One of the most difficult identification jobs when it comes to sorting out the different watermark paper used in the production of Australia's first stamp issues, the "kangaroos" or "roos" as they are often called, is differentiating between the first three watermarks that were used for these stamps.

All three types consist of a crown over an A, with a single watermark for each stamp impression, and are commonly referred to "First", "Second" and "Third" watermarks. With a bit of experience it certainly gets easier to tell these watermarks apart, but even "veterans" have to look twice sometimes! It can be a real headache for beginners.

It seems that "First" watermark (sometimes called the "broad" crown) and "Third" watermark (usually called the "narrow" crown) stamps cause the greatest confusion & frustration, but don't worry, help is at hand! In fact, once you get the hang of this, you wont even have to look for the watermark on these particular issues!

The fact of the matter is that the "wove" of the paper used in the production of the "First" watermark stamps is in the opposite direction to the  "wove" used in the "Third" watermark paper. Don't worry, you don't have to carefully study the paper etc - all you have to do is breathe gently on the stamp to get the answer that you need! Because of the different woves of the papers used, all "First" watermark stamps will curl from top to bottom, while all "Third" watermark stamps will curl from side to side. This is 100% foolproof - it works everytime. NB: Make sure you breathe gently on the stamps, you don't want to accidentally spit on them! For the same reason, I'd always suggest breathing on the front of the stamp, using the same method that you might to warm your hands, but using only 5% of the breath! All you want to do is very gently warm the stamp to get the curling reaction that you need.

Unfortunately, this method doesn't help in the identification of the "Second" watermark stamps. One key thing to remember when it comes to identifying "Second" watermark roos, is that this paper was actually supplied for the printing of the George V sideface issues (this is known as "Single" waternmark in the Geo V issues), and was used to print a fairly small number of Roos in 1915 as an interim measure. Because the paper was not meant for printing Roos, the "Second" watermark is often wildly off centre. In fact, it's not unusual to find the watermark impression divided in two on the one stamp, with the right hand side of the watermark on the left edge of the stamp, and the left hand side on the right edge!

This is a helpful clue for identifying "Second" watermark stamps, but not definite by any means. Fortunately, the actual shape of the crown in this watermark is quite different to the other two, and I find this the most helpful identifier. The tops of the crown in both "First" and "Third" watermarks are quite rounded, but in "Second" watermark the top of the crown is much more angular, with the crown rising to a fairly sharp point on each side.

I hope this guide has been of help to you, and happy collecting!

Mike Lee