Reference materials to help the plater of the 1d redFrom time to time we are asked "what books can you recommend for someone who is interested in plating" – or even someone who is "skilled in the art" etc. We will endeavour to answer this sofaras the 1d red is concerned. A sound start is Stanley Gibbons' Queen Victoria GB Specialised catalogue which contains a wealth of information and 'paints' a good picture of the development of the Line Engraved issues – and, for good measure, a large slice of information regarding the Surface Printed stamps. The catalogue pops up its head every three or four years and the latest edition was published in December 2006 (14th Edition of Vol.1) There are two short articles contained in our web-site www.qvpennies.com which are intended to be helpful to the collector. On the Home Page you will find links to a short "History" of 1d blacks and 1d reds - or take a look at our "Suggested reading list". Most of the information in "History" is contained in the SG QV GB Specialised catalogue, put together in what we feel is a readily acceptable and easily readable form Our "Suggested reading list" refers to books which we have found to be most useful and is well-worth a few moments of examination. (By the way, we do not sell books). The books referred to on the list are generally available from booksellers but one or two of the older publications are out-of-print, but what better than a browse through a second-hand book dealer's shop to try to hunt them down on a rainy afternoon – and most of the books mentioned are referred to in this article, but maybe at a little more in depth. It is an advantage to start at the beginning – as far as the 1d red imperforates are concerned - with the 1d's printed from the "black plates" (1,2,5,8,9,10 and 11) - "Litchfield" or (Percy C.Litchfield to give the author his full name) although entitled "Guidelines to the Penny Black" is a 'must' in this area of both blacks and reds - and is available, having been re-printed recently. If you should decide to purchase a book in Canada or the United States, one of the big American sellers such as Amazon or the like might prove to be a helpful place. "Litchfield" has been re-printed in the UK and is readily available here. In the UK there are many booksellers who supply new books on philately/stamps. The next stage of progression usually is to tackle the range of 1d red imperforate plates 12 to 131 - which takes us to the end of the Alphabet 1 printings. Plate 132 introduced the Alphabet 2 printings. For a time most of the plates from 155 to 177 were issued both imperforate and perforate almost in tandem with each other. This then, allows a natural progression to the perforated issue from then on with the fascinating study (and plating) by use of the type of watermark, the number of perforations and the colour of the paper on which the stamps have been printed. All wonderful stuff, but we must get back to books............... In 1967 The Royal Philatelic Society, London published the Third Edition of a book "The Postage Stamps of Great Britain" Part One by J.B.Seymour and Clive Gardiner Hill. This book which was originally published in 1934 contains a great wealth of useful material from Postal History to the end of the Imperforate era (plate 177). There are many stamps which possess their own unique characteristics – e.g. constant varieties, double letters and re-entries – these are all discussed and, in many instances, illustrated. We would recommend the book very much indeed. It is out of print but second-hand copies can be obtained from book dealers although copies can be a little scarce. H.H.Sales Limited, The Barn, Heaton Royds, Shay Lane, BRADFORD BD9 6SH, UK - are a first-class source of second-hand (and new) books on Philately. If you write or telephone H.H.Sales, you should try to speak to Stephen Holder. His is a nice, friendly little business and yet it is the largest dealer and stockist of philatelic/stamp literature in Great Britain - and regularly offers copies of the above for sale. Telephone 00 44 1274 544446. The book following Part One is "The Postage Stamps of Great Britain" - Part Two published by R.P.S.London in 1962 (revised edition) and written by Dr.W.R.D.Wiggins. It does for the perforated red issues what Part One does for the red imperforate. Once again - this is out of print but available from time to time in auctions and at second-hand bookshops. Both books are well-worth having and should be looked for ! We feel that without doubt the most useful tool which a collector/dealer can use is photographs of the Imprimaturs. These are costly but they are an invaluable tool for the plater. Black and white photographs (24" x 16") of the Imprimatur sheets of 1d black plates 1,2, 3, 5, and 8 and 2d blues plate 3 to 9 and 12 to 15 plus most of the 1d red plates are now available at £31.50 each (as at June 2005) from Postal Heritage Trust, Freeling House, Phoenix Place, , London, WC1X 0DL Tel: (00-44) 020 7239 2577 On rare occasions the sheets can be seen on offer at auction and they are usually snapped up. Perhaps you should keep a weather eye open for such offers if you subscribe to national or local stamp auctions. Please remember, we think that they give the most assistance in plating. The beauty of having the Imprimatur photographs is that the collector is in a position to compare his/her stamps with letter positions and varieties which can be seen on the original stamps when printed. Most of the sheets are missing the odd stamp which had been cut from the original imprimaturs for official use at that time. In addition to the photographs of the Imprimaturs mention must be made regarding two more publications which are a rich alternative and of tremendous value to the collector of the 1d red perforated stamps:- "The Plating of Alphabet II" by Dr. W.R.D.Wiggins is a single volume covering plates 1 to 21 – all stamps within the SG.Spec. number: C3 (SG24-25); C4 (SG21); C5 (SG26) and C6. Photographs of used stamps (in mono collotype) represent the plates but there is no intention to reproduce in detail the minor varieties which exist. "The Plating of Alphabet III" by Dr. W.R.D.Wiggins and G.C.Tonna also consists of a full set of collotype photographs (in 5 volumes) – as close to actual photographic copies as is economically possible, and the comments made here in regard to the Alph II publication apply also to this book. (The range covers plate 22 to R17 and covers SG.Spec. C8, C9, C10 and C11). "The Plating of Alphabet III" also includes the stamps from Alph IV – SG Spec C12 (plates 50 and 51), together with a refugee from Alphabet II – SG Spec C13 (Plates R15 and R16). Both books are intended to assist the collector/dealer as plating aids and as such are truly excellent. "The Plating of Alphabet II" is extremely difficult to obtain, but the 5 volumes of "The Plating of Alph III" are still available from sellers such as H.H.Sales. Next, there are the books written by the late Dr. Kenneth Statham and published by Eric Paul Ltd of Marple, UK "The Essential Guide to Line Engraved 1d and 2d Stars 1840 – 1864" These books constitute a truly magnum opus of particularly useful information for the plater – the result of several years research and dedication - the volumes are released in sets of two with reasonable intervals between each set. 18 volumes have been released, taking us right up to the end of the perforated 1d stars issues and including a final volume on the 2d blue issues. Are the Dr Statham books useful for the plater? Yes; we believe they are worth the money particularly as every stamp possessing a variety is illustrated to some extent and commented upon or noted by the author. We have always preferred to use reference books and the Imprimatur photographs rather than those methods set out in the "Brown Fisher" books ("The Plating of the Penny") as the method used in Fisher is by no means foolproof and relies wholly on a set of measurements of the check letters being carried out – in relation to the corners of the letter squares and so on. It must be said however that many platers 'swear' by this system having used it to their complete satisfaction for many years. Conclusion and recommendationWe recommend the purchase of the Litchfield book for those who wish to plate the early plates of the 1d red and then for the later plates try to obtain "The Postage Stamps of Great Britain" Parts One and Two. For unparalleled detail Ken Statham's books win the day but always keep an eye open for available sheets of the Imprimatur photographs. Much of what has been written in this note regarding certain books refers both to 1d reds and the 2d blue. Literature is always available but occasionally it is necessary to dig around quite a bit. We feel that we have completed the answer to a general question regarding recommended helpful books for plating and do hope that you find the above to be just that i.e.helpful!! It may seem to be a little lengthy but it was necessary in our view. If you wish to come back to us about any point then please do so – we should be pleased to hear from you. Andrew Chappell December 2006 Click on the QV Pennies® logo in the top-left to return to the Home Page.
|
Reference for the Plater |