Netherlands : A Lighter Shade Of Pale.

When going through some kiloware you never know what you might find, due to the fact that contributors of the clippings are not collectors themselves and not philatelicly minded of what they are donating.

Here are a couple of clippings found within such a job lot.

The top strip contains 2 X 3 Guilder stamps that show a distinct lilac blue shade and the single stamp below them being of the same value 3G appears to have been printed in a different colour, more of a pastel blue.

Due to this fact I decided to look at them under long wave UV and discovered a major difference between the two items.

I am curious to know if these differences are listed varieties for this particular issue in any specialised catalogues.

Perhaps, someone with relevant information could enlighten me.

Thank you. WM

This series is know for its color changes. especially the lilac and pink colors.

There is no seperate listing of the different colors in any catalogue and there never will be.

One would not know were to start or were to end.

Not knowing where to start or end ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That doesn't say much for the study of modern day stamps then Johan.

I wonder what StampGuy64 would think of your reply ?

He has just posted a topic for shades of Jamaican stamps.

http://goscf.com/t/81221

I am aware that colours are affected by lighting conditions, may be altered by scanners, and will look different on different devices. But the colours I am seeing baffle me.

Your 3G look appear like my 1,50G when I look at them. Your 1G appear like my 75ct. And what I am seeing in my post is comparable to what I have in my collection.

One thing is for sure, they were never printed in different colours. However, after 9 years there is a probability some variation occurs when mixing the inks. Variations may be very minor or somewhat more evident. If there would be a reason to list theses hues, the question becomes where you draw the line.

By the way, the 70ct sheet and coil stamps are examples of the variation that may occur even within a short period of time. All of these are listed as bluish violet.

I think this illustrates Johan's remark.

With your latest posting NSK the 70 ct stamps appear to be from different sources, 1 appears to be from a sheet where the others are either from booklets or coils having straight edges, hence the possible difference in shades.

Both of my 3G clippings are from sheets and I can safely say that the 1G looks to be a completely different colour and bears no resemblance to your example.

Your examples. >



My examples. >


I think a more detailed study of these stamps are needed by specialist collectors of Nederland stamps, along with the use of long wave UV, irrespective of Johans' comments.

There are two stamps from different booklets of the same issue, a sheet stamp, and a contemporaneously issued coil stamp. Ink mixes tend to vary over time, not so much over source if they are printed at the same time.

My 1G appears violet to me, both in above posts and in daylight. Your 1G looks a brownish pink colour that is closer to my 75ct.
The actual colour description of the "Speciale catalogus" issued by NVPH calls the colours purple-violet and pink, respectively.
If your 1G actually is more like the brownish pink of the 75c, you have a colour changeling.

As I see your post of the 3G, the colour is closer to the violet of the 1.50G. The listed colour of the 3G and also the colour I see in my scan, and in daylight is blue. I am tempted to say it is a blue that has some violet tendency. The one you name 'lighter pastel blue' goes some way towards the blue of the actual stamp.
Again, if the appearance is anything close to the true colour, it is a colour changeling, not a hue.

The problem with these scans is that there is no way to say what you are seeing is what I am seeing. The black background in your scan and also the stamp's unprinted margin have a yellowish appearance as I see it. The actual colour is white. Is it the picture, my monitor, the colour of the light you use? I cannot tell. That makes it almost impossible to say anything with certainty.

A very experienced collector who studied the stamps was a member of this site. He died earlier this year. His remarks on these stamps (translated from Dutch) and summarised:

Paper: Harrison HS3, white phosphorescent, fluoresces white and has a white afterglow.
Paper has equally applied phosphor coating and OBA.
Translucence varies.

UV reaction did not vary much over time.
Paper itself: white fluorescent
Yellow phosphor coating that shows white due to the OBA for mint stamps. However, after soaking are long exposure to sunlight, the appearance becomes yellow or spotty yellow.

During the first five years, especially, the colours were not lightfast.
E.g, the 70ct stamps from sheets were reported in greyish blue instead of bluish violet.
Also colour changes have been reported for other values. It is possible these were sold through the post office and the change in colour was caused by the packaging.
The 75ct, issued in 1982 but only in frequent use from 1986 was stored for many years. yellow (green) varieties are known issued directly from the post office. That the colour did not occur during printing can be proved under a uv lamp, as the whiteners have broken down, causing the stamps to fluoresce yellow.

All credits to Rein.