Daniel Matthews Stamps

17/08/2026

Could your collection feature in my next book?

Hello everyone,

Building on Imperforate Penny Reds, I am now working on a new series of books covering the Queen Victoria line-engraved issues.

The first volume is:

The Penny Black and The Two Pence Blue: A Study of Their Manufacture and Collection

I want the book to explore not only how these remarkable stamps were designed and produced, but also how collectors study, organise and enjoy them today.

I would therefore love to hear from collectors who may be willing to contribute photographs and a little of the story behind their collections.

I am particularly interested in:

• High-quality photographs of album pages, stockbooks, displays or exhibition pages
• Interesting ways of organising collections, perhaps by plate, check letters, cancellation, shade, cover, date or another system
• Images showing how a collection is arranged and presented, rather than only individual stamps
• Short accounts of how your collection began, how it has developed, or the items and pages that mean the most to you

Collections of every size and level are welcome. An imaginative collecting method or thoughtfully arranged album page may be every bit as interesting to readers as a major rarity.

If you own the photographs and would be happy for selected images to appear in the book, please contact me at:

[email protected]

Any image used would be properly acknowledged, unless you would prefer to remain anonymous, and I would agree the caption, attribution and permission with you before publication. Not every contribution can necessarily be included, but I would be genuinely delighted to see them all.

One of the greatest strengths of philately is the knowledge, enthusiasm and generosity shared between collectors. I would love this book to reflect that.

Please feel free to share this post with anyone who may be interested.

15/08/2026

One of my aims is to give people faith in buying stamps online through reputable sellers on eBay, and make the hobby consistently joyful for people.

It is particularly lovely to get feedback like this, and know I am meeting this aim.

Thank you to everyone who is part of this wonderful hobby.

14/08/2026

Upgrading the plating desk

The photograph on pages 67 and 68 of 'Imperforate Penny Reds' showed my plating set-up as it stood a couple of years ago.

It has served me very well, but I have recently upgraded two important parts of it: a new Epson Perfection V600 scanner and a much brighter 3,500 lumen overhead LED lamp.

The new lamp provides even more illumination when I am examining stamps in hand. The scanner allows me to capture much larger and clearer images, making it easier to compare the tiny details used in plating and in identifying varieties.

The equipment does not plate a stamp for you, of course, it simply makes the clues easier to see, study and compare!

The example pictured is a Plate 58 Penny Red, lettered FJ, with a catalogued re-entry. At normal size, it would be easy to overlook some of the detail. An enlarged scan allows the corner star, frame lines and traces of the re-entry to be examined much more closely.

About (Fresh) Re-Entries: A re-entered print occurred when a transfer roller impression was entered twice onto a plate because the original impression had been insufficient. When the second entry was undertaken before the plate was even put to print, these are technically ‘fresh entries’ but are still generally referred to as re-entries in much of the literature, including the Stanley Gibbons catalogues. The term ‘fresh re-entry’ is used in my book to provide an element of consistency with the literature, while providing explicit clarity on the variety being referred to. During a fresh re-entry, the transfer roller was pushed into the plate for a second time, ideally in the exact same position as on the first occasion. However, even if the impression was perfectly coincident, some aspects of the design, such as the corner stars or check letters, could exhibit differences due to compression. When the design was slightly non-coincident in its application, significant duplication could sometimes be seen throughout the design. These varieties, particularly the non-coincident fresh re-entries, are of significant interest to collectors, because a quirk of the manufacturing process became so visible on the final issued stamps.

Just as importantly, the upgraded set-up will help me produce clearer and more consistent illustrations for my next books on the wider line-engraved series I am working on.

My old set-up made it into the first book. Perhaps the new one will make it into the next!

12/08/2026

Collecting Covers: the story beyond the stamp

A loose stamp can tell us a great deal: its plate, shade, varieties and (sometimes) cancellation. But when it remains on its original letter or envelope, much more of its story survives.

The address, postmarks and date can tell us where and when the item travelled. The number of stamps may help explain the postage rate, while pairs and larger multiples can reveal uses that are rarely seen on loose stamps. Sometimes the original correspondence survives too, preserving a small piece of Victorian social history.

In philately, the term “cover” is used broadly for postal items such as envelopes, wrappers and folded letters that have travelled through the post. The example pictured bears a pair of imperforate Penny Reds still on the original correspondence, which itself is 'cross-written' through the address.

For me, that is the special appeal of covers: the stamp is no longer an isolated collectable, but part of the journey for which it was originally purchased and used.

I also cover "Collecting on Cover Examples" on pages 53 and 54 of my book.

I am currently working through around 500 high-quality covers to identify, plate, and list for sale.

You can see the covers currently available in my eBay shop here, a list which will grow over the coming months:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/danielmatthewsstamps/Covers/_i.html?store_cat=42198149016

10/08/2026

So I learnt something new today, and have John Deegan to thank.

This follows nicely from my recent post about 1844 barred numerals, where I mentioned that the shape of the cancellation is often the first clue: English and Welsh barred ovals, Scottish barred rectangles and Irish barred diamonds.

What I had not fully appreciated is that there is another category: Irish Spoon cancellations.

Spoon cancellations were early duplex cancellations, combining the numeral obliterator with the town/date stamp in one handstamp. They are called “spoons” because of the distinctive shape of the dater. On a loose stamp, however, you may only see part of the obliterator, which can make the cancellation look deceptively like a normal barred numeral.

The stamp pictured is a good example. At first glance, I had read the “62” as the English provincial number for Belford, although the shape did not quite match the known Belford strikes.

John has explained that this is actually Belfast 62, an English-type Irish Spoon. In this context, “English-type” refers to the style of the spoon cancellation, not the country of use. The clues include the form of the bars, the shape of the “2”, and traces from BELFAST.

Here is the item pictured, correctly labelled thanks to John:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/336693564778

I am very grateful to be part of such a knowledgeable and generous collecting community.

09/08/2026

One of the enjoyable things about collecting imperforate Penny Reds is that the cancellation can tell its own story.

From 1844, the familiar Maltese Cross was replaced by barred numeral cancellations. The shape of the cancellation identifies the country, while the number identifies the postal town or office.

As a simple guide:

- England, Wales and the Channel Islands usually used a barred oval.
- Scotland used a barred rectangle.
- Ireland used a barred diamond.
- London also had its own separate shapes, which I cover in my book.

This example has the distinctive Irish barred-diamond form. Once the number is clear (this one is 260), it can then be checked against the numeral lists to identify the town (260 in Ireland was Kenmare) and assess how commonly that cancellation is seen (Kenmare is quite scarce).

That is why I find these cancellations so interesting. A Penny Red is not just a stamp; it can also include a small record of where it entered the postal system.

See the item here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/336636157843

Do you collect Penny Reds by cancellation or locality, or mainly by plate?

03/08/2026

Can you plate it?

This week's challenge: a particularly attractive 1d Red imperforate, lettered CK.

What plate do you think it is, and what clues would you use?

As usual, I’ll reveal the answer and my reasoning tomorrow.

31/07/2026

The PTS have very kindly published an article on Daniel Matthews Stamps linked below.

It is a privilege to be part of this community and I am extremely grateful for all the interest.

Daniel Matthews Stamps joined the PTS in July 2026. We asked the Rep, Daniel Matthews some questions so that you can get to know him, and the service he can provide you as a collector. Daniel Matthews is a specialist dealer, author and researcher focusing principally on Great Britain’s imperforate...

27/07/2026

I’m very pleased to share that Daniel Matthews Stamps has been accepted as a member of The Philatelic Traders’ Society (PTS).

Joining the PTS is an important step for me. The PTS Shield represents a commitment to professional standards, integrity and confidence for collectors; values I have always tried to place at the heart of my work.

For more than 20 years, I have enjoyed collecting, researching, plating and selling Great Britain’s imperforate Penny Reds. More recently, this led to the publication of my book, Imperforate Penny Reds: A Guide to Collecting, Plating and Valuing.

I’m looking forward to becoming more involved in the wider philatelic community, sharing further research and continuing to help collectors enjoy this fascinating area of British philately.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Daniel Matthews Stamps along the way.

Proud to display the Shield.

26/07/2026

I'm down to my last 70 or so books in stock. I never thought I'd sell 500 within 18 months.

It shows there is still enormous interest in these beautiful victorian stamps!

My wider line engraved book series is probably still a year or 2 away so I need to decide whether to request another print run of these in the meantime!!

(Or let them sell out and become scarce like the other philateic literature!!)