| I have been involved with stamps nearly my | | | | as such, in top collectible condition. I eagerly went |
| entire life. My first collection was as a ten-year old | | | | to the 2/6 and held it up to the light with my |
| boy collecting with my neighborhood buddies. By | | | | tongs. It was the thick paper.A good start.I |
| the time I was done with it, I had more than | | | | couldn't tell if the watermark was vertical or |
| 3,000 stamps in my collection and sold it for the | | | | horizontal and I asked to borrow a dipping tray |
| princely sum of 7.50 in 1958. I don't remember | | | | and watermark fluid. The tray is black and when |
| what I did with the money. I think I treated my | | | | fluid is poured over the stamp, the stamp paper |
| family to supper at the neighborhood burger joint.I | | | | becomes transparent and the watermark will |
| gave up on the hobby for about seven years and | | | | appear.I could hardly believe my eyes. I had to |
| took it up again as an adult. Where before I | | | | take another stamp from the set to compare it, |
| collected anything I found, I started to look for | | | | but there it was. Watermark vertical!I looked up |
| stamps in better condition and in sets. The first | | | | to find the woman who was showing the lots |
| such set I bought was from Vatican City for the | | | | giving me an inquisitive look. Would she get a copy |
| 1962 Christmas celebration and paid all of 50c for | | | | of the Gibbons catalog and examine the stamp, |
| it.Though a mere trifle, it was the first | | | | too. If so, my discovery would come out and |
| knowledgable purchase and only the beginning of a | | | | someone else might decide to bid on it.I carefully |
| career that would involve the expenditure of | | | | replaced the stamps in their mount and handed |
| many thousands of dollars. Over the years I have | | | | the book back to her. The sale was nearly three |
| bought many individual stamps and collections. The | | | | weeks away and I couldn't wait around until then. |
| best buy I ever made turned a hundred and fifty | | | | I could either go back home and make another |
| dollars expenditure into a sixty-five hundred dollar | | | | trip or contact an agent to bid for me.I decided |
| sale.My first serious interest in stamps was as a | | | | on the agent. I gave him a bid of fifteen hundred |
| general collector of British Colonies. Especially the | | | | dollars on the lot to beat out anyone who wanted |
| stamps of Malta. This interest led to a lifelong | | | | the stamps but didn't know about the variety. My |
| interest in the island and the writing of The Cellini | | | | biggest concern is that one of the biggest Papua |
| Masterpiece under the pen name of Raymond | | | | collectors in the world was a local and if he got a |
| John. Another of my interests was Papua New | | | | look at the stamp, I would never be able to buy |
| Guinea. Papua is an enormous island in the south | | | | it. All I could hope was that he didn't get a copy |
| Pacific and the site of many battles during World | | | | of the catalog, or if he did, that he wouldn't show |
| War II. In 1901 the British issued stamps for the | | | | up to view the lot.The next twenty days were |
| territory of British New Guinea.These eight | | | | the longest of my life. The night of the sale I |
| stamps showed a native ship known as a Lakatoi | | | | called the agent. He said the starting bid was |
| and were printed on a variety of papers with a | | | | 75.00. I didn't sleep that night and called him again |
| watermark called a rosette which resembles a | | | | early the next morning. I had won the bid at 150 |
| four-leafed flower. Early printers didn't pay much | | | | plus 10%. A collector of British Oceania stamps |
| attention to how the paper was seeded into the | | | | had run up the price on me. The auction house |
| printing presses, so the watermark, which has | | | | would be shipping my stamps the next day.The |
| longer petals on one side, could appear in two | | | | parcel arrived certified mail three days later. I |
| positions. They also used thick and thin paper. | | | | contacted the Papua specialist, but he already had |
| Most of the stamps were printed on watermark | | | | a copy and didn't want another one. A day later I |
| horizontal paper with the short petals pointing up. | | | | sent it off to the British Philatelic Association for a |
| They ranged from one-half pence to pay the | | | | certificate. From there it would be included in a |
| postage for letters sent within the colony to half | | | | Christie's rarity sale. Four months later it sold for |
| a crown for heavy parcels sent to Australia, | | | | 3,800 pounds or approximaterly 6,500 US.Now |
| Britain and the rest of the world. One stamp, the | | | | you may ask why the auction house wasn't |
| 2/6 on thick paper and with the watermark | | | | aware of the value of the stamp. For one thing, |
| vertical is quite scarce and an expensive stamp.In | | | | the house catalogued the stamp using the Scotts |
| 1906 the British separated Papua from the rest | | | | catalog. Scotts is the standard American catalog |
| of New Guinea and overprinted the remaining | | | | and usually only lists a value for the most |
| stamps in stock with the word "Papua" in large | | | | common variety. The watermark variety is listed |
| serifed type. Most of the thin paper stamps | | | | in Gibbons, which is British, which includes many |
| apparently had been used up, leaving the vertical | | | | other color and watermark varieties than the |
| and horizontal watermarks. The 2/6 with | | | | Scott catalogue. Another reason the stamp may |
| horizontal watermark and vertical thin paper are | | | | have been overlooked is that auction describers |
| common and sell for around a hundred dollars | | | | must look at thousands of stamps every day. |
| each. The watermark vertical, on the other hand, | | | | Even if he (here the gender denoter is correct, I |
| is a major rarity and catalogs for 6,000 British | | | | know of only one female describer) has a Gibbons |
| pounds in the Stanley Gibbons catalog. It is the | | | | catalog, most will not take the time to look for |
| scarcest stamp of Papua and missing from most | | | | possible varieties. In short, it is one of the things |
| collections. It is also a popular stamp and when | | | | that makes the hobby so fascinating. Anyone |
| offered it brings tremendous prices.In 1995 I was | | | | who has found a valuable antique knows the |
| still a full-time dealer and made regular buying trips | | | | feeling.Happy hunting!John Anderson is a retired |
| through the midwest and the east. I happened to | | | | dealer in stamps and collectibles. He is now a |
| stop at a stamp auction house in the midwest | | | | full-time writer. His novel, The Cellini Masterpiece, |
| and went through the lots which were arranged | | | | was published under the pen name of Raymond |
| for viewing in small binders. I was pleased to see | | | | John by iUniverse in October of 2004 and is |
| the Papua overprints and I eagerly inspected the | | | | available in select bookstores and on the web. |
| set. It was in pristine, lightly hinged condition and | | | | |