Queensland First Side Face Issue 1879-1880

Dave Elsmore

This issue has now been in collectors hands for some 125 years, and from day one the die configuration has been incorrectly reported in catalogues and the philatelic press. I hope this page will correct this error as I for one have to keep reversing this in my head each time I work on my first side face issues.

Die 1                              Die 11

Incorrect Die Order

Bassett Hull and Stanley Gibbons both describe the above die in the wrong order as seen above, die1 and die11. This error should be noted by all students of Queensland.

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The correct Die order should be reversed to look like this:

Die 1                                                                                     Die 11

Correct Die Order

In Die 1 the top left spandrel is clear of the oval as per left spandrel.

In Die 11 the top left spandrel touches the oval due to the engraver 'touching up' the lead cliché.

The story goes that the engraver slipped with his graver and cut a line which touched the oval. It has been written that after this happened the engraver decided to reproduce this error to the other 3 clichés of the mould of four. This I find quite extraordinary but until a more feasible answer comes to light we will have to go with this one.

The original 1d proof sheet submitted for approval contained 22 x 4 mould of Die 11 and 8 x 4 mould of Die 1. Using my corrected analysis of the master die.

This page first made January 2005 is a work in progress.

© copyright 1997 on

All Graphics. Dave Elsmore

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