Unusual vintage watermark - Helmsman Onionskin

**jbb** · February 1st, 2017, 04:06 PM

I love old watermarked paper. Finding it is largely chance although I've always got my paper-dar out for old batches of paper. I just found some of this particularly nice Helmsman Onionskin. I'd never seen it before. The onionskin paper it's on is nice too.

**Robert** · February 1st, 2017, 04:40 PM

Very nice, but . . . . do tell us where you find stuff like this.

**jbb** · February 1st, 2017, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Robert

Very nice, but . . . . do tell us where you find stuff like this.

This one was on ebay and I just took a chance that it would have a watermark. It wasn't advertised that way....and of course, winning some onionskin paper is nice regardless. At estate sales I head straight for the desk and, unlike fountain pens -- which other collectors are after, boxes of old paper are sometimes ignored.

**FredRydr** · February 1st, 2017, 08:03 PM

jbb,

How do you create images of paper to bring out watermarks? Scanner? Camera? Backlight?

Fred

**jbb** · February 1st, 2017, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by FredRydr

jbb,

How do you create images of paper to bring out watermarks? Scanner? Camera? Backlight?

Fred

This picture was shot by putting the onionskin on top of a piece of black paper. That doesn't always seem to work but often does.

**FredRydr** · February 1st, 2017, 08:45 PM

My turn. I laid this on my black leather writing pad, and took the photo with my iPhone without flash. I should have centered the light over the paper.

IMG_6456.JPG

Fred

**jbb** · February 1st, 2017, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by FredRydr

My turn. I laid this on my black leather writing pad, and took the photo with my iPhone without flash. I should have centered the light over the paper.

IMG_6456.JPG

Fred

Wow!!!! That's wonderful!!!!