The Small Queens

Major Varieties

 

Half Cent. In later printings it is difficult to find any specimen that does not show some evidence of re-entering, that is, the re-application of the transfer roller to a worn or defective impression to strengthen or freshen it, resulting in the deepening of the recessed lines, or doubling where the part of the old impression is still visible. The one really major variety is on the right hand pane, (horizontal) Row 5/9. The stamp is doubled virtually throughout its whole design.

Half Cent Re-entry
Re-entry

Strand of Hair Variety
"Strand of Hair"


One Cent
. When Small Queen plates were made, they were done with a transfer roller about 2.5” in diameter with two reliefs diametrically opposite one another. This left no evidence of ‘over-rocking’ the relief, that is, allowing it to travel too far, up or down. In the mid 1890’s two values did show evidence of over-rocking, and it seems likely that the printers were experimenting, somewhat unsuccessfully, with a multi-relief roller with perhaps as many as six reliefs on it – which would just fit onto a tool with the above-mentioned diameter. On the One Cent this gave rise to the four ‘Strand of Hair’ varieties; one long (illustrated), a medium – slightly shorter and less heavy – and two shorts which can be distinguished one from the other because one of them is re-entered at the base too. That one and the medium are known to have come from the 1892 Ottawa plate with the letter ‘C’ above its top imprints, and from the right hand side.

Two Cents. Possibly first thing on a Monday morning, or after the traditional lunchtime drink at the pub after one had been paid on a Friday, on two different plates, the siderographer – the craftsman who made the plates – started to rock in an impression half a stamp too high, realised he had boobed, partially burnished out the evidence, and re-entered the impression correctly. Since bits of his mistake are still visible, the two varieties are correctly described as ‘Latent Entries’ and not the more usual ‘Latent Re-entries’ because the re-entry is the body of the stamp, and the latent bit is what is not supposed to be there. A large block which enabled showing of the latent entry at the top to be plated is known, but the one showing it at the bottom right and in parts of the stamp design has never been plated,  and it is estimated that there only about ten of these in existence. The Two Cents also boasts one major re-entry distinguished by distortion of the lettering and numerals at the bottom of the design.

Latent Entry Variety
Bottom Latent Entry

One of the beauties of collecting Small Queens is that I got mine in a Glasgow stamp shop, and because it was at the time catalogued at only 5p (or 10 cents if you are not British) the dealer gave it me for nothing. There is unrecognised material still out there!

Three Cents. Keep looking. In spite of nearly 1.4 billion being printed, nothing really spectacular has yet turned up. But there are plenty of lesser varieties that can be found – including two marks on the Queen’s neck from slight damage to the plate known as ‘Dracula’s  Kiss’!

Five Cents. A pretty hefty bit of damage occurred to a plate in Montreal resulting in a diagonal score running from the Queen’s head. Not too many exist and if you have to pay for one you will feel it. A major re-entry exists on an Ottawa printing, which, although extensive, is weak in comparison with those recorded on the other values.


5 Cents on 6 Cents Re-entry

Six Cents. This value really is a happy hunting ground. One major re-entry on the first plate made – technically a ‘fresh entry’ since the repair was done before printing (other than proofing) took place – Row 7/7, and strong flaw under the neck on the same plate after the move to Montreal is very scarce. This scarcity suggests it was scrapped soon after – the major re-entry, relatively common on the early Ottawa printings, is extremely rare on a Montreal perf 11.5x12 printing and the neck flaw is hardly more common. The fun really started in the 1890’s in Ottawa with SEVEN 5˘/6˘ varieties (where part of the Five Cents design was rocked on top of the Six Cents) – probably the same tool  which caused the Strands of Hair on the One Cent – in fact two of the aforementioned are identical. 

 

Found on the ‘A’ plate, similar to the shorts but across the tiara instead of the hair, the final repair to that plate, which had survived since First Ottawa days,  produced two further 5˘/6˘’s – one at the end of the second row, the other at the beginning of the third (one of the ‘strand’ like 5˘/6˘’s is immediately above it Row 2/1). The repair also produced the plate’s single Major Re-entry from Row 3/4, and this is the most easily found one of the Six Cents Second Ottawas.

Neck Flaw
Neck Flaw

Almost unbelievably, there are three major 5˘/6˘’s but in two cases only one specimen of each has been recorded; both are thought to come from Pane ‘B’ as does the one that has been catalogued – from Row 3/5. Quite rightly regarded as among the rarities of the issue, there are three major re-entries from the same plate, one from Pane ‘B’, the two others from Pane ‘C’, and are every bit as elusive.  It was pleasing to see that in a recent U.S. auction, one of the ones from Pane ‘C’ fetched a price commensurate with its rarity. But speaking from experience there must be copies out there still waiting to be recognised.

Eight Cents. This has one major re-entry where the whole impression has been strengthened – that fact only became obvious to me after photocopying it besides a copy in a similar shade – the re-entered copy was very much darker on the photocopy.

Ten Cents. One major re-entry, technically again a ‘fresh entry’ as it is known on every printing, comes from Row 9/9 and is most visible along the top of the design for about two thirds of the way from the right.

There are of course many minor varieties that can be found – from double perforations, pre-printing creases, plate damage, either from stress – i.e. cracks, or from objects being dropped on it, as well as flaws and minor to quite strong evidence of re-entering. Happy hunting.