New South Wales - Stamps and Lyre Bird Stamp.

New South Wales was the first part of Australia to be settled by Europeans, and the first to operate a postal service. In 1842 regular mail service was carried by steamer between Melbourne and Sydney, and the first mail packet from Britain arrived in 1844. An act of 1848 reformed the postal system and authorized the use of stamps; the first stamps appeared on 1 January 1850. 

Year - 1850.

Specifics: without Watermark and Imperforate.

They were called as Sydney Views, due to their design being based on the Great Seal of New South Wales; the 1d, 2d, and 3d stamps were separately engraved, and then re-engraved and retouched over the next year, yielding dozens of varieties.

Year - 1851 to 1853.

Specifics:  without Watermark and Imperforate.

These stamps are known as "Laureates" due to the laurel wreath on the Queen's head they were printed without watermarks.

In 1851 the colony switched to a more conventional design, a profile of Queen Victoria wearing a laurel wreath different from the Sydney views.

Year - 1854 and onwards the colony tried using paper watermarked with the denomination, for the "Laureates” a practice that resulted in mismatches between watermark and printed denomination that are rare.

In 1854 the colony issued 6d and 1/- stamps printed locally, from plates engraved by Perkins Bacon in England. These were large square stamps with the standard profile of Victoria wearing a diadem, framed with a hexagon and octagon respectively.

Year – 1855 -The designs were reused for 5d and 8d.

Year - 1856 lower values as well got introduced. The inking of all these was highly variable, and there are dozens of distinct colour varieties.

Specifics : The use of perforation began in 1860; unfortunately for collectors, the stamps were very closely spaced, the perforating process not well controlled, and it is unusual to find stamps from before 1899 where the perforation does not touch or cut into the design on one or more sides.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS - 1888

New South Wales celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1888 with an issue of what is widely considered to be the first commemorative stamps. The set of eight, each with a different design, were all inscribed "ONE HUNDRED YEARS".

 

Among the designs were a view of Sydney, an Emu, Captain Cook, a Lyrebird, and a Kangaroo. The 20/- value included portraits of both Arthur Phillip the first governor, and the then-governor Lord Carrington.

Year – 1890 - A 2½d stamp depicting an allegorical figure of Australia appeared.

Year – 1891 - ½d, 7½d, and 12½d values were produced in 1891 as surcharges on existing stamps.

 

Year – 1897 - two early semi-postal stamps were issued, paying 1d and 2½d rates, but sold for 1/- and 2/6 respectively, the additional proceeds going to a Consumptives' Home. In the same year a set of three stamps marked Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

 

New South Wales stamps are readily available today, but it is somewhat complex to collect; there are a dozen types of watermarks, multiple perforations, and numerous colour shades. The collection I have has the basic stamps which are variants of the first stamps issued and it makes them special is that they are part of the first stamps which came into use in Australia.

The best collectible stamp I think from my interest is the Lyre bird stamps – this is a beautiful stamp; I got these stamps and I could see the colour differences right away, not sure if these were soaked off or tampered with.

But my best bet is that there are several colour variations …