AUSTRALIAN STAMP MONTHLY 1950: Bonnet imitation.
Hals/Collas in their book "The New Hebrides - Postal Stamps and Their History",
Collectors Club Handbook No. 20, New York 1967 mention an article by a
W.J.D. Rochaix
in the June 1950 Australian Stamp Monthly. Thanks to a member of the
Australian
STAMPBOARDS bulletin board, who made a copy for me. You can read the article here.
An article written by detective Rochaix's son in 1950 about the Bonnet imitation.
Jean Pierre Rochaix died on 7 September 1920:
Sydney Morning Herald on Rochaix's death in 1920.
From Hals/Collas: "About 1904 or 1905 an imitation of the design of the 5c. or
25c. label of the Syndicat Français, but with the denomination expressed as
15c. was made by one A. Bonnet. Although it followed the original, there were marked
differences which were quite apparent."
The engraver A. Bonnet had been convicted in France for forgery and sentenced to life imprisonment
on New Caledonia in 1893.
Paroled in 1904 he came to Australia and the imitations were made as a means of regaining his proficiency
in the art of engraving. The original prints were in brown and imperforate with the engravers name
"A.BONNET INV." below the lower left frame line.
The Sydney First-class Detective Jules Pierre Rochaix (1851-1920), came in possession of the block with which Bonnet printed the imitations.
Rochaix was born in London from French parents, raised in France and came to Queensland in 1874. He made a couple of journeys in recruiting vessels to Fiji and the New Hebrides.
Then he joined N.S.W. service from 1883 to 1911. He had been hired by the N.S.W. Government to deal with escaped New Caledonian convicts.
The black print
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04
This black print of the Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label has the best quality so I assume that these were the first ones he printed. Single on thin paper. (Klinger coll.)
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04 detail
The black print of the Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label has the best quality so I assume that these were the first ones he printed. Single on thin paper. (Klinger coll.)
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04 detail
(new 12/2019)
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04
(new 12/2019)
This black print of the Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label had a hard life in earlier times but it is a scarce item nevertheless. (Lacrosse coll.)
Image thanks to Alan Lacrosse
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04
This black print of the Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label has the best quality so I assume that these were the first ones he printed. Single on thin paper. ("Mele" coll.)
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04 detail
The black print of the Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label has the best quality so I assume that these were the first ones he printed. Single on thin paper. ("Mele" coll.)
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04 detail
(new 12/2019)
Blow-up of this copy. ("SeSi" coll.)
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04 detail
(new 12/2019)
Mirror copy on reverse from the next sheet below this one. ("SeSi" coll.)
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04
(new 12/2019)
Black print of the Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label. ("SeSi" coll.)
Bonnet black imitation 1903/04
(new 12/2019)
Mirror copy on reverse from the next sheet below this one. ("SeSi" coll.)
If this A. Bonnet had been a noted engraver in France before coming to New Caledonia he certainly knew how to produce fine prints with a good print block. Before I found the black
print above and re-examined "Mele"'s copy I thought that these prints below were the original ones which I now doubt. They are very certainly made with the same print block but
maybe by an amateur: maybe Jules Pierre Rochaix, the N.S.W. detective who got the print block in 1905 and retired in 1911 made them and they look handstruck whereas the two at top look like
they were printed with a machine press. We will never know I guess.
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
The Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label (Treadwell coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
The Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label (ex Jersey, ex Goron coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
The Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label (Klinger coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
The Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label (Oberto coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
(new 12/2019)
The Bonnet imitation of the 1903 label ("SeSi" coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
The Bonnet imitation block 0f 6. (Goron coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
The Bonnet imitation block 0f 6. (Goron coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
The Bonnet imitation block of 6. (Klinger coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
The Bonnet imitation block of 6. (Treadwell coll.)
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
(new 1/2019)
The Bonnet imitation block of 6.
Bonnet imitation 1903/04
(new 12/2019)
The Bonnet imitation block of 6. ("SeSi" coll.)
Blocks of 6 were not known to Hals/Collas in 1967
Forgeries of the The Bonnet Imitation
|
|
|
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation
rubber stamp on ungummed paper, ex Jersey coll. (ex Goron coll.)
|
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation; three sides perforated, gummed paper (ex Goron coll.)
|
ForgerY of the Bonnet imitation
on pink paper (ex Goron coll.)
|
|
|
|
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation
image thanks to Bob Downey.
|
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation; image thanks to Bob Downey.
|
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation; image thanks to Bob Downey.
|
Forgery imitation
(new 12/2019)
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation with gum on reverse. ("SeSi" coll.)
Forgery imitation
(new 12/2019)
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation with gum on reverse. ("SeSi" coll.)
|
|
Forgeries of the Bonnet imitation
on blue paper, unrecorded (ex Goron coll.)
|
Forgeries of the Bonnet imitation
One black imprint on a piece of white paper (Klinger coll.)
|
Bonnet imitation black 1960's forgery
Black print forgery of the Bonnet imitation ca. 1960's. ("Mele" coll.)
Bonnet imitation black 1960's forgery
Black print forgery block of four of the Bonnet imitation ca. 1960's. ("Mele" coll.)
|
|
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation
image thanks to Anatoly Chlenov, U.S.A.
|
Forgery of the Bonnet imitation
image thanks to Anatoly Chlenov, U.S.A.
|
Bonnet imitations
For a comparison of details you can see the volcano part here - second from left the original Bonnet imitation in red then in black,
the two forgeries above at left & right.
To Top