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My GB Line Engraved Collection



I have been collecting Great Britain Line Engraved imperforate stamps, like the ones above, for a number of years now and fairly recently a number of philatelic friends have posed the question (or similar) “what are you going to DO with your collection ?”, meaning when/how are you going to share some of your items.

I do not currently exhibit or display but I do have a virtual representation of my collection and have decided to publicise its existence so that is available for a wider audience.

This initially started with me wanting to view stamps by plate number and also by cancellation at the same time. As it is not possible to have a physical stamp in two places at once, a website seemed a sensible alternative. It also allows me to take my collection with me anywhere whilst the items remain secure.

I know that it is usual for images to be posted on threads here and that external links are frowned upon but it is not practical to display a significant enough proportion of the collection with the narrative/background that each item deserves. I do intend to append images / details of selected new additions and changes made to the site on this thread. So I beg for some leniency from Glen and the Mods in advance on this one.

The collection is hosted at http://www.gbimperf.org

The site is (and always will be) a work in progress so some sections are not complete – some may never be as I am bound to get side-tracked along the way !

Boredom Warning

As my better half continually points out, my collection contains only four different stamps:

1840 1d black
1840 2d blue
1841-53 1d red-brown
1841-53 2d blue

although I am not sure that she actually differentiates between the two type of 2d blues

It is just that it contains quite a lot of each of them, with different plate numbers, different cancellations and a variety of usages. So, some viewers may find it a tad boring.

My interests, just in case this isn’t already a specialised enough collection, are :

1. Stamps cancelled contrary to postal regulations.
2. The transition from red to black ink in the Maltese cross period.
3. The barred numeral cancellations of England (and Wales), Scotland and Ireland.
4. The transition from Maltese cross cancellations to the barred numerals.
5. Specialised usages, for example: redirected mail, registered mail, international mail.

By way of a few tasters, some of the items added recently are shown below.

Four 1d blacks (from a variety of plates) all cancelled with red Maltese crosses showing differing shades of red ink.

Enjoy, and feel free to comment.

Chris.

... and some more recent additions

A cover sent from London to Derby, dated 24 April 1845 with a pair of 1d reds cancelled, contrary to regulations, by a single strike of the London Inland 7 numeral cancellation.



Two 1d reds cancelled with Scottish type numerals:

Plate 54 KE cancelled with 163 Greenock, and Plate 69 RC cancelled with 193 Kelso




A block of four 2d blues (from plate 4) cancelled by indistinct numerals:

London to Berlin, dated 24 January 1854, with [JF-JG, JH-JI, IF-II] two pairs and a strip of four from plate 167 cancelled with a black London numerals (Inland 17).

[IL] plate 77, cancelled with a black Scottish numeral (325 Tobermory) with full deckled edge and inscription in the margin.

[KC-KK] strip of nine, plate 4, cancelled with black London numerals (Inland 17)

Thank you for sharing!!!! A fantastic collection!

_________________
Truth is the daughter of time

[OG] plate 5 in red, from Hayle to Wadebrige, dated 15 July 1841, cancelled with a red Maltese cross (Very late use of the red Maltese cross).

CMJ -

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING

Kind regards from very appreciative
Debbie

Just a word

The word is "WOW"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_________________
When a man comes to me for advice, I find out the kind of advice he wants, and I give it to him

CMJ,

You have a fantastic collection.

I really like how you are displaying your collection on your site. Nice layout.

Thank you so much for sharing.

Bore-ring.

With all the pretty stamps produced by all of the countries today, I can't understand why someone would want to collect the same design printed in a single color. Heck, to tell the plates apart, you even need to get a magnifying glass and lots of reference material.

From the looks of your website, you spend a exorbitant amount of time on the ink smudges applied by underpaid civil servants to obscure the limited design features.

What an absolute waste of time.

Thanks for sharing.
Chip
http://victoria.cgpostal.com

CMJ some great stuff here, I've already emailed the link to a mate who was asking me a couple of days ago for some ideas on how to expand his line engraved and write it up.

One small point the 2d Blue with the "West Bromwich" cancel I think you will find is New Romney and I think the date could be nearer to 1898 than 1858 but its hard to tell from the scans as the year slug is so weak. The style of the cds when used as a canceller rather than a backstamp was used in the 1880's through to the 1st World War, and less frequently right through into the 1960's.

Chipg just been looking at your link and again some great stuff but I have to say your exhibit is ruined by the inclusion of some unsightly large blocks resulting in lots of stamps with the wrong corner letters. You really should cut out the CG stamps from those blocks and strips. If you had a nice block of nine with CG in the centre you could just about get away with cutting the centre stamp out for the main collection and still display the remaining hollow block of 8 suggesting its a CG albino print!!!!!!

Keep up the great work CMJ and Chipg

Best laugh of the day - so far.

Thanks for that.

That will teach me to blindly copy notes onto the website, even when it was my own writing I was copying

I think that one may need to be relegated as, even at 1856, it was borderline for inclusion - my cutoff date is normally 1854 ish.

Chris.

[GA] plate 3 and [EG] plate 90 on piece, cancelled, contrary to regulations, with a single black Scottish numeral (159 Glasgow)

Whilst a single cancellation on a pair of stamps (i.e. still joined) is faily rare, a single cancellation covering two separate stamps is most unusual, especially when they are different values.

This example originated from an envelope sent from Glasgow to Manchester on 24 January 1850. The 2d stamp paid the postage and the extra 1d stamp paid the "late fee" - the envelope was stamped with a "too late" handstamp to show this.

A previous owner decided to clip the pair from the envelope (which was rather tatty) to improve its appearance and I only know this from a description in an auction catalogue.

Chris.

All,

Thank you for the kind words of appreciation.

Here are a few more additions:



1d red [HC] plate 32, cancelled with a black distinctive Maltese cross of Cork

1d red [TJ] plate 123, cancelled with a black London Inland 16 numeral with the full deckled edge of the paper and part of the marginal inscription.

and finally for October...



2d blue [AA] plate 4, cancelled with a green Irish numeral (probably 269 Kilkenny).

Chris.

Hello Chris,

Superb collection!!!

If you ever want to display your collection in public, Derby Philatelic Society would love to see your stamps. We have several members with the same interests.

Cheers

Richard

_________________
DerbyRam
3,399,106,146

I dream that one day I too will have thousands of early Victorian stamps that all look the same, but like a father knows his children I will know each one as a unique individual. I made a good start over the years with SG43 penny red, the one with 4 letters in corner and plate numbers 71-225.

Hi Chris

Thanks for showing. There is no way I would get to see the quality of QV material without your (and others) willingness to show it here.

A few more recent additions to share with you....



[RA-RB] pair, plate 28, cancelled with a single black Maltese cross (Contrary to Regulations)

[TD] plate 131, cancelled with a blue numeral (810 Tring)

[RJ-RK] pair, plate 4, cancelled with black Leeds "Spoons" dated 9 April 1854

Richard,

Not completely beyond the realms of possibility at some point in the future - just not the immediate future. As a gentle introduction to displaying/exhibiting, I have been "persuaded" to enter a frame into the GBPS competition next January - maybe I will get a taste for it.

In the meantime, anyone with the same interests is welcome to have a look at the site.

Chris.

Chris:
I do enjoy your posts with the highlights of your collection.
There is something about each that takes it from the "that's nice" category to the "that's very nice." Whether it's the color, date, style, condition, or whatever, there's always something interesting to look at. Please keep them coming.
Thanks.
Chip

Very true. You have an excellent collection. Thank you for sharing.

_________________
Regards, Jay

You have twisted my arm !

Just a few more to finish of November.



[PK] plate 103, cancelled solely with a black "PD" Paid to Destination.

Very unusual to find this on a stamp at all as these marks were applied to covers to overseas destinations to confirm to the receiving country that there was no additional to pay, i.e. Postage Due. Even more unusual for it to be the only cancellation on the stamp.

[EL] from "black" plate 1b, from Ramelton to London, dated 16 December 1841, cancelled with a blue-green Maltese cross

[KE] plate 24, cancelled solely with ”Poulton Penny Post” in black.

These cancellations were normally over-struck with a Maltese cross (or later a barred numeral) upon arrival at the main Post Office for the area - in this case Preston.

This one was either used on a local letter sent within Poulton (so was not sent to the main office) or missed being properly cancelled.

and finally (for this month) ...



[FE-GF] plate 13, block of four cancelled with black Maltese crosses.

A nice start to the new month and a another example of a "Poulton Penny Post"


1d red [DI] from Poulton to Carlisle, dated 4 April 1845, cancelled first with a Poulton Penny Post in black and then with a black numeral (628 Preston) upon arrival at the main office.

1d red [AD] plate 31, cancelled with a blue Maltese cross in an unusually light shade.

... and a few more more this week



1d red [CL] plate 50, cancelled with a blue numeral (629 Fleetwood)

1d red [FC] plate 123, cancelled with a blue numeral (992 Tidworth)

2d blue [PA-PF] strip of six, plate 4, from Manchester to New York State, dated 31 January 1851, cancelled with black numerals (498 Manchester)
Also has “BR PACKET/16/B/PAID” and “5/CENTS” due handstamps in red

and finally (for this week)



1d red [NE] on mourning envelope from Bray to London, dated 21 November 1851, cancelled with a black Irish numeral (72 Bray)

Last few for this year.



1d red [RC] plate 28, cancelled only with a “More To Pay” Instructional Mark

1d red [HL] from Bridgewater to Wellington, dated 5 August 1847, cancelled with a black numeral (123 Bridgewater)

1d red [DG] plate 55, cancelled only with a "No 1 Penny Post" of Arundel

and finally...



2d blue [HA-JA] vertical marginal strip of three, plate 3, cancelled with black numerals (530 Milnethorpe).

Chris.

Time to post a few new additions, all cancelled with blue ink, to start the New Year off.


1d red [OL] plate 106, cancelled with a blue numeral (340 Harwich)


1d red [LB] plate 144, cancelled with a blue-black numeral (498 Manchester)


1d red [TA] plate 85, cancelled with a blue numeral (794 Watton)

and to stay on the "blue" theme



1d red [KJ] plate 18, cancelled with a blue Maltese cross

A few more, before my biannual trip to the York fair, hopefully realises some more goodies.



1d red [RA] plate 60, cancelled with a black Scottish numeral (13 Arbroath)
From the left hand column in the sheet with the full sheet margin and deckled edge still intact.



1d red [QL] plate 60, cancelled with a black numeral (628 Preston)
From the right hand column in the sheet with the full sheet margin and deckled edge still intact.

whilst we are on a theme of sheet margins:



2d blue [KJ-KL] strip of three, plate 3 , cancelled with black London numerals (Inland 17)
with right hand sheet margin, partial inscription and deckled edge still intact.

1d black [TJ] plate 4, on piece cancelled with brown Maltese crosses of Winchcomb

1d red [OJ] plate 97, sent locally within Abergavenny, dated 16 October 1850, cancelled with a black numeral (1 Abergavenny)

The last few for this month, before I finish scanning a few items picked up at the York fair last week.



1d red [FE-FH] strip of four on piece, plate 75, cancelled with black numerals (23 Whitchurch)

1d red [GC] from Narbeth to Bristol, dated 16 May 1849, cancelled with a green numeral (539 Narbeth)