Hobart Duplex 1884

[shatten]

Hi all, I have been puzzling over this duplex cancel. The CDS is figure 72 in Green Books (22.5 mm). But the duplex canceller doesn't match. It resembles the duplex canceller in figure 70 but the letters of TASMANIA are at least 1mm higher and they look to be thinner. Also the horizontal lines appear to be thicker. John Hardinge's excellent book throws no light on the matter. Comments welcome!

Odd duplex 1.0.jpg (183.92 KiB) Viewed 5509 times

[admin]

Thanks Allen. Very interesting. I can't shed any light but I will check my dupex cancellations and see if I have something similar.
Pete

[John Campton]

Hi Allen
This is the Type 2 Hobart Duplex as described in Vol 1 of the Green Books page 86, and has clarifying comments regarding damage in Vol 2 of the GBs page 60/61. This is Hardinge's Hobart Duplex 1 (iii). Your code is right as is my example.

However this is where you really have to read the Green Books and not look at the Fig description. The Green Books state that the Type 1 Duplex has six thin horizontal bars. Type 2 is described as "As Type 1, but the bars forming the oval are thicker". Yes they are marginally thicker, BUT THE OVERRIDING COMMENT IS "SIX THIN HORIZONTAL BARS". Not eight bars as shown in Fig 72 in the Green Books. Anyone describing the Duplex from Fig 72 in the Green Books would be wrong in my opinion as examples in my collection and the description is "six thin horizontal bars".

Hobart Duplex Type 1 (iii).jpg (110.38 KiB) Viewed 5475 times

This Duplex had problems as described in Vol2 of the GB's and I have shown state (IV) of the Duplex where the date stamp is strongly rotated. You will note that my example has six bars. The Green Book Fig 72 is wrong. It is also wrong with the Fig for the Hobart Type 1c cds Fig 79 as it does not show the dot stops. All I can say is both look and read...both volumes of the Green books and all other material and compare them to your own examples.

Hope this helps.

[shatten]

John, thank you for the lucid clarification. But my faith in the green books has been slightly diminished.