Identifying Phosphor On GB Stamps

I've never much bothered with phosphor / non-phosphor varieties, but now I have to because my new album has spaces for both.

In my collection, I have many commemoratives which came out in both formats, but I don't know which ones I have. My question is, without investing in a UV lamp, is there a way of telling whether I have phosphor or non-phosphor.

Bands are easy of course - just tilt the stamp towards the light - but what about all-over phosphor?

Ringo, what I do is hold the stamp with the perforations facing me directly and look at the surface against a light of some source. If there is phosphor, you should be able to detect it by seeing 'bars' across the surface, either a straight bar in the middle or, on the two sides. Stamps w/o phosphor will be clear of these. Best way that I can explain it.

Hope this helps?

Chimo

Bujutsu

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I think you are describing phosphor bands, which as you say, are stripes down the length of the stamp. But the ones I am talking about don't have bands - they are 'all over' phosphor. I don't know how to differentiate between all over phosphor and non-phosphor, with only one stamp to view.

For rapid identification of all-over phosphor I believe your sole options are UV light, or comparison with a known non-phosphor example.

If you know you have a phosphor banded stamp and can see the bands, you are looking (in an "all-over" stamp) for the same general appearance in terms of opacity or reflectance as you see in the bands. In other words you might be able to use the bands, as seen in light at an angle, to train yourself to recognize the same appearance in an all-over stamp. Or, take a known banded stamp and compare it in angled light to an unknown stamp and see if the appearance of the bands is similar to that of the whole of the other stamp.

You may need a show, bourse, or club with an affable dealer or member to facilitate a side-by-side comparison.

Ringo

Short-wave UV phosphor tester here @ £26 - don't know if it would be worth the investment.

http://www.worldstamps.co.uk/Access...r_Shortwave_

Regards.

Geoff

Without investing in an UV lamp, I am not sure how you would identify them? However, it would have to be worthwhile, or, you have enough of the stamps in question to check on.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Thanks guys. I was hoping for some magic trick - but the advice above is all good. I'll try not to shell out for a lamp (yet) and see if I can learn to recognise them by eye. I may well have examples in my spares, which differ from what I have in my album - if so, I'll have one of each to use as a baseline standard.

Next thing I need to start learning about is watermarks, but that's another thread...

Well, it seems I've been misled by my Stanley Gibbons catalogue (and Bujutsu, you were right!). My catalogue refers to "normal" and "phosphor" varieties, but closer investigation reveals that the "phosphor" ones are all phosphor bands. I wrongly assumed they were all-over phosphor. Therefore - no problem. Bands are easy to see. Just those blasted sideways watermarks to get my head around!...

Get yourself a Gibbons Collect British Stamps. In it can be seen the phosphor banded or ordinary commemorative issues... from 1962 to 1967 there was both. From around 1967 to 1974 the commemorative issues were nearly all phosphor banded. From around 1974 onwards the stamps were mostly all-over phosphor. Check for accurate dates but, as you said, the bands are easy enough to see (although some soaked off used stamps can be more difficult) and the all-over phosphor issues can be dated as being from 1974 onwards.

Glad I was able to help Ringo. The method I mentioned, I have been using for years and had good results

Chimo

Bujutsu

I`ve checked my 1960 `Bedeutende Deutsche` set with my daughter`s cheap invisible ink pen (it cost less than 2 dollars) and it worked. The 5,7,8,10,15,20 and 40 pfg stamps were printed on normal white and fluorescent paper. Under the pen`s light the difference is visible. Maybe it works with GB stamps too.

By all means tilt the stamps but it wont do any good on the all-over phosphor commemorative stamps you are having difficulty with.
"I don't know how to differentiate between all over phosphor and non-phosphor, with only one stamp to view." is what you mentioned.
These "all-over" stamps belong in the 1974 and onwards time-line so there will be no stamps printed on ordinary paper. One or two of those sets might have phosphor bands to show 1st and 2nd class and all the others in the set will have all-over phosphor. Gibbons clearly states that for any particular set, for instance, that stamp A and B have phosphor bands and all others have all-over phosphor. So, if you identify the stamp you identify the banding... or all-overness

I have a GB stamp (1/3d Churchill) that seems to have phosphor bands. The thing is they don't illuminate under UV. If you have the bands, shouldn't they light up under UV? But under UV there's no difference between the copy I have with the bands and the others that are without them.

be aware : varnish bands exist . phosphor omitted.

work under LW DESKLAMP ///

https://www.ebay.ca/sch/Light-Bulbs...045573.m1684

Varnish bands? On British stamps as well?

I bought this cheap UV lamp, and am rather pleased with it.
It's mainly useful for me to see the phosphor in British and German stamps.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2016-Mini-...AOSwlptaLLz7