Dauwalders used to advertise a "Morley Bright ROLLATECTOR"

As a collector of Victorian covers, I thought how nice it would be if I could detect an inverted watermark or three amongst my collection!

Accordingly I visited Dauwalders but was informed the manufacturing company had changed hands and the "Rollatector" was no longer available.

Does anyone else make such a device ?

Has anyone used the Rollatector and if so , how good is/was it?

I used this for a long time - it is as good as the watermark in the paper
As far as I am aware this is still available or something similar is.

As an alternative the are a number of electrically powered devices - these, again, are as good as the watermark.

I have an account with another philatelic supplier and if you want to take the matter further I can enquire - but prices vary from £70 - 300

they are available on ebay; I bought one again a couple of years ago and an extra sachet of ink.They do help sometimes but not as much as one might expect. Holding covers up to the light at the correct angle offers just as good results normally but for a few quid it is still worth having. The electronic Signoscope on the other hand does not really help me at all on single stamps, lighter fluid in a bakelite tray is at least as good!
regards
James

Thanks, I will keep a look out on eBay, as
£70-£300 for the alternative seems too much

Interested in what you say re the Signoscope.

Bought one years ago.
The one thing I found infuriating was the Heath Robinson connecting lead. The electrical connections were bad, so that the light kept flickering. The electrical socket in the body broke after about a years use, so I took the whole thing to pieces.

Although the mechanical construction was sound and robust, the electrical connections were appalling - "dry" soldered joints accounted for the unreliabilty.

To cut a long story short, I re-designed, rewired, and re-soldered the electrics, so that I could plug it into the mains direct, since when it has worked.

It is only useful sometimes - when sunlight at the appropriate angle fails.

I have always been reluctant to use benzene - fearing that it may be a good solvent for some printing inks, and I don't want to find out which at the expense of a prize stamp.

Do NOT use BENZENE! This is a highly toxic solvent and I doubt whether you could buy it now from the normal chemist.

I think you are talking here about the solvent sometimes called "BENZINE" - this is an entirely different substance, better known as "lighter fuel" As far as I have been able to ascertain it is quite benign in watermark detection.

The Morley Bright Roll-a-Tector and spare sachets of ink are advertised for sale on Vera Trinder's Web site.

I've found the device quite useful. Attached is a short piece about it that I wrote for the GBCC's Chronicle in 1998.

Best wishes

Mike

I spent some time yesterday trying to ascertain whether some postage dues on cover were E8 or GVI and again GVI or EII. On 2 covers the Roll-a-Tector helped andon the others I ended up none the wiser - those niggling ones like D30 or D42, D19 or D27 when the dates could be either.

By the way is there any record of how long old postage dues were still used once new ones had been issued? As stocks were kept at the post offices I presume "first in first out" but probably different from office to office or were they supplied automatically?

thanks in advance

James

I would say that they used them until old stocks were cleared. Though I think the sorting offices/offices of exchange didn't really both about what was old or new stock!But thi is a question I think you should direct to MICHAEL FURFIE of the Postage Due Mail Study Group(PDMSG)

I bought a morley bright detector years ago and
found it to be of limited use, as i find many of these stamp aids.I also bought a colour guide and
found that to be even less useful.However we live
and learn.As regards the detector i find a dark
surface useful if light doesnt work.On cover i
find it to be poor.The dark surface i mentioned
is just a black book that i put the stamp on.
Regards Andy