Japan: Showa Series, 1937 to 1952

[EDIT:  please see subsequent posts for correct reply and disregard the reply I gave!]

It probably takes a Japan specialist to give the proper reply. This time period pre-dates my unused Japan collection that my mother gave me. So I don't have anything to confirm.

Do you have mint examples in the blue shade?

My observations from the limited 20th Century Far East Asian stamps that I do have unused/used examples, and for which no color variety is documented in the catalogs: some stamps printed in colors of purple, dark blue, blue-green... tend to vary on used stamps (trending toward blue), but I don't see it on unused stamps. So I have chalked it up as color changelings, without finding the actual ink components to confirm. Either due to light exposure or soaking in tap water too long? The "weaker" color shades are often accompanied by light/fading cancels, ink bleed/blur, paper toning... I'm one of those who wants to see a mint example of color variety before I can be convinced it isn't a color changeling. But I don't know much about printing, so I leave it up those knowledgeable about the printing process to point out what might have caused the right stamp during the printing/production process.

I have a 2005 JSCA (Japanese Stamp Specialized Catalog) and it lists 3 colours for this issue (edit: Scott 269, Sakura 233) - dull ultramarine (Feb. 1, 1940), dull violet-blue (undated) and deep grey-blue (Dec. 1941). None of the three are valuable, ranging from catalogue minimum value as a used stamp to double that.

Ryan

Yes, that issue has genuine color varieties. I saw them catalogued and I actually have them in mint condition (I first noticed these color varieties as my Mom had a few in her Japan collection, even though most of her collection was 1950s-1960s).   They were also the first imperforate stamps I ever owned! Nice to see them side by side!

And yes, please pass through the info from the FB group!

It is a pretty stamp in either color, I think. I saw the Burma overprints on Colnect last night.

darkormex :  Per the JSCA:

the 5-yen (Scott 427, JSCA 314) has 4 possible color options:

-- olive-brown
-- yellow-brown
-- bistre
-- olive-sepia


the 8-yen (Scott 515, JSCA 328) has 3 color options:

-- deep orange-brown
-- yellow-brown
-- orange-brown

So, 'yellow-brown' is in common with both stamps.



And I'm sure you've noted this already, but there are 2 face-similar stamps for the 8-yen. The 515 is unwatermarked, and the watermarked type is Scott 430, JSCA 317.

For the sake of completeness, that watermarked stamp (Scott 430, JSCA 317) has 3 color options:

-- chestnut
-- red-brown
-- light brown
-- orange-brown

- - - - -

Having now looked at your pic a lot, both last night and this morning, is it just me, or is there a slight difference between the left and middle stamp? It looks to me like there is a hint more brown in the middle stamp. If so, that may make this relevant:

In my post here, I'm using the English color names that the JSCA supplies in the catalog listing. However, I do see that the Japanese 'yellow-brown' description is not identical.

For the Scott 427, JSCA 314 (your left stamp), the yellow-brown listing is described as:

茶褐 - which are the characters for 'brown' and 'yellow', in that order

while with the middle stamp (Scott 515, JSCA 328), the 'yellow-brown' is described as:

黄味茶 - 'yellow' '-ish' 'brown'

So, a difference in nuance between the 2 color descriptions in Japanese, *and* 2 different characters for 'yellow':

褐 vs 黄

And with that, we have sailed far past any knowledge I may have ever had about the Japanese language, so I am not able to explain that nuance. I suspect the 褐 character has to do with 'liver', but I'm tapped out. Perhaps one of the other participants can fill in the details a bit.


But, to summarize, no, I don't think you have a printing error with the middle stamp. Just a very nice example of the color variations that occur with Japanese definitive series around the time of WW2 and the subsequent occupation and reconstruction.