Modern Issues Printed With Luminescent And Non-Luminescent Ink

This is a topic I planned to post on for some time and I final got some time to do so. I like to collect modern US issues because there are so many potential varieties to find, many not documented that I am aware of. What I planned to cover is considered a specialists area by many, including by Scott. Don't let that scare you off as it is an easy to one get into.

I have been working to document the various paper types modern stamps are printed on for the Stampsmarter US Tagging & Luminescence Database. This involves using a LW UV (black light) to check the luminescence of the paper. For those not familiar a simplified example would be hi-bright versus non-brite, but that in not the subject at hand. You can learn more at the Stampsmarter site.

In hunting down and trying to document the various paper types, one thing I found is that there are many US issues of the same stamp where they have been printed with both a luminescent and non-luminescent ink(s). A small percentage of what I have found are noted in various places, but most I have not seen or found any reference to. If references exist, I would be interested in knowing of them. Scott Specialist Catalog does list a handful in a note with the stamp. I have not found references to any of these.

Now what you have been waiting for if you read this far. This is just a sampling of some of them. Note, while many below are shown used, I have confirmed they exist by finding mint examples. All images below are under LW UV.

#1550 this one can be found in a wide variety of variations.

#1895 quite dramatic difference.

#2030a one of my favorites since there are many dramatic tagging freaks.

#2045 notice the medals.

#2399 I have found mint plate blocks of both varieties and included a side by side comparison of the color bars as well.

#2426 numerous variation in the the level of luminescence.

#2533 the image below doesn't do the bright orange color justice, it is very vivid.

Finally #3522 notice the color on the side of the vehicles.

Some key words you can use to search with on the Stampsmarter tagging DB are "luminescent ink", "reactive" or "non-reactive". This will bring up some of the paper types as well. Once you see for example a non-reactive ink variety show up you have interest in, do another search with the Scott # to see or getting listings for the various varieties. I hadn't expected to find so many varieties or I would have included a better key word search identifier. A task for the future.

If people know of others I haven't found or listed yet, please post so I can add to DB.

Enjoy.

That is some excellent research. Thanks for posting the examples you did. Interesting stuff.

mstocky2

Here's one you haven't shown:

Very interesting. If some U.S. collectors were involved in counting the luminescent ink varieties versus the non-reactive stamps, then there could be a better understanding of how scarce or common they are.

Or, has anybody done, or attempted to do this with any of these?

Have heard some 3033 1c bluebird have reactive ink. I really like the 185 example you show.

Gettinold,
Thanks for posting,nice cover. The Luminescent referred to on your cover is for the tagging which is not visible under normal light. In this post I am referring to the visible inks used to print the image.

Eyeonwall,
I check through numerous mint, used and plateblock samples I have for 3033. These are printed on paper with four different levels of luminescence: Non-Fluorescence (NF) with trace of fluorescent fibers, Low Fluorescence, Medium Fluorescence (MF) and High-Fluorescence. The level of fluorescence is due to density of fluorescent fibers present in the paper. This reason I mention this for people is that the brightness of the paper can skew what one sees. Below is a LW UV image of an MF paper variety on left compared to a NF paper variety on right. Colors should be considered representative; because as they say for cars your mileage will vary for numerous reasons. The background ink on the right stamp appears brighter more vivid than the left. Much of the reason the left stamp looks so washed out is due to the brightness of the paper swamping out the color of the background ink. That said, I focused on examining the plate number corresponding to the background ink. My observation is that the ink on the right stamp is somewhat brighter than the left but not significantly brighter. So it is slightly more fluorescent. I will keep looking for other samples.


Thanks for posts so far.

mstocky2

Thank you. I misunderstood. I see what you're talking about now. Very interesting examples you've shown. It's a totally new area for me.

not sure they come any more dramatic than what yu show (and you are so right about "Much of the reason the left stamp looks so washed out is due to the brightness of the paper swamping out the color of the background ink"

should have said I really like the 1895, not 185

I thinks this list is fairly complete (assuming I didn't miss any from the DB) for the ones I am aware of so far. Should make it easier for people who are interested in this area to find them in the DB.

1036
1286
1384a
1445
1550
1571
1698a
1701
1848
1895
1900
1951
2045
2173a
2097
2128
2128a
2133
2195
2277
2367
2399
2426
2428
2429
2452D
2477
2482
2524
2533
2579
2603
2764A
2886
2889
2890
2912
3031
3054
3106
3122
3522
3636
3746A

Mark, thank you for the excellent job on these issues.
I am very much interested in this since I try to specialize in the Transportation Coils.
A couple of observations if I may.
Ever since the eighties I have called "fluorescent fibers" "chemical brighteners". Is that the same in your opinion ?
Also, I have some "No Fluorescence" stamps with absolutely not a trace of fluorescent fibers. I am referring to 2128a, a stamp that is printed on just one type of paper with varying amounts of brighteners added. A totally dead 2128a stamp seems to be a rarity

Peter

Hi Peter,

As I understand it, optical brighteners are additives paper manufacturers add either internally or as a coating to paper in order to make paper look whiter. Examples would be typical printer paper, which appears fairly evenly bright across the paper under LW. This would be your true hi-brite papers.

Luminescent fibers are fibers that have been treated to make them luminescent under LW. These fibers are chopped and mixed with regular paper fibers. This is one method used to make security paper. In low concentration, I wouldn't think it would brighten the paper much. In high concentration I expect they do make the paper look brighter. Many refer to paper with high concentrations as hi-brite, but these are not considered true hi-brite.

So I think they are different.

Characterizing modern papers gets complicated fast. I originally started to list paper types by the base paper characteristics (dead, Non-Fluorescent, Dull Fluorescent) and make notes in my comments whether there were luminescent fibers present and some simple gauge of concentration. More recently I have been listing by overall luminescence. For example the base paper may be dead but contain low concentrations of luminescent fibers making it appear Low Fluorescent. So I will call it LF. Higher concentrations of luminescent fibers make MF (medium) and HF (high) fluorescent papers. Base paper is visible between the lum. fibers for lower concentrations.

In the tagging DB I typically try to describe in the comments the base paper and luminescent fiber concentrations if present. An example for 2128a is "paper brown, ink luminescent with sparse luminescent threads under LW". I agree with your comments on 2128/2128a and all that I have seen have some level of luminescent fibers. I changed the paper type from Dead to LF to reflect the overall luminescence. I expect there are others that need updating which I will update as I find them.

Working with an avid collector in the Netherlands, we have compiled this updated list of varieties that we have found. A few are subtle but most are fairly dramatic.

Scott - Stamp - Ink Affected
1036 - Lincoln - Violet
1036b - Lincoln (Booklet pane of 6) - Violet
1286 - Andrew Jackson - Lilac
1291 - John Dewey - Red - Lilac
1384a - Xmas (Precancel ink New Haven CT) - Green
1542 - Kentucky Settlement - Orange
1550 - Christmas Angel - Yellow
1571 - Women's Year - Gold
1580 - Christmas Angel - Red
1610 - Rush lamp and Candle - Yellow
1683 - Telephone Centennial - Purple
1695 - Olympic Games - Yellow
1696 - Olympic Games - Yellow
1697 - Olympic Games - Yellow
1698 - Olympic Games - Yellow
1701 - Christmas - Yellow & Red
1735 - "A" Eagle; orange bright & orange very bright - Orange
1848 - Pearl Buck - Brown
1895 - Flag - Blue
1896 - Flag (BK stamp) - Blue
1900 - Sleigh - Red
1904 - Hansom Cab - Purple
1951 - Love (perf Bulls Eye 11¼) - Yellow
1951A - Love (perf Line 11¼x10½) - Yellow
2045 - Medal of Honor - Yellow
2097 - Roberto Cemente - Yellow
2117 - Frilled Dogwinkle - Orange
2118 - Reticulated Helmet - Orange
2119 - New England Neptune - Orange
2121 - Lightning Whelk - Orange
2128 - Ambulance - Green
2128a - Ambulance (Precanceld) - Green
2133 - Puchcart - Olive
2133a - Puchcart (Precanceld) - Olive
2173a - Luis Muñoz Marin (Untagged) - Red
2195 - William Jennings Bryan - Purple
2260 - Tugboat - Violet
2277 - E - Earth (Sheet stamp) - Red
2367 - Christmas - Yellow
2395 - Special Occasions - Yellow
2396 - Special Occasions - Yellow
2397 - Special Occasions - Yellow
2398 - Special Occasions - Yellow
2399 - Christmas Madonna - Yellow
2426 - Pre-Colombian America - Red
2428 - Greeting Sleigh (Sheet) - Red
2429 - Greeting Sleigh (Booklet) - Red
2441 - Love; red ink - Red
2452B - Circus Wagon (1992) - Red
2452Bf- Circus Wagon (1992) - Red
2452D - Circus Wagon (1995) LGG - Red
2452Dg- Circus Wagon (1995) LGG - Red
2477 - American Kestrel (WAG) - Red
2482 - Bobcat - Yellow
2515 - Christmas Tree (Sheet stamp) - Red
2516 - Christmas Tree (BK stamp) - Red
2517 - F Flower, Tulp (Perf 13) - Yellow
2518 - F Flower, Tulp (Coil, WAG) - Yellow
2524 - F Flower, Tulp (Perf 11) - Yellow
2525 - F Flower, Tulp (Perf 11) - Yellow
2527 - F Flower, Tulp (Perf 11) - Yellow
2528 - Flag & Rings; yellow ink - Yellow
2533 - Vermont - Orange
2579 - Santa in Chimney - Red
2593 - Flag, "I pledge allegiance …" - Red
2602 - Eagle (Bulk Rate blue) - Gold
2603 - Eagle (Bulk Rate red) - Red
2720 - Year of the Rooster - Yellow
2721 - Elvis - Pink
2760 - Hyacinth - Yellow
2761 - Daffodil - Yellow
2762 - Tulip - Yellow
2763 - Iris - Yellow
2764 - Lilac - Yellow
2813 - Love - Yellow
2886 - G Flag Old Glory (BK stamp) - Red
2886b - G Flag Old Glory (Coil stamp) - Red
2889 - Black G, Flag Old Glory (Coil) - Red
2890 - Blue G, Flag Old Glory (Coil) - Red
2902 - Butte (Coil, WAG) - Yellow
2904 - Mountain (Coil, WAG) - Yellow
2913 - Flag over Porch (Coil, WAG) - Yellow/Brown
2968 - Texas; three varieties of ink combinations - Yellow
3012 - Christmas Angel (BK stamp) - Yellow
3025 - Crocus - Yellow
3026 - Winter Aconite - Yellow
3027 - Pansy - Yellow
3028 - Snowdrop - Yellow
3029 - Anemone - Yellow
3030 - Love - Red
3031 - American Kestrel (Sheet, SA) - Orange
3036 - Red Fox - Orange
3044a - Kestrel (Coil, Large date 1996) - Orange
3045 - Woodpecker (Coil) - Cream
3049 - Yellow Rose SA - Yellow
3054 - Yellow Rose (Coil, SA) - Yellow
3106 - Computer Technology (Differences more subtle) - Yellow
3193 - Southern Magnolia - White
3194 - Blue Paloverde - White
3195 - Yellow Poplar - White
3196 - Prairie Crab Apple - White
3197 - Pacific Dogwood - White
3207A - Wetlands (Coil, SA) - Yellow
3270 - Eagle & Shield (Coil, SA) - Gold
3280 - Flag Over City (SA, small date) - Gold
3281 - Flag Over City; three levels of lum. - Gold
3281c - Flag Over City - Gold
3281d - Flag Over City - Gold
3469 - Flag Over Farm - Red
3874 - Sea Coast (SA, large date 2003) - Red
3874a - Sea Coast (SA, small date 2003) - Red
3522 - Woody Wagon (Coil, SA) - Yellow
3636 - Flag (Vending BK stamp, Die cut 10.5x10.8, Mottled tag) - Red
3636 - Flag (Vending BK stamp, - Red
3636(c)- Flag (Convertible BK stamp, Die cut 10.4x10.8, Solid tagged)- Red
3636(c)- Flag (Convertible BK stamp, Die cut 10.4x10.8, Mottled tag) - Red
3756A - Toleware Coffeepot - Cream
3757 - American Clock - Yellow
3766 - Wisdom (2003) - Yellow
3792 - Eagle (gold) on Colored Background - Gold
3793 - Eagle (colored: not gold) on Gold Background - Gold
3794 - Eagle (gold) on Colored Background - Gold
3795 - Eagle (colored: not gold) on Gold Background - Gold
3796 - Eagle (gold) on Colored Background - Gold
3797 - Eagle (colored: not gold) on Gold Background - Gold
3798 - Eagle (gold) on Colored Background - Gold
3799 - Eagle (colored: not gold) on Gold Background - Gold
3800 - Eagle (gold) on Colored Background - Gold
3801 - Eagle (colored: not gold) on Gold Background - Gold
3837 - Garden Botanical: Five Varieties of Pink Roses - Pink
4125f - Liberty Bell - Copper
4386 - Richard Wright - Yellow
4495 - Art Deco Bird (Coil, SA); gold ink on dead paper somewhat luminsecent - Gold
4721 - Emancipation Proclamation, 150th Anniv.; background dark & light under SW UV - Cream

Back of the Book - -
Scott - Stamp - Ink Affected
B1 - Breast Cancer Research - Yellow
C78 - Airmail Plane (Sheet stamp) - Red
C78 - Airmail Plane (BK stamp) - Red
C78a - Airmail (Pane of 4 + 2 labels) - Red
C81 - USA Airmail - Red
C82 - Jet Airliner - Red
C139 - Bryce Canyon National Park - Yellow
C143 - Hagatña Bay Guam - Yellow
C147 - Grand Teton Wyoming - Yellow
O127 - Official Mail - Red
O136 - Official Mail (Coil, Dull Gum) - Red

Below are a few more examples:

Your latest list says "1895 - Flag - Blue", but your first post pictures an 1895 that shows the red reactive. I recall seeing something on one of my 1895's, but can't recall the details and they are all packed up.

1895 should be "Red" and not "Blue", great catch. Copy and paste error when building the Excel list.

Hi Mark,
If desired, I can add a new field in your Stamp Smarter database for the varieties listed above. This would make being able to search/filter for them simple and easy.
Don

Time to break out the UV lamp and go through bags of US duplicates... :)