Great British postage stamps

Line Engraved Stamps 1840-1879
Ask most people what the first stamp ever issued in the World was and most will answer the Queen Victoria 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 Queen Victoria 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 Victoria 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.

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.

Sorry, but I have to say it. Some things never change!! De La Rue refused and lost the contract.

The Reign of King George V is really the gem for specialised stamp collectors. There are a huge array of shades (see my Specialised Colour Guides for each Specialised section), watermark variations and errors for specialist collectors.

For me though, the Reign contains the most beautiful stamps ever issued - Seahorses.

The first George V stamps were not ready for issue until June 1911, over a year since his accession and then only the ½d and 1d values. It would take yet another year before any of the other values were ready. Hence the reason why some values of Edward VII continued to be produced until 1913.

The shortest Reign for British Stamp issues is that of Edward. Amazingly there are more Postage Due Stamps than there are Postage Stamps in this Reign, even if you include the Inverted Watermarks as well.

Only the four most commonly used stamps were produced. The stamps themselves are to say the least very bland, almost as though no one could be bothered to make any effort compared to what had gone before.

Maybe King Edward wanted a return to the simplistic look of the early Line Engraved stamps. If so, then they failed miserably in my opinion.

A least a little more effort went into the designs for George VI compared to his brother Edward 8th. All the definitive values over 4d lasted in their original designs throughout the reign of King George.
The lower values however had two changes, firstly during the War, when the original colours were used, but in a lighter shade so as to save on ink and then again in 1950/51 when the colours were changed.
The tradition of producing beautiful high value stamps continued with both the Arms high value set and the later 1951 set.

Queen Elizabeth II reign, spanned almost the complete second half of the twentieth Century it is now in the start of the twenty first Century.
Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth there has been more innovation 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. .