Vignette of the Queen’s Head Produced by the Canada Bank Note Engraving & Printing Co.
The purpose of this report is to identify the origin and creation of the submitted printed copy of the vignette of the Queen’s head and its subsequent use.
The submitted copy is the smaller vignette on the left of the above image, which has a diameter of 15mm. The slightly larger vignette of the same design is 19mm and was used in essays produced by the Canada Bank Note Engraving & Printing Co. (CBNE&PCo.) in the early 1890’s.
The question is where was the small vignette used and by whom? It appears to be a progressive die for the slightly larger example. The larger vignette was ultimately used in production of the 1898 Newfoundland Inland Revenue issue (see left). Historically, the American Bank Note Co. (ABNCo.) has been recorded as the printer for this first revenue stamp issue of Newfoundland.
However, research has now proven that this is incorrect. The British American Bank Note Co. (BABNCo.) was the printer. The explanation follows.
There are minor engraving differences between the two design as can be expected. The shading lines are very slightly different in places.
Scans taken from Lots 691 and 693 in the Brigham Small Queens auction in 2016 (see below) show that these vignettes are both productions of the CBNE&PCo.:
It is quite obvious that these two printed copies were originally joined together on the same page wherever they were maintained. The number sequence - 137-138-139-140 proves this point.
The small vignette had the number 138 cut in half when this piece was separated from the strip of three.
Thus the submitted vignette was certainly owned by the CBNE&PCo. and then became the property of the BABNCo. when it acquired CBNE&PCo. in 1894.
Research by Charles Verge in preparation of the Brigham auction found that these two items were sold in the disposition by Spink in the October 1997 sale of the BABNCo. archives. They became part of the Brigham collection.
Regarding the printing of the first Newfoundland Revenue Issue in 1898, it has been recorded in catalogues that the printing was done by the ABNCo. There appears to be no evidence of the ABNCo. owning this vignette. It would appear possible that the printing was done by the BABNCo. who had been engaged since 1880 printing the postage stamp issue of Newfoundland.
Research by John Walsh on this issue has been done and published in BNA Topics in Vol. 73 April 2016. He found substantial evidence from the Colonial Secretary Records that the first Revenue Issue for Newfoundland in 1898 was, in fact, ordered from the BABNCo. and not from the ABNCo.
Then, in BNA Topics Vol. 79 January 2022 further research by Walsh shows that the sheets of the 1898 Inland Revenue Issue had the BABNCo. Type VII Ottawa Plate Imprint below stamps in the bottom row. This is the same imprint used by the BABNCo. on Canada Small Queen plates in the 1890’s.
All of this would indicate that the submitted vignette was a progressive die proof of the vignette to be used in a slightly larger size to produce the CBNE&PCo. essays and in the 1898 Newfoundland Inland Revenue stamp issue by the BABNCo.
Expert Committee Technical Report
J. E. Nixon
Chairman