Thursday, December 1, 2011

Australia-The 1913 6 Pence (Chestnut) "Kangaroo" Postage Stamp-Illustrated

Shown below is an example of the 6 Pence (chestnut) value from the 1913 issue of the newly federated Australia. This example was overprinted for official use.



2 comments:

  1. What do you know about this stamp? Where could I get more information?

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  2. Hi Georgie c....sorry I haven't been back to you re: "kangaroo" stamps but not checked my blog for a little while. The stamps were first issued in 1913 when Australia became a federated nation (previously independent states that issued their own stamps). The 1913 issue using this design had values ranging from a halfpenny (green) to a 2 Pound (black and rose) with values in between of 1,2,2 Pence Halfpenny,3,4,6,9 Pence, 1,2,5 and 10 Shillings and a 1 Pound value. The design was by Blamire Young an Australian artist. The design was originally unpopular but now these stamps are highly sought after, (at least by Australian collectors). The same design was used until 1936 when it was discontinued. The "OS" overprint stands for "official service" and was overprinted on stamps used for the official correspondence of government departments. The study of the kangaroo stamp is now a highly specialised area of stamp collecting with subsequent issues, changes of colour and value and the different watermarks of papers used in the stamp printing...try a Stanley Gibbons British Commonwealth and Empire Stamp Catalogue or alternatively an internet search "Australian Kangaroo Stamp Issues"should turn something up...regards Andrew Highton

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