Was Pat Malone Wrong? ½d, 5d & 6d Pictorials issued 30.3.00

[Ross Ewington]

Keith Lancaster referred to Pat Malone on page 13 of "The Pictorial Stamps of Tasmania" as '..a keen philatelist who resided in Hobart and is responsible for stating that the ½d., 5d. and 6d. values (of the Pictorials) were released for sale on 31.3.00.'
This date is also cited as the day of issue by Stanley Gibbons up to the present edition of "Commonwealth & British Empire Stamps 1840-1970"

Today, while looking for something different, I came across this report in The Examiner, published on Saturday, March 31st 1900

pictorials fdi 30.3.00.jpg (56.24 KiB) Viewed 2108 times

It sounds fairly definitive doesn't it (i.e. that the three stamps in question were issued at Hobart on Friday, March 30th 1900)?

[bill]

This response is somewhat belated.

This is a very good discovery by Ross. Malone had also reported that the
2d Lettercard with Pictorial impressed thereon and views on reverse was
issued on 31 March 1900, along with the ½d, 5d and 6d. Is there any
evidence from contemporary reports that this Lettercard was issued on
or about this date?

One might go further and check for reports in late May 1900 regarding
the issue of the 2½d, 3d and 4d Pictorials. All of these stamps aroused
a lot of interest and controversy at the time.

[Ross Ewington]

.... Is there any evidnece from contemporary reports that this Lettercard was issued on
or about this date?

One might go further and check for reports in late May 1900 regarding
the issue of the 2½d, 3d and 4d Pictorials. All of these stamps aroused
a lot of interest and controversy at the time.

I assume (judging by the newspaper report above) that the lettercards were issued on the same date
unless I'm not 'reading' quite what you mean.

I have been collecting a few newspaper reports about the last values to be issued and when I get a few
together I will post them in this topic which I started to record 'contemporary views' about the stamps.

http://tps.org.au/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=642

[bill]

Sorry, Ross. I missed the reference to lettercards. It was tucked
away in the news report, along with the ½d, 5d and 6d stamps but
only the stamps got a mention in the heading refering to Malone's
report.