The C Line 12 Perforation Machine.

This extract on the The C Line 12 Perforation Machine is taken from The Postage Stamps of Queensland by A.F. Basset Hull, 1930, pp. 47-8. This was the only perforation machine used for the First sideface issues.

This machine, made by Messrs. Hughes & Kimber of London, was obtained on 2nd January, 1874 (Stanley Glbbons’ Monthly Journal, Vol. VI., page 157), and was certainly used for part of the only printing of the 1s. in deep mauve on the truncated star paper on 19th February, 1874.

It was a single-line machine, operated by a treadle, the length of the line of holes being 25 inches (63.5 cm), and as there were 60 holes in 100 mm. and 182 holes in 300 mm., the gauge was from 12 to 12¼. There were, however, several small lengths of holes gauging 12½ in a section of about 7 inches (17.8 cm) from one end of the line. This shows in a perforation pull, but may not necessarily represent an early state of the machine. At first the machine gave large round clean-cut holes, the discs of paper being usually removed on all four sides of the stamp. Later on the perforation deteriorated, possibly partly owing to the softer paper used for the electrotyped issues.

Perforation pull for the C Line 12 Perforation Machine