John Davies Prints
on Large Star Watermarked Paper - Perf 12 1/2
1864 - 1871
When Davies took up his position of Government Stamp Printer one of the first things he noted was that all of the sheets of stamps being printed were issued imperforate. With his experience in England with Perkins, Bacon he knew that the stamps being issued had been perforated since the early 1850’s and how beneficial this was to postmasters and the public in separating stamps. He brought to the attention of the postal authorities the need for government controlled perforating machinery.
The Hon. H.J. Tancred, Postmaster-General, approved the recommendation, and in his report to Parliament in 1862 he stated ‘for the convenience of the public in separating the labels a machine for perforating the edges has been ordered’. As the British stamps at that time were being perforated by means of a comb machine, it was decided to obtain this type for New Zealand, without any consideration as to whether it would be suitable or not.
Above: Image of ‘comb’ perforation. The process required starting at the top of the sheet and then progressing down the sheet. As sheets were 20 rows of 12 stamps 21 operations were required to perforate a sheet.
All star watermark paper was ordered from England, the invoice for 50 reams of star
watermark paper by Perkins Bacon, was sent 1 April 1864. Davies resumed the printing of stamps using this paper in August 1864, with the majority of the production being perforated through the Government machine gauging 12 ½. Because of the irregularity of spacing and alignment of the impressions on the 1d, 2d, 6d and 1/- plates, well-centred copies are relatively scarce.
1d Value
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The first supplies of the 1d value on star watermarked paper perforated 12 ½ were printed in a carmine-vermilion shade. This was similar to if not the same ink used with the NZ watermarked paper. During October 1865, Perkins Bacon shipped new supplies of colour pigment.
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28 lb Deep Vermilion
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58 lb Bright Red
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58 lb Crimson Lake
In August 1868 a further 1 cwt of Bright Red was shipped. The practice of mixing colours does not appear to have been very much controlled, and some of the shades of this period could be attributed to the availability or otherwise of these supplies. The blending of the shades into one another makes the sorting into shade groups very difficult.
1d Carmine-vermilion unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 110
1d Carmine unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 110
1d Orange-vermilion unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 111
1d Vermilion unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 111
1d Orange unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 112
1d Carmine-vermilion used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 110
1d Carmine used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 110
1d Orange-vermilion used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 111
1d Vermilion used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 111
1d Orange used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 112
It is generally considered that the common shade up to 1867 was carmine-vermilion with a small printing of true carmine. The final printing in 1871 was pale dull orange by which time distinct signs of plate wear was apparent. This is the scarcest printing of this issue.
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The earliest recorded use of SG 110: 1 May 1865, a pair cancelled Raglan, and the earliest reported use of SG 111: 6 June 1866.
1d carmine-vermilion block of six used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 110
Back of stamps below showing watermark
1d Vermilion strip of four used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 111
1d Carmine-vermilion (SG 110) 2 copies tied by obliterator cancel with Nelson ‘JA 4 67’ cancel. No backstamps
1d Carmine-vermilion (SG 110) and 2d Blue (SG 114) tied by obliterator ‘C’ cancel. Addressed to Edward Stafford, Wellington. Has large manuscript ‘6’ with postage due “insufft Stamped’ 3d and ‘Fine’ 3d. Backstamped Christchurch and Wellington ‘JA 4 68’ cancels.
Newspaper Rates
From 1 February to 20 March 1865 the charge of 1d was made for the conveyance of newspapers by post. This was revoked due to an irregularity. The 1d ‘Town letter’ rate was Gazetted 1 December 1866 by a Notice dated 30 November 1866, rates to be effective 1 January 1867 for items not exceeding ½ oz. in weight and posted at a post office for delivery at the same office. The rate also applied to newspapers. Consequently, the demand for 1d stamps was greatly increased from this time.
2d Blue
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When Davies resumed printing the 2d value on the star watermark paper the wear of the plate was advanced, with considerable loss of the background engine-turned detail. Though the first printing of this value was blue, the wear caused the shade to appear paler than it actually was. In April 1864, 10 lb of Chinese blue was obtained from England and the use of this colour resulted in the printings being a true pale blue shade.
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Although most Plate I copies of perf 12 ½ are in an advanced state of wear, a few copies are known with intermediate wear, similar to that seen on early printings on NZ watermark paper. These are believed to have been experimentally trial perforated examples from when the perforation machine arrived, applied to earlier printings that were kept for reference, and few examples are recorded.​
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The earliest recorded use of, SG 113 Plate I worn: 10 July 1864, a cover sent from Wellington to Tauranga.
2d Deep Blue with extensive wear
SG 113
2d Deep blue with ‘K’ Kanieri manuscript cancel
SG 113
2d Deep blue strip of three showing extensive plate wear on plate 1
SG 113
New Plate - 2d Plate II
A replacement 2d plate was ordered from Perkins Bacon, on 20 January 1865. The order stated that there should be adequate intervals between the impressions for perforations. The plate was hardened on 7 April 1865 and despatched on 21 April 1865. From used examples reported, it appears that the plate was put to use in about December 1865. The first printing, SG 114, was in a dark deep blue using colour that had been sent from England in October 1865. The later shade, SG 115, is possibly due to this colour being mixed with some locally purchased supplies.
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The earliest recorded use of the Plate II 2d perf 12 ½, SG 114, is 23 December 1865, while the earliest known of the Plate II 2d, SG 115, is 9 November 1865.
2d Indigo unused
Perf 12 1/2 - A2n(1)
2d Greenish-blue unused
Perf 12 1/2 - A2n(2)
2d Bright-blue used
Perf 12 1/2 - A2n(3)
2d Pale-blue used
Perf 12 1/2 - A2n(4)
2d Deep Royal-blue unused
Perf 12 1/2 - A2n(5) - SG 114
2d Dull Blue unused
Perf 12 1/2 - A2n(6)
2d Blue unused
Perf 12 1/2 - A2n(7) - SG 115
Plate Damage
In the latter part of 1866, some of the prints were showing the effects of damage in the lower left quarter of the plate. Early accounts consider this to have been a scaling-off of nickel plating. Attempts were made to reduce the effects of the damaged portion of the plate by a local skilled engraver, James Macgregor Lloyd. On this project his retouching work was portrayed as rather haphazard, where in fact it was an exceptionally good effort at recreating the engine turned design by hand engraved retouching. Examples of the retouches can be found in all but the earliest of the shades.
2d Blue strip of six showing beginning of plate wearA2n(7) – SG 115
2d Deep Royal Blue Dunedin ‘AP 5 66’ duplex cancel to Waikouaiti. Backstamped with manuscript ‘W 5/7/66’. Ex George Branam.
2d Blue with Obliterator ‘C’ cancel to Rangiora. Backstamped Christchurch Wright Machine ‘SE 14 66’ and Rangiora ‘SP 14 1866’ cancels. Ex Ken Lynch.
2d Blue tied by indistinct cancel to Kaiapoi. Has Kaiapoi ‘MR 3 66’ date stamp and backstamped Christchurch ‘MR 3 1866’ machine cancel. Ex Ken Lynch.
2d Blue Obliterator ‘6’ (Riverton) addressed to “Capt. EM Kaukuison, Lynwood, Marora. Backstamped Riverton ‘JU 10 71 and Invercargill ‘JN 10 71’. Ex Ken Lynch.
3d Lilac
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Until 1867 there was a very small demand for the 3d value. The initial printing was the 120,000 stamps on star watermark paper that had been used in 1862. The next printing was 121,920 stamps in 1865, and in 1867 a further 1,059,120 were printed. After that, quantities were printed annually through to 1873. The change that caused increased quantities was The New Zealand Post Office Act, Amendment Act 1866, effective from 1 January 1867, which set an ‘Inter-provincial’ Letter Rate of 3d for items not exceeding ½ oz.
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The brown-lilac shade perf 12 ½ (SG 116) was the remainder of the relatively little used first printing of 1862 and is the scarcest of this issue. A point of identification is that all examples of this shade were perforated 12 ½ by the comb head. These are not to be confused with the portion of the printing that was perforated 13 at Dunedin from the imperforate sheets.
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3d Brown-lilac
unused
CP A3d(1) - SG 116
3d Deep Brown-lilac unused
CP A3d(2)
3d Lilac
unused
CP A3d(3) - SG 117
3d Pale Lilac
unused
CP A3d(4)
3d Deep Lilac
unused
CP A3d(5)
3d Slate Lilac
unused
CP A3d(6)
3d Brown-lilac
used
CP A3d(1) - SG 116
3d Deep Brown-lilac used
CP A3d(2)
3d Lilac
used
CP A3d(3) - SG 117
3d Pale Lilac
used
CP A3d(4)
3d Deep Lilac
used
CP A3d(5)
3d Slate Lilac
used
CP A3d(6)
3d Bluish Lilac
unused
CP A3d(7)
3d Mauve Lilac
unused
CP A3d(8) - SG 118
3d Deep Mauve
unused
CP A3d(9) - SG 118
3d Mauve
unused
CP A3d(10) - SG 118
3d Pale Mauve
unused
CP A3d(11)
3d Bright Mauve
unused
CP A3d(12)
3d Mauve Lilac
used
CP A3d(8) - SG 118
3d Bluish Lilac
unused
CP A3d(7)
3d Deep Mauve
used
CP A3d(9) - SG 118
*3d Lilac used
Imperforated
CP A3d(3)(T) - SG 117a
3d Mauve
used
CP A3d(10)
3d Pale Mauve
used
CP A3d(11)
3d Bright Mauve
used
CP A3d(12)
3d Deep Mauve used
Imperforated
CP A3d(9)(T) - SG 118
The earliest datestamped copy recorded - not on cover - is a certified copy dated 1866. The earliest recorded use of SG 116 was 11 January 1867, on a cover from Nelson to Christchurch, while the earliest recorded use of SG 117 was 9 April 1867, letter sheet from Wellington to Blenheim. The earliest use of SG 117a was 28 March 1867, single on cover from Auckland to Wellington and the earliest use of SG 118m was 19 May 1867. Finally the earliest use of SG 118a was 24 September 1867, cover from Christchurch to Wellington.
3d Lilac SG 117 tied on cover by part Wellington ‘070 AU 18 68’ cancel to Dunedin. Backstamped Dunedin ‘AU 21 68’. Ex Ken Lynch.
3d Lilac SG 117 tied on cover by ‘9’ cancel with N.Plymouth ‘JA 29 1869’ cancel to Auckland. Backstamped Auckland ‘JA 30 1869’. 3d was the interprovincial rate. Ex George Branam.
3d Mauve SG 118 endorsed Rangatira tied by Obliterator ‘1’ cancel to Wellington with Napier ‘OC 5 69’ cancel. Backstamped Wellington ‘OC 7 69’ and Port Ahuriri ‘OC 5 69’ cancels.
Ex Ken Lynch.
3d Mauve SG 118 endorsed Per Wellington by Dunedin ‘DE 12 67’ duplex cancel to Christchurch. Backstamped Christchurch ‘DE 13 67’. Ex George Branam
4d Rose
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A notice published in the New Zealand Government Gazette dated 12 September 1863 gave details of alterations in Rates of Postage for correspondence from the United Kingdom via Marseilles: The 3d per ¼ oz additional French transit rate was replaced by a 4d per ½ oz additional rate. On 14 August 1864, John Morrison, the New Zealand Government Agent, ordered a printing plate for a 4d value postage stamp from Perkins Bacon.
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The first issue was 1 June 1865 in a deep-rose shade, with a printing of 120,000 stamps. Because there was confusion with the carmine colour of the 1d value in artificial light, within just a few months the colour was changed to yellow. The total of 4d stamps printed in 1865 was 436,800, which means that 316,800 were in the yellow colour. Fine mint copies of the rose colour printing are rare.
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Earliest recorded use of SG 119: 20 June 1865 on a cover from Auckland to Russell.
4d Rose unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 119
4d Rose used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 119
4d Deep Rose used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 119
4d Yellow
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It is interesting to note that there is no record of invoices from Perkins Bacon for either rose or yellow colour pigment. The source of ink has not been established. Since it has been recorded that Perkins Bacon supplied New South Wales with lemon chrome and rose pink colour pigment in 1853, and further supplies of rose pink in 1855, New South Wales could have been the source. Because the demand for the 4d value was small, no further printings were made until 1871 when 84,000 stamps were printed.
The yellow shades vary from pale yellow to deep, bright and golden yellow and to the rare shades of ochre-yellow and orange-yellow. These last two shades both fluoresce a deep brown, almost black, under a ultra-violet lamp whereas the other shades fluoresce a much lighter shade of brown. Some examples have been reported where the shade could have changed due to external conditions such as the sulphurous Rotorua atmosphere.
Below a Perkins, Bacon obliterator study on 4d Yellow SG 120. This study was started by Klaus Møller and bought by tThe Collection in 2024.
Auckland PB '1'
Russell PB '2'
Mongonui PB '4'
Bluff Harbour PB '5'
Wellington PB '7'
Wanganui PB '8'
New Plymouth PB '9'
Ahuriri (Napier) PB '11'
Nelson PB '14'
Port Victoroa (Lyttleton) PB '16'
Dunedin PB '18'
Ahurir '1'
Shakespeare Road Office
1864
Wellington '070'
(1865)
Blenheim 'M/I'
Picton
1864
Christchurch 'C'
"Killer"
Westport 'N/4' B0 (small N)
1866
Hokitika 'C/21'
Dunedin '0'
(1866)
Invercargill 'S'
Invercargill '21'
Invercargill '5'
Auckland Datestamp
Invercargill '21' and '5'
1861-2
Wellington 'W' serifin Oval Bars
Grey River '20'
(1865)
Queenstown '25'
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Dunedin 'O'
1872
Auckland '1' in tighter diamond bars circa 1871
Wellington Datestamp
Temuka 'T'
1870
Marseilles Rate Change
With the rate change from 9d ‘via Marseilles’ to 10d, there was a need for a 4d stamp . On 14 August 1864, John Morrison, the New Zealand Government Agent, ordered a printing plate for a 4d value postage stamp from Perkins Bacon.
“Enclosed I beg to hand you an order for a Plate for printing Postage Stamps A plate for printing four pence Postage Stamps, similar to those already sent by you, viz. 12 x 20 stamps, which gives an impression of 240. The stamp should be of a similar die to the accompanying specimen, substituting of course at the bottom the words ‘Four Pence’ for ‘Two Pence’
4d Yellow (SG 120) and 6d Brown (SG 122) on cover to England endorsed “via Marseilles” tied by heavy Dunedin/Otago cancels ‘JU 9 69’. Backstamped Bolton ‘AU 8 69’.
6d Brown
The Jolliffe printing records show that the demand for the 6d value was consistently high through the period 1864–1871 except for the years of 1866 and 1869. The first supplies were a deep red-brown shade, almost identical to some of the stamps printed on the NZ watermark paper. Later printings varied from red-brown to brown shades.
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6d Deep Red-brown used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 122
6d Red-brown unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 122
6d Dull Red-brown used
Perf 12 1/2
6d Brown (Reddish) unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 122a
6d Brown used
Perf 12 1/2
Imperforate sheets were issued during the times that the perforating machine was undergoing repair. The few examples known from those sheets should not be confused with stamps from imperforate sheets printed in 1884 and issued mint without gum for presentation purposes.
6d Dull Red-brown used
Imperforate
Varieties that have been reported include:
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Double perforations
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Imperforate pair (SG 122b)
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Partial offset
Earliest recorded use of SG 122 is 18 June 1864, a cover from Invercargill to London and then on to the United States. The earliest recorded use of SG 122a is 3 October 1864, a single with a circular Marlborough Goldfields date stamp.
6d Red-brown unused
Perf 12 1/2
with constant 'D' flaw
6d Deep Red-brown used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 122
6d Red-brown unused
Perf 12 1/2
6d Red-brown used pair
Perf 12 1/2
6d Red-brown used
Perf 12 1/2
with constant 'D' flaw
6d Dull Red-brown used
Perf 12 1/2
6d Dull Red-brown unused
Perf 12 1/2
6d Brown (122a) endorsed ‘per Rangitata’ tied by Christchurch ‘AP 26 71’ cancel to Victoria, Australia. Backstamped Melbourne ‘MY 5 71’ and Portland/Victoria ‘MY 8 71’. Ex Ken Lynch.
6d Brown (reddish) SG 122a endorsed ‘via San Francisco’ tied by Christchurch /C ‘FE 1 71’ cancel to Edinburgh. Backstamped Edinburgh ‘AP 3 71’
1/- Green
A printing of the 1/- value comprising 159,120 stamps was made in 1865. The Postmaster-General in his 1866 report stated that there were large stocks of the 1/- value. Therefore, it was not until 1868 that a further printing of 108,000 was made. In 1869, another 119,280 stamps were printed, but in 1870 only two sheets are recorded as having been printed. A final printing of 109,920 stamps in 1871 was sufficient until the introduction of new stamps in 1874.​
There were a number of printings in shades of yellow-green, and a printing in sap-green that is rare in mint condition. Examples printed in dark green are also rare. A printing was made in deep dark green, of which a mint stamp well-centred is the rarest of the issue.
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​The earliest recorded use of SG 125 is 18 August 1865 a strip of four.​
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1/- Green used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 124
1/- Green used
early date ‘NO 23 65’
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 124
1/- Green used pair
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 124
1/- Yellow-Green used
‘5’ Obliterator of Timaru Perf 12 1/2 - SG 125
1/- Dull yellow-green used
Perf 12 1/2 - A6m(2)
1/- Deep yellow-green used
Perf 12 1/2 - A6m(3)
1/- Yellow-green used
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 125 - A6m(4)
1/- Pale yellow-green unused
Perf 12 1/2 - A6m(5)
1/- Yellow-green unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 125
1/- Yellow-green unused
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 125
1/- Yellow-green unused block of 4
Back of stamps showing Large Star Watermark
Perf 12 1/2 - SG 125
Sheets of the green and yellow-green shades were issued imperforate when the perforating machine was being repaired. Below is a single copy with Odenweller ‘certificate. Note the words "Certificate of" have been scratched out by Ken Lynch (he claims as such with a note on the back!) – I wonder if there is a story there!?
1/- Yellow-green used
Imperforated - SG 124 variation
CP A6m(Y) single
