same firm that had the contract for U.S. postage stamps from 1847-1851 (producing the iconic U.S. 5c Franklin and 10c Washington). Of interest, in 1858, the firm consolidated into the American Bank Note Company. Sir Sanford Fleming Sir Sanford Fleming (1827-1915) was a most interesting man. This Scottish Canadian immigrant, besides designing the first postage stamp (Threepenny Beaver) for Canada, was the chief surveying engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the inventor of worldwide standard time, and a founding member of the Royal Society of Canada. The Threepenny Beaver is the most iconic stamp (in my view) for Canada. The 1851 production stamp (Scott 1) was on laid paper, and the CV is a high $1000. The paper used was switched to handmade wove (1852-56) and machine made wove (1857). Scott lists the wove CV @ $200+. 1851 Scott 3 12p black "Victoria" Scan from Internet (not mine!) CV $135,000-$175,000! I should mention, for understandable reasons, a stamp I do not have: the laid paper June 14, 1851 twelve penny black. This is one of the all time great philatelic rarities. It was intended for prepayment of letter rate to Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the West Indies, but its use was very limited. Only 1,450 stamps were sold. The remainder stamps (51,000 printed) were destroyed. 1859 Scott 14 1c rose "Queen Victoria" Perforation 12 Imperforate stamps were issued between 1851-1859 (six designs, nine Scott numbers) in Pence/Shilling denominations. Except for the Threepenny Beaver (CV $225), and the 1857 one half penny rose (CV $700), all the other imperforate stamps are in the CV $thousands, and out of reach for most WW collectors. In addition, there were three "pence" denomination stamps issued with perforation 12 in 1858-59. All are CV $thousands. But in 1859, the denomination was changed to Cents/Dollar. The July 1, 1859 six stamp issue has perforation 12, and used a similar design (now in cents denomination) as the 1851-59 pence issues. These engraved stamps were produced by the American Bank Note Company. The one cent rose (shown above) is CV $90, while the deep rose shade (minor number) is 50% CV more. 1859 Scott 15 5c vermilion "Beaver" The 1859 perforated 5c vermilion "Beaver" is CV $30+, and is the least expensive of the 1851-1868 era stamps. If one wanted to do a study using one stamp, this would be a good choice. For instance, although the nominal perforation is 12, in fact.... 11 3/4 X 11 3/4 : mid-July 1859-mid-July 1863 12 X 12 : May-October, 1862 ( For many sheets of 5c) 12 X 11 3/4 : March 1863-mid 1865 12 X 12 : April 1865 - 1868 1859 Scott 17a 10c violet "Prince Albert' The ten cents "Prince Albert" is listed in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue with seven color shades (black-brown, deep red-purple, purple (shades), brownish purple, brown (to pale), dull violet, bright red purple), and in Scott with five color shades (two major, three minor numbers). In fact, SG says the 10c has a remarkable number of shades, and the color designations actually represent groupings of shades. 1859 Scott 17b 10c brown "Albert" Clearly, the shades differ wildly. And it can make a large CV difference. Scott lists the "black-brown" (perf 11 3/4) with its own major number (Scott 16) with CV of $6,500, while the "brown" shade (Scott 17b) is CV $140. 1859 Scott 18 12 1/2c yellow green "Victoria" If you need a "Chalon Head" portrait of Queen Victoria on a Canada stamp, the 12 1/2c yellow green might be a good and economic choice (CV $130). The other "Chalon Head" stamps (12p black, 7 1/2p green) go for $135,000 and $3,500 respectively. !! 1859 Scott 19 17c blue "Jacques Cartier" The influence of French historical explorations and language/culture is important for Canada as a "British colony". A good number of its citizens are French speaking. The first "Jacques Cartier" stamp was issued as an imperforate and in "pence" denomination in 1855. This 1859 stamp (CV $200) is very similar in design, save for being perforated, and in "cents". The "Dauphin" Map of Canada, 1543, Showing Cartier's Discoveries Cartier found the Gulf entrance to the St. Lawrence River on his first voyage (1534). On his second voyage (1535-36), he sailed up the St. Lawrence River, and discovered the Iroquoian capital of Stadacona, and then Hochelga (present day Montreal). He named the lands "The Country of the Canadas", an Iroquoian reference. Provinces of Canada (Dominion of Canada) 1867-1870 We are now entering the Dominion of Canada with confederation occurring on July 1, 1867. The British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united, and the former "Canada" was divided into the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The change was enabled by the British North American Acts (1867-75), which was enacted by both the United Kingdom and Canada Parliaments. Canada, though, was not fully independent, as the United Kingdom retained full control over foreign policy and retained legislative control over Canada. Canada's first foreign embassy was established in Washington, D.C. in 1931. Until 1949, any changes in the British North American Act could only be made by the British Parliament. Full control by Canada over the Canadian Constitution was not achieved until 1982. Canada Used by general permission of Gerben Van Gelder Subsequent expansion of Canada included the addition of Manitoba (1870- part of Rupert's Land), Northwest Territories (1870- Rest of Rupert's Land and the North West Territory), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Yukon Territory (1898- part of Northwest Territories), Saskatchewan (1905 - part of Northwest Territories), Alberta (1905 - part of Northwest Territories), and Newfoundland (1949). 1868 Scott 27 6c dark brown "Queen Victoria" Dominion of Canada: "Large Queens" With the advent of the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867, a new engraved issue, the so-called "Large Queens" (Because of large format) was printed. "Large Queen" 1868-76 Issue in Deep Blue The "Large Queen" issue of ten stamps was released between April 1, 1868 and 1876, according to the Scott catalogue. CV ranges from $40 to $225 for used major number specimens. All are on wove paper, except for some 1868 issue 1c, 2c, and 3c stamps on laid paper (CV$thousands!!). The stamps - the Large Queens and the Small Queens issues (1867-1893) - were produced by the British American Bank Note Company. Now the fun begins. Canadian specialists and the SG catalogue distinguishes between the Ottawa printings (Perf 12, with thin rather transparent crisp paper or medium to stout wove paper) and the Montreal printings (Perf 11 1/2 X 12 or 12 X 11 1/2, medium to stout wove paper). SG has a helpful note that the papers usually can be distinguished if they are laid face downwards. The thin hard paper is much more transparent, while the thicker paper is softer and more opaque. I should mention that there is also an Ottawa printing of the 15c slate-violet that can be found on thin paper of poor quality with a gray or yellowish tone. 1889 Scott 36d 2c blue green "Victoria" "Small Queens" Issue Scott divides the "Small Queens" (smaller format) issues into the 1870-89 Montreal and First Ottawa printings (All Perf 12, and additionally 1870 Perf 12 1/2 (3c copper red-Ottawa) and 1873-79 Perf 11 1/2 X 12 (1c-10c)) and the 1888-97 Second Ottawa printings (All Perf 12). The good news for WW collectors, using the Scott catalogue approach, is the 1870-89 Montreal and First Ottawa printings can be fairly easily distinguished from the 1888-97 Second Ottawa printings in Scott by a change of color or a new denomination. Lets take a look.. 1873 Scott 37 3c orange red; 1888 Scott 41 3c bright vermilion 1870-89 Montreal and First Ottawa printings; 1888-97 Second Ottawa printing Note the orange red color of the 1873 Scott 37, while the 1888 Scott 41(Second Ottawa printing) is bright vermilion. 1877 Scott 40 10c dull rose lilac "Victoria" This is a lilac color, placing it in the 1870-89 Montreal and First Ottawa grouping. CV is $90. 1897 Scott 45 10c brown red "Victoria" Second Ottawa printing This appears to be a brown red color,: then a Second Ottawa printing. CV is $65 used/$725 unused. 1893 Scott 46 20c vermilion "Victoria" In 1893, a 20c and a 50c denomination with the older queen (Second Ottawa printing) was introduced. CV of the 20c vermilion is $125. I'm not saying much of how SG covers these Small Queen issues because it is difficult to reconcile with the simpler approach of Scott, which is presented here. Suffice to say, for the specialist, SG pays more attention to shades, perforation, and especially paper. 1897 Scott 58 15c steel blue Queen Victoria '"1837" and "1897" Beginning with the 1897 "Diamond Jubilee" issue, the stamps of Canada were now printed by the American Bank Note Company, Ottawa. American Bank Note Company, Ottawa, with Banners celebrating the Diamond Jubilee ABNC, used this building in Ottawa from 1897-1911 Designed by L. Pereira and F. Brownell, the sixteen stamp engraved issue, commemorating the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign, has the same iconic philatelic status for Canada as the 1893 Columbian Exposition Issue has for the USA. 1907 "Jubilee Issue" in Deep Blue CV for the 1/2c - 50c denomination (shown here) "Diamond Jubilee" issue ranges from $2+ to $190. But, like the USA 1893 Columbian Exposition Issue with their high denomination stamps up to $5 (CV used $1,200/unused $2,400), the Jubilee Issue also had their high denomination stamps up to $5 (CV used $1,100/unused $!,500). And both issues were produced by the American Bank Note Company. Coincidence? Both issues were loved/hated then, and loved/hated now. I think indeed both issues represented an inflection point for philately: There was the realization by postal authorities that much money could be made from stamp lovers/collectors! Even today, a quick way to evaluate a USA/Canada collection is look at the quantity/quality of the Columbian Exposition/Jubilee holdings. 1897 Scott 71 6c brown "Victoria" Between 1897-98, a definitive issue of eight stamps showing the 1897 queen was released. Note this issue is also called the "Maple leaf issue", as each corner has a maple leaf. CV ranges from

The Chase has designed a set of Comedy Greats stamps for Royal Mail, celebrating British comedians. The set of ten stamps features comedians and acts including…

1931 Scott 26 1sh turquoise blue & black "George V" Quick History Before 1923, the territory was administered by the British South Africa Company. By way of history, BSAC, which governed and administered the lands by Royal Charter from 1889-1923, named the territory north of the Zambezi "Northern Rhodesia", and the lands south of the Zambezi "Southern Rhodesia". Both territories were called by the white settlers, "Rhodesia", after Cecil Rhodes, the founder of BSAC. 1911 Encylopaedia Britannia Map of Rhodesia The Zambezi River bisects the lands into Northern Rhodesia (North Western & North Eastern) & Southern Rhodesia In 1923, the BSAC no longer administered the territories, and Southern Rhodesia (1924-1964), at the request of the inhabitants, became a self governing crown colony. (To confuse things, it was known as "Rhodesia", -although not recognized as such internationally- from 1965-1979.) With independence in 1980, it became Zimbabwe. Southern Rhodesia More precisely, a 1922 referendum showed 59% of voters favoring "responsible government" rather than joining the Union of South Africa. The capital was Salisbury (name changed to Harare after independence), and the population was 38,000 whites (4%) and 922,000 blacks (96%) in 1927. Stamps were issued under "Southern Rhodesia" between 1924-1953. (One definitive set was issued in 1964 also.) Northern Rhodesia became a British Protectorate from 1924-1964. With independence in 1964, the name was changed to Zambia. (My blog post for Northern Rhodesia has more maps and explanation of these turbulent times.) At the same time, Southern Rhodesia (or "Rhodesia"), south of the Zambezi, was turned over to the white settlers, who established highly discriminatory laws against the black African majority, who outnumbered the white settlers By 10:1- despite an influx of 200,000 immigrants largely from the British working class between 1945-1970. Southern Rhodesia joined the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Also known as Central African Federation -"CAF") between 1953-1963. The first stamp for the Federation was issued in 1954. When Northern Rhodesia became independent as Zambia in 1964, the conservative white minority government of Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared itself independent, and called itself "Rhodesia". The status was not internationally recognized, as it was clearly an attempt to continue with a discriminatory white policy. The outlaw character of the country persisted until 1979, when the Constitution of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia was passed, and Zimbabwe was recognized as independent in 1980. 1924 Scott 2 1p scarlet "George V" Into the Deep Blue The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Southern Rhodesia 1924-1951, 78 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 40 are CV

1860 Scott 61 6p black "Victoria" Quick History Victoria, the British colony, existed from 1851-1901, when it became part of Australia. Prior to 1851, it was part of New South Wales. The colony was named, of course, for the Queen, and naturally all of stamps depict the monarch with images attractive and unattractive (but realistic!). A gold rush during the 1850s led to a population increase from 76,000 to 540,000. About one-third of the world's output of gold for 1851-1860 came out of Victoria. 1916 map of Victoria Because of gold, Melbourne became the financial center of Australia. Between 1901-1927, while Canberra was under construction, Melbourne was the capital of Australia. It was, in fact, the second largest city (445,000 in 1889) during this period in the British Empire next to London. (Melbourne is absolutely my favorite city in Australia. The sidewalk cafe scene is so civilized. The Royal Botanical Gardens are astonishing.) Stamps were introduced on January 3, 1850, with the production of the "Half Length" Queen Victoria by Thomas Ham of Melbourne. In fact, local printers were used for most of the stamps produced up to 1859. Naturally, these stamps are rather expensive today, and a fertile field for the specialist. After 1860, all stamps were printed by the Stamp Printing Branch of the Post Office. In 1885, the Stamp Printing Branch became part of the Victoria Government Printing Office. From 1909-1918, the Commonwealth Stamp Printing Office produced stamps for both the states and commonwealth. Although Victoria joined the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, stamp production continued for Victoria through 1912. The Australian 'roos were issued in 1913. 1863 Scott 80 1 sh blue/blue Into the Deep Blue The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Victoria 1850-1912, 260 major number descriptions. (This does not include the 65 "Postal-Fiscal" stamps listed in the catalogue.) Of the 260 descriptions, only 27 are CV

NUMISMATIC ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA, Victoria Sesquicentenary, 1985, in gold (stamped 375, 59g, 51mm, one of 6 struck in 9ct gold) and sterling silver (51mm, 52.4g) by Hafner Mint (C.1985/21). Both medals stamped '003' on edge and in cases of issue, the silver with some spotting around rim, nearly uncirculated - uncirculated. (2)

1887 Scott 10 1/2p vermilion "Victoria" Black Overprint on Great Britain Scott 111 Quick History Although Bechuanaland Protectorate is in the Big Blue album, British Bechuanaland, the sister territory, never was, so here is a brief history. British Bechuanaland existed between September 1, 1885 and November 16, 1895 as a Crown Colony, when it was absorbed by Cape of Good Hope Colony. The Capital was Vryburg. It had a population of approximately 84,000. 1885 Map - Bechuanaland Protectorate & Stellaland Prior to creation of British Bechuanaland Crown Colony In 1882, two secessionist Boer States, Stellaland and Goshen (Capitals Vryburg & Mafekeng respectively) were established. This upset the British public, and a force of 4,000 British regular & irregular troops, led by Sir Charles Warren, first occupied Vryburg, then Mafeking, by April 8, 1885. The Boer Republic of the United States of Stellaland (then including Goshen) collapsed without bloodshed. By the way, the stamps of Stellaland ( 1884-85- six major Scott number stamps) are somewhat to very expensive CV wise ($20+-$4000), and I don't have any at the moment. British Bechuanaland 1887 (Incorporates Stellaland) Stellaland was absorbed into the new Crown Colony of British Bechuanaland, which had the Molopo River as the northern and western boundary. Meanwhile the Bechuanaland Protectorate ,"at the request of the native chiefs", was set up by the British on March 31, 1885, and administered the lands north of the Molopo River, with Vryburg (until 1895), then Mafeking as the administrative headquarters. Both headquarters for Bechuanaland Protectorate were actually located in British Bechuanaland. Of interest, the stamps of British Bechuanaland were also used in the Bechuanaland Protectorate from 1890 until 1897. This is because the Bechuanaland Protectorate and British Bechuanaland came under one postal administration in June, 1890. Consequently, one should look for postmarks from the Bechuanaland Protectorate area on British Bechuanaland stamps of that era. For additional perspective on British Bechuanaland/ Bechuanaland Protectorate, see Stamp World History. Into the Deep Blue Stamps were introduced for British Bechuanaland on December 3, 1885. The 1885-87 eight stamp output consisted of overprinted 1871-85 Cape of Good Hope issues (CV $10+-$190). Correspondingly, Bechuanaland Protectorate stamps were first issued/used on August 9, 1888. I will have more to say about the stamps of the Bechuanaland Protectorate with the next post. The 2011 Scott Classic 1840-1940 catalogue has, for British Bechuanaland 1885-1897, 42 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 3 (or 7%) are CV $1+. Raising the CV bar to $10+, yields 23 stamps, or 55%. If the WW collector will spend more, a decent collection of British Bechuanaland can be obtained. A closer look at the stamps and issues 12 Pence = 1 Shilling 20 Shillings = 1 Pound 1887 Scott 10 1/2p vermilion "Victoria" Black Overprint on Great Britain Scott 111 Note the barred oval numeral cancel No. 638? This was in use from the opening of the Mafeking Post Office in 1885 until absorption by Cape Colony in 1895. The 1/2p Great Britain vermilion, from the 1887 Queen Victory Jubilee Issue, was overprinted as shown and released as a single stamp on January 19,1888. (Scott's "1887" attribution appears to be inaccurate.) CV is $1+. I should mention that this overprinted 1/2p vermilion for British Bechuanaland was further overprinted "Protectorate", and introduced as the first stamps in 1888-90 for Bechuanaland Protectorate. Prior, as mentioned earlier, there were eight stamps from 1885-87 released with overprints on the stamps of Cape of Good Hope ("Hope" seated). CV is $10+ for three stamps. I don't have any at the moment. 1887 Scott 16 1sh green "Victoria" Also, on January 19, 1888 (not "1887" as Scott states), a twelve stamp issue was released using three designs. The second design for the five middle denominations is shown here. CV is $2+-$10 for six stamps. If these designs look to you like they should be fiscal or revenue stamps, you are correct. These stamps were produced by overprinting "Unappropriated Die" designs originally intended for use as Great Britain fiscal stamps. Remember I said that British Bechuanaland stamps can be found used in the Bechuanaland Protectorate between 1890-1897? Well, the (MA)CLOUTSIE post office, which is the postmark on this stamp, was actually located in north-east Bechuanaland Protectorate, and was active from December, 1892-1893. There is a great PDF file about the Macloutsie post office and the postmaster available at the www.bechuanalandphilately.com site. (This link downloads the PDF file.) 1895 Scott 39 2p bister On Cape of Good Hope Scott 44 Overprinted in Black, Reading Down In December, 1893 to 1895, a two stamp overprinted issue - "Reading Down"- was released using the Cape of Good Hope Scott 43-44 1p rose & 2p bister stamps. CV is $3 for each. Of note, the same stamps were earlier released in November, 1891 with the overprint "Reading Up". (CV $3+-$10+). 1891 Scott 33 1p lilac Stamps of Great Britain, Overprinted in Black Between December 1, 1891 and 1894, a five stamp issue was published using the stamps of Great Britain overprinted in black. The overprint is as shown. 1891 Scott 34 2p green & carmine Stamps of Great Britain, Overprinted in Black CV for the five stamp issue ranges from

AUSTRALIA - VICTORIA - 1884-96 Stamp Duty £1/5/- pink postal fiscal typographed, wmk 2nd V crown upright perf 12½. Superb MLH appearance (but expertl;y regummed), tiny ink mark/stain UR cnr, beautiful strong colour. SG 274 cat £6500. Only tiny number of genuine unused examples known & the first time we have offered an one. 1996 Rendon & 2008 BPA photo certs. (P)

1860 Scott 61 6p black "Victoria" Quick History Victoria, the British colony, existed from 1851-1901, when it became part of Australia ...

Quality deeply etched photopolymer clear stamps that adhere to any clear acrylic block. 3x4 inch clear set with 1 stamp. Designed by Tracy Evans.

1908 Scott 61 1fr carmine & black "Annamite Woman' Canton: Stamps of 1907 Indo-China, Surcharged France Offices Abroad - Offices in China Into the Deep Blue A look back at what transpired during the past year for the 1840-1940 (-1952 British Commonwealth) WW collection... Stamps added to the virtual Big Blue: 231 Total for the virtual Big Blue: 30,496 ( 87% filled) Stamps added to Deep Blue: 1,021 Total for Deep Blue: 49,560 ( 59% filled) For a deep dive into my classical era collection details, see the Status of My Big Blue & Deep Blue Collections post. Comment: It is getting more difficult to add stamps for the 1840-1940 WW (-1952 British Commonwealth) era to my collection by my preferred approach the past several years - namely by harvesting acquired country collections. Compare with prior years - 2017, 2016, 2015. Is it time to go for a more targeted want list approach? Probably, yes. And the larger reason I acquired country collections the past several years was to expand the WW collection to ~1970+/-. But I realize now that I have bit off more than I can chew. See the recent My Worldwide Collecting: Back to 1840-1940 post. So, although I love the 1940-1969 WW stamp era, I simply do not have the time to do it justice. And the effort takes away from the first love: the truly classical 1840-1940 era. Expect a more focused interest in the 1840-1940 (-1952 British Commonwealth) for 2019. OK, how did this past year look for the classical era? Denmark 1858 Scott 8 8s green "Wavy Lines in Spandrels" Top Ten Countries by Stamps Accumulated for 2018 1) Mexico +254 2) France + 121 3) Spain +81 4) Puerto Rico +77 5) Martinique +51 6) Belgian Congo +45 7) Saar +40 8) Spanish Guinea +36 9) Ruanda-Urundi +25 10) Fernando-Po +22 10) Queensland +22 Let's take a closer look at these countries, as well as a few others... Mexico 1856 Scott 1 1/2r blue "Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla" Handstamped with District Name Mexico +254 I picked up a nice general Mexico collection housed in a Scott Specialty Country album locally from a part time dealer. I harvested 254 stamps I didn't have, bringing the Mexico collection to 859 stamps (66% filled) for 1840-1940. Mexico is a popular country to collect for North Americans, and it is also somewhat complicated, lending itself to specialists. But the WW collector should be able to find suitable Mexican material if one looks around. Mexico 1866 Scott 30 50c green "Emperor Maximilian" For Big Blue, 28 additional stamps were found. Today, 363 stamps out of 369 BB spaces are filled. France Canton 1903 Scott 19 10c rose red Stamps of Indo-China, 1892-1900, Surcharged in Black France +121 For the "regular issue" France section, I already have most spaces filled. But there are plenty of "France Offices Abroad" stamps that were issued between 1894-1922. The France Scott Specialty album collection that I picked up from a Portland, Oregon dealer had most of the 121 new stamps for me from the "Offices in China" section. France Canton 1908 Scott 60 75c vermilion & black, "Cambodian Woman", Blue Surcharge Stamps of Indo-China, 1907 At present, I have 879 stamps (45% filled) in Deep Blue from France, and 593 stamps (79% filled) in Big Blue. Spain 1852 Scott 15 5r yellowish green, Thick Paper "Queen Isabella II" Spain +81 Puerto Rico +77 Spanish Guinea +36 Fernando-Po +22 A "Spain and Colonies" collection I acquired provided these stamps/countries. More about the album in a bit... The collection had $1,700 CV for Spain, and $2,100 CV for Colonies. I picked it up for mid-teens CV. I harvested 81 classical era stamps from the Spain section, bringing my total to 703 (60% filled) in Steiner (Deep Blue) for the country. Spain 1860 Scott 54 2r lilac/lilac "Isabella II" I found 23 stamps that were added to Big Blue. Total is 499 stamps, but I still have 68 spaces to fill in BB. Puerto Rico 1875 Scott 5 25c ultramarine Stamps of Cuba Overprinted in Black For Puerto Rico, 77 new stamps were found. For Steiner (Deep Blue), 132 spaces are filled out of 195 (68%). Of the 77 stamps, 53 had a space in Big Blue. BB total is 107 out of 121 spaces filled. Spanish Guinea 1906 Scott 45 4c orange red Stamps of Elobey, 1905, Overprinted in Violet or Blue The Spanish Guinea section yielded 36 stamps for a total of 113 stamps (35% filled). Of the 36, 12 found a virtual space in Big Blue. Now, 67 spaces, out of 104, have stamps. Fernando Po 1907 Scott 165 4p violet "King Alfonso XIII" For Fernando Po, I found 22 stamps for Deep Blue (Steiner), bringing the total to 36 stamps ( 20% filled). Big Blue added only one stamp. Of the 23 spaces, 12 have stamps in them. Scott Specialty Album: Spain and Colonies This album (above) furnished the Spanish sphere stamps for the 1840-1940 era. The stamps were removed and put into Deep Blue (Steiner) pages for 1840-1940. But the 1941- 1970 era stamps were left in the album. As said, I don't have time to do more. In retrospect, if I had collected by gradually adding nicely filled Scott Specialty albums (such as "Spain and Colonies" above), it would have worked especially well for a WW collection to the 1970s +/- right from the beginning. The Scott Specialty albums (or Minkus Country albums) could then have been supplemented with Steiner pages for the WW collection for countries that the specialty albums do not cover. Martinique 1891 Scott 23 05c on 15c black French Colonies J5-J9 Surcharged Martinique +51 I obtained a Martinique collection from a dealer in Salem, Oregon who was attending our local stamp show/bourse. I have found that a great source for stamps and collections (as a WW collector) is to shop locally. By that, I mean to let the local area dealers and fellow stamp collectors know of your catholic tastes. ;-) They will seek you out when they have a nice country collection. If the price is right (mid teens % CV preferably to 30% for high grade material), it is a great way to find new stamps. Martinique 1908 Scott 100 5fr orange red & brown "Girl Bearing Pineapple in Cane Field" I found 51 needed stamps, bringing the total to 166 ( 76% filled). My virtual Big Blue has 88 spaces out of 98 filled. Belgian Congo 1886 Scott 5 5ft lilac "Leopold II" Independent State Belgian Congo +45 Ruanda-Urundi +25 I'm a sucker for the stamps of the Belgian Congo, and, although I had previously stripped Belgian Congo collections, I couldn't resist when the Portland dealer had a Belgian Congo ( and Ruanda-Urundi) collection available for mid-teens % CV. Belgian Congo 1910 Scott 57 5ft carmine & black "Bangala Chief and Wife" The collection yielded 45 new stamps. Deep Blue now has 187 spaces filled (70% of total). The virtual Big Blue has 134 spaces filled out of 138. Ruanda-Urundi 1931 Scott 54 20fr brown "Urundi Prince" For Ruanda-Urundi, 25 stamps were added. Total is 48 spaces filled (67%). Ruanda-Urundi 1930 Scott B8 1.75fr + 75c deep blue (red overprint) "Convalescent Area" Belgian Congo B12-B20 Overprinted Big Blue had an addition of nine stamps, bring the spaces filled to 26 out of 31. Saar 1927 Scott B7 50c + 50c red orange "Children getting Drink at Spring" 1926 B1-B4 Overprinted Saar +40 I thought I already had a decent Saar collection, but the Saar album I attained from a local dealer was filled with many semi-postals. The asking price was good. Saar 1926 Scott B15 10fr (+ 10fr) dark brown "Charity" by Raphael Many of the Saar semi-postals have a high CV. Would you believe $360 CV for this one? Saar 1931 Semi-Postal Issue in Deep Blue For Deep Blue (Steiner), 224 spaces out of 237 are filled. Five stamps were added to Big Blue. Total now is 132 spaces filled out of 133. Queensland 1871 Scott 27 3p "Victoria" (Shade SG 66 3d olive green) Queensland +22 A black Hagner stock sheet had a small but significant assortment of early Queensland that had not been checked for watermarks or perforations. I bought it at the local stamp show/bourse. After work-up, I had 22 additional early Queensland. Japan 1876 Scott 59 5s brown "Imperial Crest, Star, and Kiri Branches" Japan +18 A local part time dealer offered me a Japan collection. The price was right. Japan 1921 Scott 170 10s deep blue "Battleships Katon and Kashima" I added 18 stamps to my classical 1840-1940 era collection. Denmark 1857 Scott 6 15s gray lilac "Dotting in Spandrels" Denmark +18 A stamp collector friend of mine decided to sell his Scandinavia collection. I made an offer and he accepted. Denmark 1912 Scott 80 35o on 20o Dark Blue Surcharge For Denmark, I added 18 stamps. My virtual Big Blue was already completed (206 spaces), but Deep Blue now has 346 out of 399 spaces filled. Great Britain 1867 Scott 57 5sh rose "Victoria" "Wmk 26 - Maltese Cross" Great Britain +15 Sometimes a ratty in appearance collection can yield good stuff. I bought a rather unimpressive (at first glance) early GB collection at our local stamp club's "Buy,Sell,Trade" night. On closer inspection, there were 15 stamps I didn't have! This 5 shilling rose has a CV of $600!!!! Great Britain 1883 Scott 96 2sh6p lilac "Wmk 31 Anchor" I still have a ways to go with GB, with 421 spaces filled in Deep Blue (46% of total). Jamaica 1920 Scott 84 2sh brown &violet "Memorial to Admiral Rodney" Jamaica +15 I had a good collection of Jamaica, but the price was right, so I bought this Jamaica collection (all unused) from a local part time dealer. It yielded 15 stamps, but many more were swapped in because of better condition. Big Blue is complete and Deep Blue has 160 out of 170 spaces filled. Nice! Mexico 1864 Scott 25 8r red (T IV) "Coat of Arms" Out of the Blue Essentially, all of the 1840-1940 (-1952 British Commonwealth) stamps that were added for 2018 were from collection/album purchases. And you may have noticed that this was all done locally. The approach has worked well for me up to now, but... I am at the stage in my WW collection where I will need to change strategies, especially as I do not have the time/energy to process the 1940-1970+/- era. This year (2019) will see a more targeted "want list" approach. Comments appreciated!

1852 Scott 4 3p red "Beaver' Wove paper Into the Deep Blue Update: Recent Stamp Acquisitions - USA & Canada I've been waiting patiently for Canada, and finally it is here! As the reader knows, I've been redoing the earlier country posts which did not have much illustration of the stamps themselves. Canada, with essentially all of the stamps engraved during the classical era, and wonderful designs, is going to be a pleasure! Naturally, Canada will require more than one post - in fact, three. This post will look at the 19th century issues. The next two posts will illustrate the larger format commemorative pictorials prevalent between 1908-1939. Let's begin. Original Canada blog post and BB Checklist A Closer Look 1852-1902 12 Pence = 1 Shilling 100 Cents = 1 Dollar (1859) Canada Province 1865 Used by general permission of Gerben Van Gelder The United Province of Canada existed between 1841-1867, and was a British North American colony (Colony of Canada). It consisted of Canada East (formerly mostly French speaking Lower Canada) and Canada West (formerly mostly English speaking Upper Canada). They became the provinces of Quebec and Ontario respectively after Confederation in 1867. Stamps were issued for the Province of Canada beginning April 23, 1851. 1852 Scott 4 3p red "Beaver' Wove paper Province of Canada The first design issued for the Province of Canada was the iconic "American Beaver" by Sir Sanford Fleming. This stamp, and the next seven stamps shown following in this blog post (through 1859) were engraved by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson, New York. This is the same firm that had the contract for U.S. postage stamps from 1847-1851 (producing the iconic U.S. 5c Franklin and 10c Washington). Of interest, in 1858, the firm consolidated into the American Bank Note Company. Sir Sanford Fleming Sir Sanford Fleming (1827-1915) was a most interesting man. This Scottish Canadian immigrant, besides designing the first postage stamp (Threepenny Beaver) for Canada, was the chief surveying engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the inventor of worldwide standard time, and a founding member of the Royal Society of Canada. The Threepenny Beaver is the most iconic stamp (in my view) for Canada. The 1851 production stamp (Scott 1) was on laid paper, and the CV is a high $1000. The paper used was switched to handmade wove (1852-56) and machine made wove (1857). Scott lists the wove CV @ $200+. 1851 Scott 3 12p black "Victoria" Scan from Internet (not mine!) CV $135,000-$175,000! I should mention, for understandable reasons, a stamp I do not have: the laid paper June 14, 1851 twelve penny black. This is one of the all time great philatelic rarities. It was intended for prepayment of letter rate to Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the West Indies, but its use was very limited. Only 1,450 stamps were sold. The remainder stamps (51,000 printed) were destroyed. 1859 Scott 14 1c rose "Queen Victoria" Perforation 12 Imperforate stamps were issued between 1851-1859 (six designs, nine Scott numbers) in Pence/Shilling denominations. Except for the Threepenny Beaver (CV $225), and the 1857 one half penny rose (CV $700), all the other imperforate stamps are in the CV $thousands, and out of reach for most WW collectors. In addition, there were three "pence" denomination stamps issued with perforation 12 in 1858-59. All are CV $thousands. But in 1859, the denomination was changed to Cents/Dollar. The July 1, 1859 six stamp issue has perforation 12, and used a similar design (now in cents denomination) as the 1851-59 pence issues. These engraved stamps were produced by the American Bank Note Company. The one cent rose (shown above) is CV $90, while the deep rose shade (minor number) is 50% CV more. 1859 Scott 15 5c vermilion "Beaver" The 1859 perforated 5c vermilion "Beaver" is CV $30+, and is the least expensive of the 1851-1868 era stamps. If one wanted to do a study using one stamp, this would be a good choice. For instance, although the nominal perforation is 12, in fact.... 11 3/4 X 11 3/4 : mid-July 1859-mid-July 1863 12 X 12 : May-October, 1862 ( For many sheets of 5c) 12 X 11 3/4 : March 1863-mid 1865 12 X 12 : April 1865 - 1868 1859 Scott 17a 10c violet "Prince Albert' The ten cents "Prince Albert" is listed in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue with seven color shades (black-brown, deep red-purple, purple (shades), brownish purple, brown (to pale), dull violet, bright red purple), and in Scott with five color shades (two major, three minor numbers). In fact, SG says the 10c has a remarkable number of shades, and the color designations actually represent groupings of shades. 1859 Scott 17b 10c brown "Albert" Clearly, the shades differ wildly. And it can make a large CV difference. Scott lists the "black-brown" (perf 11 3/4) with its own major number (Scott 16) with CV of $6,500, while the "brown" shade (Scott 17b) is CV $140. 1859 Scott 18 12 1/2c yellow green "Victoria" If you need a "Chalon Head" portrait of Queen Victoria on a Canada stamp, the 12 1/2c yellow green might be a good and economic choice (CV $130). The other "Chalon Head" stamps (12p black, 7 1/2p green) go for $135,000 and $3,500 respectively. !! 1859 Scott 19 17c blue "Jacques Cartier" The influence of French historical explorations and language/culture is important for Canada as a "British colony". A good number of its citizens are French speaking. The first "Jacques Cartier" stamp was issued as an imperforate and in "pence" denomination in 1855. This 1859 stamp (CV $200) is very similar in design, save for being perforated, and in "cents". The "Dauphin" Map of Canada, 1543, Showing Cartier's Discoveries Cartier found the Gulf entrance to the St. Lawrence River on his first voyage (1534). On his second voyage (1535-36), he sailed up the St. Lawrence River, and discovered the Iroquoian capital of Stadacona, and then Hochelga (present day Montreal). He named the lands "The Country of the Canadas", an Iroquoian reference. Provinces of Canada (Dominion of Canada) 1867-1870 We are now entering the Dominion of Canada with confederation occurring on July 1, 1867. The British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united, and the former "Canada" was divided into the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The change was enabled by the British North American Acts (1867-75), which was enacted by both the United Kingdom and Canada Parliaments. Canada, though, was not fully independent, as the United Kingdom retained full control over foreign policy and retained legislative control over Canada. Canada's first foreign embassy was established in Washington, D.C. in 1931. Until 1949, any changes in the British North American Act could only be made by the British Parliament. Full control by Canada over the Canadian Constitution was not achieved until 1982. Canada Used by general permission of Gerben Van Gelder Subsequent expansion of Canada included the addition of Manitoba (1870- part of Rupert's Land), Northwest Territories (1870- Rest of Rupert's Land and the North West Territory), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Yukon Territory (1898- part of Northwest Territories), Saskatchewan (1905 - part of Northwest Territories), Alberta (1905 - part of Northwest Territories), and Newfoundland (1949). 1868 Scott 27 6c dark brown "Queen Victoria" Dominion of Canada: "Large Queens" With the advent of the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867, a new engraved issue, the so-called "Large Queens" (Because of large format) was printed. "Large Queen" 1868-76 Issue in Deep Blue The "Large Queen" issue of ten stamps was released between April 1, 1868 and 1876, according to the Scott catalogue. CV ranges from $40 to $225 for used major number specimens. All are on wove paper, except for some 1868 issue 1c, 2c, and 3c stamps on laid paper (CV$thousands!!). The stamps - the Large Queens and the Small Queens issues (1867-1893) - were produced by the British American Bank Note Company. Now the fun begins. Canadian specialists and the SG catalogue distinguishes between the Ottawa printings (Perf 12, with thin rather transparent crisp paper or medium to stout wove paper) and the Montreal printings (Perf 11 1/2 X 12 or 12 X 11 1/2, medium to stout wove paper). SG has a helpful note that the papers usually can be distinguished if they are laid face downwards. The thin hard paper is much more transparent, while the thicker paper is softer and more opaque. I should mention that there is also an Ottawa printing of the 15c slate-violet that can be found on thin paper of poor quality with a gray or yellowish tone. 1889 Scott 36d 2c blue green "Victoria" "Small Queens" Issue Scott divides the "Small Queens" (smaller format) issues into the 1870-89 Montreal and First Ottawa printings (All Perf 12, and additionally 1870 Perf 12 1/2 (3c copper red-Ottawa) and 1873-79 Perf 11 1/2 X 12 (1c-10c)) and the 1888-97 Second Ottawa printings (All Perf 12). The good news for WW collectors, using the Scott catalogue approach, is the 1870-89 Montreal and First Ottawa printings can be fairly easily distinguished from the 1888-97 Second Ottawa printings in Scott by a change of color or a new denomination. Lets take a look.. 1873 Scott 37 3c orange red; 1888 Scott 41 3c bright vermilion 1870-89 Montreal and First Ottawa printings; 1888-97 Second Ottawa printing Note the orange red color of the 1873 Scott 37, while the 1888 Scott 41(Second Ottawa printing) is bright vermilion. 1877 Scott 40 10c dull rose lilac "Victoria" This is a lilac color, placing it in the 1870-89 Montreal and First Ottawa grouping. CV is $90. 1897 Scott 45 10c brown red "Victoria" Second Ottawa printing This appears to be a brown red color,: then a Second Ottawa printing. CV is $65 used/$725 unused. 1893 Scott 46 20c vermilion "Victoria" In 1893, a 20c and a 50c denomination with the older queen (Second Ottawa printing) was introduced. CV of the 20c vermilion is $125. I'm not saying much of how SG covers these Small Queen issues because it is difficult to reconcile with the simpler approach of Scott, which is presented here. Suffice to say, for the specialist, SG pays more attention to shades, perforation, and especially paper. 1897 Scott 58 15c steel blue Queen Victoria '"1837" and "1897" Beginning with the 1897 "Diamond Jubilee" issue, the stamps of Canada were now printed by the American Bank Note Company, Ottawa. American Bank Note Company, Ottawa, with Banners celebrating the Diamond Jubilee ABNC, used this building in Ottawa from 1897-1911 Designed by L. Pereira and F. Brownell, the sixteen stamp engraved issue, commemorating the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign, has the same iconic philatelic status for Canada as the 1893 Columbian Exposition Issue has for the USA. 1907 "Jubilee Issue" in Deep Blue CV for the 1/2c - 50c denomination (shown here) "Diamond Jubilee" issue ranges from $2+ to $190. But, like the USA 1893 Columbian Exposition Issue with their high denomination stamps up to $5 (CV used $1,200/unused $2,400), the Jubilee Issue also had their high denomination stamps up to $5 (CV used $1,100/unused $!,500). And both issues were produced by the American Bank Note Company. Coincidence? Both issues were loved/hated then, and loved/hated now. I think indeed both issues represented an inflection point for philately: There was the realization by postal authorities that much money could be made from stamp lovers/collectors! Even today, a quick way to evaluate a USA/Canada collection is look at the quantity/quality of the Columbian Exposition/Jubilee holdings. 1897 Scott 71 6c brown "Victoria" Between 1897-98, a definitive issue of eight stamps showing the 1897 queen was released. Note this issue is also called the "Maple leaf issue", as each corner has a maple leaf. CV ranges from

Queen Victoria ruled the British Empire for 63 important years. Students can read about Victoria's life in this history worksheet.