Welcome! You are visitor
Click To Go Back To The Main
Welcome! You are visitor to www.GlenStephens.com
Glen Stephens
Monthly "Stamp
News"
Market Tipster Column
Know your varieties
|
The one thing all dealers and collectors dream of doing
is stumbling across a juicy error among their duplicates
or cheap material - not previously noticed by others.
I very often find things worth 3 figures among
apparent total junk, simply as I have an eagle eye.
I certainly have uncovered several 4 figure items over
the years, and even a few 5 figure candidates, and it
all comes down to being observant.
One thing I always look for when looking at any
Australia KGV Head ½d green stamp is the "Thin Fraction
at Right" variety.
This stamp comes in only two watermarks. The 1914
Single Watermark (SG 20) and the 1918 Large Multiple
watermark. (SG 48) Both stamps mint or used are very
inexpensive as you can see in any catalogue or dealer
list.
This "Thin Fraction" error has been priced in Stanley
Gibbons catalogues for 80 years, but until VERY recently
there had never been a photo of what it looked like. So
most folks just stared at the stamp and IMAGINED the
right hand numeral on the one stamp they owned was
indeed slightly "thinner".
It is simple to pick this error once you have seen a
reference copy. The right hand "1" is MUCH thinner than
the left hand one.
However over the years I have seen dozens if not
hundreds written up on album pages, or mailed in to me
for purchase as being this "error" - when they
most certainly were not!
I think it is true that if you stare at anything long
enough WISHING it were what you hoped it is, that you
often convince yourself it is something it is not.
Stare at a lot of 4d orange KGV heads and you may well
convince yourself one of them is a lemon-yellow - when
it is no such thing.
Legions of dreamers have stared at a 1955/58 GB Castle
set and convinced themselves it was the fist De La Rue,
and not the far cheaper Waterlow! Or likewise the
GB 1959/68 issue and decided the common BW print was in
fact De La Rue etc.
Stare for long enough at a common Australian 1d red SG
49/50 1d Large Multiple watermark KGV, and you may well
decide it is a Deep Red or a Deep Carmine - both worth
$100s even used.
The same is true of countless stamps from a range of
countries where one subtle shade variation or plate flaw
makes it valuable. It is almost self-hypnotism.
|
eBay 'Experts'
|
Sadly in this era of eBay and Trade Me etc, where every
daydreaming idiot with a keyboard is a "stamp expert",
such non-existent "varieties" and "rarities" clog many
of the listing sections.
And an equally large number of idiots with credit cards
and PayPal accounts gleefully purchase this mis-described
and over-priced junk and salt it away.
Or as often as not, buys material at 5 or 10 times what
anyone in their right mind who buys a stamp magazine or
stamp catalogue would pay.
As I typed this article on August 24 I noticed on Trade
Me web auction a sheet of 100 mint of the common 1970
10¢ horse stamp had sold for $NZ417 - lot
67254125. There were 51 bids on it and it started at
$1. This is SG 913 and sells anywhere on earth for a
few cents apiece.
I phoned leading NZ dealer Don White owner of Dunedin
Stamp Centre and asked why it got such a huge price.
He laughed when he looked up the lot and said:
"I'll sell as many sheets of 100, to any of your
readers who wants them, for $NZ60 each!"
The old phrase "a fool and his money are soon
parted" comes to mind very often when I look at
on-line stamp auction results like this one.
|
Popular Error
|
Back to the topic at hand! The KGV head "Thin Fraction" error has
always been popular.
Even on the Large Multiple watermark (SG 48) where it is fairly
commonly found, it gets about $A100 either mint or used.
The 1914 Single Watermark version of this error is quite another
ball game altogether. You have a very LARGE four figure sum in
store for that watermark if you find one - mint or used.
|
A $25,000 stamp.
|
Check the photo nearby. It shows this error
wonderfully, and it is on the scarce Single
Watermark printing.
The example illustrated as you will surely agree is
a delightful looking stamp. Error or no error.
Centring and appearance you really could not improve
upon.
I saw it on Melbourne dealer Michael Eastick's
website today and it really took my eye. It comes
with an independent Certificate of Authenticity.
Our American friends who are obsessed with numerical
stamp grading would I am sure agree this is getting
as close to 100 out of 100 as you'll get on a KGV
head stamp.
It is not cheap of course at $A25,000, as only a
few mint copies exist, but it must surely be the
finest looking of those that survive, and this is
the grade all savvy collectors or dealers dream of
obtaining all their stamps in today.
Best of all for those reading this column to learn
something new, the photo shows the error very
clearly.
Your right hand "1" must be a LOT thinner than the
left one.
Happy hunting ..... both the normal ½d greens are
very common stamps either mint or used, and I am
convinced some are yet to be discovered showing this
variety.
Let me know if you locate one, and I'll update
readers and catalogue editors.
|
Maori Forgeries
|
What appear to be forgeries of New Zealand’s unissued Maori Performing Arts stamps were recently offered on two New Zealand Internet auction sites. The original stamp set was to be issued to highlight Maori Performing Arts - or "Kapa Haka". There were 5 stamps in the planned set - 45¢, 90¢, $1.35, $1.50 and $2 values. They were printed in the usual sheet form, and the letter rate 45¢ was also printed in self adhesive format in rolls of 100, and in booklets of 10. New Zealand Post pulled this planned Maori Performing Arts stamps three days before their scheduled June 7 2006 issue date because it was thought that the cartoon-style designs might cause offense.
|
Paste-up
|
See my column last month for more detail. Fakes were quick to appear. The forged stamps were withdrawn from the auction sites before they were sold. What looked like the 90¢ stamp on piece from the set of five was offered on New Zealand’s Trade Me auction site in July. This site, at www.trademe.co.nz is as strong or stronger in NZ than eBay is in the United States. Dealers complained that the 90¢ stamp looked like a fake, so it was withdrawn from auction. Another "stamp", also
presumably a fake, was offered on Zillion, another New Zealand online
auction site located at Richard MacLean, New Zealand Post spokesman, said that the stamps offered on Trade Me and Zillion were not genuine. "Basically they are fakes. We don’t have them in front of us, but looking at the images on the web sites, they don’t appear to be real," he said. At least two commercially used covers bearing fakes also are known. One was mailed to the " Captain Coqk" stamp journal of the Christchurch Philatelic Society.
|
Fake on cover.
|
Another cover was mailed to stamp dealer Stephen McLachlan in Christchurch. That cover bears a forgery of the $1.50 denomination with an August 4th Auckland cancel. The fake stamp and cancel from that cover are shown nearby. The forgery was apparently made by adding fake perforations to a colour illustration of the withdrawn stamps. The illustration was from a pre-release folder produced by New Zealand Post to announce the stamps. This forgery then was neatly glued on top of a genuine postage stamp. The perforation mismatch can be seen on the left hand side of the stamp on the close-up illustrated nearby. |
|
Whodunit?
|
I believe I know the identity of the person associated with creating these fakes offered on the auction sites, and the fake illustrated on the cover above, and the one mailed to the stamp journal. He is a well known character on the New Zealand and local scene and despite being behind some clever "locals" and "Cinderellas" over past decades, has made a total nuisance of himself here in my view. New Zealand Post reported that human error led to some genuine stamps being sold and mailed to eight mail-order customers before the issue date. New Zealand Post claims they asked the eight customers to whom the stamps were sold and mailed to please return them for refund. I have been advised by a well-informed trade source that at least two customers did, but many of the stamps are still quite legally in the hands of the purchasers. According to information on New Zealand Post’s web site, a total of 480 stamps were sold. Most of them are in full sets of 5 mint. As of end August as this is written, no genuine stamps had surfaced on the market from the reports I have heard. Also as I write this, NZ Post STILL have not informed the market as to how many of these 480 "un-issued" stamps were returned to them by buyers. The New Zealand Stamp Dealers' Association will hopefully keep on asking for that detail to be officially released. I'd be delighted to hear when it is. This story is not complete until we receive that very important information, and the market remains partially in the dark until we do. |
Sold at auction
| However, several of the 48 blank first-day envelopes mailed out by NP Post have been offered on the two aforementioned Internet auction sites. One of these envelopes shown nearby sold July 24 on Zillion for NZ$52.51. |
Sale cancelled
|
I contacted the Taranaki based seller, member name "xxxoliviaxxx," who told me that Trade Me eventually refused to allow the blank envelopes to be offered on its site, and cancelled her later auctions offering them. Olivia told me they said: "they do not want that kind of thing sold on there (sic) site." She sold one for $NZ7, and another for $NZ25 on that site. Then Olivia received this email from the auction site re a further current listing: "Your listing for MAORI PERFORMING ARTS NZ POST FIRST DAY COVER 2006 - Listing no. 60240433 - has been withdrawn. Unfortunately the listing above does not comply with the Trade Me terms and conditions, and the product is not permitted to be sold on Trade Me." Interestingly, Olivia also told me she had received no request from anyone at NZ Post to return the 10 blank FDC's that she had ordered, paid for and received. This seems to be at odds with the NZ Post statement above. Several blank FDC's were sold on the Zillion website. At web prices ranging for $US7 to $NZ52.51 each I'd imagine they will all turn out to be very astute buys for those who secured them. The buyer of the blank cover - "kezza28" from Canterbury NZ told me she was delighted with her purchase saying: "there sure are a few bargains on Zillion as people don’t yet know it exists." That buyer Kerry Khokhar kindly scanned the blank FDC she purchased, and it is illustrated nearby. Rather bizarrely, the NZ dealer who stirred the pot and precipitated the PO to withdraw the stamp issue was a bidder on these lots at Auction. Rotorua based dealer Donald Ion - who labelled the stamps as "disgusting" in the mass media - was clearly not averse in trying to buy them later. His user name on Trade Me is "donaldo" and I am advised he had active bids on the forged stamp on piece before it was withdrawn. His user name on Zillion is "donaldon" and he was an under-bidder on the blank FDC bought by "kezza28". |
$5,000 a set
|
I have spoken to many leading dealers in New Zealand and general speculation is that a mint set of five un-issued stamps would sell for about NZ$5,000. I honestly think that they are worth two to three times that amount. As outlined last month the recent sale of a very similar modern German issue depicting Audrey Hepburn is very relevant as the stories are rather similar. It sold at auction
in October 5-8, 2005 in Dusseldorf for
169,000 Euro (=$A272,000).
|
Economy Air Ends
|
Sadly, with little or no fanfare, Australia Post
quietly abolished the overseas "Economy Air" service on September 4
along with introducing the new higher postage rates.
For many collectors and dealers (and recipients) this
will increase shipping costs dramatically on parcels to Europe and
North America. Now there is Air Mail and Sea Mail and nothing else.
|
Farewell Old Friend
|
STOP PRESS - I believe I am the first stamp dealer in the world, outside of New Zealand to offer this item.The un-issued 45¢ "Poi" Maori dancer self-adhesive booklet stamp. I have ten (10) copies of this stamp - and that is it. This is around 10% of the copies that exist worldwide. FAST ordering is recommended as when they are gone, they can't be replaced.Price is $A2,275 a single self-adhesive neatly cut from the block, or $A4,475 a horizontal pair, which as you can see looks superb, or $A8,750 a block of 4 - if a block is still intact of course when you order! (A block of 4 is a booklet pane - each booklet has 2 panes of 4, and a pair.) Or the complete booklet of 10 for $A22,500.These figures are in line with (or lower than) NZ retail which is getting higher each month as supply rapidly shrinks, and news of their existence slowly spreads overseas. And the NZ dollar has strengthened a lot against $A in recent months.(I also have several full sets of 5 for sale MUH at $A13,500 a set.)If you buy them off me as an Australian resident, you avoid a certain 10% GST impost upon arrival as a highly insured item, and the nasty new 3-4% "currency surcharge" + bad exchange rate your credit card bank will certainly levy.Far more details here:
|
|
Instant
Currency Conversion
FREE!
Just click here...
see exactly what my lots cost in your currency.
If you would like to be notified of updates to this website, Click HERE.
If have any questions,
I am a Member Of
 |
 |
 |
 |
Full Time Stamp Dealer in Australia for over 25 years.
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Time and Temp in Sunny Sydney! |
GLEN $TEPHEN$ Full Time Stamp Dealer in Australia for over 25 years.
Life Member - American Stamp
Dealers' Association. (New York)
Also Member - Philatelic Traders' Society. (London) ANDA. (Melbourne) American Philatelic Society, etc
"Lothlórien4 The
Tor Walk, CASTLECRAG (Sydney), N.S.W. 2068 |
Click here to see MANY 1000s of stamp lots for sale at low $A Nett prices
Click here for all you need to know re SELLING your stamps for SPOT CASH
Click here for the current Monthly "Internet Only" special offers - CHEAP!
to read all my recent International stamp magazine articles. Click here to get back to the main www.GlenStephens.com HomepageClick here to ORDER on-line ANY items from ANY of my dozens of lists
Click for all info on Conditions Of Sale, Payments, Shipping, Returns &c
Click here for the complete library of my very unusual world travels!
How to PAY me. I accept EVERYTHING - even blankets and axes and beads!
Australia Post Annual YEAR BOOKS - massive stock - '27% off' discount offer today!
Instant Currency Conversion
FREE! Just click
here...
E-mail me at glen@glenstephens.com -
Every credit card shown is
accepted WITHOUT fee.
Earn Frequent Flier points while buying at bargain prices!
ALL prices are in weak Ozzie Dollars. I charge NO nasty, nasty
"Buyer's Commission" on stamps like nearly every "Auction" does.
