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(28 April 2020) Two spectacular covers dated MY 8 1871 and NO 7 1874 showing the two distinctly different accountancy handstamps. On the earlier cover the accountancy triplex was used as a "killer" on the 8c stamp, but as it could not be applied twice the 2c stamp is tied by black "A03".
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(25 April 2020) This newly discovered unique example of the two different K3 “2” duplex obliterators on 1880 QV 4d orange-red Crown CC wmk (SG.20) will challenge the thoughts of every specialised Bermuda collector who imagined that all there is to know about the numerals had already been written. There is undoubtedly a story to be told and only a careful watch of covers and dated stamps might eventually reveal its secrets. The enlarged illustration shows the differing measurements between the top of the tail of “2” to vertical inner bar at right as 4.75mm (handstamp I) and 3.75mm (handstamp II). A clearer test is that the upright serif of the “2” in handstamp II sticks out further to right than top right side curve of the “2”. The current recorded period of the short-lived handstamp II is OC 21 1880 to DE 22 1880 but Ludington Page 139 recorded a second period of use with a single date of AP 14 1889 (not seen by me, and after the K4 series was issued on JA 1 1889). Ludington records use of the handstamp I from JU 3 1879 to AU 9 1888 with alternating bands of both black and blue ink. The established period for handstamp II (only found in black) is flanked by black ink periods of use of handstamp I for JU 25 1880 to OC xx 1880 and MR 2 1881 to MR 20 1882 as gleaned from covers, but there has been no study of “loose” dated stamps to determine whether handstamp I was also being used during the OC 21 1880 to DE 22 1880 handstamp II period.
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The “Circle of Dots”, as described in the PML handbook Page 129, is only known struck in black ink and only found on the 1880 QV 1d olive-green (SG.29, 60,000 stamps invoiced May 13 1880). Of the 12 copies known to me the key stamp to assist in establishing where this mark was applied is the Ex Messenger copy overstruck black “CA” (at Calliaqua) dated JY 30 81. Only 4 offices were using the black ink pad at this time being Barrouallie, Calliaqua, Kingstown, and Mesopotamia. A chart has been prepared to show the nearest known strikes either side of the JY 30 81 date as gleaned from either “loose” dated stamps or covers. Barrouallie had use of both vertical “A10” and “BAR” datestamp, the Calliaqua “CA” datestamp is so commonly applied on SG.29 that a single dated strike effectively rules out its use at that office, Kingstown had use of horizontal “A10”, GB/40c, “K” datestamp, ST. VINCENT cds, which leaves by elimination Mesopotamia as the most likely candidate. The chart shows no dated strikes for Mesopotamia period JA 12 81 to SP 7 82 (21 months) and Peter Jaffe in a Stamp Collecting magazine 18 November 1950 article (no copy of same retained) reported that there was no Postmaster at Mesopotomia at DE 23 80. Only four strikes of black “MES” are recorded after that date on SG.29 being xx JA 81, 9 JA 81, JA 10 81, JA 12 81 and then comes the “unknown period” until SP 7 82. Mail from the village of Mesopotamia would have continued and initial copies may have been “killed” in manuscript before it was thought to apply the wafer seal impressions. The 9th illustration shows perhaps an early combination. Activity at the other black ink offices is shown for the Mesopotamia unknown period JA 12 81 to SP 7 82.
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Although I have massively long text files of cancels I have handled, or seen, I do not have any postmark collections of my own. Written details of St. Vincent abbreviated and extended cds, with their incorporated dates and differing coloured inks in places are easy to understand, but even with years of experience I often stumble when it comes to the commonest obliterators on common stamps in my trying to remember just how common, or how scarce, they actually are. As a consequence I have recently undertaken trying to get an illustration of every different St. Vincent possibility on every different issue up to the end of KGV. The attached page for the PB QV 1d drab shows how far I have currently reached, and the item which is probably less common than all the others is the strike of the black vertical "A10" - which I would have overlooked thinking it much commoner!!
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