1935 Irish 2d coil stamp

Rare Irish postage stamp January 2023 The Rare 2d CoilTwopence coil stamp Stamp Irl 68b.png 180 A used example of the 2d coil stamp Ireland Dublin 1935 Few printed 20 mint,several used, a few on cover 2d GB £9,000 (mint)Stanley Gibbons (2004), p. 1 GB £1,500 (used) The Rare 2d Coil was an experimental vertical coil stamp, denominated 2d, issued by the Irish Post Office in 1935Foley (1995), p. 31While Stanley Gibbons refers to this stamp as being issued in 1934 in their catalogue, Foley illustrates archived official correspondence dated 1956 between Stanley Gibbons and the Department of Posts and Telegraphs that confirms 1935 as the year of issuance. and is one of the scarcest, and most valuable, Irish stamps. It is often referred to by stamp collectors simply as "Scott 68b" or "SG 74b", being the Scott and Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue numbers respectively. Design Philatelists refer to the configuration as '"perf 15 x imperf",Bugg (1996), p. 15: Bugg improperly identifies the stamp as perf 14 x imperf or in the US as "perf 15 horizontal", because the stamp is perforated 15 gauge (holes per 2 cm) on the horizontal and imperforate on the vertical edges. Because of the shared design it appears identical to the first 2d value definitive stamp issued on 6 December 1922 with the Map of Ireland except for the imperforate vertical edges. It uses the first Irish watermark that was a stylised design of the two overlapping letters 's' and 'e' making an 'se' watermark representing the name of the country Saorstát Éireann (Irish Free State).https://web.archive.org/web/20080105141408/http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/eng/stamps/eire03.htm 5 January 2008 http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/eng/stamps/eire03.htm The First Definitive Series of the Irish Free State and Irish Republic, 1922–1968 Arwel Parry 10 May 2008 History It was first recognised in 1937 but not acknowledged by the philatelic catalogues until the Scott stamp catalogue listed it in 1952. Over the years 20 copies have been identified in mint condition,Foley (1995), pp. 65–69 but the quantity of used stamps is not known. Even though several have been recorded, they are nevertheless scarce.Feldman (1968), p. 76. A few copies of the stamp are known to exist on cover, but Dulin points out that all Irish coil stamps are scarce on cover. Dulin Cyril Coils on Cover The Revealer 43 3 52–53 Éire Philatelic Association USA Winter 1993 0484-6125 Some debate as to the genuineness of this stamp took place in the Irish philatelic literature during the mid-1990s with a suggestion the stamp had been fabricated from a normal fully perforated stamp with a press. This hypothesis was debunked by Foley and Ian Whyte, a Dublin stamp dealer, who both claimed such a process would damage the stamp and be scientifically impossible. Archived documents were also found that confirm the stamp was ordered and issued by the Irish postal administration. Foley Joe The 2d Coil Stamp (SG74a, Scott 68b), A Friendly Rebuttal The Revealer 44 3 47 & 57 Éire Philatelic Association USA Winter 1994 0484-6125 Whyte Ian The 1935 2d Coil Stamp (SG74a, Scott 68b) The Revealer 44 3 47–48 Éire Philatelic Association USA Winter 1994 0484-6125 A detailed survey of the then twenty known unused examples was carried out by Gerard Brady and published in the Irish Stamp News in 1981.Gerard Brady Gerard Brady The Extant Copies of the Irish 2d Coil of 1835 Perf 15 x Imperf (S.G. 74B) in unused condition Irish Stamp News 1 8 Ian Whyte (Ireland) Ltd. Dublin Summer 1981 0332-317X 41167086 Forgery In 2004 a forgery of this stamp was reported in The Revealer, the journal of the Éire Philatelic Association, that had been found in the "Maryland forgeries" and offered for sale by a noted collector Roger West of Phoenix International. The forgery is paler than the genuine stamp and the print is coarser, on a white ungummed paper and perforated 10.75 x imperf. The printed stamp area is 18.0mm x 22.5mm compared to 18.5mm x 22.0mm on the original. Foley Joe The Rare 1934 2d Coil Stamp—Forgery The Revealer 54 2 20 Éire Philatelic Association USA Fall 2004 0484-6125 See also Postage stamps of Ireland Definitive postage stamps of Ireland References and sources Notes Sources Peter E. Bugg 1996 The First 55 Years of Irish Coils Éire Philatelic Association, USA David Feldman David Feldman (philatelist) 1968 Handbook of Irish Philately David Feldman Ltd & the Dolman Press Ltd Dublin, Ireland Joseph E. Foley 1995 The Rare Coil Joseph E. Foley, USA (Past-President American Philatelic Society ) Stanley Gibbons Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue: Ireland, 2nd Edition Stanley Gibbons Ltd 2004 London 0-85259-583-2 Category:Republic of Ireland postal system Category:Postage stamps of the Republic of Ireland Category:1935 introductions