The Essays.
As with the 1897 Hospital Fund issue, a public competition was held supported by the wave of strong patriotic feeling for the cause - if not for the concept of the issue. The plan was to have two denominations and suggestions could be entered for one denomination or for both.
The first prize for each denomination was 5 guineas (£5/5/-) while the second prize for each denomination was 2 guineas (£2/2/-).
The attention of the community of (hopeful) stamp designers was attracted and 120 entries were received. All entries were submitted under a nom-de-plume. The sole judge was Mr. W. A. Watt, the Postmaster-General of Victoria.
The sole surviving essay of the 1900 competition.
Titled "Victoria Cross" and submitted by Sands & MacDougall. Annotations by W.A.W. (Postmaster-General Watt). The auction catalogue states the following: In all of Australian philately, this is one of only two post office stamp competition essay prizewinning designs in private hands, and the only such Victorian essay available to collectors. Even more significantly, it is the only prizewinning design - Colonial or Commonwealth - to be adopted for an issued stamp. On a wider stage, this is the only pre-WWII stamp of the entire British Empire to feature the Victoria Cross, the Empire's highest bravery award". |
The Proofs.
Proofs were taken from the steel dies engraved by Samuel Reading for both denominations. Only seven were printed - all on wove paper:
- for the 1d: in purple-brown (ex Purves) and in claret;
- for the 2d: in black, in orange (two), in brown-red and in green on pale green paper.
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