Australian KGV Stamp & Plate Varieties

Member guide

This site is a shared reference for the plate positions and varieties of Australian King George V stamps. Anyone can browse it. Members can add flaws, photos and evidence, and an administrator checks new entries before they appear.

Getting started

1. Click Create account at the top right.
2. Enter a display name, your email address and a password of at least 8 characters.
3. Open the confirmation email and click its link, then sign in. Check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive.

Your display name is public. It appears as your credit on your entries, so choose one you're happy to see there. It must be 2 to 40 characters, and you can change it with Rename beside your name. Your email address is never shown publicly.

Forgotten your password? Click Sign in, then Forgot your password?, and follow the link in the email.

Please read the Contributor terms, also linked at the bottom of every page, before you add anything.

Finding your way around

Browse has a sheet map and a grid, so you can see where each flaw sits on the sheet. The first row of buttons at the top picks the value, from ½d to 1/4d. Where a value has more than one die or list, a second row picks it. The 2d, for example, has Die I, Die II, On 1½d and Die III. On a phone, the other pages are under Menu.

Not sure what you have? Identify my stamp asks for the value, colour, watermark and perforation, then gives the BW number. Show its flaws on the sheet opens the right list with the filters set, showing only the positions with entries for that stamp. It covers every value: the ½d, 1d, 1½d, 2d, 3d, 4d, 4½d, 5d and 1/4d.

Plates, panes and positions

The 1d was printed from four plates of two panes each, and each pane has 60 positions in 10 rows of 6.

• 1d: VI/21 means Pane VI, position 21. Position 1 is the top left stamp of the pane, and numbers run left to right along each row.
• 1d Die III: this came from a separate plate, so it has its own grid of 120 positions, in 12 rows of 10. Die III/101 means position 101 on that plate.
• ½d: this uses numbered electros instead of plates, each with a left and a right pane. 4L32 means Electro 4, left pane, position 32.
• 1½d Die I: this used numbered electros too, including 5A, 6A, 9A and 9B, so 5AL1 means Electro 5A, left pane, position 1.
• 1½d Die II: this used steel Plates 1a, 1, 2, 3 and 4, so 1aL20 means Plate 1a, left pane, position 20. A position like 1L20 exists on more than one list, and search offers each one.
• 2d Die I: this used numbered electros, including 4A, 8A and 12A, so 8AL2 means Electro 8A, left pane, position 2.
• 2d Die II, 2d on 1½d and 2d Die III: these used steel plates, so 3R48 means Plate 3, right pane, position 48.
• 3d and 4d: these are numbered plates, so 7R58 means Plate 7, right pane, position 58. A 3d flaw on both Plates 3 and 4 is listed on each.
• 4½d: Die I has one plate, written Plate 1, so 1R55 means right pane, position 55. Die II has Plates 2 and 3, which also printed the FIVE PENCE on 4½d.
• 5d and 1/4d: the 5d Die I and the 1/4d each have one plate, Plate 1. The 5d Die II has Plates 2 and 3.

To look at a position

1. Choose the value from the buttons at the top, and the die if there is more than one, then a pane on the sheet map. On a phone, use the pane tabs instead of the map.
2. Click a position on the grid. Its entries appear in the panel beside it.
3. To share it, copy the page address from your browser. It opens at that position.

Tick Show only positions with entries above the grid to hide the empty ones. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move around the grid and Enter opens a position.

Search

Search looks through every list. Type a flaw name, a word from a description, an ACSC number, a reference, a name or a date. Type a position such as VI/21, VI 21 or 4L32 to jump straight to it. Matching positions in the current pane are outlined on the grid.

Narrow down

The bar above the grid helps you work out what a stamp could be.

1. Choose its colour and its watermark and perforation.
2. Panes that weren't recorded for that printing fade, and a note lists the possible ones.
3. Add a die or an evidence status to narrow it further. Click Clear to start again.

The filter hides entries recorded only on other printings. It keeps entries with nothing recorded, because they might still apply.

Other places to look

• No known position, below the grid, lists flaws not yet located on the sheet, and watermark or perforation errors not tied to one position.
• Sheet markings lists imprints and monograms by period.
• References lists the main sources behind the site.

Reading an entry

Being shown on the site means a moderator allowed the entry. It doesn't prove the variety, so check the evidence label as well.

Evidence labels

Grid markings

Plate state and period. A position can change over time, for example from a flaw to a retouch. Entries are listed with the earliest state first. State 1 is the earliest known, and the dates show when that state is known.

Compare states. If a position has two or more entries, click Compare states to see any two side by side. On a phone, they stack one above the other.

Plate history warnings. A yellow note saying an entry doesn't match the recorded plate history means it conflicts with what's currently recorded. It may be a mistake or a real discovery, so treat it with care.

Die II. Collectors call it Die II, but it is a roller flaw, not a separate die. It's recorded only in Pane II, columns 2 and 3.

Adding an entry

Add one entry for each flaw or state. Record only what you can support, and leave a field blank or "Not stated" if you aren't sure. Each entry needs at least a flaw name, a description or a photo.

1. Select the position on the grid, then click Add an entry for this position. Or click ＋ Add an entry and choose the pane and position.
2. Fill in the fields you can. The form has four steps, and you can submit from any of them.
3. Add a photo if you have one, and tick the box confirming you have the right to share it.
4. Click Submit for approval. Trusted members see Publish instead.

If the position isn't known, use ＋ Add a variety with no known position below the grid, or tick The position isn't known. You can still give the pane if you know it.

Rules the form checks

• Listed in ACSC needs an ACSC number and edition.
• In a published study needs at least one reference.
• An ACSC number always needs its edition.

Good practice

• Dates: a postmark shows the stamp already existed by that date. It doesn't show when the state began or ended.
• Constant flaws: try to confirm a flaw on two separate copies before calling it constant.
• Catalogues and books: give the number and page reference rather than copying text or images. If you mention an ACSC number in a description or a reference, type BW in front of it, as in BW 71I(2)j.
• Photos: add only photos you took, or ones the photographer has allowed you to share.

If you see a warning when saving. The site compares your entry with the recorded plate history. Check your details first. If you're sure, click save again. The entry will go through for approval and keep the warning, so a real discovery can still be recorded.

After you submit

An administrator reviews each new entry before anyone else can see it. My submissions lists everything you've added, with its status.

Trusted members. An administrator may make you a trusted member, and your new entries then publish straight away.

Editing. Click Edit on your entry. An edit sends the entry back for approval, even if you change nothing, unless you're a trusted member.

Evidence decisions. Only administrators can mark a claim Referred for opinion or Rejected claim, and they must give a reason. You can still edit that entry, but only an administrator can change that status.

History. Click History on your entry to see what changed, when and by whom. Only you and administrators can see it.

Archiving. Members can't delete entries outright.

• Click Archive to hide your entry from the public. It and its history are kept.
• To bring it back, click Restore under My submissions. You can restore only what you archived yourself.
• To have an entry removed permanently, contact the site owner.

Reporting a problem. If an entry looks wrong, or uses your photo without permission, click Report on the entry and explain why. You need to be signed in. You can also email the address at the bottom of each page.

Watermarks and perforations

Only four watermarks were used. The site shows each one as a small picture, with the perforation beside it.

Picture	Watermark or paper	Perforation
	Type 2 Single Crown over A	Single-line 14.2 x 14.2
	Type 2 Single Crown over A	Comb 14.25 x 14
	Type 2 Single Crown over A, War Savings paper	Comb 14.25 x 14, on an adapted machine
	Type 4 Large Multiple Crown over A	Comb 14.25 x 14
	No watermark	Comb 14.25 x 14
	Type 5 Small Multiple Crown over A	Comb 14.25 x 14
	Type 5 Small Multiple Crown over A	Comb 13½ x 12½
	Type 6 Small Crown over C of A	Comb 13½ x 12½

Common questions

The site is a volunteer reference and may contain mistakes, so check important details against specialist catalogues. Corrections are welcome.