1873 GB stamp colour - not listed in Stanley Gibbons?

SG190  (#162  6d with a 6d surcharge) issued 1883 plate 18 purple

Are you using the SG WW? The general catalogues donot list all stamps (you would need a specialized catalogue). The less common, are often omitted, and you may notice the catalogue #'s have gaps

BTW, yours is nicely centered!

The type 50 was referring to the watermark which was 3d not 6d, clearly an error.

It has been corrected according to the 2023 edition and it's type 43 with a surch type 51 which is a 6d surcharge.

We always say SG162 in the UK never #162, well I do anyway.

It will depend on whose catalogue you are using. (and there are quite a few!)

and numbering is NOT standardized

as an example the Stoneham Great Britain Stamp Catalogue is well illustrated, but their numbering system is very different- the 6d surcharged 6d in the Stoneham catalogue is V349 (All QV issues start with "V" ). and I have not seen their numbering often noted-  even though it seems a useful catalogue (once you find the stamp.....)

hdm1950 Not only is plate 18 normal ....it is the only plate so overprinted "6d"


Issued in January 1883 as a temporary measure following complaints from mail sorters that the colour of the 6d stamp was confusing in poor light ( Gas or paraffin lamps ) with the common 1d lilac of 1881.

It was there until the so called "Unified Seriies " or  "Lilac and greens" with recognisably different shaped centres was ready in August 1883

I guess  not , since it merely emphasises the original value . Just an overprint.

Interesting and makes complete sense.
I get the overprint now.

vikingeck

Alex, all Scott pre-decimal stamps use p instead of d for all countries not just GB.

This is reflected in US sellers on Ebay and Hipstamp.

Thanks Michael,
I am in full agreeance with Daniel,  "overprint"

One does however, follow the Lingua Franca of the catalogue one employs.
I was with Stanley Gibbons, for 6 years, then went to Scott, primarily to follow Steiner, and  ebay listings (from my preferred dealer in North America)

ergo, I had personally questioned Scott's "surcharges"   when beginning.

PS: I don't consider it "picky" to illustrate differing conditions in Philately,  I welcome it,
it  engenders awareness, to what new collectors may encounter, when using differing catalogues etc.

Where I do take advantage of  the term "surcharge" correctly, or otherwise
is, as a worldwide collector,   I can bring up a subset of any particular country and find  "overprints"  and "surcharges"  in one click
It saves hours opening and thumbing through catalogues.

Tunisia

Indeed rednaxela, here is a modern one from Grenada. Initially issued a $2  then re issued overprinted ASSOCIATED STATEHOOD, and later issued again surcharged $5 ….. 

the other Alexander 😄

You won't find it in the SG catalogue as it is a revenue stamp used for a tax on an agreement to purchaser shares or securities.

They are listed in 'United Kingdon Revenues' by J. Barefoot Ltd.

It is circa 1910, No. 28 and catalogues at £7.50 (2010 edition)

Returning to the original post.

A collector of France wrote that French catalogues use 'Surchargé' for overprints. The English word derives from the French. At the time, this meaning of the word may not have led to any discussion. If Stanley Gibbons would call it an 'overprint,' the next question would have been of what? This was not an existing stamp. The printing in this colour was intentional: the intention was to issue a series of provisional 'unified' postage and revenue stamps. The use for revenue purposes caused the Inland Revenue to require it would be printed in double-fugitive ink. At the time, that meant either in green or lilac.

If an overprint is anything that prints a design over a design that was printed at an earlier stage, many modern stamps printed in four basic colours would qualify to be called an overprint. Whatever you call it will evoke a discussion.

The intention was to issue a range of stamps of this type in the existing designs. In the end, it was decided to only issue the most used values for revenue stamps. Trials for the 'surcharge' were conducted. The existing 1881 penny lilac was overprinted with the values 3d, 6d, and 1s in red and in blue. Two strips from these trials from the Phillips Collection came up for auction on 16 January 2024 when Baldwin's (previously Stanley Gibbons) auctioned the second part of this collection.



Images from Baldwin's sale 5968 catalogue

Eventually, only the 3d and 6d values were issued with a 'surcharge' in carmine.


1 January 1883, Unified issue with surcharge in carmine, Stanley Gibbons nrs. specialised K8A and K8B (Concise 159 and 162)

E.g., British to pay labels overprinted for use in Southern Rhodesia.