Great Britain 1912-24 King George Types

I have not been able to id a King George Two Pence stamp. I have the following 3 examples. Type I and Type II. What is the 3rd one? I have not been able to find it but see plenty of folks trying to sell it as a sc 162.



There are no lines above his head on stamp 3.

What am I missing? Thanks.

It looks like Michel # 178 (issued in 1935)

A tipoff on the third stamp should be that the design size is different, so you probably have a different stamp. Another is that the entire background behind the head looks solid, not horizontal lines, and that the design is composed of little dots, meaning it is printed by photogravure and not typography/letterpress. The perfs measure differently from the first two also.

Despite what some people on ebay might say it is, Vayolene is correct. This is Scott 213, or SG 442, from a completely different set and time period. You need to go to your local library's reference section and consult the Scott catalogs. Your first two stamps could have two different watermarks, making them different issues. Do you have those identified?

Here are the options possible for your stamps. I will give you the Scott (ST) and Stanley Gibbons (SG) numbers. You also need to check the watermark (see your catalog for details, but I put a description below in case you don't have access to a catalog), and determine the die on the first two stamps. They are either ST 162, 162a, or 190.
The third stamp is ST 442.

Watermark Simple Cypher - you will see a crown with GvR underneath in cursive. This only appears one time on the stamp.
Die I - ST 162, SG 366, 367, 368, 369 (depends on the shade of orange. 366 2d Orange-Yellow - Die I, 367 2d Reddish-Orange - Die I, 368 2d Orange - Die I, 369 2d Bright Orange - Die I).

Watermark Simple Cypher, Die II - ST 162a, SG 370.

Watermark Block Cypher - you will see a crown with multiple block letters GvR on the entire stamp.
Die II - ST 190, SG 421.
This exists with the watermark upright (SG 421) and sideways (SG 421b). There is also a non-watermarked (SG 421a) version of this stamp.

The third stamp is a new design, but is on paper watermarked Block Cypher. ST 213, SG 442, or if the watermark is sideways SG 442b.

You might consider finding an old Stanley Gibbons catalog if you collect British stamps. It will help you with identification. I see them on ebay all the time. The new ones have current prices, but the old ones are still good for reference.

Third stamp is Wmk 35 - Crown and Block GvR Multiple. However, as previously stated the design is not the A85 (not scotts 162 or 190, as it is not Type I or II.)

Its perf is 15x14, like the others. Where is that design type?

Once again :
Michel 178,Scott 213

(Mi 175/85)

My 2019 scott specialized 1840-1940 catalog shows scott 213 as the same design as A97 when I look at the catalog listing, but if I pull the picture up it shows A85 but with the solid central field. That is the source of my confusion, all stamps listed in my catalog 1934-1936 perf 14 1/2 x 14 show the A97 as the design being used so I did not ever pull up the actual picture shown, which illustrates the A85 stamp.

I not sure what I learned from this exercise....

Does my scott 2019 specialized have the numbers listed incorrectly? Or, most likely, I have gone through a learning experience?

Here is what my Scott Specialized says about the difference of design A97 and A82 through A90. (The background is solid in A97 - Scott numbers 210 through 220).

Scott 162, 190, 213 respectively.


The major confusion is that Scott, in their infinite wisdom, assigned unique design numbers to A82 through A90, but then decided to only show one design, and call it A97, for the 1934 to 1936 re-engraved versions. Go figure ...

Yes sir, I saw that.

So they went with saying a solid central field for 1912-1913 for those different designs rather than show each design type and saying the difference is a solid central figure with no horizontal lines like type I and II.

I am so anal I reek in ignorance. I used to be a crypto analyst so this bothers me.

Thanks for your patience, at least I can catalog these SOB's now.

"I am so anal I reek in ignorance. I used to be a crypto analyst so this bothers me."

Just to add to the problem ... the 2d stamp in question also comes in two sizes. This stamp issue design was reduced in size from the normal 18.7 x 22.5mm (called Large Format) to 18.4 x 22.2mm (called Intermediate Format). The design was further reduced to 18.15 x 21.7mm (called Small Format). Your 2d stamp exists in both Intermediate and Small formats. Further variations exist regarding side-ways delivery coil stamps which would measure 21.7 x 17.9mm.

Although the designs are similar, the third stamp (ST 213) is part of a new variation that was printed using photogravure. You can see the difference just looking at the stamp. The whole set is easily identified by looking at the background area by the King's head. There are lines on the earlier typographed stamps, and this area is filled in on the photogravure printings.

In my earlier comment, I put the SG number of 442 for the third stamp in place of the Scott number 213. Sorry for the confusion there.