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I am not a specialist on Tasmania philately and would be very grateful, if somebody can help me. Is this a strike of the BN17 used at Breadalbane and rated RRRR by Askeland? Any comments are welcome... Regards Stephan

It appears to be the very same!

Here's an image from the McNamee Collection for comparison To view the whole collection of Tasmanian Barred Numerals - First Allocation go to - http://www.aape.org/exhibit_view_frame. ... meNumber=1

I have never seen a better example.

Thanks Ross, thanks John, for your immediate response. What is the best place to sell this stamp? I am from Germany, which seems not the best market. Do I need a certificate? What is a reasonable price? Best regards Stephan

Tasmanian Stamp Auctions usually get the best prices for Tassie stuff. That would be where I would be looking.

I have shown above BN13 on 4d star and later 2d Chalon, along with a scan of the original BN17 on 4d star.
BN13 wore badly, which is why mss13 is not rare.
If you blow the images up, you will see clearly the following:
BN13 on 4d - shows the serif on "1" commences at the top. The down-stroke on "3" appears curved. The top of the loop on "3" has become dots.
BN13 on 2d - shows the top of the loop has become a large blob. The base of the loop is missing.
BN17 is a very faint strike overstruck with a bold one. It shows the serif is finely cut and commences below the top of the "1". The top of the "7" has an apparent upward slant to the right.
Looking at the three pics together you will see the 17 is to the naked eye much larger than the figure 13, which has a flat top. The "1" of 17 is closer to the first vertical bar to its left, than is the "1" of 13. The "7" is significantly further spaced from the inside right bar than is the "3".

Now compare the above with the BN on the 4d Courier which started this discussion. If the BN is 17, then the black ink to the left of the inner vertical bar should not be there. If it is 13, then that is part of the damaged loop, and should be where it is. The numeral matches the characteristics of BN13 mentioned above in every respect, and that is what it is, opinions to the contrary notwithstanding. Additionally, on the 4d courier example when enlarged, there is a trace of the curved downward stroke of the "3", and you can see the ball of the "3".

The 4d Courier is cancelled with BN13.

Dear Randall, your argumentation is conclusive with good illustrations. Thanks a lot! It's a great pity but I have to accept that it is not BN 17. Nevertheless I think sufficient for an ebay auction... Regards Stephan