I received another ebay purchase and found this strange-looking stamp in it. So far, I haven't been able to find any explanation for this unusual color.
I also think that the gray color is too uniform, and it seems unlikely that it is simply the result of UV exposure. On the other hand, how would it be possible to discolor only a specific area of the stamp's surface without affecting the surrounding areas?
This is a dress dyed with Perkin's mauve (aniline purple) in the 1860s (source Science Museum, London) which has faded to grey.
That's assuming the ink's mauve. It appears that other purple and violet dyes also degrade, in bleach or in alkaline solutions, so maybe the stamp was washed in something.
I don't think the orange color has been affected at all. In the image, the orange color from two stamps is shown side by side (the normal stamp is on the left).
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Posted Yesterday 3:40 pm
