Anping
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What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 9, 2017 20:03:49 GMT
This air letter has been franked with an overprinted Malawi 30 tambala SG 369, which was issued for use on letters carried by an emergency airmail service from Malawi to Great Britain during the British postal strike. The surcharged stamp was issued 8th February 1971 and was the only value produced with an overprint. The fee of 30 tambala was to cover the charge for delivery by a private service. The 8 tambala was the normal airmail charge. As for the blue Randall label; this is denominated in the new decimal currency '10 pence' (2 shillings - or 2/-). The new currency came in on 15th February 1971. So we have the Malawi stamp 'overprinted' 3/- (the old currency) and the Randall label at the new 10p currency. I'm just guessing that the S.A.D.S label might refer to Special Air Delivery Service. Although this is obviously philatelic, it is one of the more interesting strike mail offerings.
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 9, 2017 18:59:41 GMT
These are the three values of the 1966 President Kennedy Commemorative issue; SG68 - 70 (can't find Scott #'s at the moment). Although I already had the set as singles, I noticed something odd about these blocks in a dealer's stock: On closer examination, I could see a printing error on the overprint on all three values in the same position. This affected the letter J in John. The slug used is taller with both left and right hand hooks; the one on the 35 cent is slightly incomplete (damaged?): I've modified the colour on the 70 cents close-up above, to better show the error. EDIT: Forgot to add a normal close-up for comparison: Below is a cropped close-up of the error, with a normal close-up on the right: I have no idea if these have been listed anywhere (certainly not in the copies of Gibbons, Scotts or the now defunct Minkus) that I have looked at.
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 9, 2017 14:35:51 GMT
I lived through that too. We were amongst the final repatriation groups of families in July 1967. My father (in the RAF) had to remain until November when the colony finally ended.
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 9, 2017 9:20:57 GMT
I'm sorry I caused you to repeat yourself. Anyway, thanks for the reply. Another question I have; was it not possible to 'pay to destination' - or was there no convention in place?
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 8, 2017 21:46:34 GMT
I posted this newly acquired letter on my Niagara letters thread, but thought it interesting enough for it's own page. ... Are you able to explain what the markings ' Paid'; ' 10' and 4½ represent?
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Anping
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Posts: 533
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Post by Anping on May 7, 2017 13:33:03 GMT
It is difficult to tell from the image but the stamp appears to have been printed from plate 15 which Scott attributes to 1869. I just missed your post there. I don't have a Gibbons catalogue at hand, so I can't check that. I only bought this yesterday and have relied upon the dealer's small label that was attached (he is an ex Stanley Gibbons employee with over 50 years of dealing experience; and this was the first he had seen). If 1869 is indeed the plate 15 printing date, then that would resolve my question. Yet it would still be a rather early example.
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 7, 2017 13:23:21 GMT
I've just checked information on the Perfin Society's website in respect of 'stamps not recorded perfinned before 1961'. Surprisingly, only the Plate 7 of the same 1858 2d blue issue falls into that category.
So this suggests that very late usage must have been rather widespread, and that some companies must have stock piled stamps for their mailings (which to me, does seem a rather strange thing to do).
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 7, 2017 13:07:57 GMT
According to The Perfin Society's FAQ page, official authorization to allow the perforation of British postage stamps was granted on March 13, 1868 and the earliest known cancellation of a perfin was November 1868. Thank you for the info. So I wonder what we have here. There are a number of possibilities I suppose, one of which being the very late usage of an 1858 stamp. But this seems very odd to me; would a trading company have 10 year old unused stamps (at minimum) lying around?
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 7, 2017 12:14:07 GMT
I have this 1858 GB 2d (very deep) blue; SG 47 (plate 15), with perfin I & W. This seems to be a rather early use of a perfin security marking. Can anyone suggest who I & W were, and whether this is an unusually early usage? I have posted this elsewhere with the same question. As my GB knowledge is very scant, does anyone know the earliest recorded date of perfin use?
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 5, 2017 15:24:27 GMT
I can't endorse this particular product but I have used similar in the past. The fluid can be applied to the paper on the back of the stamp by small paint brush. This may get round the problem of soaking fugitive ink stamps. Perhaps others here may have used it:
www.amazon.com/Supersafe-Stamp-Lift-Fluid-SLF/dp/B002FYH868
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 5, 2017 14:34:25 GMT
The Colour Guide labels can still be found with full gum, most often in lots of similar colours. Always interesting to see that. Pricey though most times.
A local dealer who supplies me with GB Prestige booklets, listed one a couple of years ago on eBay. It sold for an amazing £56.
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 5, 2017 10:02:17 GMT
That's a nice well centred copy; I do like that colour combination. But once again, the purple is fugitive. Here is a small sample of KEVII stamps where fugitive inks have been used. I don't have examples of all that are affected, so you will just have to use caution with anything that uses bi-colour printing. Sometimes it is not obvious; take the 2 cent as an example: This is listed as dull green, which implies only one ink was used and thus appears to be a safe for soaking. But the one shown here suggests that two types of green were used: The 12 cent mint shows how light can cause colour change to both the frame design and the vignette. Usually, it is the vignette that gives all the trouble; but not in every case. One value not shown here is the 6 cent orange-vermilion and purple, where the purple used for the frame can run. Deciding which colours would be affected when soaking these values is obviously important. But knowing which stamps have already been affected is key. All the dollar values are (very) expensive and this is where judgement is essential. It is easy to be drawn into buying a mint example by assuming its colours have to be right, by association. As can be seen above (on the 12 cents) this isn't always so.
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 5, 2017 1:51:45 GMT
Here is a Queen Victoria 10 cent - purple on red, after a prolonged bath. The purple has just disappeared:
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 4, 2017 23:24:52 GMT
I'm a little baffled by an image that was posted earlier in this thread (which I show again below), with the description 'Mukalla'. It is in fact Aden, Steamer Point. The two recognisable landmarks in the view are 'Hogg Tower' and the Prince of Wales landing pier. Hogg Tower, known locally as 'Clock Tower' was a late Victorian/early Edwardian structure which did not fare too well once the British left the colony in 1967. Going by this postcard image, which is relatively recent, the tower must have been rebuilt. I lived about 5 minutes walk from the pier; and in fact our apartment block was named 'Clock Tower House'. The Prince of Wales landing pier can be seen centrally behind the two sailing craft; a rather strange, out of place pitched roof structure. To its right is a white domed tomb. Going back in time, here is an illustration from the hill overlooking the tomb and the original Prince of Wales customs hall and landing pier: And here is the P.O.W landing pier customs hall, as it looked when I was living there. Note the cruise liner passengers heading to the 'bazaar' and a uniformed Royal Air Force serviceman about to cross:
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 4, 2017 22:17:39 GMT
Nice little find. It's a pity that the series from which this 8 annas comes, was not printed in bi-colour in its entirety; which has much more impact in my opinion. By coincidence, I had just yesterday scanned a used block of four of that same overprinted stamp.
It's a sad reflection of Aden itself, that the colony's own stamps, with the exception of the 5/-, showed no recognisable landmarks. It had instead mainly adopted images from the nearby states of Shihr and Mukalla. The 5/- 'Crater Pass' image was only a memory a few years later, as the viaduct type structure spanning the pass was demolished.
Aden was quite simply a rather unattractive lump of rock at the bottom end of the Red Sea route. It was just a refuelling port, which attracted cruise liner passengers for a brief duty free shopping 'extravaganza'.
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Anping
Departed
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 3, 2017 2:49:48 GMT
Here's an attempt I made at illustrating my Aden collection. This is an A4 pen drawing copied directly from the actual stamp; no digital imagery or scanning in those days; just a magnifying glass. I also had excellent eyesight at the time. What I didn't realise though, was how difficult this was going to be. I ended up with chest pains, after spending hours hunched over the magnifier. Here's an image of the actual stamp.
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Anping
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What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 3, 2017 0:43:12 GMT
Two blocks of SG65 and SG69:
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 3, 2017 0:40:34 GMT
A used block of four of the 1937 Dhows issue, showing the 3½ annas value:
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 2, 2017 22:56:51 GMT
Just found these notes from the guy who sent me one of these, which he posted well before I heard about the device:
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Anping
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Post by Anping on May 2, 2017 22:41:53 GMT
You mention again about the fugitive ink, which leads me to ask, what is the best way to remove a stamp with such an ink from its paper backing, then, if you cannot safely soak it? In one of my old stamp books (1940s vintage), they talk about creating a "sweat box", using moisture, but not actually immersing the stamp. Is that still the way these things are done, or is there some better, perhaps less risky way open to us these days? Just curious.... This probably sounds a bit unusual, but I don't recall ever having soaked anything off piece that was worth more than a penny or two. Many HK collectors seem to avoid soaking anything that has a remnant of paper, as sometimes there is a part cancel or other marking which adds 'value' to it. If I was to give any advice, I would certainly try a sweat box. It is not something I have had cause to try so far, even though I have one of these - A very kind, fellow member of another forum sent me a brand new one from the States last year (we can't get them in the UK), at horrendous postal costs. So I'm rather looking forward to giving it a spin. One way to test it at little risk to your pocket, is to get hold of a decent QV 4 cent purple on red [remember it's doubly fugitive too] - (even if it hasn't got any backing paper; a hinge might be a bonus though) and just leave it in the sweat box and monitor it. If it emerges unscathed, you have your answer.
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 2, 2017 21:47:26 GMT
Here is my latest acquisition that is loosely described as a 'revenue' issue; whereas 'postal/revenue' is more accurate in this case. This is an example of an 1874 SG F1 $2 that was authorised for postal use, due to there being no higher value than $1 postage stamps available. This one was used in the Treaty Port of Amoy.
Although centering is not great (fairly typical); it shows a bold 'as issued' colour, for this is, once again, a fugitive green. Perfs are 15½ x 15; watermark Crown CC:
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Anping
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What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 2, 2017 21:32:23 GMT
May I ask the moderators to move this thread to 'Hong Kong' from its present category 'China', as it is awkward to find; and is quite simply in the wrong place. Ta very muchly!
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on Apr 30, 2017 10:15:01 GMT
I spent a couple of hours this afternoon looking at the exhibits, and there were some very interesting ones. I regret to say that due to the glassed-in frames and the overhead lighting, I had a very difficult time getting good-quality photos. So, the photos I am posting had to be taken at less-than-optimal angles, simply to reduce the glare from the lights. Chefoo Local Post in combination with stamps of Hong Kong (thought of Anping ) Thank you for posting that image. I have never seen Chefoo Local Post 'combination' mail before; must be rare as hen's dentures.
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on Apr 29, 2017 11:51:11 GMT
I can see subtle differences between some of the stamps - for example, the shape of the "C" in "CENTS" of the top pair in your second post above. Do serious collectors attempt to plate this issue? Are there any varieties that are sought after? (At the "flyspeck" level, not the large differences like the broken crown you noted in another thread.) Ryan I've just bought this rather scruffy 24 cent on eBay, showing an example of a 'broken frame line' in three places. This one does not appear to be a recorded variety, although one is listed where a break occurs at the right hand side of the same corner ornament.
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Anping
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Post by Anping on Apr 29, 2017 1:44:04 GMT
I forgot to include the 30 cent mauve 'broken GKON' variety in the previous image:
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Anping
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Post by Anping on Apr 28, 2017 22:07:40 GMT
Here is a selection of the 30 cents to 96 cents definitives, some showing different shades: The 30 cent value: Vermilion; pale orange-vermilion; orange-vermilion.The 30 cent value, issued about 1871: Mauve; bright mauve; dull mauve.This new colour replaced the vermilion because it was difficult to distinguish it from the eight cents in gas light.An inverted watermark variety is shown at the end of the row. The 48 cent value: Pale rose; Rose-carmine; deep rose-carmine; claret.An inverted watermark variety is shown second row centre.About 500 sheets out of 3,700 were produced for the pale rose. The claret shade, although mentioned by Gibbons, does not have a numbered entry. The 96 cent value: Olive-bistre.Only 52 sheets were produced. There has been no explanation why this colour was ever used. The 96 cent value: Brownish-grey; Brownish-black.
A total of 3,800 sheets were produced. An inverted watermark is shown in the centre.
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Anping
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Post by Anping on Apr 28, 2017 11:04:23 GMT
......in particular the first day of the Schuyler Rumsey Philatelic Auction, which included lots of Great Britain and British Commonwealth rarities. Anping , sorry to report that I have already missed all of the rare Hong Kong items, including the Anping SON cancellation which I posted about previously. That's probably a blessing in disguise. I wouldn't want you to have been seduced by temptation. Would be interested to find out what that Anping cancel went for though. Hope you are having an enjoyable time there.
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Anping
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Post by Anping on Apr 25, 2017 0:17:31 GMT
Here is a selection of the 6 cents to 24 cents definitives, showing different shades: The 6 cent value: Lilac; mauve; and bright mauve.The 8 cent value: Pale dull orange; pale-orange-yellow; dull yellow; brown orange-yellow; bright orange (and a pair of brown orange-yellow).The 12 cent value: Pale greenish-blue; blue; pale blue (pair); Deep blue.About 500 sheets out of 4,500 were produced for the pale greenish-blue. This stamp is elusive in good condition, as many were mis-perfed. The reverse shown on the end of the line is a watermark variety with an anomaly. This is a reversed watermark with the CC above the crown instead of underneath it. The misplaced CC may have been caused by a sheet incorrectly pressed by the dandy roller. The 18 cent value: Lilac; pale lilac.One of the toughest stamps of the QV era to obtain in good condition. Only 100 sheets were produced. The 24 cent value: Green; pale green; deep green.
An inverted watermark pale green.
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on Apr 22, 2017 12:24:29 GMT
I would never judge a color on a monitor. That is probably the most inaccurate of all the methods. Not ideal I know, particularly if buying online based on images that are subject to the inaccuracies of scanner settings and our own monitor settings. But if you have no other reference other than a colour key swatch, it may at least eliminate wayward identification. There is of course the argument that one shouldn't buy high end material just from online images; which I wouldn't disagree with.
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on Apr 22, 2017 11:02:41 GMT
I have a Pantone colour sample 'book', or at least one of them. There is a whole range for different applications; all extremely expensive and cumbersome. I can't see the real benefit of these, other than to accurately identify a colour by the Pantone identification codes. What then? As the code has no direct correlation with known catalogue colour descriptions, it merely provides an alternative colour code. However, I know one study that has used the Pantone system for an in depth study of Hong Kong KGVI definitives. The study was more scientific; attempting to differentiate between all the numerous printing releases and thus creating alternative printing groupings. This was a worthy study, but only for the small group of advanced collectors wanting such intense details. Unfortunately, this has little benefit to the general collector, particularly if they refer to standard catalogues for album write-ups or buying and selling; they need to use a standard colour system. When writing about this very subject a while ago, a member recommended a particular online colour recognition program, which I enthusiastically tried. The results of the analysis on my 'samples' was just a breakdown of the constituent parts of the ink used; x% red, y% indigo, z% black etc. Now this may be useful for comparing stamps together, e.g: Have I got two different shades on my two stamps? But it relied on absolutely precise cursor targeting on BOTH stamps. Once again, it could not tell me that I had a 'carmine-rose', rather than a 'salmon pink'. I know of others who do this, and this is probably the best overall approach, BUT; this assumes you have got the right identification in the first place AND you have copies of the scarce/rare shades in your collection. This isn't always possible if, for example you collect the Australian GV definitives, where some of the seemingly endless shades differ minutely and prices of certain varieties can be huge. I don't think this subject will never be properly resolved. We can only "endeavour to persevere".
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