How Determine Which Color Is Which For Spain A221

Hello, I have 2p Espana stamps. Looking up Scotts to find #. I've come across 829, which is Red and 830, which is Red Lilac. How do I determine what colors those stamps are. Is there any color comparison online to help me determine which is which? Or any other alternative to help with colors. I'd appreciate it. TIA.

Hey Tina. You're speaking about the two red colours of the 2 peseta 1955 Franco issue. I'm sorry not to be able to show mint satmps, as I don't collect Spain. But this is the colour catalog image of both versions of the 2 pta stamp:





The left stamp was first issued. Later it was the right one. An image of an actual stamp:



It was done, for the 2 pta stamp, not to be confused with 1 pta of the same issue:



The red 2 pta stamp was in use for a short period of time (hence its catalog value: 35 € mint and 1 € used); while the red-lilac or "red-purple" (as is often refered) has a catalog value of 0.20 €. Its actual value is nile, as bilions of them were issued and used. So, the most likely is that you've the red-lilac stamp.

Great. This helped a lot. You are right I have red lilac. Thanks so much.

Great response by Cursus.

I would like to add also the reading the colour names is sometimes confusing. They are usually read, in the Scott's from the USA catalogue, as Reddish Lilac for Red Lilac.

In other catalogues they are read sometimes differently.

Any members assist here?
Sc# 832 or 938 ?
My Sc#832 proven, does not match the colour of these, which seem extremely dark.
Thanks

Rod,

Has your question ever been answered?

I do not know Scott numbers, but the difference in numbering makes me suspect those are the "normal" 15 March 1955 (chestnut stamp) and the 1960 (reddish chestnut) Barcelona philatelic exhibition stamp of 31 March 1960.

Due to the long period during which the stamps were in use, variation in the colour exists.

The clue for which stamp it is, is at the bottom of the stamp. The normal has the printer's imprint F.N.M.T. (Fabrica National de Moneda y Timbre). The Barcelona exhibition one has F.N.M.T.-B (B for Barcelona) at the bottom.



The 1956 cancellation on your left stamp makes it the 1955 "normal." The cancellation on the right stamp does not help and the cancellation obscures the imprint. However, the "F" of "F.N.M.T." aligns with "OR" and not "CO," also making it a "normal" from 1955.

Edit: added 1960 stamp colour as per FESOFI website.

The whole set with a few colour variations

It has now.




Excellent advice, thank you...time to dig out my Album.

A popular explanation is that Franco had an aversion to the colour red as it represented socialism. The existence of that 1 peseta stamp and, later, the 4 pesetas stamps suggest this explanation is nonsense.

A second explanation is that offered by Cursus above. This, however, has also been questioned. There are more stamps with almost, if not more, identical colours that were in use at the same time. Of the red 1 peseta and 2 pesetas stamps, only one was used frequently. At least one other pair that was a much closer match was a pair of two very current stamps. Why the red colour of which one had no frequent use was a reason to re-issue the 2 pesetas stamp, but there was no such re-issue for the other pair that, both, were used frequently remains unexplained.