Specimen stamps.

Specimen stamps were released in very limited numbers for collectors. For the 1d stamp, a variety of overprints were used.

Overprinted SPECIMEN.
Type 6 Specimen overprint
12½ × 1½ mm.
The Charity stamps were the only postage stamps to use this overprint.

Provenance: William McCredie.
Millennium Auctions, June 2011 Lot 133.

Overprinted SPECIMEN but doubled and inverted. Only recorded example.
Type 3 Specimen overprint.

Prestige Philately August 2013 Lot 433.

Overprinted SPECIMEN slightly doubled.
Type 3 in sans serif capitals 15 × 2 mm -
used 1880-1890.
Also has a small double lined arc of a dumb ring.

Provenance: William McCredie.
Millennium Auctions, June 2011 Lot 132.
 

 

Overprinted CANCELLED.
Type 2 overprint.

Very rare.

Provenance: William McCredie.
Millennium Auctions, June 2011 Lot 134.
Abacus Auctions Sept 2019 Lot 256.

 

 

Cancelled with a full 10 mm dumb ring
which is very unusual.

Example 1 of 2 known.

Provenance: William McCredie.
Millennium Auctions, June 2011 Lot 135.
Abacus Auctions September 2019, Lot 259.

Cancelled with a full 10 mm dumb ring
which is very unusual.
Ring in a slightly different position.

Example 2 of 2 known.

Ebay April 2019.

Cancelled with small double lined arc of a dumb ring.

Millennium Auctions, June 2011.
For the 2d stamp, the usual SPECIMEN was applied although with either a vertical or a horizontal orientation. All examples are rare with generally only one example known of each.
SPECIMEN type 3 printed vertically.
Prestige Philately May 2012 Lot 470.

Overprinted SPECIMEN vertically.
Type 3 in sans serif capitals
15 × 2 mm. Used 1880-1890.
Also has a small double lined arc of a dumb ring.

Provenance: William McCredie.
Millennium Auctions, June 2011 Lot 132.
Overprinted SPECIMEN.
Type 6 Specimen overprint
12½ × 1½ mm.
The Charity stamps were the only postage stamps to use this overprint.

Provenance: William McCredie.
Prestige Philately March 2005 Lot 313;
Millennium Auctions, June 2011 Lot 133.

Cancelled to Order.

The Cancelled to Order Queensland Charity stamps were all prepared at the Telegraph Counter at the Brisbane GPO. They are commonly known with the date 10 September 1902 although other dates are also recorded (for example 22 July 1902). The T.C. datestamp - which is classified by Campbell (1990, p.152) as Type 1 - was used from 1894 to September 1904. Examples showing its use on telegrams are now scarce.

The two main items known for each denomination are a block of six and a pair. Both sets were released from the Australia Post Archives in the February 1987 Archival Sale (they were Lots 36 and 37 respectively). In addition, a number of single examples are recorded.

There is no record of how many CTO stamps were prepared or sold.


 1d (6d) claret marginal block of 6. Cancelled to Order at TC (Telegraph Counter) Brisbane on 10 September 1902.

Australia Post Archival Sale, February 1987, Lot 36;
Rodney Perry September 1993 Lot 813;
Millennium Auctions Rarities October 2004 Lot 28;
Millennium Auctions June 2011 Lot 136.

 


1d (6d) claret marginal pair. Cancelled to Order at TC (Telegraph Counter) Brisbane on 10 September 1902.

Australia Post Archival Sale, February 1987, Lot 37.
Status July 2007, Lot 1685.
Prestige Philately February 2012, Lot 551.

Provenance: ex-Johnstone.
2d (1/-) violet marginal block of 6. Cancelled to Order at TC (Telegraph Counter) Brisbane on 10 September 1902.

Australia Post Archival Sale, February 1987, Lot 36;
Rodney Perry September 1993 Lot 813;
Millennium Auctions Rarities October 2004 Lot 28;
Millennium Auctions June 2011 Lot 455.
2d (1/-) violet marginal pair. Cancelled to Order at TC (Telegraph Counter) Brisbane on 10 September 1902.

Australia Post Archival Sale, February 1987, Lot 37;
Status July 2007, Lot 1685;
Prestige Philately February 2012, Lot 551.

Provenance: ex-Johnstone.

There are some CTO singles known which have TC at the base (see, for example, two examples in Prestige Philately November 2004 Lot 753 and March 2005 Lot 312). Most of these examples are poorly cancelled.