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The Line-Engraved Halfpenny

W. de L. M. Messenger

A critical analysis of the production of the first halfpenny stamps of Great Britain

THE LINE-ENGRAVED ½d POSTAGE STAMP OF 1870 is one of the most-loved and widely-collected of Victorian postage stamps. Information about this popular stamp appears in numerous handbooks and catalogues covering British philately. However, this is the first book specifically about the 'bantam' ½d, its development, its design, its printing, and its history. The author has drawn on the many published sources and has added his own research, including from the records in The National Archives at Kew. In this new book he presents the information in a usable way and corrects a number of errors in past writings. For the student of this stamp this will be an essential handbook, but much will be found to interest the more general collector of the Victorian line-engraved issues.

Price £15 (GBPS members £13.50). ISBN 0-907630-18-9. Size 170 x 240 mm, soft covers, iv + 52 pp. Published 2005.