Commercial Overprint Society of Great Britain

Vol. 3 No. 10; April 1, 2006

Collecting the George V Issues of 1911-1912

by Michael Behm

Commercial overprints are difficult to find at the best of times, so collecting a single issue is particularly challenging. But of all the issues you might choose to collect, the George V issues of 1911-1912 provide the most interesting combination of limited period of usage and widespread usage. (For example, any of the 6d. issues with commercial overprints might have had a longer period of use, but relatively few companies used them.)

The George V issues are very complex: there are many combinations of watermark, engraving style, and color:

Year	SG #	Sc. #	Description	Die	Watermark
1911	327	152	carmine red	Die 1a	Imperial Crown
	328		pale carmine	Die 1a
	329		carmine	Die 1b
	330		pale carmine
	331		rose pink
1912	332		scarlet
	341	154	bright scarlet	Die 2
	342	154	scarlet
	345	156	scarlet		Simple Cypher
	349	158B	bright scarlet		Multiple Cypher sideways
	350		scarlet
	350c		scarlet

Separating Die 1 from Die 2

The two main types are the unshaded lion (Dies 1a and 1b) and the shaded lion (Die 2):

Separating the Watermarks in Die 2

Among your "shaded lions" you can find three watermarks:

Do not use "watermark fluid" to identify watermarks: benzene can cause cancer. There are watermark lights that can help you, and even just putting stamps on a light table can help.

Separating Die 1a from Die 1b

Finally, you can sort your "unshaded lions" into two groups: those that have heavy shading in the leaves of the upper-right portion of the wreath (Die 1a) and those that have light shading (Die 1b):

Separating by Color

There are also color variations. In the image above it is clear that there are two different colors. However, you would require a specialist's color guide to say whether the stamp on the left is "carmine-red" or "pale carmine". And the stamp on the right—could it be scarlet? That is a question better left to experts.

The 1911-1912 Period

Every age thinks of itself as "the modern age", and its children look at that and marvel at the naivety. But as we look back almost one hundred years and examine the commercial overprints of this period, we can see wide varieties in the styles of overprints. Styles became less experimental in subsequent years, which makes these issues particularly interesting—beyond the challenge in collecting the various differences between the stamp issues.

Send comments or questions to mjbehm@kw.igs.net