The Inverted Swan, a 4-pence blue postage stamp issued in 1855 by Western Australia, was one of the world's first invert errors. Technically, it is the frame that is inverted, not the image of the swan, but it has become commonly known as the Inverted Swan.
In 1854, Western Australia issued its first stamps, featuring the colony's symbol, the black swan, as did all WA stamps until 1902. While the 1d black was engraved in Great Britain by Perkins Bacon, other values, including the 4d blue, were produced by Horace Samson in Perth using lithography, and with different frames around the swan design for each value.
The error
In January 1855, additional 4d stamps were needed. When Alfred Hillman brought the printing stone out of storage, he found that two of the impressions had been damaged, so he had to redo them. One of the replaced frames was tilted; the other was accidentally redone upside-down. It was on displayed in 1890 at Royal Philatelic Society London's first philatelic exhibition. and at museums in Sydney, and Perth, in addition to private collections.
In 1927 the locations of the nine known copies were listed in the Brisbane Telegraph. 1 – Collection of the Royal Family of Windsor. 2- Tapling collection, British Museum. 3 – Leinster collection, Dublin Science and Art Museum. 4 – White collection, State Library of New South Wales. 5 – EH Collins. 6 – PR England. 7 – Dr HA James. 8 – JA Nix. 9 – L Meinertzhagen
See also
- List of notable postage stamps
References
Sources
- Philatelic Gems 1. Amos Press, 1989.
External Sources
- The Inverted Swan, used Four Pence stamp, Western Australia, 1855, State Library of New South Wales, S.G.4a. ( 1 )