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Post by tallanent on Apr 12, 2018 19:40:17 GMT
I have started this thread as a stand alone item even though I am aware that there is also a thread entitled Reply Dummy,Test,Training,Sample,Proof and Essay as the topic as it relates to British stamps and related items is not only a very large area to cover, but also very complex and with certain areas that need explaining to those who collect this type of material. As some here are already aware, I wrote the book on this subject with my late father, and this is something that I am thinking about updating ... The main problem is there are a number of questions that have been asked in various locations that have been answered by those in a very short and abrupt manner that does little to help ... My intention here is to explain certain aspects that relate to collecting this type of material (where possible with illustrations) and give those with an interest some idea of 1 .. how to value the items 2 .. how to determine the scarcity of multiples of various sizes 3 .. know what items are obvious forgeries and 4 .. give and overview and discussion forum to those who may have questions |
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Post by tallanent on Apr 12, 2018 19:44:34 GMT
One comment that seems to crop up from time to time is that the early issues that are listed in the book - those from the reign of King George V with some offering the opinion that as a few values are known that the rest were probably just added to the listing ..... this is incorrect - they do exist ...  Page showing the first low values with bars overprint  The first high values used at the Training School with bars overprint |
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Post by tallanent on Apr 12, 2018 19:58:12 GMT
A question I get asked fairly often is are these really Training School items and what are they worth ...  The answer is YES ... They were used in the training schools as well as sent out to Post Offices to show staff what the colours of the new decimal stamps would be. Their value is generally about £2 - £3 per set of 5 singles - so this set offered on eBay has a good starting bid of £3-99 Marginal blocks of 6 are offered by major dealers at around £15 per block - that is one block of one of the values .... but the buyer can make their own mind up if that is fair ... |
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Post by tallanent on Apr 12, 2018 20:27:42 GMT
What about the different coloured overprints that are applied to the stamps etc ... With the exception of some items that have the bar applied in red and a few training instructional marks that were also applied in red .... all the genuine school overprints are in black .... The following images are all (at this time) for sale on eBay ....   This is OK with all the overprints in black There is also a version with a red boxed mark applied over the pre-printed impression - these are also OK  With the black overprint - these are generally OK  A great deal of these have appeared on eBay and other dealers sites .... When the overprint is in any other colour apart from BLACK - it is a forgery ... Note also the thicker lettering in case these start to appear in black .... |
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Post by tallanent on Apr 12, 2018 20:37:18 GMT
These hand stamps would appear to be in the public domain ... and all the covers of this nature are bogus - usually with ranges from King George 6 through to 1980's period decimal stamps There was a long debate about these many years ago and the main dealers of these on eBay now show them as bogus / fake ....  One dealer on eBay at this time has over 40 of these from various reigns for sale ... |
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Post by tallanent on Apr 12, 2018 20:45:37 GMT
I hope the above give a taster into this material as a collection - and I am in no way telling people what to buy - rather just pointing out that some items are not what they appear and as such IMHO should be purchased cheaply if you wish to add them to your collection to illustrate the point ....
If there are any questions from members - please post up an image and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have ...
The topic is vast - with not only the stamps, but covers, training sheets, banknotes, passports, chqs and a whole host of items that made the training as realistic as possible ...
I look forward to seeing anything added here for discussion and we can all learn a little as we go along ...
Allan
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Ryan
Member 
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720 
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Apr 13, 2018 2:25:10 GMT
If there are any questions from members - please post up an image and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have ... I was curious about the length of time spent studying in the training school and in the process of trying to find out, I came across an online copy of your book on training schools. That book gives explanation of the length of training provided for the telephone operators but I didn't see anything about the various sections which would be associated with these training stamps (for example, counter staff or sorting staff). How long did these new employees spend in their training schools? Was it similar to the training needed for telephone operators (4 weeks)? Ryan |
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Post by tallanent on Apr 13, 2018 2:30:48 GMT
The basic new starter course was about 2 weeks (circa 1970) and I would suspect that this was the same when the Schools first started in 1920 ...
Once this was done and work place experience gained then further courses would expand on the knowledge as required for the grade and the job ...
These additional courses would in general be about a week ... with the PHG (Postman Higher Grade) being longer ... 14 - 21 days
Allan
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Post by tallanent on Apr 13, 2018 19:46:53 GMT
Today I had contact from another collector wanting an opinion on some items .... Most were OK and some were very very good - however there was one item that fits this thread given what I posted above ...  Sorry about the difference in size of the stamps - it was made by pasting existing scans ... On the left is a genuine overprint - note the thinner lettering On the right is a forgery - Thicker lettering in the wrong colour In the centre is the forgery in black ... Note mainly the H of SCHOOL and the M in SPECIMEN There are a number of other points - but these can probably be seen Buyers of this material beware --- the forgeries are out there in black |
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