Adoption Of The Victorian Designs.

The Government appointed a Board of Experts in 1907 to consider and report on the best methods to be adopted to ensure a suitable issue of uniform postage stamps for Australia.

One of the recommendations of the Board was that the two different series of postage due stamps then currently in use should be replaced by a single uniform series. This recommendation was approved but because a Royal Commission was appointed about this time to examine the operations of the Post Office, implementation of action regarding postage due stamps was deferred. A contributing factor to further delay was the decision to remove the Stamp Printing Branch of the Postmaster-General's Department from Adelaide where for many years it had printed the postage stamps for use in South Australia.

The removal was completed late in 1908 and early in 1909 it was re-established in Melbourne as the Stamp Printing Branch of the Commonwealth Treasury, with Mr. J.B. Cooke, formerly in charge in Adelaide, as the new officer in charge. In its new situation, the Branch not only continued to print stamps for use in South Australia but took over from the Victorian State Government Printer the responsibility of printing the several stamp series for use in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania.

When it was decided, on 28th April, 1909, that a uniform series of postage due stamps should be issued, it was also agreed to adopt the design of the Victorian series as a basis. The reason for this course was that the production of a new series on the Victorian model would represent a much easier task than would the preparation of a series in an entirely new design. Apart from considerations of denomination, the conversion of the Victorian series required merely the provision of one or more frame plates with "AUSTRALIA" in lieu of "VICTORIA". The appropriate instructions were conveyed to the Commonwealth Stamp Printer late in May 1909 and he was able to advise, very quickly, that the series would be ready about the end of June 1909.

It had been decided that the range of values in the uniform series should comprise the following:-

½d., 1d., 2d., 3d., 4d., 6d., 1/-, 2/-, 5/-, 10/-, £1

As 3d., 10/- and £1 stamps had not previously been included in any of the Victorian postage due series, it was necessary to prepare the further new dies and centre plates for these three stamps.

The production of the stamps followed the method previously employed for the Victorian series. The current type of ungummed paper, watermarked double-lined A, was employed and the sheets were then gummed on the premises following printing. Apart from some variations in the color of the gum, the several printings resulted in some color shades. Additionally, different perforation heads were employed. The issue of stamps of this series was commenced in July 1909 and was completed in respect of all denominations by the end of the year.

It is of interest that when the range of values was being determined in 1909, it was decided not to include 5d. and 10d. stamps, although these had been in earlier series. The question of providing 5d. and 10d. stamps was again considered in September 1909 when it was confirmed that there would be little or no use for such denominations. Unfortunately, the Commonwealth Stamp Printer had gained the impression that 5d. and 10d. stamps were to be provided and in February 1910 made printings of each. The stamps were never issued. The whole of the printings were held in store for ten years and were finally destroyed in 1920, except for one sheet of each, included in the official collection. The plates were destroyed in January, 1922.

Sixth Series 1909-11 (Fig. 15).

Letterpress-printed on paper watermarked as Fig-6. Rose carmine (centre) and yellow-green (frame).

(a)        Perf. 11:           6d.

(b)        Perf. 12 x 12½:1d., 2d., 3d., 4d., 6d., 1/-, 2/-, 5/-, 10/-, £,1.

(c)        Perf. 12½: 1d., 2d., 4d

Important major varieties of the 1d. and 2d. stamps of the 1909 series came about in 1911, when new centre printing plates were brought into use. Prior to making the new plates, the original 1d. die was slightly modified and an apparently new 2d. die provided.

With regard to the 1d. the most marked difference is that in the original (Die 1), the outer red frameline of the tablet is continuous while in the modified form a break of about ¾mm  occurs at the top of the vertical frame at the left. The main feature of the modified 2d. die is that the tail of the figure "2" cuts into the solid color behind the figure. This effect is absent in Die 1.

The new 1d. and 2d. plates entirely supplanted the earlier plates and were to continue in use for many years. Printings were initially in the same colors as before and on the same paper, gummed after printing with a heavy, yellowish gum. The 1d. is known with three different perforations: (a) 11, (b) 12 x 12½ and (c) 12½. The 2d. occurred perforated 12 x 12½ only.

Seventh Series.

During 1911, it was decided that new supplies of paper should be imported ready gummed, thus reducing considerably the amount of work at the Stamp Printing Branch, which hitherto had to hand-gum the sheets after printing. This paper came to be used extensively for the printing of the various postage stamp series and was first introduced for postage due stamps in 1912. The new paper was of thinner texture than that used previously, and was supplied with a smooth white gum very different in appearance to that applied locally to earlier printings. The form of watermark of this paper remained as before. An unusual feature was that the paper was continued in use beyond the introduction of the uniform postage stamps for the Commonwealth. Distinctively different watermarked papers were introduced for the Kangaroo and Map and King George V side face issues but the postage due stamps continued to appear on the earlier paper, so characteristic of the period before the uniform stamp series, until after the end of the first World War, by which time supplies had become exhausted. This long usage was due to the fact that the annual consumption of postage due stamps was very small, as compared with postage stamps. During and immediately after the first World War period ink supplies differed considerably, resulting in marked shade variations occurring in different printings. The major forms of these have been grouped in the subsequent list, although it is to be noted that the names adopted do not necessarily accord with those shown in some catalogue lists.

The introduction of new perforation gauges in connection with the uniform postage stamp series was also reflected in the postage dues. Late in 1918, the undivided plate arrangement of 120 subjects (12 x 10) was modified to produce sheets of stamps in two vertical panes each 6 x 10. While this new form was at first limited to a few values, it was subsequently extended to embrace all stamps of the series.

Due to unequal usage of printed stocks, stamps of the several groups of this series, distinguishable by shade and perforation variations, sometimes came into use years after they had actually been printed.

Seventh Series 1912-23 (Fig. 15).

Letterpress-printed on thin ready-gummed paper watermarked as Fig. 6.

(i)         1912    perf. 12½

½d. scarlet and pale yellow-green

(ii)        1913-5 perf. 11:

½d. rose carmine and apple-green

1d. rose carmine and apple-green

(iii)       1915-23 perf. 14: scarlet and pale yellow-green 1d., 2d., 1/-, 10/-, ?1

(iv)       1916    perf. 14: ½d. rose carmine and apple-green

(v)        1918-21 perf. 14:

carmine and apple-green

½d., 1d., 2d., 3d., 4d.

(to be continued)

Extracted from APO Philatelic Bulletin 68, October 1964