Head and frame essays in red on thick glazed card, the adjacent essays with QV head very similar to that used for the issued Perkins Bacon 1d stamps, both with frame and corner squares, the right essay with turned side panels virtually identical to those in the dummy stamps printed by Charles Skipper & East, 46x28mm. A rare, possibly unique, pair of essays possibly adapted from an earlier trial plate, previously believed to be by Perkins Bacon but more probably by Charles Skipper & East. Photo included on Front Cover. (Image1)

Charles Skipper & East. 1d "Inland Revenue" dummy stamps, complete sheets of 48 with wide sheet margins on thin card (223x200mm), three imperforate sheets printed in green, lilac or salmon. Also single stamps in green (3, shades), pale lilac, salmon or blue on thin card, and a block of four in pale salmon on thick card. A fine group, complete sheets scarce, ex Chartwell Collection. (154). Photo on Page 10. (Image1)

Waterlow & Sons. 1876 QV Head progressive die proof in black, die sunk on white wove paper, 99x65mm, "R.C.B.S" handstamped on reverse. Also plate proof in black of the 1860 Nova Scotia 1c (and issued South Australia 1867 4d, 2/- in the same design), upon which this QV head proof was based. This QV head proof was later used for the Queensland 2d essay submitted by Waterlows for the 1879 tender. Ex Clive and Gilbert Collections. Photo on Page 114. (Image1)

Waterlow & Sons. 1876 QV Head progressive die proof in black, die sunk on thin white card, 75x97mm, "R.C.B.S" handstamped on reverse, endorsed and dated in pencil "touched for the ear and jaw 5/2/76". This head was later used for the Queensland 2d essay submitted by Waterlows for the 1879 tender. A unique proof, ex Clive, Gilbert and Chartwell Collections. Photo on Page 26. (Image1)

Waterlow & Sons. Queensland 2d essay, cut down progressive die proof with incomplete areas on the right, in black on wove paper. This essay was submitted for the 1879 tender in support of a recommendation to use line-engraved printing, but quickly ruled out of the competition as surface printing had already been agreed for the next stamp issue. A superb essay, very scarce. Photo included on Front Cover. (Image1)

1d Dummy stamp in blue on wove paper, GL in the lower corner, imperforate, attributed to Carmichael and reputedly printed by Charles Skipper & East, very scarce. Photo on Page 6. (Image1)

Unadopted QV Head die proofs with circular background of horizontal lines, in blue on wove paper, 83x60mm, or in violet on glazed wove paper, 100x75mm, probably by Perkins Bacon & Co. (2).

Perkins Bacon & Co. Essay Die Proof in black on thick card, the QV head and frame very similar to other essays known to have been produced in February 1879 (see Line Engraved Stamps of G.B by E.D Bacon, plate XIII, figs 94/5), 50x51mm; and a proof of an engine turned background die sunk on wove paper in black with an engraved outline for the same essay superimposed, endorsed "D246", 73x117mm. A unique pair, probably `produced for the 1879 Tender. (2). Photo included on Front Cover. (Image1)

Perkins Bacon & Co. Proofs of engine turned backgrounds in black produced during the attempt to hold onto the G.B 1d stamp printing contract, a proof of the background used for the 1861 Bahamas stamps (and Grenada revenues) numbered "246", 140x36mm; and two die sunk proofs each with two separate backgrounds (similar to the Bahamas type), the four backgrounds each with a superimposed stamp frame (two also with QV head) corresponding to those shown in Line Engraved Stamps of G.B by E.D Bacon (plate XIII, figs 85-93). Very scarce. (3). Photo on Page 12. (Image1)

Perkins Bacon & Co. QV Head die proof with a background of horizontal lines within a 17mm circular frame, printed in pink on watermarked wove paper, 43x46mm. This head (very similar to that used for South Australia and Nova Scotia) was amongst the surface printed essays submitted to the Board of Inland Revenue on 15th Feb. 1879 (Line Engraved Stamps of G.B by E.D Bacon, plate XII, fig 82). Fine and very rare, ex Young Collection. Photo included on Front Cover. (Image1)

Perkins Bacon & Co. Sheetlet of four dummy stamps inscribed "Postage No Pence" and two impressions of the 17mm circular framed QV Head, printed in pink on watermarked gummed wove paper, 67x87mm, both of these designs amongst the surface printed essays submitted to the Inland Revenue in February 1879 (Line Engraved Stamps of G.B by E.D Bacon, plate XII, figs 81/2). Two minor tone marks, otherwise fine and possibly unique; one similar sheetlet in black is in the Royal Collection. Ex Fisher, Court and Bristol Collections. Photo included on Front Cover. (Image1)

Perkins Bacon & Co. 1d Large Head Essay by Ridgway, stamp size proof with blank corners in reddish purple, mounted in thick card, 68x52mm, very scarce. Photo on Page 16. (Image1)

Perkins Bacon & Co. Imperforate 1d Large Head Essays by Ridgway, in green (11), rose (17, shades), blue (4) or orange (2), including RK-TL corner block of six in rose and FO-FP vertical pair in green both with lower margin showing two differing plate sizes were used (probably 240 & 192), various papers, some gummed. (34).

Perkins Bacon & Co. 1d Rose Large Head Essay, KA-NJ imperforate block of forty with reattached MK-NL block of four on thin wove paper, margin at left, a scarce large block. (44).

Perkins Bacon & Co. 1881 Grenada postcards with 1d stamp in blue or 1½d stamp in brown, the stamps adapted from the 1879 tender essay 1d stamp type D by Ridgway, the two unused cards both endorsed "No 328 / 13 du 13 Juin 1881" believed to be from a Berne U.P.U archive, and a card with two tete-beche impressions of the 1½d stamp and heading, two edge tears but very rare, probably a proof. (5). Photo on Page 8. (Image1)

1908 Cover bearing Grenada 1½d postcard stamp, cut-out and perforated, posted from Kingston-on-Thames to East Molesey, very unusual, ex Beaumont Collection.

Perkins Bacon & Co. QV Head die proof, state 1 within a vertical oval of horizontal lines, a differing defaced head die struck lightly above, in black on card, vertical folds clear of the printed proofs, otherwise fine and scarce, 114x106mm. This head was used for the strip of six small head 1d essays submitted for the 1879 Tender. Photo on Page 12. (Image1)

Perkins Bacon & Co. Imperforate proof sheet of 36 1d small head essays in black on white wove paper, plate IV lettered "WW", 147x177mm, some creasing but a scarce sheet.

Perkins Bacon & Co. Imperforate sheet of 36 1d small head essays in green, plate IV lettered "WW" on star watermarked paper with "POSTAGE" within the lined margins, very large margins at base and left side, 277x246mm. Very rare, three sheets of this watermarked paper used for the submitted tender, most essays on the philatelic market being proof items on unwatermarked paper. Photo on Page 14. (Image1)

Perkins Bacon & Co. Imperforate 1d small head essay strip showing all six types, in green with margin at left, on star watermarked paper. Very scarce, watermarked paper used for the submitted tender, ex Young Collection. Photo on Page 6. (Image1)

Perkins Bacon & Co. Imperforate 1d small head plate IV essays lettered "WW" showing solvent tests on the stability of the inks, archival page (146x200mm) bearing 1d green pair and 1d chestnut-brown block of six (2x3), the block of six endorsed "Printed from Transfers June 1879" in right margin, the three rows of essays numbered "1", "2"and "3", rows 2 and 3 with abrasions or ink smears due to the solvents used, the page endorsed "2nd" with initials "S.J.J" and "Refer to 6". A unique page.

Perkins Bacon & Co. Imperforate 1d small head essay proof block of 36 with blank corners in green, from the new plate V (120 stamps) made in May or June 1879, on white wove paper, lower row with part paper makers watermark "L POSTAGE PAPER".

Perkins Bacon & Co. Imperforate 1d small head essays with corner letters "WW", from plate IV (13) or blank corners from plate V (75), also 1d large head essay, ½d (2), 1½d (2) and 2d (4) essays, and 1914 1d reprints in brighter colours (10). An interesting lot, various colours with blocks, offsets and paper makers watermarks, one page with the differing value essays all in blue (16) showing the differing head and frame types used in both the 1879 and 1880 Tenders. (107).

McCorquodale & Co. First type dummy stamp by W.H Hooper, plate I consisting of three stamps with 7-8mm gutters between, printed in red on wove paper, 98x54mm. Photo on Page 16. (Image1)

McCorquodale & Co. Imperforate first type dummy stamp from plate II (120 stamps) printed in black (15), brown (7) or carmine-red (23), some blocks, various shades and papers including scarce black on blue paper stamps (4), also second Hooper type block of four. (49). Photo on Page 6. (Image1)