Page 25 - Cameo 83

The eighth despatch in 1878 was supplied on Crown CC watermarked paper, although apparently not
issued until 1885. Again, the stamps (SG 35) could feasibly have been perforated comb or line, but the
illustrated interpane block of four (Figure 6) shows wing margins and comb perforation. Surprisingly, this
finding is in disagreement with both Robson Lowe (Ref 6) and Poole (Ref.10). Although the watermark is
often difficult to detect, the shade is distinctive and none of several additional single stamps seen by the
author has had nerforations that could be taken as line.

The ninth and tenth despatches of the regular stamp, in 1889 and 1895, were also on Crown CC
watermarked paper. These stamps have distinctive brown-purple (1889) and purple-lake (1895) shades.
Lowe (Ref 6) and Poole (Ref.10) agree that the stamps were line perforated, a statement confirmed by the
examples shown in Figures 8 and 9. Thus, SG 36 and 37 are perf. 14 line. The change in perforation type
might have been a consequence of the by then increasingly anachronistic sheet layout, with the company's
comb machines having been modified to deal with more standard pane arrangements.