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| The application of Specimen stamps, world wide, have an
interesting genesis. The meaning, in all cases, was a 'sample', an
'example', of a given issue. Although the word has corrupted thru misuse
in later, decimal issues from Australia Post, and indeed 'Stamp Fairs',
Specimens were a necessary evil from the very beginning of any stamp
production.
 | Chief among these needs was the UPU requirement for a 'specimen' of
valid issues.
 | In general, not just Australia, "Specimens of stamps" were sent to
UPU headquarters in Berne, Suisse, as part of the requirement of
notifying them of authorised, valid for postage, issues. In most cases,
these were sent in SHEETS of stamps, which were duly distributed as
singles to member countries. |
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| Occasional use, in providing samples of a new color trial or some
other instrument that required a 'specimen' sample of the result to be
sent off the printing premises.
| To members of parliaments eg, |
| Color trials |
| Presentation packs |
| To outside contractors preparing perforation machines, |
| and etc. |
The above were mostly covered by proofs, but fascinating handstamped
specimens of the 1d red exist as trials of what was to come.
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| Printer 'specimen' sheets were common. A reference sheet to produce a
given stamp denomination in the 'right' shade and color. In this case
however, they were rarely overprinted or indicated as such. |
| Offshore printers such as De La Rue would, naturally enough, keep
'specimens' as reference material. Perkins & Bacon Co regularly
overprinted their trial printings as 'specimens' for the prospective
customer. |
| Specimen packs for collectors In all the above cases, 'specimens' as
such merely had to be cancelled to prevent fraudulent use. Whether they
were cancelled with a postmark, hand scrawled, hand stamped, or over
printed, the result was that the written word 'specimen' came into general
usage because that was, their specific, intended purpose. A specimen of
valid postage for the UPU. It also became the
generally accepted term for specification requirements to outside
contracts. "here is a specimen of the color we require"
And so, in order to provide collectors with cheaper material (which
after all was pure profit at the end of the day for the Postmaster
General), 'specimens' of current stamps, some cancelled to order (CTO),
and some, printed 'specimen' were put together in post office presentation
packs.
With the higher denomination stamps of 10/-, 1P & 2P, often rivalling
any person's salary of the day, it was felt that these valuable issues
needed a little more security measure than the risky wash-off-a-postmark
variety. The GPO was concerned that they could, otherwise, easily pass as
payment for telegraph and other, costly, bulk postage services, unless
some clear indication of their NOT VALID status was apparent. Hence, in
Australia, 'Specimen' overprints began.
*As a side note, the 'telegraph punctures' were instanced for the same
reason, some method of clearly and permanently indicating that this
valuable denomination, had been used. A simple postmark could not suffice.
Initially, handstamped specimen overprints were used. This, more than
reasonably enough, was the modus operandi for all the colonial and state
stamps sent to the UPU. In hindsight it was not perhaps realised at
the time, that there would be much more than a few sheets involved.
After the initial release of handstamped specimens, a more permanent
arrangement occurred with a much later printed electrotype forme of 30
impressions.
Specimen stamps, (and their CTO cousins) were never popular. They were
considered space fillers. In all, only around 10,000 'sets' or so were
sold over a period of 30 years. (In contrast, over one million £2 Roos
were issued) Being space fillers, many, quite probably, were discarded.
For many years, they sold at a fraction of the 'real' price of their
collected mint or used cousins. Not helping matters was that these packs
lingered in the post offices. Available well into the 1940's. with no
pressing requirement to fill a void with a 10/- Roo (space filler
that it may be).
Until the 'boom' of the 1980's, Specimen stamps remained as unwanted
space fillers to the collecting public.
Thus, although the true printed quantities are now known, suggesting
reasonable, not ample, quantities. There are two factors that make
Specimens scarcer than may be thought:
| Their space filler, discardable status. Many collectors still ignore
them today. |
| The fact that some proportion of these specimen issues were sent to
the UPU.
 | The status and value of these, are different to the 'collector
packs'. They are unlikely to ever be separated and sold as non-UPU,
standard specimens of any ilk. |
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Secondly, because of the general apathy associated with these packs, it
took many years for the printing to dissipate. Thus some years transpired
between printings.
Because of this, and not surprisingly, the next tranche of printings
occurs (generally) on a newer watermark, and generally, with a new setting
of the 30 on forme, with different type.
For this reason, the overprinted specimens can be separated into Type
B, C & D electro type with the intervening years explaining the
differences. |
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Type B
Thin I
Thin S |
Type C
Thin I
Bulging S |
Type D
Thick I
Fat S |
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| Hardly a conclusive table, but
enough to separate out the stamp between the tweezers |
Overprinted Specimen
Electrotype formes of 30 made up as 5 stereos of 6.
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The stamp sheet was divided up into four blocks of 30 prior to
overprinting. All margins were removed to facilitate this. As such, There are
NO imprints, monograms or other marginal markings
for specimen overprints.
 (Handstamped specimens are
clearly, a different case).
Master Stereo Flaws:
A master stereo of 6 was used to create the others. As such, the
same 'flaws' from the master repeat down the columns.
 Damaged C1a variant
In the case of the type C overprint, the flaws are sufficiently
prominent that all stamps in the 1st column show a damaged C. This is classed by
specialists as type C1a. This flaw, repeating as
often as it does, is therefore not particularly scarce, merely and interesting
collectable type.
Block Flaws:
Since there were 60 stamps in left and right panes, repeating
flaws peculiar to the block (rather than the master stereo) occur 4 times per
stamp sheet.
Again, in the case of the Type C overprint, one flaw is prominent and
classed as type C1. It occurs in positions 25
and (obviously) 55 of any pane.
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