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Written by Andrew Simnor
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Friday, 05 June 2009 11:48 |
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Queen Victoria
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Great Britain SG 4 1840 2d
Blue VFU 3 Large Margins
4th Into
Price: £90.00
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Great Britain SG 51 1870 1½d
Rose Red Plate 1 Fine Unused
Well Centred
Price: £35.00
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Great Britain SG 103 1867/80
3d Rose Plate 9 MM Fresh
Price: £125.00
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Line Engraved Stamps 1840-1879
Ask most people what the first Stamp ever issued in the World was and most will answer the Great British Penny Black. Go onto most general knowledge based websites, same answer. This is actually only half true and depends on how you define the question, as the 2d Blue was issued on the same day. The 6 May 1840 was where it all started for stamp collectors. Again this is only a half truth. If you have large pockets you can actually find earlier posted stamps.
Surface Printed Stamps 1855-1900
As the Embossed issues were so unsatisfactory, it was decided to produce stamps using the Surface Printed method. The contract for the production of these stamps with values of 2d and above was given to Thomas De La Rue. The Line Engraved issues below 2d continued to be printed by Perkins, Bacon and Co. until 1880. After 1880 De La Rue printed all GB stamps until the latter part of Edward 7th reign. In this printing process, the technique is basically the reverse of Line Engraved whereby the recessed parts of the plate transfer varying amounts or no ink to the paper depending on how deep the recess is cut. |
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King Edward VII
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Great Britain SG 249 1910 7d
Grey Black UM Perfect Block
Of 4
Price: £40.00
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Great Britain SG 274 1911 1d
Rose Carmine Plate 14 UMM
Bottom Marginal Block Of
4 Cat £340+ Premium For
Block Of 4 Scarce
Price: £160.00
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Great Britain SG 284 1911
2½d Dull Blue UM
Price: £30.00
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Great British King Edward VII Stamps - Issued 1902 to 1913
At first Printed by De La Rue, then Harrison and finally Somerset House.
The reign of King Edward 7 is notable for collectors in the wonderful diversity of the shades available to collectors. Whilst on the face of it, only 19 stamps were issued during his reign, the fact that three different printers were used, two distinct papers used, two different sizes of perforations and the wonderful variation of shades makes this area another that can form the sole basis of someone´s specialised stamp collection.
Again as with the Jubilee issues, some stamps are bicolour. As De La Rue had a contract to print stamps until 1909, they printed all GB postage stamps until 1910. The first stamps they produced were on what is termed as Ordinary paper. In 1905 Chalk Surfaced Paper started to be used for some values. In 1909 the printing contract was up for renewal. The Inland Revenue wanted De La Rue to lower the cost of the contract. Basically, it was getting cheaper to produce stamps and The Revenue wanted a larger cut of the cake.
De La Rue refused and lost the contract.. |
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Queen Elizabeth II
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Great Britain SG UG130
(x1023a) 1980 75P Black
Var Imperf Margin M.N.H
Superb Pair The Margin
Showing 'TOTAL' Rare Piece
Queen Elizabeth II
Price: £245.00
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Great Britain SG 562a
1961 2½d M.N.H Blue Phosphor
Inv Watermark 2 Bands Cream Paper Slightly Trimmed Perfs
At R.H.S But Scarce Queen Elizabeth II
Price: £80.00
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Great Britain SG VG15(x1003a)
1980 5d Light Violet Var Imperf
M.N.H Superb Pair The Margin
Showing 'TOTAL' Rare Piece
Queen Elizabeth II
Price: £375.00
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Great British Queen Elizabeth II Stamps - Issued 1952 to Date
Queen Elizabeth II reign, spanning almost the complete second half of the twentieth Century and the start of the twenty first, has seen more inovation in stamps than any time before. From changing printing methods, security designs to new products, the various areas available for stamp collectors is huge.
One of the biggest changes in stamp design came in 1967, when for the first time intentionally since the two short lived stamps of the 10d and One Shilling values of the 1847 Embossed issues, a stamp or in this case a set of stamps were issued with No Watermark . Until this point watermarks were classed as an inherent part of the security design of every British stamp issued. Since then nearly every British Stamp issued has been on non-watermarked paper.
In 1993 the first serious case of Forged Stamps came to light. They were of the Chestnut 24p machin issue. A large number of which were circlulated around the London area. They were soon discovered by Royal Mail, as they had no Phosphor Bands and so the automatic sorting machines started to throw them out, as without the bands the machines didn't recognize any postage having been paid. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 13 May 2011 15:21 |
