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Do you collect Australian stamps with tabs?

What is a Tab?

A Tab is an extra piece attached to a stamp containing text and/or graphics. Tabs may be joined to the stamp with or without perforations. If the tab is joined without perforations it is known as an integrated tab. A stamp with a tab that has a customer’s photo or image printed on the tab is known as a Personalised Stamp or P-stamp. If the tab contains a photo it is often referred to as a “photo tab”. Occasionally Australia Post issues tabs with a ‘generic’ photo. These stamps and tabs are not P-stamps. They are usually issued in Special Event Sheets or Snapshot! Booklets.

Sources of stamps with tabs include:

Souvenir Stamp Sheets (SSS)
Special Event Sheets (SES)
Prestige Booklet pages
Snapshot! Booklet pages
Personalised Stamp (P-Stamp) sheets

Here are some resources you may find useful:

1. http://www.smilers-info.com
Ridgewood Stamp Sheets has a 487 page list of the above Australian sources of stamps with tabs. This is the most comprehensive list available. If you have a sheet or page not shown please send it to Graham Howard at Ridgewood and he will add it to the listing.

2. http://www.asv.net.au/catalogue.htm
The ASV Catalogue lists decimal stamp variations with tabs from 1966 to 2010. The list only includes those related to a stamp issue that were released at or about the same time as the sheet stamps. Stamps with tabs that contained a new variation such as a different perforation or layout from the original issue are also included.

3. http://www.asv.net.au/information/P-stampList.pdf
The ASV website has a list of all P-Stamps released from 1999 to 2010. Significant dates related to Tabs and P-Stamps are at the bottom of the list.

4. http://www.asv.net.au/PstampAlbum.htm
The ASV on-line album of scarce self-adhesive P-Stamps from 2005 to 2010.



If you know of any other resources to help the Australian tab collector please reply to this post.
David

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Author of the Australian Stamp Variations Catalogue.
Visit my website for interesting information and stamp variations for sale. http://www.asv.net.au

Stamps with tabs also exist from regular sheets - the UN 50th anniversary issue comes to mind.

Many printed catalogues mention whether a stamp is issued with a tab - Scott, Michel and ACSC specifically mention these, with ACSC distinguishing between personalised and ordinary tabs, and Scott and Michel assigning separate catalogue numbers to self-adhesive personalised stamps (they the stamp and tab as an entire stamp). SG does mention them, but at times inconsistently.

Also, don't forget Stampboards member Justin has a fantastic listing here at:
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=26330

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Chris de Haer
Author of 'A Closer Look at Modern Australian Stamps' in Stamp News Australia.
Latest news on my blog http://stamps.chrisdehaer.com.au Follow me on Facebook twitter.com/stampchris