In order to stop Employees from Pilfering stamps, companies often perforated their stamps with the company initials.What WCBC stands for I don't now.
Perforations - the holes between unseparated stamps.
Perfins ('perforated initials') - holes made on a stamp in a pattern of initials for the reasons Charlie2009 states above.
WCBC - Wrexham County Borough Council, if such existed by that name back in the late 1960s.
So your stamp is perforated, around the edges of course, and has perfins; sadly it has also seen better days...
Thank you for the responses and education Charlie2009 & Guthrum. Most interesting reading. I will have to look in to perfins more now. I know I have some other ones in my collection, without any tears on the edges too. I am not too sure what they are perforated with though.
So I assume that the stamps were still legal and valid to use, even though they had a bunch of holes punched in them?
Paul
The perfins are usually in the shape of the initials of the company or organization that created them from mint stamps. They are legal to use by anyone, I suppose, but their intent was to prevent fraud by unauthorized use by someone not employed by that organization. Sometimes (I believe) the designs represent company logos, but I'm not certain about that. Guthrum or Charlie 2009 can confirm that, or tell me I'm wrong.
Bob
"Sometimes (I believe) the designs represent company logos"
perfins are also sometimes used to change regular postage stamps into officials, as with some of the Aussie officials.... I think they used OS and maybe OHMS... but now I'm wandering into the land of eucolyptus
Bavaria as well with an "E".
Dave, you are correct and you-could-lip-this Aussie stuff all day!
Here you go.
OHMS "$1 Destroyer" perfin from the Canadian "War Issue". Many Canadian stamps issued between 1912 and 1949 were similarly perforated. The vertical components of earlier stamps were created with four holes, later ones with five holes; smaller letters were introduced with the "Pictorial Issue" of 1935. Forgeries exist — a reference manual for forgeries was published in 2005 by a Vancouver specialist, Ken Pugh.
Bob
Peter, that's pretty bad.... I thought about a rejoinder but then, the next you know, we'd have to Ko alla way. And I'm not prepared for that, even with Bob's Destroyer guarding my flanks.
David
If the flanks are good, I steak them out and cook them.
France was also keen on its perfins in the early twentieth century. Here's a few pages from my collection of French Stamps. It can be puzzling trying to identify the company from the initials. I colour the page red behind the stamp to try and show the perfins better. Not sure it has worked well though.
"The perfins are usually in the shape of the initials of the company or organization that created them from mint stamps. They are legal to use by anyone, I suppose, but their intent was to prevent fraud by unauthorized use by someone not employed by that organization. "
" ...run their bills through the meter for free...."
I'm shocked at this intimation of intentioal economic perfidy, just shocked.
Tom,
the perfin patrol was not the responsibility of USPOD but of the individual companies: they could see who was naughty and nice, presumably.
David
@BenFranklin,
You could have asked those perfidious fellow employees if the wished to enjoy the additional service of running their balls though the machine....
boB
Hi All. My apologies if this is the wrong forum for this. The other night I remember reading something about "perforated" stamps. I am not really sure what they are, but think I might have one so I thought I would ask folks here and see if anybody can help?
First of all, what are "perforated" stamps?
As for the "perforated" stamp I think I might have, it seems to be a British 4d stamp from 1967. I say "I think" as I am not sure. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Here is a picture:
And here is a close up and detail of the "perforation" which seems to read "WCBC":
So, is this a true perforated stamp? If so, what does the "WCBC" stand for / mean? Thank you all so much for your help and information, and willingness to share your knowledge too!
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
In order to stop Employees from Pilfering stamps, companies often perforated their stamps with the company initials.What WCBC stands for I don't now.
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
Perforations - the holes between unseparated stamps.
Perfins ('perforated initials') - holes made on a stamp in a pattern of initials for the reasons Charlie2009 states above.
WCBC - Wrexham County Borough Council, if such existed by that name back in the late 1960s.
So your stamp is perforated, around the edges of course, and has perfins; sadly it has also seen better days...
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
Thank you for the responses and education Charlie2009 & Guthrum. Most interesting reading. I will have to look in to perfins more now. I know I have some other ones in my collection, without any tears on the edges too. I am not too sure what they are perforated with though.
So I assume that the stamps were still legal and valid to use, even though they had a bunch of holes punched in them?
Paul
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
The perfins are usually in the shape of the initials of the company or organization that created them from mint stamps. They are legal to use by anyone, I suppose, but their intent was to prevent fraud by unauthorized use by someone not employed by that organization. Sometimes (I believe) the designs represent company logos, but I'm not certain about that. Guthrum or Charlie 2009 can confirm that, or tell me I'm wrong.
Bob
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
"Sometimes (I believe) the designs represent company logos"
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
perfins are also sometimes used to change regular postage stamps into officials, as with some of the Aussie officials.... I think they used OS and maybe OHMS... but now I'm wandering into the land of eucolyptus
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
Bavaria as well with an "E".
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
Dave, you are correct and you-could-lip-this Aussie stuff all day!
Here you go.
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
OHMS "$1 Destroyer" perfin from the Canadian "War Issue". Many Canadian stamps issued between 1912 and 1949 were similarly perforated. The vertical components of earlier stamps were created with four holes, later ones with five holes; smaller letters were introduced with the "Pictorial Issue" of 1935. Forgeries exist — a reference manual for forgeries was published in 2005 by a Vancouver specialist, Ken Pugh.
Bob
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
Peter, that's pretty bad.... I thought about a rejoinder but then, the next you know, we'd have to Ko alla way. And I'm not prepared for that, even with Bob's Destroyer guarding my flanks.
David
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
If the flanks are good, I steak them out and cook them.
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
France was also keen on its perfins in the early twentieth century. Here's a few pages from my collection of French Stamps. It can be puzzling trying to identify the company from the initials. I colour the page red behind the stamp to try and show the perfins better. Not sure it has worked well though.
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
"The perfins are usually in the shape of the initials of the company or organization that created them from mint stamps. They are legal to use by anyone, I suppose, but their intent was to prevent fraud by unauthorized use by someone not employed by that organization. "
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
" ...run their bills through the meter for free...."
I'm shocked at this intimation of intentioal economic perfidy, just shocked.
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
Tom,
the perfin patrol was not the responsibility of USPOD but of the individual companies: they could see who was naughty and nice, presumably.
David
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?
@BenFranklin,
You could have asked those perfidious fellow employees if the wished to enjoy the additional service of running their balls though the machine....
boB