Images and descriptions from various plates to help you identify your Victorian line engraved stamp collection
Strip of 2d Blue stamps on piece lettered R-D, R-E and R-F, identified as coming from plate 4 using British Line-Engraved Stamps. Twopence Blue. Studies Of Plates 1 to 15 by H. Osborne. Period of use: Plate 4 was completed on November 29th, 1849 and put to press early the following month – the Imprimatur … Read more
1d Red stamp lettered E – B identified as coming from black plate 11 using Guide Lines to the Penny Black by P C Litchfield. Period of use: The very first printings from Plate 11 were made on 29 and 30th January, 1941 in red, rather than black, with the imprimatur copies registered at Somerset … Read more
1d Red stamp lettered R – J with London postmark identified using The Cancellations of the 1841 Penny Red by Goldsmith & Danzig. Period of use: 23 March 1843 – Date of issue recorded in the proof book held at the Post Office Archives for No.2 , although Alcock and Holland suggest this number was … Read more
2d Blue stamp lettered K -D, identified as coming from plate 2 using British Line-Engraved Stamps. Twopence Blue. Studies Of Plates 1 to 15 by H. Osborne. Period of use: Plate 2 was completed on July 18th, 1840 and put to press three days later. In daily use, barring Sundays and one other day (18th … Read more
1 d Penny Black stamp lettered K-J, identified as coming from plate 5 using Guide Lines to the Penny Black by P C Litchfield. Period of use: Earliest issue dated 16 June, 1840, with prints made between 8th June – 30th December, 1840 and again briefly between 22nd January and 5th February, 1841, when a … Read more
Pair of 1d Red stamps lettered M – K and M – L, identified as coming from black plate 5 using Guide Lines to the Penny Black by P C Litchfield. Period of use: 1841. Colour: Red-brown. Cancellation: Rare single strike black Maltese Cross cancellation covering the pair. This would have been against regulations (each … Read more
2d Blue stamp lettered H -D, identified as coming from plate 1 using British Line-Engraved Stamps. Twopence Blue. Studies Of Plates 1 to 15 by H. Osborne. Period of use: The plate was registered on 2 May, 1840, but wore out very quickly and was thus used only until 18 July, 1840 when Plate 2 … Read more
1 d Penny Black stamp lettered G-G, identified as coming from plate 9 using Guide Lines to the Penny Black by P C Litchfield. Period of use: Earliest issue dated 18 November, 1840. Plate used very briefly until January 1841 making this fairly scarce. Colour: Strong black. Cancellation: Clear Maltese Cross cancellation in black ink … Read more