British Mystery And Plate Nunber

How does one determine the plate number on later British stamps like this number 54? I also have these color stamps that are listed with the penny black, or so it appears from the title. Do not know what these are.



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Those colored labels are cutouts from red cross charity labels produced for the 1940 Centenary Stamp Exhibition. They have minimal value as cut down oddities.

See: http://philately.ttrr.org/gb/gb04006.html for more information on them.

Boulderite. please don't forget to prefix your stamp number with the catalogue used: Scott, SG for Stanley Gibbons etc. The plate number occurs twice on the stamp it is in the oval frame that also contains the phrase "one shilling" it is level with the bottom of the tip of Her Majesties nose and in the opposite position at the back of her head. The plate number is obliterated by the cancel from what I can see. The frame around the number is a rectangle so the stamp is SG89,90,or91. It appears it might say 2 or 3 if it says 2 it is plate 1 and if it says 3 it is plate 2. I found this information in the Stanley Gibbons GB vol. 1 Queen Victoria Specialised catalogue 11th edition pages 255,256. I don't know if some fancy light or scope can see through the cancel to clear up which it is.
I hope this helps

I believe this British stamp is number 54 in Scootts and Scotts lists a few possible plate numbers for the stamp/

They all have "Y R" in the top corners and "D K" in the bottom corners.

Jack Kelley

That's "V R" in top corners = Victoria Regina

The plate number on the 1 shilling stamp can be found on either side of the portrait medallion.

Unfortunately the heavy cancellation in obscuring the numbers on your stamp, but you may be able to make out part of it on the right hand side.

These were used for the stock exchange forgeries, any members know how to ID the forgeries?

Hi Rod,

The forgeries were unwatermarked and were made of both plates 5 and 6.

The plate 6 forgery is reckoned to be of better quality.

I've seen a plate 5 forgery where the squares surrounding the boxes in the corners are not as well defined as those on the genuine stamps.

Some of the stamps have impossible corner letter combinations!

Good morning, Nigel. Thank you.
I collected images of the forgeries in 2004 and 2006 (not my images)
Just did not know where to look to ID.



I guess "P A" would qualify.

Observation: British philatelists, when Identifying or naming Queen Victoria postage stamps with corner letters, always use the "bottom" pair of letters, not the top pair.