Philatelic Errors - stamps, covers & FDCs, please show yours

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 05 Jun 2014 21:03

Global Administrator wrote:And a striking error much closer to home, at a rather modest sum, that webmaster added just now to Rarity Page -

Australia 2013 55¢ Christmas stamp “Missing Country Name and Value”: One of the most spectacular modern Decimal errors. This stamp was most attractive with rich foiled Emerald Green and metallic gold. I lightened off the scan to show the missing gold more.

A commercially used single on piece with usual mail centre sorting cancel with MISSING AUSTRALIA – indeed nearly all the “55¢” value is missing too as you can see. So we have “Country and Value Missing”.

Was found by volunteer workers this week at Sammy Stamp Group, sorting donated kiloware for the Uniting Church, and a large part of this price goes direct to them so you get a rare stamp AND assist a worthy Charity! Gold foil embossing is to left and way DOWN to where it should have been.

BigSaint wrote:Glen

Pity the Christmas stamp is not still on the envelope.

I wonder if the sender discovered this error before the rest of the booklet was used or if any of the recipients saw the error?

Brad

Brad, my guess is the average member of the public would not notice or care!

A PO staffer had finished affixing the roll recently and asked me if these were 'anything unusual'!

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 05 Jun 2014 21:36

Glen

I recall when these stamps below came out on booklet. Someone bought a booklet which was blank inside, no printing, just the cuts to peel the stamp from the backing from the Dandenong Post Office.

The person took it back to the counter & complained. Not only did the staff replace the booklet, they allowed the customer to keep the blank. I am not sure how quickly the customer walked to the local stamp dealer or exactly how much "gold" changed hands. However the local dealer went to the Post Office & went through their booklet stock & found 7 more. As there were 10 booklets cut from each sheet there are two that have never been accounted for.

I think you are right very few would notice unless it was extreme like the total missing printing.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Jun 2014 18:11

I can remember the long drive out to Healesville to cancel a truckload of fdcs with their "Emu" postmark:

However I don't have the same recollection of doing two trips to Bentleigh to do the cover below with the last day of the Emu frama & the first day of the Waratah frama:

I think there was a story about the Emu frama paper but I cannot remember it. But as you can see the Emu has changed colour from grey to green

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Jun 2014 18:17

I thought I might add a side by side comparison to better show the colour change:

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 07 Jun 2014 19:15

Correct postmarking by Bentleigh of the Beatification of Mary McKillop pse dated 3rd November 1994:

However Frankston forgot to the change month & incorrectly postmarked this one 3rd October 1994:

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 10 Jun 2014 13:31

Correct postmarking by Southland of the "World Summit on Television & Children" on fdi 9th February 1995:

I am not exactly sure what happened here but I think the Philatelic Bureau sent me this one a week early, so I had it postmarked at my local post office, Pennydale, on 2nd February 1995.

I wonder if any one else did similar?

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 10 Jun 2014 14:21

Birchip, "the Home of the Mallee Bull" Bicentenary Celebrations, a set of 5 souvenir covers dated from 13th April 1995 to 17th April 1995:

13th:

14th:

15th:

16th:

17th:

It would seem that PO was trying to use a different postmark for each day. However why would they use the fdi postmark for the middle day. Some one must have been full of "Mallee Bull"!

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 10 Jun 2014 14:25

Just to add to the previous post, here is the PPE that was overprinted, postmarked on what I believe was the fdi, 4th January 1995:

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 11 Jun 2014 16:38

This cover has 3 Emu Frama's, which were issued on 2nd January 1992, that have been overprinted "Family '94". I have not seen this overprint on a Frama label before. I note that on 14th April 1994 that special postmarks & 3 new stamps were issued for the International Year of the Family. Australian Pictormarks refers to these but there is no reference to the overprinted frama.

Leaving aside that the Emu Frama was issued on 2nd January 1992, & that the overprinted Family '94 may have been released on 14th April 1994, how do we explain how these framas were cancelled with a fdi postmarker for the 50th Anniversary of Victory in Europe & another fdi postmarker that was to be used for the Weary Dunlop PNC cover (the 2nd PNC cover released) that was released on the same day (20th April 1995). The Shrine of Remembrance pictorial postmark which was first used on this day was the only postmark correctly applied on this cover

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 11 Jun 2014 18:16

From memory I was coming back from a day at the races in NSW, when I stopped off at Glenrowan to have the Ned Kelly stamp from the Centenary of Cinema postmarked with the Ned Kelly postmark. Unfortunately this is not first day but I thought it made a nice cover.

First day for the Centenary Of Cinema was 8th June 1995 & following on from that was the Stamp Show in Brisbane from 10th June 1995 to 12th June 1995 where the Cinema was the theme. For the show they produced a special frama:

So I was a little surprised to find this cover, postmarked on 10th August 1995, with 3 of these frama labels, one cancelled with the Townsville pictorial fdi postmark & another cancelled with the Townsville "Peace & Victory" pictorial fdi postmark which was to be used with the Victory in the Pacific stamp issue that was released that day. The Townsville Festival "Lest We Forget" postmark, that was also introduced on this date, is the only postmark on the cover applied correctly.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 11 Jun 2014 18:26

I hadn't seen these "Aeropex" counter printed stamps before which I believe would have been introduced for "Aeropex 94" in Adelaide which was held from the 18th - 20th November 1994.

But like with the previous posting the only correctly postmarked stamp is the one cancelled with the Townsville Festival "Lest We Forget" postmark.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 11 Jun 2014 18:41

The "Glen Huntly" LPO in Glen Huntly Road was in a little hardware shop. I used to go up there to have "Sailing Ship" fdcs cancelled. As well as postal services the LPO was an agent for the Commonwealth Bank. I was very surprised when I found this cover on ebay:

The CDS on the 2nd October 1995 is ok & the first day of use of the ship pictorial on 3rd October 1995 is also correct. In fact the postmaster always used the pictorial postmark to receipt accounts being paid, so perhaps someone tried to make a "last day & first day use" cover. However why did he think he could use a rubber stamp that was used for CBA passbooks on this cover?

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 11 Jun 2014 21:54

This one was a case of out with the old & in with the new:

Above is the "Old" Collingwood pictorial postmark "Collingwood - Home of the Mighty Magpies".

On 23rd April 1996 Australia Post produced a set of stamps for the then 16 clubs with associated pictorial postmarks. The one for Collingwood now reads "Abbotsford Vic 3067 - Home of the Magpies - Collingwood Football Club". It gives the impression Collingwood overnight packed up & moved around corner, when in reality they were still in the same place.

The above is the Collingwood stamp cancelled with the new Collingwood pictorial postmark, available from the Philatelic Bureau. In those days they held a duplicate for most of the pictorial cancels. While below is the one that was actually available from the Abbotsford post office:

The two postmarks are different. The dateline of one from the PB is smaller & boxed while one from the actual PO is larger & unboxed. I have put the postmarks side by side for better comparison.

What I cannot understand is why when two postmarks are made at the same time by the same person why they are not identical

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 12 Jun 2014 14:51

Incorrect usage of the fdi postmark on a pse that was issued on 4th January 1988. You would think a philatelic society would know better.

Brad

stampewok · Post by **stampewok** » 12 Jun 2014 20:57

There is a fascinating book on this subject, published by the French catalogue publishers Yvert & Tellier in 1999, entitled "Guide Mondial des Timbres Errones" or just "Errors on Stamps" in English. It is bi-lingual (English / French) and lists all the design errors known at that time to Y&T researchers - wrong portraits, wrong maps, incorrect inscriptions, political controversies etc, etc - by country in (French) alphabetical order. It's 700+ pages long (735 including the index) and every entry is illustrated with a crisp b&w image of the stamp in question.

Sadly I don't think it's ever been updated but the original (ISBN 2-86814-105-6) is still available on amazon.fr for between 50 - 65 euros...

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 13 Jun 2014 23:48

The New Zealand Post Office makes errors too!

Correctly postmarked:

Postmarked 22 days early:

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 14 Jun 2014 00:00

I am pretty sure that this is the first "branded" fdc produced by cachetmaker "Alpha". This was the business name of Havilah Enterprises, who operated from Gawler SA & later Ballarat Vic. I sometimes refer to these guys as the "Boys From Ballarat". The below Roses fdc is correctly postmarked on first day of issue with nfdi postmarker on 29th January 1997:

Then there is this one that I received in my office mail, postmarked at Shepparton Vic on 2nd January 1997. Having received it early February, it is clear that the postal clerk forgot to change the month from January to February

From the size of the envelope it is probably underpaid too

And a close up:

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 14 Jun 2014 00:21

Alpha fdc for the "Wetland Birds" issue correctly postmarked on first day of issue, 2nd June 1997, with the dual cancels of "Darwin NT" & "Jabiru NT". The "Kakadu National Park - No Swimming" pictorial postmark of Jabiru NT. The way that "Jabiru NT" has been set out on the postmark makes it look like it is "Jabirunt"

Now we all know that Perth is two hours behind the east coast for most of the year except when daylight saving is around & then it's 3 hours behind. Others might jest that they are further behind than that!

Perhaps these covers prove that they are least a day behind

Gummed set postmarked fdi 3rd June 1997:

Peel & Stick set postmarked fdi 3rd June 1997:

Peel & Stick 5 stamp booklet pane postmarked fdi 3rd June 1997:

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 16 Jun 2014 15:14

Not technically an error but it is a good story. The "Boys From Ballarat" overprinted this Hume & Hovell Expedition pse & had a set of 17 towns whose post offices were on the "Hume Highway" postmarked.

Bowning was a bit of challenge for them. When they rang the postmaster at Bowning to arrange the postmarking they were told that Bowning didn't have one a postmark. As a "favour" the postmaster had a single date datestamp made up to postmark these pses.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 16 Jun 2014 15:21

Correctly postmarked pse for the 125th Anniversary of the Overland Telegraph line on fdi, 21st August 1997:

But I am not sure why this one postmarked at Swansea Tasmania was postmarked on 8th August 1997, 13 days early

Brad

King Tut · Post by **King Tut** » 16 Jun 2014 22:44

Hi Brad

I know Australian FDC get a bad rap as serving no purpose, waste of money and time etc, but what you have shown is that they can provide a bit of fun. I enjoyed the thread.

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 17 Jun 2014 02:41

A lovely error I just added to stock at $850.

1979 National Parks 20c Waterfalls IMPERFORATE: 20c Girrawheen National Park Qld, in se-tenant strip of 4 from the left of the sheet, and major error, wide Imperforate at Left.

ACSC 842b, cat $A2,000 - back 12 years back, and clearly far higher today. ACSC states 10 examples were recorded from left side of PO sheet. Fresh MUH, Cat $A2,000.

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 17 Jun 2014 02:44

NORFOLK ISLAND, 1971 Rose Window at St. Barnabas Chapel stamp Proofs: As a dealer for 35 years, I have NEVER even seen a set offered such as this from Norfolk. The spectacular 2002 Stephen Bradford and 2011 Eddie Garrard Norfolk Island collections did NOT have these. Presumed to be from the Printer Archive – Heraclio Fournier, Spain.

I am not aware of any other stamp from Norfolk (or anyone locally) printer by Fournier. Fresh MUH progressive Colour Proofs, on same gummed paper as issued stamp, with matching perforated stamp. A spectacular looking album page. At only $55 each, for almost certainly unique pieces - indeed each is HALF what the AP current PO year book costs! Insane. SG #125. $A500

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 18 Jun 2014 20:34

King Tut wrote:Hi Brad

I know Australian FDC get a bad rap as serving no purpose, waste of money and time etc, but what you have shown is that they can provide a bit of fun. I enjoyed the thread.

King Tut

I am glad you are enjoying them. I have had some fun collecting them too.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 18 Jun 2014 20:41

Correctly postmarked Alpha cachet fdc on 21st April 1998:

I was assured by the "large" public auctioneer that this cover was in his possession before issue date, so I have to take his word on that. Postmarked Springsure Qld on 6th April 1998, 15 days before issue:

Wikipedia says "Springsure is a small town in Queensland, 66 kilometres (41 mi) south of Emerald on the Gregory Highway. It is 765 kilometres (475 mi) northwest of Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Springsure had a population of 829."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springsure,_Queensland

Given it is a small town, maybe it was genuinely used early.

Brad

traralgon3844 · Post by **traralgon3844** » 18 Jun 2014 20:45

Some people may consider this FDC issued on 17/6/14 as an error. Any gueses why?

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 18 Jun 2014 22:44

The "Flying Cloud" from the "Romancing the Sail" issue has been correctly postmarked with this "Polly Woodside" pictorial postmark, having been previously issued on 15th January 1998:

However Bentleigh P O must have thought that a fdi postmarker could be used as it had now been issued in a sheetlet format with printing on the selvedge "Australia 99".

Wrong!

Brad

Justin · Post by **Justin** » 19 Jun 2014 02:46

traralgon3844 wrote:Some people may consider this FDC issued on 17/6/14 as an error. Any gueses why?

Appears to be the last page from the prestige booklet cut down to minisheet size. If I recall it right, according to something I read loooong time ago, the post office considers imperf items to be a single unit that is only postally valid if it remains whole and not something that remains postally valid if its cut up.

Personally, I'd not call it an error - I'd call it damaged, but I know others won't share my opinion.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 19 Jun 2014 23:07

75th Anniversary of Legacy PSE with correct fdi postmarking at Melbourne:

And another from Potts Point showing the El Alamein Fountain, also correctly postmarked:

But it is not clear to me why Ouse in Tassie postmarked this fdi two days after issue

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 19 Jun 2014 23:18

50th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights FDC with correct fdi postmarking at Melbourne:

As this is one of my favourite stamps I thought I would show one correctly postmarked with the matching rose postmark from Benalla:

But unfortunately someone in Sydney incorrectly used the Unicef Postmark dated 8th October 1998 which was two weeks before date of issue

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 20 Jun 2014 14:10

A different type of error this time I think:

This one came my way just recently & I do not want to re-ignite the debate over correct first day of the digital stamp. I think it interesting that the digital is cancelled with the Philatelic Bureau Postmark on the 11th which Aust Post says is the official release date. I am just a bit curious as to when the Philatelic Bureau started working on a Saturday.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 20 Jun 2014 23:47

Correctly postmarked Australia Post fdc for Australian Living Legend "Arthur Boyd", issued on 22nd January 1999:

These "Living Legend's Issues" are always secretive but it appears that someone let the cat of the bag:

This sheetlet was postmarked two days early at Adelaide Airport.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 00:04

Australia 99 was "Philatelic Frenzy". So many things came out on the 19th March 1999. It was my understanding that anything issued at the show was not available at other post offices until the next trading day. As March 19 was a Friday, some post offices were open the next day so they could sell these items on Saturday March 20th but others had to wait till Monday March 22nd.

Australia 99 had a sailing ship theme & these FDC's were available at the show:

Port Melbourne:

Polly Woodside:

Ships Day:

All correctly postmarked. So far so good

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 00:13

But then we go to Bentleigh, where they seem to have been a little bit confused

19th March 1999 fdi:

20th March 1999 fdi:

22nd March 1999 fdi:

So in my opinion the 19th shouldn't exist as it was not available for issue, the 20th shouldn't exist because the post office wasn't open & the 22nd should have been don with the normal daily cds. (But I could be wrong!)

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 00:24

But then there are these:

Glen Huntly:

Williamstown:

Lakes Entrance:

Black Rock:

Well now I am confused, I think!

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 00:33

But then I am not the only one who is confused. These covers cancelled with fdi Show postmarks on 19th March 1999, have stamps from an earlier sailing ship issue, released on 15th January 1998:

The cachet on unbranded Alpha fdc may explain why the confusion:

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 00:44

Here is the Maritime Links between Australia & Canada with first day postmarks from the show, both correct:

But it seems Bentleigh were really confused here:

16th & 19th March, on the one cover & cancelling the Canadian stamp:

22nd March also cancelling the Canadian stamp:

Now I am really confused!

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 00:50

Here is the Maritime Links between Australia & Ireland with first day postmarks from the show, both correct:

Still Bentleigh were really confused here:

19th March cancelling the Irish stamp:

22nd March also cancelling the Irish stamp:

I give up!

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 00:54

We all know that a stamp marked specimen is already cancelled & should not have any other from of cancellation on it. It would appear that the postal staff manning the Tuvulu stand at the Show did not know that

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 01:01

Here is the Tiwi Art frama overprinted for the Show, correctly cancelled on first day of issue:

This one postmarked at Kippa Ring, Qld must have either flown there from the Show, or the postmark back dated. I vote for the back dating.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 22 Jun 2014 01:13

This battered "Wombat" cover I received in the mail with fdi cancel from Jesmond NSW dated 29th March 1999:

Of course the "Wombat" was issued much earlier than this. The one below being cancelled almost 7 years earlier on 13th August 1992:

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 22:33

After all the postmarking errors from day 1 of Australia 99, day 2 I am not sure was any better. Although it had a sailing theme I think it was not really smooth sailing:

Day 2 was Navy Day & this saw the issue of a pse for the "Commissioning of the HMAS Huon" at Australia 99, on Saturday 20th March 1999.

Post Offices not open on the day of issue were under strict instructions not to postmark it prior to 22nd March 1999. Hence it could be said that there were two different days of issue. However whether it correct to use the first day of issue cancel on 22nd March is highly questionable.

Southland Centre above was open 20th March 1999 & Bentleigh below was closed on 20th March 1999.

A friend & I did little bit of running around that Saturday morning.

Brad

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 22:38

Frankston was open, & had been since the Post Office had moved from Playne Street to the then new Quayside Shopping Centre.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 22:41

Black Rock was also open. This was easy to tee up as "Postman Pat" who was the Postal Agent at Cheltenham, his wife was the Postal Agent at Black Rock. So far so good!

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 22:52

Now I am sure you will all have read John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice & Men". The title is taken from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse", which read: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.) and that what happened here:

Oops someone picked up that postmark that was only supposed to used on the 19th at Australia 99.

I don't know where "Aust FPO 4" is, but they didn't know what day it was! Again postmarked one day early.

Much be too much sun in Townsville, also a day early.

Williamstwon also a day early.

This one I found in my travels somewhere with this franking machine cancel also one day early.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 22:56

Although the Commanding Officer of HMAS Cerberus didn't know what day it was, it would appear that the postmaster at HMAS Cerberus did. Although I can't be certain the post office was open on this day because I wrote away for the postmarks & this is what I received.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 22:59

The same applies to these other naval theme postmarks:

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 23:01

And these "Huon" name related postmarks:

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 23:04

Same for this one where I thought they had a Ship postmark for the maritime theme but I received the Fremantle Dockers postmark!

Oh well not so bad, it is kind of related.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 24 Jun 2014 23:09

As the HMAS Huon was built at Newcastle, I thought it was good tie for a postmark:

But was it open on that day?

One day when I retire I might have time to research whether I have early covers, fdcs or day 3 covers!

Brad