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#1
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Watermarks
On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 15:42:47 GMT, Craig found these
unused words floating about: Hi all, What is the best way to see the watermarks in pre decimal GB stamps ? I know i can buy a bit of kit from the Stanley Gibbons site but i am under instruction not to spend more money on another hobby ( carp fishing and sat tv are not cheap !!) I have tried laying some face down on a black background but can't seem to see anything. Regards Craig Holding just above a matte black BG lampin font and at 45* and slightly tilting will show many. Still there are those you won't see clearly, so you would need the $10 'kit'. (Fluid & Tray) for those. Carp-a-day'um? G |
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#2
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From: J. A. Mc. Newsgroups: rec.collecting.stamps.discuss Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 11:16:50 -0700 Subject: Watermarks On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 15:42:47 GMT, Craig found these unused words floating about: Hi all, What is the best way to see the watermarks in pre decimal GB stamps ? I know i can buy a bit of kit from the Stanley Gibbons site but i am under instruction not to spend more money on another hobby ( carp fishing and sat tv are not cheap !!) I have tried laying some face down on a black background but can't seem to see anything. Regards Craig Holding just above a matte black BG lampin font and at 45* and slightly tilting will show many. Still there are those you won't see clearly, so you would need the $10 'kit'. (Fluid & Tray) for those. Carp-a-day'um? G Or, a very small expenditure -- $3 max -- for ordinary lighter fluid and a piece of any old black cardboard or plastic. A watermark tray is handy (I suck any unused lighter fluid back into the can), but not necessary. I've been using watermark fluid for more years than I like to think, and I've never seen the slightest damage from it. Common sense dictates that it's used with plenty of ventilation, and in as small an amount as necessary. Bob Ingraham |
#3
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Thank you bith,
Bob, i have seen several articles on the net warning off lighter fluid, you do just mean regular Zippo or similar fluid ? Doesn't it leave a greasy residue ? Many thanks Craig On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 23:45:28 GMT, Bob Ingraham wrote: From: J. A. Mc. Newsgroups: rec.collecting.stamps.discuss Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 11:16:50 -0700 Subject: Watermarks On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 15:42:47 GMT, Craig found these unused words floating about: Hi all, What is the best way to see the watermarks in pre decimal GB stamps ? I know i can buy a bit of kit from the Stanley Gibbons site but i am under instruction not to spend more money on another hobby ( carp fishing and sat tv are not cheap !!) I have tried laying some face down on a black background but can't seem to see anything. Regards Craig Holding just above a matte black BG lampin font and at 45* and slightly tilting will show many. Still there are those you won't see clearly, so you would need the $10 'kit'. (Fluid & Tray) for those. Carp-a-day'um? G Or, a very small expenditure -- $3 max -- for ordinary lighter fluid and a piece of any old black cardboard or plastic. A watermark tray is handy (I suck any unused lighter fluid back into the can), but not necessary. I've been using watermark fluid for more years than I like to think, and I've never seen the slightest damage from it. Common sense dictates that it's used with plenty of ventilation, and in as small an amount as necessary. Bob Ingraham |
#4
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Thanks,
I just went out a got a bottle of Swan fluid, but to be honest, it didn't reveal any more than holding up to the light. I am looking at a GB 1955 5' SG no. 596, i can see a crownut can't tell which one it is. Regards Craig On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 08:30:57 -0500, Bob Watson wrote: I've used Zippo/Ronson lighter fluid for years and never had any problems with residue. But try for yourself on low value stamps to start with. Some time back someone suggested using a black floor/wall tile rather than a special tray and that was a brilliant idea. You can do several stamps at once, compare them side by side, and sort them into groups while the watermark is still visible. (Specially handy for some Australian stamps where there are large-crowns and not quite so large-crowns to be distinguished). One thing I have found when checking watermarks, hinge remnants and heavy cancels really make things difficult. Not much you can do about cancels, but it really does help to soak off any hinges. All the best, Bob Watson Craig wrote: Thank you bith, Bob, i have seen several articles on the net warning off lighter fluid, you do just mean regular Zippo or similar fluid ? Doesn't it leave a greasy residue ? |
#5
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I've used Zippo/Ronson lighter fluid for years and never had any
problems with residue. But try for yourself on low value stamps to start with. Some time back someone suggested using a black floor/wall tile rather than a special tray and that was a brilliant idea. You can do several stamps at once, compare them side by side, and sort them into groups while the watermark is still visible. (Specially handy for some Australian stamps where there are large-crowns and not quite so large-crowns to be distinguished). One thing I have found when checking watermarks, hinge remnants and heavy cancels really make things difficult. Not much you can do about cancels, but it really does help to soak off any hinges. All the best, Bob Watson Craig wrote: Thank you bith, Bob, i have seen several articles on the net warning off lighter fluid, you do just mean regular Zippo or similar fluid ? Doesn't it leave a greasy residue ? |
#6
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That is just crowns, no types ('middle' set) ... if there's no wmk
it's the later set, if there's an "E" or "R", then it's first set. On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 13:18:30 GMT, Craig found these unused words floating about: Thanks, I just went out a got a bottle of Swan fluid, but to be honest, it didn't reveal any more than holding up to the light. I am looking at a GB 1955 5' SG no. 596, i can see a crownut can't tell which one it is. Regards Craig On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 08:30:57 -0500, Bob Watson wrote: I've used Zippo/Ronson lighter fluid for years and never had any problems with residue. But try for yourself on low value stamps to start with. Some time back someone suggested using a black floor/wall tile rather than a special tray and that was a brilliant idea. You can do several stamps at once, compare them side by side, and sort them into groups while the watermark is still visible. (Specially handy for some Australian stamps where there are large-crowns and not quite so large-crowns to be distinguished). One thing I have found when checking watermarks, hinge remnants and heavy cancels really make things difficult. Not much you can do about cancels, but it really does help to soak off any hinges. All the best, Bob Watson Craig wrote: Thank you bith, Bob, i have seen several articles on the net warning off lighter fluid, you do just mean regular Zippo or similar fluid ? Doesn't it leave a greasy residue ? |
#7
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That is just crowns, no types ('middle' set) ... if there's no wmk
it's the later set, if there's an "E" or "R", then it's first set. Yepp, near enough! 'Early' sets (1955-58) have Crowns + E2R in alternating patterns. 'Middle' sets (1959-68) have smaller Crowns only, closer together, in a 'diamond' formation. 'Later' sets (1967-68) have no Watermarks (Bradbury-Wilkinson) and are printed on paper with finer, even fibers. Most of the Watermarks are easy to see by adjusting the viewing angle, in direct sunlight - the best observation lamp there is (and John has one helluva lot of sun where he lives)! David. |
#8
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Here's a brilliant idea; I'll even share the profits:
Take an ordinary 35mm transparency mount, and fit it with two small sheets of transparent mylar. Place a stamp between the mylar sheets, and place the slide in a slide scanner. I'm betting that the resulting digital image could be manipulated with imaging software to reveal the watermark. A poor man's version would be to photograph a strongly backlighted stamp with a digital camera, and work from that image. Has anyone ever tried this? Bob Ingraham |
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