The details addressed on this page are:
- the design of the 1d (1/-) Charity stamp;
- the alternative standard issue 1d stamp in 1900;
- details of printing and issue of the Charity stamp;
- multiples of the 1d (1/-);
- examples of used stamps of the 1d (1/-) off cover and
a reasonably complete list of recorded examples of stamps with a complete date stamp.
The design is based on one of the competition entries for the
2d denomination — see the Essay elsewhere.
It is the only stamp which has featured the Victoria Cross in this detailed way.
Some recent Australian issues have shown winners of the Victoria Cross.
The Charity stamp was sold for 1/- — 12 times the face value — to raise money for the Patriotic Fund.
After the issue of the 1d (1/-) Boer War Charity stamp, those people wishing to send a letter to a local destination therefore had the choice between these two stamps.
plus some sheets which were sent to the
Victorian Agent General in London for sale.
Both the stamps in the Patriotic Fund issue were printed from electrotype printing plates in sheets of 42 arranged in six rows of seven stamps.
Multiples of the 1900 Patriotic Fund stamps are very rare. The only multiples to have been offered at auction since well before 2000 are the four pairs of the 1d (1/-) stamp shown below and on the three covers bearing pairs.
There could be some blocks of four of the 1d (1/-) in existence but there would be few if any - apart from that shown below. The only confirmed block is from the lower right corner of a sheet. The block sold at the Rodney Perry Sale in July 1989 Lot 675 and that sold by Rod at his sale in April 1998 Lot 1036 are assumed to be the same as no photos were included in the catalogue but the descriptions were similar.
The only pair to be auctioned during the past 27 years.
Provenence: Abacus Auctions, December 2019, Lot 536.
Provenance: Stone Collection (Rod Perry Auctions July 1989 Lot 675).
Rod Perry Auctions April 1998 Lot 1036.
Dubois Collection Part 3 (Corinphila Sale 320 November 2023, Lot 30424)
Johnstone.
Used 1d (1/-) stamps off cover.
Elsternwick 22 September 2011.
(Late cancellation beyond postal validity).
Status Auctions January 2013 Lot 1952.
Date stamps on the 1d (1/-) stamp.
Used 1d (1/-) stamps in good condition with a clear date stamp and off cover are scarce. The list below summarises those stamps sited in varous places over the last decade or so which have postal cancellations. There are at least 12 but probably less than 20 examples recorded overall.
CTO cancellations on the 1d are discussed elsewhere as are the covers with the 1d (1/-) stamp affixed.
- 25 May 1900 at Melbourne (Prestige Philately June 2012 Lot 471).
- 28 May 1900 at Melbourne - Double circle date stamp - Matthew Bennett April 2003 Lot 2831.
- 30 May 1900 at Geelong 2 - Duplex - rotated anti-clockwise - Status February 2003 Lot 1587 and Spink May 2018 Lot 346 (part).
- 2 June 1900 at Rosedale - Unframed date stamp right of centre and rotated about 40 degrees clockwise - Abacus Sale 227 Lot 450 (part).
- 5 June 1900 at Spottiswood - Unframed with 2d (2/-) - Ebay April 218.
- 16 June 1900 at Illowa - unframed - Phoenix Auctions, Jan 2015, Lot 776.
- 2 August 1900 at Port Melborne 7 - duplex - Status February 2012 Lot 1672.
- 13 September 1900 at Rialto - duplex - Matthew Bennett April 2003 Lot 2832
and Richard Juzwin July 2018. - 8 January 1901 at Rialto Telegraph Office - Status May 2006 Lot 1476.
- 25 May 1901 at Bendigo (Registered) - Phoenix December 2012 Lot 842 and Phoenix July 2013 Lot 1144.
- 5 January 1903 at Maldon - incomplete and in lower right corner - Ebay July 2018.
- 22 September 1911 at Elsternwick (see above) - just touching left margin and below centre - Prestige August 2012 Lot 272 and Status March 2013 Lot 2010.