(I hope I'm not hogging the board today by asking too many questions?) I have this stamp:
Am I right that this only exists without watermark and therefore it is either Scott 9 or 16? (I think it is 16; could somebody more knowledgeable confirm this for me?)
And then there are these two:
I think they are Scott 31 (1873 1/2 anna) and Scott22 (1865 1 anna). Can anyobdy confirm - or tell me I'm wrong!
The top stamp, black 4 annas, only was issued unwatermarked; it could be Scott 9 or Scott 16 but this paper looks white more than blue glazed, so it is likely #16.
Are the second and third stamps watermarked?
If not, the second stamp, 1/2 anna, would be #11 and the third stamp, 1 anna, would be #12.
If watermarked, the 1/2 anna could be #20 from 1895 (Die I) or #31 from 1873 (Die II). Gibbons shows the difference in Dies; yours looks like #20, Die I IMHO.
The 1 anna brown stamp would be #22 if watermarked. It looks brown in the scan, but check to see if it could be maroon; that's a different stamp.
Well, as I was typing this, cocollectibles answered- Bravo cocollectibles, the same replies I was going to give.
Regarding the 1/2 anna blue- as stated, it is either in the original Die, (Scott 20) or the redrawn Die (Scott 31). Both have the "elephant's head" watermark.
1873 Scott 31 1/a blue (redrawn Die)
Note the lines of the mouth are more deeply cut, and the nostril has a curved line.
I agree that your 1/2 anna blue appears to be not the redrawn Die- therefore likely Scott 20.
You probably are familiar with the watermarks, but, if not, the "elephant's head" wmk (Scott 22) vs unwatermarked (Scott 12) are the variables you need to determine for the 1 anna brown.
Thank-you both for your very quick replies. I am happy that the 4a is Scott 16. I couldn't find any reference to a watermarked version, but I wanted to check.
The 1/2a and 1a both have elephant's head watermark. Although I did look in Gibbons, I still wasn't too sure about die I and die II for the 1/2a, now I know. Thanks again for your help - this site really is wonderful.
