How To Determine If The Paper Is Pink

Hi,

I picked up a US #RS75 which I suspect is on pink paper (RS75c). This is one of the few private die issues that was printed on every paper type. The paper not pink in color, but I have other pinks that are just about white.

There doesn't appear to be a watermark, and it doesn't feel like watermarked paper. I suspect it is on old paper (RS75a_ but it looks & feels like pink paper in terms of texture, when compared to other pink paper stamps that I have.

Lastly, the color of the stamp is "off" compared to the color of the RS75 printed on the other papers. I know we are talking about 100 year old ink, but the "odd" color seems to be similar to the other RS75c that I've seen.

The stamp in question is on the left and my RS75d (watermarked paper) on the right:




Am I seeing things? Is there anything I can check besides the color to confirm/deny that it is pink?

Regards,
Keith

You should see bits of pink fibers in the paper. Not like silk fibers, but more like bits of cloth that is dyed pink. Take a good look at a pink paper that still has rich color with a loupe or glass and you be able to see the threads. Without a closer look, it is hard to tell from your picture.

Thanks for the info. I never looked that closely at pink paper. I checked several of my pinks, especially the faded ones and the threads are clearly there. They are different than silk threads, more red/pink, thinner and more curly. Anyway, the RS75 doesn't have any, so it's an "a".

Thanks again, learned something new!

Keith

Another key identifier for pink paper is that most all of them have offset on the back.

The 1c Perry Davis on pink paper is usually a rich pink color.