Designed and engraved by FD Manley.

The design comes from a photograph of "Duke" at the Royal Melbourne Zoo.

The first series were produced from 480 copper plates, the 2nd series, from standard 640 on nickel electros. Imprints were always in the standard lower left corner of each pane.

Issued on single panes of 80 only from 480on printsheets,

Orange, Yellow Orange, Deep Orange

John Ash made two 480-on copper plates during the experimental 1st Zoological series. Unusually, the first plate had no pip marks until the 2nd and subsequent printings by McCracken. Otherwise the pip marks are in the standard positions for both 480on plates.

Note the extra perforation holes, which is characteristic of McCracken printings.

Unerased guidelines between 3rd 4th column of panes B and E on McCracken printings only. Why McCracken only, I don't know, it would suggest a separate plate.

Issued in Dual Panes of 160

Orange, Deep Orange

Pip Marks

Standard Type o for both papers, and Type oOo  for later unwatermarked printings (March 1958).

McCracken introduced the impersonal imprint for the 2nd series.

Very large quantities of this value were used up in during the introduction of the wartax surcharge the month before. The rush must have been on to get this value out the door.

Single 640on steel master. Single alto, producing four electros. Double lined gutters on master plate.

Plates 1, 2 and 4 known.

September 1949: unwatermarked paper.

Orange, pale orange

Plates 1,2, 3, and 4 are known on unwatermarked paper.

2 more electros were introduced at this time in addition to previous 4.

December 1953:  the imprint was removed.

An additional nickel electro was produced with no imprint, other electros still in use had the imprint burnished off

For a brief period in September 1955, the flush perfs of the Ash era are found. Naturally, these appear without imprint.