MBE 1922 part 7. narrow/numeral 0 varieties

This narrow/numeral 0 variety seems quite common. Fortunately, I do have many copies of stamps of this issue. But I do not have any whole sheets which would have been more useful. Predominantly, it is more noticeable in the second O of Borneo but it can also occur in other positions. It is quite likely in the haste to produce these overprints (please refer to part 1) the numeral 0 was mistakenly used in place of the letter O. O measures up to 1.2mm across whereas 0 measures about 0.9-1mm.

The second stamp of these 2 pairs of stamps with "stop after exhibition" has the numeral 0 in the second position as in BORNE0. With both 2c stamps, they also have numeral 0 as in EXHIBITI0N.

The first stamp is the rarer P 14.5 and it has the numeral 0 in the second position as in BORNE0. The second stamp is the only stamp I have with a brownish red overprint and looks like it has the numeral 0 in the first position as in B0RNEO.

The first stamp has the numeral 0 in the first position as in B0RNEO and possibly EXHIBITI0N. The second stamp is normal apart from the extra stop after exhibition. There are probably a lot more of these variations around.

1918 Red Cross Four Cent8?

I thought that I have found another one of these stamps but it is not as complete an "8" as the one below.

MBE 1922 part 6. more fake cancels

This little group was part of a collection of NB stamps. I have seen this fake cancel in stamps of other countries. The time is invariably 11am but I have not had sight of the actual date yet.

The bonus is that the 2c has such a faint stop after 1922 that it could possibly be classified as an unknown "no stop" variety. And also the second letter O in BORNEO is narrow, looking more like a numeral than a letter. They may have used the wrong plug as in BORNE0. Time to examine my collection again! 

some interesting markings

This good 1888 6c stamp has a cancellation that matches the Jesselton 17 bar cancel. In addition, it also has part of a double ring postmark matching that of a Sandakan D10 BNBC cancel with a faint A but a clear N visible. There is also a part date of 13 (FE)B. It would have been nice to have sight of the small Maltese cross on this postmark.
Some questions do arise from this combination. D10 has been described as normally used for fiscal purposes. This may prove that it was used postally as well. Conversly, one could also infer that bar cancellations were also in use fiscally.
The stamp itself has an interesting flaw/dot next the letter A in postage.

I have this for some time but still can not place it. Could it be a BMA linotype cancel without the date? The letters seem a lot bigger. Suggestions would be welcome.

There is part of a very attractive blue Jesselton postmark and superimposed is an arrival Kuching postmark.

A violet Kudat D3 and adjacent to it probably an arrival/transit marking with the letters "age".

It was probably used in Brunei. There was bound to be some leeway in the use of stamps from adjacent countries. But it is unlikely to be that common.

Train Mail cover

It is amazing how this plain looking philatelic cover can cost me about 120 times the market price of the basic used stamp!! Similar covers like this are not uncommon but obviously sought after. The postmark is the more plentiful D9 with the month in 3 letters. There are no transit or arrival markings which would probably indicate this is a CTO cover.

 A couple of D9s off cover. They are not too difficult to find if one tries hard enough.

This is the interesting one. This clear partial postmark does not seem to fit D9 or D10. It is definitely not D10 as there is a faint 3 letter month of DEC. It is a bit bigger than D9. This is quite possibly a yet to be classified train mail cancellation.

USS Augusta

USS Augusta was an American Navy heavy cruiser that was part of the Asiatic fleet which was based in the Far East in the early part of the 1930s. She visited Sandakan between the 14th and 16th December 1934 on her way from the Dutch East Indies to the Philippine Islands. 

A year later, the boat visited Singapore and on her way to Philippines, touched at Pontianak and Jesselton in Borneo. She was at Jesselton between the 3rd and the 5th of November 1935.

The card above which is a philatelic item was franked by the ship's own marking with a clear date and the name of the port between 3 killer bars. There are similar items from the ports she visited including Shanghai, Vladivostok and of course, Sandakan.

USS Augustus was also famous for her occasional use as a presidential flagship by Roosevelt and Truman during World War 2. In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill had their face-to-face meetings on board during the 11th and 12th of August while she was moored at Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland. The ship was originally launched in 1930 and scrapped in 1960.

A companion cover but items like this which were made locally in the United States are quite common. A similar Borneo cover is worth about 20 times more.

A more valuable companion cover made at Shanghai with a nice depiction of the historic vessel. Over the years, Augusta visited many ports in China including Tsingtao, Canton, Amoy and Hong Kong. The above cover was made at a time of increasing China-Japan hostilities. They were moored off the Shanghai Bund as observers when they were accidentally or incompetently bombed by the Chinese air force.

USS Pigeon visiting Brunei. This was initially a minesweeper in the United States Asiatic fleet but later changed its function to that of a submarine rescue ship. She was sunk in action in May 1942 off the Philippine Islands.  

Note the wrong spelling of Bruni.

Update 26-08-2014

Added another 2 covers of this genre.

                                                                 Jesselton Borneo

                                                              Pontianak Borneo

Superintendent of immigration Sandakan

Got this obviously fiscal stamp in a collection which I acquired recently. There is a "bat " like marking and fortunately there are some faint letters of  S(UP)E(R)INTE(NDENT) to give us a clue. This is a very big fiscal marking which would need a block of 4 large stamps or on document to fully appreciate its beauty.

 I thought I would repeat the exercise with stamps that were posted in the past.

Resident's Office BNB Kudat.

District Office BNB Marudu