NEWFOUNDLAND 189 NSSC 180e 1932 4c ROSE LAKE INVERTED WATERMARK VF/XF MNH CV$210

Four cent, rose lake, Prince of Wales stamp from the 1932-38 'First Resources' issue, engraved, Coat of Arms* watermark. Perf. 13.5x13.5. There is a total of 11 perf varieties in this issue recorded to date, 5 of the 4c rose lake stamp with perf 13.5x13.5 being the most common. Excellent color and fresh appearance, very well centered. Mint, never-hinged original gum. No faults not obvious in the scan. The normal position of the watermark for this stamp as viewed from the back is with the top of the Coat of Arms shield facing to the left with the elk* facing up - this is listed as watermark position 1 in the Newfoundland Specialized Stamp Catalogue (NSSC) by Walsh and Butt. The stamp being offered here has the watermark with the shield facing to the left and the elk* facing down - which is position 2 and is referred to as inverted compared to the normal watermark. This variety is listed as 180e in NSSC with a catalogue value of $210.00 US in mint never-hinged condition.

*Note" Many people have assumed that the animal on the top of the Cost of Arms shield is either a caribou or a moose (both of which are quite common in Newfoundland). In the registered design granted in 1637 to the Colony of Newfoundland by Royal Letters Patent, the heraldic description for the Crest reads: "On a Wreath Or and Gules an Elk passant proper." (see attached article by Stanley C. Calder in BNATopics from October 1949) However, this still doesn't clear up the matter. Europeans refer to "elk" what North Americans call "moose". Moose became extinct in Great Britain 1,000s of years before the original Newfoundland Coat of Arms was designed and granted. Therefore it is not likely that the original designer used a "moose" as the model for the "Elk" on the shield. And since "caribou" were largely unknown to European royalty as well, just what was the animal used as a model for the Coat of Arms? In the British Isles, many people refer to some of the larger species of "deer" as "elk". This would probably be most particular to the royalty in reference to Red Deer and Fallow Deer held for their exclusive use on their country estates. Fallow deer were introduced by the Normans into southern England in the first century A.D. for hunting (a sport more or less reserved for nobility). The Fallow "deer" is the only species of deer with upright, totally palmated antlers. I believe the animal shown on the Newfoundland Coat of Arms is neither a "moose", "caribou" or an "elk" but is in fact a Fallow "deer".

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