1931-1936 KGV 1/4d 1Shilling 4 Pence Blue Type 6 Watermark

When trying to identify the KGV and Kangaroo stamps of pre-decimal Australian stamps, the watermarks are the clear identifying feature and can close the gap for the date of the stamp.

I had in my store a lovely example of the KGV Blue/Green 1 shilling 4 pence stamp, cancelled but off paper. I was able to more clearly identify it via its watermark. There is another article about watermarks later in this blog. For me they are quite tricky to remember and they are referred to differently in the philatetic world I have found. Some people follow Stanley Gibbons and others standard guides available worldwide.

In my experience it’s always best to take a clear photo of the watermark so the buyer can see for themselves exactly what watermark is on the stamp.

I use the lighter fluid method when I can’t clearly see the watermark via sunlight. One day I will have one of those fancy microscope red light appliances, but until then I make do with the basics.

At the time of writing catalogue value for this stamp was $20.00 but I usually list them at half that for a quick sale, unless I have a very, very good specimen. The one I had was average with an incomplete cancel. See below.

As I’ve mentioned it is my goal to become an expert in KGV stamps of Australia and honestly, I don’t think I’m going to live long enough to get there because there is always so much more to learn about these stamps.

Errors

As with all KGV stamps there are printing erros which have been identified as variations in the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue. However, because not as many of these stamps were produced given the denomination, these errors are considered more collectible.

Variations

Colour is the main variation as well as perforations. The stamp is classified as blue but many of the examples tend to be blue/green and varying shades of this.

Collectability

This stamp is sought after to complete the collection of KGV enthusiasists and most want a good mint and a good used/cancelled stamp. As there were not as many printed they can be contested over by collectors.