early Kudat postmarks

An uncommon attractive blue postmark D2 dated A 10 SP 94 with the time code A for am. It was in use for a little more than a year between 1894 and 1895. It was usually struck in blue. The earlier version has the year in 4 digits.

This is the earlier version of Kudat D2 (1886-1900) with the year in full and again the time code A for am. These time codes are very often not changed but nonetheless I would like to have one with "P". The only other similar format postmark is the Elopura but the year would not be compatible. Elopura also has the time code but then the month first followed by day and year.

This is the third version of Kudat D2 with the time code omitted. According to Proud, time codes are nearly always left out from 9th June 1895. It is amazing how he can be so specific! I suppose it is all dependent on first and last dates he has seen on postmarks.

I thought this was a D3 but actually is another Kudat D2 with missing time code. The other feature is the use of 2 letters only for the month. I have been informed that D2 was struck in violet between 1898 and 1900. I am really fond of these coloured ink markings.

Kudat D3 1893-1902

This is supposed to be my D4 but it is obviously a bogus item. Nice coloured ink though.

Kudat D5 (1895-1901) with the lovely Maltese Cross in its design. It is also seen in blue ink which is probably more for fiscal purposes.

Kudat D7(1900-1913) but with larger date plug.

early Sandakan cancellations

Pretty red cancellation which looks like a D5 (1891-1899) which is probably used for non postal purposes.

Another D5 with better definition.

Note the larger distance of the numeral from the letters above and is probably a D3 (1885-1903).

The stamp on the right is another D3, this time with a dotted circle.

Nice multiple with clear postmarks of D3, this time in black. Note the different sizes of the stop after "cent". The second stamp has a hollow large stop. The red postmarks are mostly non postal or CTOs.

fiscal high values

Interestingly, it has 3 fiscal cancellations. There is an obvious large box Sandakan D11 type cancel with 4 circular bars rather than 3 and within it an violet oval cancellation of  the judicial department of Sandakan. At the bottom, there is a faint green postal like cancellation with part of the word Sandakan. The colour is rather unusual and unlikely to be postal.

These stamps are probably fiscally cancelled with postal markings. The $5 has the large box circle cancel D11 but does look suspicious. The $10 has the Sandakan BNBC postmark D9(apparently very rare) which is normally used for fiscal purposes. 

Update I agree with the comment regarding the $5. Note the CTO bars at the right top corner. NB is full of fakes. I am still paying my "school fees".

Judicial Department Sandakan BNB type 2

From these two stamps, one could see two similar Stamp Office frankings, one with larger letters. These latter day high fiscal values are probably quite common.

Beaufort D6 and Jesselton registered mark R8

Initially I thought this was the uncommon Jesselton registered mark R8. Then I remember a similar looking Beaufort postmark D6. On closer examination and especially with the larger lettering OV for nov in the top left corner, I have decided it is more likely to be the Beaufort cancellation. Both are very desirable postmarks.  D6 was in use between 1923 and 1930. A pity it was not in coloured ink.

R8 has been under my nose all this time!. I examined my surplus stock book today and realized this smudged postmark which I had puzzled over many a time is in fact R8 with indistinct double outer rings. I wish I have a better example as R8 is rather rare and was in use between 1923-1926. I understand the value of this stamp may have been enhanced significantly.

Update I think it is a Beaufort D6.

Gayah

This is one of three known postmarks for Gayah which was in use between 1886 and 1897.  This datesstamp  was apparently lost during the destruction of Gayah by Mat Salleh in June 1897. 

Does not show up very well. There is a faint G and A at the top. That is why I have not noticed it until today. Had it for years. A red Gayah postmark on SG1 should be a dream but unfortunately it is not a vivid dream.

Update Well, things are looking up here!. With a better resolution scan, I think we have a very rare red prefix "A" rather than the more common prefix "B" stamp. The date reads like A 15 FE 1886. Also the day and month are transposed.

Bar cancels part 3

Every bar cancel collection should start with SG1. This is a full on 14 bar cancellation which was used from 1884 and has been seen in black, bluish-grey and red. The interesting postmarks used on SG1 includes Elopura A & P(time codes), Gayah and the Hong Kong B62 in bars.

This is the rather rare red 13 bar cancel of Kudat. It has wider dimensions in the top portion in comparison to the other bar cancels. The 13 bar cancel comes in black, bluish-gray and red. They were the very first cancellations to be used on SG1.

Perusing through my old surplus stock book and there it was. I do not know how long it has languishing there or whether I have put it there recently. I realized this bar cancel is much wider than the usual 14 bar CTO. It measures exactly as K1, the 13 bar cancel of Elopura/Sandakan. This changes the value of the stamp substantially. However, the stamp is a 1888 high value which exceeds the time scale given by Proud by 2 years. Perhaps it is an unrecorded fake.   

It is very rare to see a 19 bar postal cancel of Sandakan on a stamp besides the arms series except on cover. Forgeries are known to exist.

Two eye shape postally use bar cancellation likely to be of the 17 bar variety.

This stamp has 2 different bar cancellation. The 14 bar cancel can be seen towards the bottom left hand side. The second bar cancellation has a width that significantly exceeds that of the 14 bar cancel and is possibly that of a 18-19 bar cancellation. It is also possible that this is a forged cancellation due to its lack of definition.

The diamond dot cancel seems to be relatively common on this series of overprinted stamps.

Two more eye shape bar cancellation. I should get a complete set of these soon.

It does not look very exciting but it took time to acquire one like it. This is the barrel of bars cancellation like K6 (1907-1939) of Sandakan but of a larger dimension. It is mainly used to denote late letters but was used for ship mail as well.

This 1886 1c has part of the 13 bar cancellation of Elopura or Kudat. It is a lot wider in the top portion compared with the 14 bar or the 17-19 bar cancels.  

An unusual NB unlisted bars within a triple circle cancel. Perhaps a temporary cancellation or even a paquebot.

Possibly a makeshift temporary bar cancellation and perhaps used during Jap occupation.

Another strange bar cancellation. Is it "V" for supermail? The To Pay cachet has a T within a triangle.

Another Sandakan K6 for late letters and some ship mail.

Papar and Semporna

Very attractive Papar D2 postmark in violet ink. They were in use between 1950 and 1951 and probably hard to find on a 1946 stamp like the 3c above.

Papar lies 38km south of Kota Kinabalu(Jesselton) on flat lands planted predominantly with rice paddy fields. It is one of the main stops of The North Borneo Railway line.

I think this is the Semporna D1 postmark in violet. Unfortunately too faint to make out much detail except part of the date. They were in use between 1949 and 1951. Papar has a similar postmark in clear black or violet ink usually with wavy lines in both the inner and outer circle due to distortion but enhanced its attraction nonetheless.
Semporna is located in the south eastern part of Sabah (North Borneo) to the east of Tawau. It is a small town famous as a gateway to world class diving and snorkeling at nearby Sipadan island.

Some letters for Semporna can be made out in this stamp with difficulty.

This postmark is quite large but unfortunately too smudge to get much details. I can just about see the word BORNEO with the 4c stamp. The middle date line is just a bar of smudge. I can not find a corresponding postmark in Proud's book and would welcome any suggestions

Update Thanks Gantian. Temporary Papar postmark. I can now make out the smudged letters "PAR" at the top of the 10c stamp. Is this the degradable but beautiful D1 poststamp which was made of rubber? How beauty has fallen on hard times!

Mempakul

The elusive Mempakul 7 bar cancellation (1897-1898). The stamp on the left has 2 and a bit thick bars with the right dimensions. Interestingly, this stamp has a faint blue postmark, possibly a transit marking. The stamp on the right has a 9 bar Labuan cancellation which often gets mistaken for a Mempakul. NB stamps were used in Labuan especially between 1890 and 1907 when it was administered by the British North Borneo Company.

Update Looking more closely, the blue transit postmark has a year of 1894 and is probably the blue postmark D2 of Kudat. That means the bar cancel of Mempakul dated earlier from what it says in Proud's book. I think this is a case of "double happiness" with 2 rare cancels on one stamp!

Update I have taken note of Gantian's comment. Hopefully, I can clarify this in a later posting.

chinese fiscal cancellations

 

I do not actively collect Labuan but could not resist the 3c Jubilee stamp with such beautiful chinese characters. It has the wording Tai Chun which translates as "Peaceful Spring (as in season of year)" It was either the name of a chinese company or a chinese association. I was advised by a learned friend that the stamp was probably used to pay revenue charges on a document. 

Update: This is probably the chop of a chinese trading company based in Singapore with a branch in Labuan. I have seen the same chop on a Straits stamp with a Singapore postmark.

The same revenue use would also applied to the 5c NB stamp with partly decipherable chinese writing of  "fifty one......." I think they are collectable and it would have been very nice to know the background to these stamps and the companies and people who used them. Any info would be appreciated.

North Borneo also provided a club packet system used by the chinese for remitting monies back to their original homes in HK/China. This was to save postage charges as the letters were sent together as a registered parcel. Unfortunately it is unlikely much of these original wrappings with their postal markings and stamps would have survived intact to this day. 

My team is working on this one. will update as soon as we have something.

used in Brunei and Sarawak

There must have been limited use allowed of stamps amongst neighbours in British Borneo. The commonest example were the BMA stamps. Brooketon, later known as Muara in Brunei also made use of stamps from all 4 territories in British Borneo.

Kuching cancel but forgeries do exist.