Germany Postal Horns 2m Scott 177 & 185 ?

JimJam got me looking through my German pages from my childhood collection and I found #177 described as violet and rose, the left stamp. However, the similar stamp without the rose background is listed as #185, but described as blue violet. Mine is exactly as the same violet as #177.

Is this a catalogue error, or is mine a known shade variety not listed in Scott.

BeeSee, when the overpints were omitted the stamps were exactly the same colours as before. I think your stamp on the right is the same shade, it's just a fresher, better preserved copy.

Yes but no pink on the right stamp.

BeeSee, I just dug out my 2 Mark used copies and what I find is interesting: both your stamps are much more lilac or mauve than the four I have. All of these could probably be best described as reddish purple.

I checked these against my mint copies and they're all (more or less) the same (reddish purple).

So with about 20 examples to go on, it seems the normal colour for this stamp is much darker - and more purple - than the two you have.

Unless your scanner is playing tricks, both your stamps are not the regular colour for this issue.

Do you have a lilac or mauve variety listed in your Scott?

Jimjam, only the major numbers 177 and 185 are listed in Scott (2008), with the description in my first post.

BeeSee, I checked my 2 mark post horn stamps and I have both colors depicted in your scans in mint and used condition. Please note that Scott #150 also refers to these stamps. Your first scan is either 150 or 177 while the second scan is 185 in my humble opinion.

Thanks mhc99. Scott is obviously inconsistent in colour descriptions. Deep violet, violet, and blue violet are all the same colour according to my stamps!

BeeSee, I looked at my Stanley Gibbons Stamp Color Key and compared the three variations of violet. There is a very subtle difference between blue violet and violet which I can't detect it by looking at the stamps. The deep violet is much darker but again I find it hard to discern by looking at the stamps. I would suggest checking the watermark to determine whether your left scan stamp is # 150 or 177.

All my copies are more like this very dark one posted online:

http://home.teleos-web.de/dklinksie...2/DR224b.jpg

'There is a very subtle difference between blue violet and violet which I can't detect it by looking at the stamps.'

Sometimes with German stamps the distinction is not visible to the naked eye, but made by the different reaction of the stamp under UV light.

I think you shall find these are two different stamps.
Try Gibbons SG190 and SG204 lads.

Oopsies, I see you are discussing colours,
mine is a bit blue violet

Seems to me that the rose color affects the other color. If you look at the bi-color stamp, you can see the rose color between the fine lines of the blue/purple. The only places it does not is in the white areas surrounding the values, the values themselves, and the posthorn.

Does anyone know the order of the color application? That might play a role in the perceived colors. If you look carefully, the purple color in the value tablets (that does not have the underlying or overlying rose color) is not exactly the same purple as the other areas of the stamp.

Hope I have expressed this clearly. It is clear in my mind, but kind of hard to put into words.

(do you like my new avatar)