John Davies Prints 
Lozenges and INVICTA Watermarked Paper
1873

2d Vermilion (SG 142)

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When the T.H. Saunders stock of paper was exhausted and the Government Printer had no more suitable paper available, an emergency measure application was made to the Union Bank, Wellington, for the loan of a supply of paper on which the Bank's drafts and cheques were printed.  This paper was watermarked INVICTA surrounded by a lozenge shaped pattern.

Invicta was the trademark of Sands & McDougall of Melbourne; this fine hard texture handmade paper was also manufactured by T.H. Saunders of London.  The complete watermark setting was the correct size to contain a cheque or banker’s draft of the time.

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The 2d stamps printed in vermilion on Lozenges and ‘Invicta’ watermarked paper may be found with the watermark letters reading either up or down. Two stamps have been found that straddle the space between two of the horizontally placed patterns of watermark (e.g. shown by red box above); that is, showing a no watermark gap between two sets of lozenges.  To date no examples have been seen where the watermark is found between two vertical pairs of patterns.