Mr C W Coard engraved the two dies for Tasmania’s first ever
stamps: the one penny blue and the four pence red-orange, both designs bearing
a portrait of Queen Victoria, and both inscribed Van Diemen’s Land. The sheet margin inscription not only includes the printer's name but also that of the engraver. They were
issued in 1853.
Coard must have been so proud of his work, because he had
framed sheets of them hanging side by side in his bungalow in India. The frame
with the 1d stamp sheet was stolen at some stage, but the frame with the sheet of
4d stamps remained in the possession of the family, until Coard’s daughter offered
it up for auction in January 1917.
You will find C W Coard's database HERE.