Western Australia's first stamp was a Penny Black printed by the same company which printed Britain's first stamp the Penny Black.
The design of the Western Australian postage stamp features a black swan, the emblem of the Colony and a reminder of when it was known as the Swan River Settlement.
An order was placed for 1d stamps with Perkins, Bacon & Co. The die was engraved by
William Humphrys who was responsible for engraving many other British Colonial stamps. Amongst others he engraved the die for the Cape of Good Hope triangulars,
the first stamp for Queensland and the first stamp for South Austalia.
The postage stamps were printed in sheets of 240 in twenty rows of twelve. The paper was watermarked with swans arranged to show one swan on each stamp.
At the end of August 1853, a consignment of 1 million stamps left Britain for Western Australia.
The printing plate, a press, black ink and watermarked paper were dispatched at the same time so that further printings of the postage stamps could be made
in Western Australia as and when required.
Although no actual date of arrival is recorded the stamps were issued on 1 August 1854.
Philatelic Societies for Collecors of Western Australia Postage Stamps and Postal History
Society of Australasian Specialists/Oceania (AUSTRALIA) The Society of Australasian Specialists was founded in July 1936 by a small group of collectors interested in Australasian philately. In 1965,
the American Society of Australian Philatelists, later to become Oceania, Inc. was established for the same purpose as the older SAS. In 1978,
the two Societies consolidated to better serve the members of both organizations. Today, the Society has many members, not only in the United States and Canada,
but also in New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, and a few other countries.
Western Australia Study Group (AUSTRALIA) The WASG was founded in 1974 to promote the collection and study of all aspects of the philately of Western Australia. Postal history started in
1826 with the settlement at King George Sound as an outpost of New South Wales. The Swan River Colony was founded in 1829 and its first adhesive
postage stamps appeared in 1854 followed by postal stationery in 1879.
Australian Airmail Society (AUSTRALIA)
Meetings 1st Wednesday of each month 7:45pm at SAPHIL House, 22 Gray Court, Adelaide
Contact P.O. Box 395, Edwardstown, SA 5039
Postal Stationery and Postal History Society of Australia Incorporated The society was formed to cater for collectors who are interested in aspects of philately other than the study of postage stamps alone.
Its members are interested in postal stationery, postal history and the exploration of the new areas associated with postal stationery and
postal history including postmarks, airmails, military mail, Cinderella’s, literature etc
The Perfin Club of New Zealand and Australia The Club was formed in 1987 and currently has about 150 members. Members' interests include the Official and private perfins of Australia and New Zealand.
The Club has produced two publications: "Australian Official Perfins", by David Andersen (2007) and "Handbook of Australian Private Perfins", by John Mathews (2003)
Selected pages on Western Australia Postage Stamps and Western Australia Postal History
Philatelic Books on Western Australia Postage Stamps and Western Australia Postal History
Encyclopaedia of British Empire Postage Stamps Vol IV
by Robson Lowe, 1962
Philately from Western Australia Catalogue - Handbook 1829-1912
by Mogens Juhl, 1992, 112pp
Place and Date Stamps of Western Australia
By John Dzelme, 1976, 130pp
The Postal History of Western Australia
by George E Owen, published by Hawthorn Press, 1959
Postage stamps and Postal History of Western Australia
by Mogens Juhl, 1981/3.
Vol 1 - The De la Rue Printings 1862-1900; The Postmasters General 1847-1903. 108pp.
Vol 2 - The Melbourne printings 1902-1912. 88pp.
Vol 3 - The Colonial postmarks 1829-1901. 96pp.
Postal Stationery from Western Australia
by Mogens Juhl, published by Royal Sydney Philatelic Club, 1984, 31pp
A Priced Catalogue of Postal Stationery of the Australian Colonies / States. Part 1. Western Australia
by Brian Pope, 2002
Stamp Forgeries of Western Australia
by M Pope, 1993, 108pp
Western Australia, The Machine Date Cases to 1983, Pt 2
by Arnold Creaser, 1986, 48pp
Western Australia, the Postal Markings Illustrated
by Brian Pope, 414pp
Western Australia, The Postal Stationery to 1914
Brian Pope & Phil Thomas, published by the Western Australia Study Group, 1982, 141pp
Western Australia. The Stamps and Postal History. A Guide to its Philately
by Margaret Hamilton (editor), published by The Western Australia Study Group, 1979, 471pp, ISBN 0959647600
