INTRODUCTION TO PERFINS

In 1868 one Joseph Sloper, having patented several devices for puncturing railway tickets, turned his attention to puncturing postage stamps with a companies initials. On the 13th of March 1868, after much persuasion, the Postmaster-General finally stated that he would "...not object to the perforation of postage stamps ... with a view to protect merchants and others, as far as possible, from the theft of stamps used by them".

The Post Office had been slow in accepting Joseph Slopers invention, however at about the time they finally accepted it there had been a case of theft that had been much publicised in newspapers and I wonder if this theft is what finally persuaded them.

The circa 1868 advertising leaflet shown opposite (click here or on image to see large version [75K]) includes a copy of the report of this theft, along with some examples of various perforated texts and symbols.

The "Perfin" (which stands for Perforated Initials) was thus born and was quickly adopted by companies both large and small. This was to be without doubt the most sucessful form of security endorsment and is still in use today. Many tens of thousands of GB perfin dies have been recorded, over 7,000 of which appear on the Penny Red.

The Great Western Railway

Early perfin dies such as the GWR die (above) had the perfin letters arranged such that they did not strike the profile of the Queen.

Full Name Perfin Die

Not all perfins took the form of initials. Some firms used their full name, although this was against the Post Office's wishes as they saw it as a form of advertising.

However some firms instead used a design, such as their trademark.