Western Australia - Bud's Big Blue

1865-85 Western Australia in Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

(From Jim: Bud is well, but has a lot of non philatelic obligations and responsibilities at the moment. With his permission, I will upload  country pages in his complete '69 Big Blue that so far has not been shown. He might add his observations later. Enjoy!)

Jim's Observations

Western Australia, which was initially claimed for the British Crown on January 21, 1827, was colonized by settlers with land grants, namely the "free settlement" Swan River Colony, near the present day capital of Perth, in 1829.

The first ship (HMS Challenger) to arrive at the Swan River in 1829 was captained by Charles Fremantle.

Swan River Colony grew slowly to 1,500 (~15,000 Aboriginals, but not counted) by 1832, in part because the land was sandy, and considered poor for agriculture. By 1850, the population was 5,800.

Although the land area of Western Australia was and is huge (fully one third of Australia), settlements occurred primarily along the southwest coast.

The colonial towns were Fremantle (a port), Guildford (loading agricultural produce to be shipped down the Swan River), and Perth (administrative and military center).

In 1849, Perth became a penal colony, and over 9000 convicts were sent there in the next 16 years. They were responsible for much of the building construction.

Penal transportation to Western Australia ceased by 1868.

Stamps (the iconic Swan design) were introduced on August 1, 1854. 

Although Queen Victoria declared the rustic frontier town of Perth a city in 1856, nothing could take away from the fact that the settlements were remote indeed (not only from the world, but also from the rest of Australia).

A telegraph line from Adelaide was completed in 1877, and the weekly Western Mail newspaper began publishing in 1885.

A gold boom occurred between 1885-1895 (Kimberly, Murchison, Kalgoorie regions), and Western Australia achieved responsible government in 1890.

Perth grew to 27,500 by 1901, while the colony numbered 184,100.

Western Australia federated with the other Australian British colonies in 1901, although WA stamps were used through 1912.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Western Australia 1854-1912, 101 major number descriptions (and 11 "postal-fiscals" which I am not counting). Of those, 40 are CV $1+-$8+, or 40%. Clearly, Western Australia is somewhat expensive for WW collectors. The earlier 1854-1861 issues can be CV hundreds-thousands.

But the "Swan" design motif is so iconic, that many WW collectors do not mind spending more for a representative collection; I know I don't.

As a WW collector, one has to pay attention to details for Western Australia: namely perforations (many varieties), printing (lithography, engraving, typography), watermarking (unwmk and seven wmks), and design (similarities between designs).

And one would also want to have a Stanley Gibbons catalogue handy. (I have the Commonwealth & British Empire 1840-1970 catalogue, which I highly recommend for WW collectors.)

Big Blue '69, on one page, has 27 spaces for the stamps of Western Australia. Coverage is 27%.

Big Blue's coverage begins with 1865, and there are often multiple stamps that are eligible for a space.

Because BB begins with 1865, the 1854-1861 stamps (29 major numbers - "Swan" wmk) are not represented.  But, truth be told, these early stamps are expensive.

There are only four stamps over CV $10+, one (1888 Scott 61 4p red brown) of which reaches the "most expensive" category @ $37+.

The checklist, because of the telescoped stamp spaces, is somewhat complicated. Some spaces have multiple choices (up to seven!), while other spaces exclude possibly eligible stamps because of BB's date specifications.

For more on the stamps, as well as the checklist, click on the link below.

Western Australia Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Wallis & Futuna Islands - Bud's Big Blue

1920-28 Wallis & Futuna in Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

(From Jim: Bud is well, but has a lot of non philatelic obligations and responsibilities at the moment. With his permission, I will upload  country pages in his complete '69 Big Blue that so far has not been shown. He might add his observations later. Enjoy!)

Jim's Observations

Wallis & Futuna are island groups in the South Pacific Ocean,  northeast of Fiji.

During the classical era, they were considered a Dependency of the French Colony of New Caledonia.

The population was 6,200 circa 1940, and the chief towns were Mata-Utu, Wallis Island, and Sigave on Futuna Island (also known as the Hoorn Islands).

The two island groups are 160  miles (260 km) apart. 

The Queen of Uvea on Wallis Island signed a treaty on April 5, 1887 establishing a French protectorate. Likewise, the Kings of Sigave and Alo of the islands of Futuna and Alofi signed a French protectorate treaty on February 16, 1888. They became a dependency of the French colony of New Caledonia.

The culture of the three Polynesian Kingdoms was and is quite similar to that of Samoa and Tonga.

In 1917, the three Polynesian kingdoms became the Colony of Wallis and Futuna, still as a dependency of New Caledonia.

Stamps were introduced in 1920, using overprinted New Caledonia stamps. In fact, all of the 1920-1940 issues for Wallis & Futuna Islands use overprinted New Caledonia stamps.

A pro-Vichy administration was operational during WW II, until a Free French warship from New Caledonia deposed the regime on May 26, 1942. 

In 1961, the islands became a French Overseas Territory.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Wallis & Futuna Islands 1920-1940, 119 major number descriptions. Of those, 72 are CV <$1-$1+, or 61%. The WW collector should have no problem, finance wise, accumulating a representative collection.

Other than the common design types, all stamps of Wallis & Futuna during the classical era are overprinted stamps or types of New Caledonia.

Big Blue '69, on four pages, has 104 spaces for the stamps of Wallis & Futuna. Coverage is a remarkable 87%!

To wit, the 1930-40  stamp issue of 42 stamps is covered by Big Blue with 41 stamps, save the Scott 70 1.10fr deep green & brown (CV $30+). 

There are only three spaces that require a CV $10+ stamp.

For more on the stamps, as well as the checklist, click on the link below.

Wallis & Futuna Islands Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Virgin Islands - Bud's Big Blue

1883-99 Virgin Islands in Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

(From Jim: Bud is well, but has a lot of non philatelic obligations and responsibilities at the moment. With his permission, I will upload  country pages in his complete '69 Big Blue that so far has not been shown. He might add his observations later. Enjoy!)

Jim's Observations

The British Virgin Islands in the West Indies, southeast of Puerto Rico, was one of the presidencies of the Leeward Islands Colony during the classical era.

The Leeward Islands issued stamps from 1890-1956 that could be used on any of the islands group. But each presidency (Here, the Virgin Islands) also issued their own stamps valid within their territory.

The Virgin Islands issued stamps from 1866-1952 during the classical period covered by this blog.

The other part of the overall Virgin Islands grouping is the U.S. Virgin Islands, formally the Danish West Indies, that was purchased from Denmark by the U.S. in 1917.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 Catalogue has, for Virgin Islands 1866-1952, 113 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 43 are CV <$1-$1+, or 38%. Many (27) of the less expensive stamps were issued after 1938, and the 1866-1889 issues (20 stamps) are expensive. The WW collector may have to  invest more for a representative collection of this popular country.

Big Blue '69, on two pages, has 46 spaces for the 1889-1938 issues of the Virgin Islands. Coverage (subtracting for post 1940 issues in the 1840-1940 Scott catalogue) is 54%.

Coverage is acceptable, as all the major issues (including war tax) are represented, except for the expensive early issues.

There is only one expensive stamp ($10+) required for a space.

As usual, there are some choices (Wmk 3 vs Wmk 4) for spaces in BB.

For more on the history, the checklist, as well as the stamps themselves, click on the link below.

Virgin Islands Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Victoria - Bud's Big Blue

 1856 Victoria in Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

(From Jim: Bud is well, but has a lot of non philatelic obligations and responsibilities at the moment. With his permission, I will upload  country pages in his complete '69 Big Blue that so far has not been shown. He might add his observations later. Enjoy!)

Jim's Observations

Victoria, the British colony, existed from 1851-1901, when it became part of Australia. Prior to 1851, it was part of New South Wales.

The colony was named, of course, for the Queen, and naturally all of stamps depict the monarch with images attractive and unattractive!

Stamps were introduced on January 3, 1850, with the production of the "Half Length" Queen Victoria by Thomas Ham of Melbourne. In fact, local printers were used for most of the stamps produced up to 1859. Naturally, these stamps are rather expensive today, and a fertile field for the specialist.

After 1860, all stamps were printed by the Stamp Printing Branch of the Post Office. In 1885, the Stamp Printing Branch became part of the Victoria Government Printing Office. From 1909-1918, the Commonwealth Stamp Printing Office produced stamps for both the states and commonwealth.

Although Victoria joined the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, stamp production continued for Victoria through 1912. The Australian 'roos were issued in 1913.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Victoria 1850-1912, 260 major number descriptions. (This does not include the 65 "Postal-Fiscal" stamps listed in the catalogue.)

Of the 260 descriptions, only 27 are CV <$1-$1+, or 10%. Raising the bar to CV $10, yields 98 stamps, or 38%. Victoria is quite popular with Australia, British Commonwealth, and classical era collectors, and the CV reflects this.

It is a great complex "dead country" to collect for specialists, with all the shades, watermarks, perforations, die states, and printings. One will also need deep pockets.

For a knowledgeable approach, one should have, at least, a good comprehensive Stanley Gibbons catalogue. ( The Commonwealth & British Empire Stamps 1840-1970 catalogue is what I have.)

But the WW collector can have fun with the stamps too. Be aware that many of the stamps are very heavily cancelled, and the perforations often cut into the stamp. A picky condition collector might be frustrated with Victoria.

Big Blue '69, on two pages, has 60 spaces for 1856-1912 Victoria. Coverage is 23%.

BB begins with 1856 Scott 29, and therefore ignores the very expensive 28 catalogue numbers back to 1850.

Nine stamp spaces require an expensive (CV $10+) stamp, but only one (1856 Scott 29 1p green ($42+)) breaches the $35 "Most Expensive" category.

BB, as usual, telescopes the spaces, so multiple stamps (up to eight!) are often eligible. There are, not infrequently, many choices for color and watermarks for a space. It makes for a quite complex checklist, but keeps costs down, as an inexpensive stamp is eligible then for the space.

For more on the stamps themselves, as well as the complicated checklist, click on the link below.

Victoria Blog Post & BB Checklist

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