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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

TASMANIA 1853-1856

(Also called VAN DIEMENS LAND)

Return To Catalogue - Tasmania 1857-1891 - Tasmania 1892-1900 and miscellaneous - Australia

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1853 Queen Victoria, inscription "VAN DIEMENS LAND", queen facing to the right, imperforated, different frames, so-called 'Couriers'

  1 p blue
  4 p orange

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Reprints:

(Reprints of the 1 p and 4 p stamps with defacing lines)

I've seen a whole sheet of the 1 p reprints consisting of four rows of six stamps (24) with the same two (also three) lines through the design. They seem to have been printed from the defaced copper plate on thick wove paper.
A similar reprint (with the defaced plate with lines) exists for the 4 p (see the picture above).

Reprint sheet

Forgeries:

The next 4 p stamps look very suspicious to me, they are most likely forgeries:

The "N' of "DIEMEN" is not broad enough.

The forged numeral cancel "30" in a lozenge with lines around it was also used for a forgery from Newfoundland, Grenada, Bahamas and New South Wales.

Other forgeries with "CORREOS" cancel (possibly a forgery made by Spiro, I have also seen it with other 'Spiro' cancels):

This "CORREOS 7.1.60. II-III" forged cancel, usually appears on forgeries from South America, but I've also seen it on forgeries from Hannover for example. Click here for other forgeries with 'Correos' cancels.

A forgery of the 4 p stamp with "FACSIMILE." overprint (made by Senf):

Senf forgery

A forgery with the lettering too small, note that the "2" above the stamp is also imitated to indicate the sheet position. I've seen it with a "TASMANIA" in between bars cancel.

Another 'reprint'.

This stamp does not look genuine to me (see the weird "M" in "DIEMEN" for example).

The next forgeries of the 1 p were made by Jeffryes:

(Four 1 p forgeries on piece with barred numeral '1' cancel)

Jeffreys also made an engraved forgery of the 4 p value; the ink stands out too clearly, the 'CWC' at the bottom of the neck is too clear. It is also smaller than the genuine stamps. I've seen it with a numeral '75' cancel. Sorry, no picture available yet.

Here another Jeffreys forgery together with some engraved 4 p forgeries (also from Jeffreys?).

(Some primitive 1 p forgeries)

Another forgery with smaller inscriptions (the words don't touch the elliptic lines below and on top of it).

1855 Queen Victoria, inscription "VAN DIEMENS LAND", so-called 'Chalon head' issue

  1 p red
  2 p green
  4 p blue

Perforated

  1 p red
  2 p green
  4 p blue

Example of the watermarks used on these stamps:

Star watermark

Watermark 'Number', '1', used for the 1 p stamp, '2' for the 2 p stamp and '4' for the 4 p.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Many of these stamps are used fiscally. Postally used stamps are in some cases rarer.

Reprints:

Examples:

(Reduced size, reprint on a thick card)

I've also seen reprints of the 2 p green stamp (imperforate without "REPRINT" overprint, and perforated with "REPRINT" overprint)..

Forgeries:

Examples:

Note the "CORREOS 7.1.60. II-III" cancel that can be found on forgeries of many other countries.

Some of these forgeries have a "T" cancel in an ellipse of squares (very similar to the Victoria V cancels); I do not know if such a genuine cancel was ever used. .

These are Oneglia engraved forgeries as listed in The Oneglia Engraved Forgeries by Robson Lowe & Carl Walske (1996). Note the peculiar expression on the face of the Queen.

Some kind of a cut out with a black on yellow 1 p forgery; front and back are shown.

Forgery with very small "VAN DIEMENSLAND"

I have seen an imperforate proof, 1 p red (carmine) on thick paper, no watermark, imperforate with gum added pretending to be an issued stamp.

For Tasmania 1857-1891, click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer