The superb feature of Freeman and White are the amazing number of clear real cancel photos of the many sub types of each numeral. And precise date ranges recorded.
Both an understandable major weakness of Purves and earlier pioneer works. 
The superb and massive Freeman 'Numeral Cancels Of Victoria' Book $A150As members know my long time mantra is
"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"Well here is a book
EVERY member should have. Spot a scarce numeral cancel on a common 1d stamp like the one at base of this post, just ONCE in your lifetime, and you'll pay for this book MANY times over, on that ONE stamp!
I use this book ALL the time. It is a SUPERB work.
It could not be more highly recommended by me. BRAND new hard cover book .. and at issue price, in dust cover. 420 pages hard cover, in dust jacket.
They list all the Vic number cancels recorded on Roos and KGV heads. (There are more than you imagine .. and most were done against instructions!)
They lists all the COLOUR strikes of these cancels when known and when used.
I've seen these already get
$250 at public auction .. indeed one generously offered earlier year for the Burma Fund here by
GJ50 got
$A225 Due to a very lucky buy, I have SIX copies to sell at the issue price of near 5 years ago .. of $150 plus post! A SUPERB gift if you want to hint at the rellies for something REALLY nice. 
Order now, and I'll mail now! This book in 5 or 10 years time will be VERY saleable - indeed I can almost bet you'll get well over $150 for it down the track.
History shows all these well written, out of print books on popular subjects, done in limited runs, hold and increase their value.
The much thinner, modern era Robert Gibbs "GRI" book sold for
$A750 at a recent Prestige sale, so superb content hard-cover books in a small print run always do very well long term.
I have sold about 40 of the Arthur Gray "Kangaroos" auction catalogue for $A150 each. On ebay now they get MORE than that. And that was a free auction cat printed in MANY times the numbers this was.
From my review of this superb work when issued -
http://www.glenstephens.com/snjuly04.htmlVictoria Postmark Catalogue
I have not had a chance before to comment on another superb book released in fairly recent times on Victoria State postmarks. "Numeral Cancellations of Victoria" by Hugh Freeman & Geoff White is volume #17 in the superb R.P.S.V. "J.R.W. Purves Memorial Series".
This is a massive and very heavy hardbound book, weighing in at 420 large size A4 pages. It is without doubt in my mind THE most comprehensive and easy to follow book on any of the state's postmarks. Bill Purves would indeed by immensely proud to see this issued in "his" series.
For any reader looking for an exciting new challenge this is one to take up. These postmarks are found in 99% of cases on cheap letter rate stamps. They also are widely found on Australian Kangaroo and KGV stamps up until 1917, when the PO reprimanded Postmasters (again) for still using them but they were in fact used right up until 1935. Many common Victoria 1d stamps have cancels that sell for $100s - indeed $1000s.
This "1432" was invoiced for over $2,000 at the Phoenix Auction late 2011. Another 1d stamp with scarce cancel sold for $1500.
One find like those, once in your lifetime, and you could buy an entire suitcase of these books!
Value of either without those cancels - about 2¢!
Victoria issued 2100 numeral postmarkers, between #1 (Melbourne) and #2100 (King Valley - issued November 1906). Of these 2100 numbers - despite an army of collectors scouring the earth over several generations - some 74 different numbers have never been sighted.
Many numbers of course exist in a myriad of styles, variants, designs and sub-types. All are clearly illustrated and rarity rated in this book. Even some from Melbourne #1 that most of us would regard as "common as muck are rated "RRRR" as they are unusual designs or sub-types.
Hugh Freeman certainly has had a mass of material to sift through in his decades long search. I first met him 25 years back when he ran Status Stamp Auctions along with Barry Cooper.
He had owned Auctions in Sydney well before that time as well. Hugh later went on to manage Stanley Gibbons Auctions in Australia for many years, and still calls their public auctions.
Despite handling probably many millions of stamps from Victoria the fact 74 numbers still are unseen to Hugh Freeman and other specialists offers a challenge to all readers of this article.
Hugh used to run large ads in overseas magazines advertising to buy the elusive numerals he still sought. I recall seeing his ads in Stanley Gibbons Part 1 catalogues for this material.
This book illustrates around 2000 actual cancels on stamps and covers - not drawings as other state handbooks have used. The central section is in full colour.
Reproduction quality of illustrations is quite superb, and the detail and background to the listings is exhaustive. All cancels are rated in 8 specific rarity classes - or "non-rated" meaning they are reasonably to very common.
The book also rarity rates and illustrates the earlier "Butterfly" and "Barred Oval" cancels - also a very useful data base on it own.
EVERY dealer in the world should own this book, and it goes without saying ALL collectors of Victoria need to have one too. Stumble across even one half decent cancel in your lifetime and it is more than paid for.
The hard-bound A4 book comprises over 420 pages, with eight colour plates. Price is $A150.
Remember, adding another lot of mine here (or on website) for sale in general
adds ZERO to your shipping cost, so have a good look at what is on offer here in case something else appeals:
http://www.stampboards.com/viewforum.php?f=27All payment details are on - http://www.glenstephens.com/payment.html
Call it "Freeman Victoria - Stock 693WC" and please order via:
http://www.glenstephens.com/order.htmlMONEY BACK GUARANTEE - don't like it - mail it back within 48 hours of receiving it. No-one ever has yet.
- and "lay-by/layaway" is always possible - email me with any queries to glen [at] glenstephens.com
All stampboard lots under $A200 are mailed Unreg'd as delivery problems are near nil. If Reg'd required,
STATE that on order form - cost is extra $4 local, and minimum $13 foreign.
And many similar mouth watering NETT price offers are being loaded weekly onto -
http://www.glenstephens.com/rarity.html and
http://www.glenstephens.com/specials.htmlAnd remember - I use a
PAPER based credit card transaction system as I am too lazy to get a machine. In general, you will almost certainly be charged
weeks after you get the goods, as I do such boring things in large batches "when I get time".
For members who make a BANK TRANSFER payment you WILL generally get your goods faster as it saves me some hassle. ==================
November 2009 Update - My current
'Stamp News' column and reviews on the superb books on the postmarks of Victoria
and Queensland have created a STAMPEDE of orders!
Collectors and dealers worldwide have lined up for these. Find ONE better type numeral cancel on a common 1d state stamp, or 1d KGV or 1d Roo just ONCE in your life, and you'll pay for each book TWICE or TREBLE over. True
I have stock of BOTH books ON HAND now, ready to ship anywhere. I doubt ANY dealer anywhere on earth can say that. If you buy both books together, the shipping cost is near the same as for one.
I am offering both at ISSUE PRICE - NO MARK-UP. History shows such superb books sell out and INCREASE in value. My credo for decades has been "Knowledge Is Power" and I URGE all readers to buy these kind of superb tomes.
EVERY dealer and auction should have a set, for sure. More detail on both books here
http://www.glenstephens.com/snoctober09.html And even more info on these superb Books is here
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13912http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9696Order BOTH the Victoria and Queensland books together, and your post cost generally is the same or similar than if you buy one. If you need one, you need the OTHER, let's face it!
Your cost is at or below ISSUE price on both .. you will never see a better price deal. "Knowledge Is Power" as I've typed 1000 times over 30 years .. and
no reference books = no knowledge in this hobby. 
Glen
Nov 2011 update -
Discount offer for 2 or more of these superb hard cover books on VICTORIA for all new orders after this post. "Knowledge Is Power" - as I never cease typing - and these 3 massive books give you that knowledge. YES they are pricey, but with Victoria numeral cancels on common 1d red QV's now getting over $2,000 at auction, NOT owning these is costing you money and enjoyment.
There 3 books are written by 3 world acknowledged leaders in their field. You are buying 150 years of knowledge and study here.
The truth is, it takes me as long to carefully pack 1 book, as 2 or 3. And POSTAGE within Australia on 3 copes is generally identical as for 1 copy. So you save big time on shipping buying 2 or 3 volumes.
Here are the offers below - they are already discounted but take them all, and save $25 more - a review of each book are on the relevant links.
All these books I have seen get higher prices than my asking price at Auction.
All are BRAND NEW AND PERFECT in colour dust sleeves, as I sourced an original holding.
Buy any TWO of these superb books at once, and deduct another $A15. Buy any THREE and deduct $25 total. Buy any FOUR and deduct $A35.
Shipping cost is often around the SAME in Australia for 1 - or 3 or 4 or 5 books! LayBy/Layaway is of course always available on all my stock. ALL are in stock here and now - NO other dealer in the country has stock of all 5.
Geoff Kellow - the superb "The Stamps Of Victoria" Retail $165. Discounted to $A150
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=32599 (Stock code 842FQ)
The superb and huge Hugh Freeman "Numeral Cancels Of Victoria" Book. $A150
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9696 (Stock code 693WC)
Barwis "Half Lengths Of Victoria" a MAGNIFICENT hard back book - discount Retail $A175
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=29922 (Stock code 263TL)
Bernie Manning - “(Vol 1) Queensland - The Numeral Cancellations” – Retail $A150
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13912 (Stock code 582QL)
Bernie Manning – “(Vol 2) Queensland - The Town Circular Datestamps” – Retail $A150
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=27777 (Stock code 582QM)
Or, add $A40 for a high rez CD Rom copy of the huge new Hugh Freeman “The Numeral Cancellations of New South Wales” : http://www.glenstephens.com/snoctober12.html - (Stock code 637KT)
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