Australia Philately: 1966 Decimal Definitive Series – 3c Queen Elizabeth II (Coil)

As previoiusly announced, the 3c and 4c coil stamps are in the same design as the equivalent engraved stamps in sheet form, but the coil stamps have been printed in photogravure, each in three colours. The 3c stamps has a green background, the 4c a red, and in both cases the portrait is in fawn (flesh tone) and black.

Previous coils have been made up from various stamps printed in sheets, then separated into vertical rows and joined up into continuous coils. The joints occuring every 20 stamps had a tendency to cause faults in vending machines, and the decision was therefore made to produce soil stamps on the photogravure press, whichs on a continious reel of paper and this obviates the necessity to make joints.

The cylinder comprises 196 subjects (14 x 14), but as the stamps required in continuous rolls the subjects are arranged in complete “wrap-around” form on the cylinder, without the usual gutters for guillotining. After printing has been completed, the web is divided (through the perforations) into rolls of 14 x 1,000 stamps, and each such roll is then pass through a multiple-blade slitter, resulting in fourteen separate coils of 1,000 stamps.

The web is imperforate in the longitudinal directions, to allow for the slitting, and that the usual coil perforation has been employed, with smaller holes on the outer edges of each stamp to minimize accidental breakage of the coil while travelling within a vending machine.

Neither coil stamps nor booklet stamps will be acailable for purchase in sheet form, and as only a limited number of 3c vending machines will be in operation at C day and for some time thereafter, clients should direct their orders for 3c coil stamps to philatelic selling points. Most official post offices will have 4c vending machines.