RUSTED CLICHE

RUSTED CLICHE

used examples of 34/35

Rusted lower left plate. The rusted cliches, present on the lower left plate, right pane (pane #4), represent an interesting study where several elements of research and philatelic observation come together. The whole plate was rusted, some nine units in both panes being affected. However two units in particular were so damaged that they warranted replacement. Because of subsequent alterations by Ash, a decade later, the area affected is discussed as a block of four covering pane IV, #s 34/35 and 40/41. Apart from 1d green Ash printings this block of four is exceedingly scarce, only 3 multiples known in the case of rusted examples. One is in the Royal Collection, another held by Australia post (as a full sheet). Neither are likely to ever appear at auction. So this is a discussion rather than a collectable variety.

The block is ‘collectible’ in four stages.

Unrusted state.	Printings on or before September 1915.	#’s 40 and 41 show thin G and dot after Y respectively.
Rusted cliches.	December 1916 / January 1917.	The area on and between #’s 34/5 are severely affected.
1^st substituted cliches.	February to July 1918	Die 2 and Die 1 replacements with progressively rounding corners.
2^nd substituted cliches.	Ash, 1928. 1d Green	Thin G, Die2 and Die1 (3 cliches) replaced by Ash, dot after Y remains.

December 1916.

The last ‘normal’ left plate printings were in September 1915. In the year they were in storage, a rat pissed on the plate. Lack of Vaseline subsequently caused rusting. In December 1916, a small printing showed severe rust on #34/35.

In February, 1918 Cooke replaced the 2 units by cutting them out and replacing them with copper electros. No mean feat. The hardened steel plate made it impossible to use the die to re-enter impressions. The die was not suitable for impressing lead moulds at that time, so Cooke resorted to wax impressions from the unaffected sister pane in the upper plate. Cooke was a master at all forms of electroplate typography, beginning in his days as SA Government Printer.

From the 1^st printings the replaced units wore rapidly, particularly with rounded corners. They are detectable as such. In addition, and by chance, the wax impression taken for #34 was a Die2.

#34 - Die 2 with corners rounded, white patch under Emu.

#35 - Die 1 with corners rounded, Left frame notches 2 and 3mm down.

The plate was again retired in July 1918 for a decade until Ash appeared.

Ten years later Ash recovered the plates and substituted new steel cliches on three units. This time the original thin G variety of #40 was also replaced. By this time of course, the colour and watermark had changed. A constant throughout the years is #41 which always shows dot after Y in penny.