http://www.stampandcoin.co.uk JANUARY 2016^27Stamp sidelines
Malta’s mechanical failure
Malta’s 1973 definitive series is unremarkable in terms of errors and
varieties, writes Tom Pierron. Most catalogues record just three across
the entire sixteen values. A far cry from the heady 1965-70 series of 21
values with forty-plus major errors and countless more unlisted varieties.
However, there’s more to the 1973 series than catalogues suggest.
One such gem occurs on the 10c Voluntary Service. Examples exist
imperforate to lower margin due to mechanical failure during the
perforating process. It’s very scarce. From pieces to have appeared on
the market – the last of which fetched over £700 plus premiums at
Grosvenor’s September 2014 auction – a plate 1C pane must have
been affected. As panes comprise fifty stamps (arranged ten across
by five down), just ten examples can exist from this source. To date
around six can be accounted for.
Given the perforating process other panes would invariably have
been affected. Have they made it to market? Checking procedures
certainly improved after the 1965-70 series debacle and forty-odd
years have passed since the stamps were issued... the odds are
low. But it’s not impossible a pane or two are sitting unnoticed in
collections or some dealer’s stock.Tom Pierron sources errors and varieties for ZEBOOSE.COMERRORS
Cachet with cachet
‘So, why is this cover so unusual?’ I hear
you ask. Well, this month it’s all about the
cachet rather than the cover itself, writes
Brian Austin. The issue marks the Silver
Wedding of the Queen and Prince Philip
with a Forces BFPO 1307 special postmark.
The official cover does turn up for around
£30, but with this lovely HMAFV Sea Otter
cachet on the reverse.
What makes this cover so unusual is
that the cachet is on the front; very few
could have been produced like this and
it must have been someone with a very
close connection. The Sea Otter was in use
around this time as a Navy support vessel
mainly used for towing and rescue, with
the cachet probably held on board for use
with the mail.
The Forces were very busy with this
issue with an additional three special
postmarks, 16th/5th Queens RoyalLancers (a catalogue value of £80), Royal
Regiment of Artillery (£175) and Royal
Engineers Military Tanks (£175). The
other rare covers for this issue are those
with no direct connection to the stamps,
such as Charlton Athletic (cataloguedat £300, but beware forgeries where an
extra stamp has been added), Treasures
of Tutankhamun Exhibition (£125, a
running postmark also available on the 72
Churches and Christmas Issue) and John
Knox (Cat £125).FIRST DAY COVERS
The bottom pair of stamps is missing perforations along the lower margin,
making the block incredibly rareMalta’s mechanical failure
Malta’s 1973 definitive series is unremarkable in terms of errors and
varieties, writes Tom Pierron. Most catalogues record just three across
the entire sixteen values. A far cry from the heady 1965-70 series of 21
values with forty-plus major errors and countless more unlisted varieties.
However, there’s more to the 1973 series than catalogues suggest.
One such gem occurs on the 10c Voluntary Service. Examples exist
imperforate to lower margin due to mechanical failure during the
perforating process. It’s very scarce. From pieces to have appeared on
the market – the last of which fetched over £700 plus premiums at
Grosvenor’s September 2014 auction – a plate 1C pane must have
been affected. As panes comprise fifty stamps (arranged ten across
by five down), just ten examples can exist from this source. To date
around six can be accounted for.
Given the perforating process other panes would invariably have
been affected. Have they made it to market? Checking procedures
certainly improved after the 1965-70 series debacle and forty-odd
years have passed since the stamps were issued... the odds are
low. But it’s not impossible a pane or two are sitting unnoticed in
collections or some dealer’s stock.Tom Pierron sources errors and varieties for ZEBOOSE.COMp24 Sidelines.indd 27 23/11/2015 14:07