The D S & Co PERFIN (DODGSHUN SONS & Co) - Census, etc.

[Ross Ewington]

An article about this private perfin appears in "The Courier" No.46. (pages 12/13)
as does a b&w image of this example (and four others), now in the collection of
a TPS member.

This forum provides an opportunity to compile a census of this particular private perfin.

I am particularly interested in discovering the period of use as none of the examples
illustrated in the Courier article have a discernible date.

A listing of stamps with the perfin submitted is provided in the following reply which
will be updated by editing so the results always appear close to the top of the topic.

Please note that you can add images as an attachment - all you have to do is select
the Upload Attachment button, browse/locate the image on your computer and upload
It will appear in the same format as the image I have attached (below).

[Ross Ewington]

D S & Co PRIVATE PERFIN on TASMANIAN STAMPS - A LISTING

On QV Sideface

1d red - perfin upright (3 examples), perfin inverted and reversed (1 example)

2d green - perfin inverted and reversed (1 example)

Total recorded = 5 examples

[David McNamee]

My 3 are counted in the above. On a 1d and the 2d, the last digit of the year appears to be 1897.

[David Andersen]

I can add another 1d red - upright

[Mike]

Appears to be a Launceston canceller dated FE 27 97. What do you think? Perfs have been trimed along top.

[Ross Ewington]

Example just discovered in a mixed lot (to which it will be returning)
No date unfortunately but Launceston duplex postmark as per usual.

dodgshun perfin 2.jpg (43.69 KiB) Viewed 17273 times

[David Coath]

Dear All

I am new to this having just joined TPS.

Even though I would call myself a perfin collector I can add little to this except the image that I have .

[attachment=0]DS&Co.jpg[/attachment]

One interesting thing in the image is the ½d QV Tablet that was on piece and had been punched through the backing .

This is odd for a stamp which appears to have postal markings . Something you might sometimes see on a revenue.

David

[Ross Ewington]

Hi David,

I have never seen the ½d Tablet with this perfin before .... quite a discovery.

Regarding the "paper punched through" nature of the item. I think it just indicates that
this particular perforator was small enough to slip in the top of an envelope to apply a perfin to a stamp
already affixed. Why anyone would need to do that is a puzzle as I though the whole idea
of private perfins was to stop staff stealing mint stamps and selling them on. Once a stamp
was attached to an envelope there was really no need to apply the perfin retrospectively methinks .... this
may have been just a "one off" creation.

I have seen the Tatteralls very large A/large hole perfin applied through a stamp and the front and back of
the envelope to which it had been affixed ... if only I had kept the scan!

[Revenuer]

So is the DS&Co both a single head cancelling devise and/or a security perfin? and welcome David to the mad house

[David Coath]

Hey Dave , thanks for the welcome and thanks to Ross for posting my image as I had some issues with that. I think I will be able to do it next time.

I would not think that the DS&Co had been used as a canceling device as the usage seems to be postal.

I suspect that Ross is right and that the puncture was effected after the stamp was affixed to the envelope as in his A example.

In all the perfins I have seen on paper this is the only example I can recall were the pucture has been passed through the envelope. So they are rare , that suggests that the circumstances were likewise.

Why do it ? , I can only think that somebody noticed that an unperfinned stamp was on an envelope and that the perfin was applied to the stamp on the envelope.

David

[David McNamee]

The postmark appears to be Campbell Town, and Dodgshun did not have anything commercial in Campbell Town as far as I have been able to determine. Also, the ½d is an odd stamp to be used by them, since most of their communication would have been to Tas customers and suppliers or to the Melbourne head office, all 2d rate letters or 1d rate printed matter. Quite a mystery, but nevertheless, it is what it is -- a rare perfin. Private perfins on any ½d stamps are quite scarce -- I have recorded only Tattersalls Type 2 (13 holes) and McKinley's Dept Stores on ½d Tablets, and Tatts Type 2 and D. W. Murray Ltd. on ½d Pictorials (various printings).

[Ross Ewington]

An other example offered on eBay during December 2010.

ds&co 1.jpg (22.5 KiB) Viewed 16163 times

[Ross Ewington]

Two more examples (both upright) from a collection which has remained 'dormant' for a few decades.

w525.jpg (76.36 KiB) Viewed 15967 times

[Ross Ewington]

another example - undated on a 2d QV Sideface - inverted

eb2376.jpg (131.83 KiB) Viewed 15555 times

[Ross Ewington]

D S & Co inverted and reversed on a 6d QV 'Tablet' - the first example that I can remember having seen on this stamp

qq2379.jpg (73.09 KiB) Viewed 15444 times

qq2378.jpg (68.97 KiB) Viewed 15444 times