Do I Have A Color Changeling Here?

I can find the orange variety but the reddish one, I can't find? Do I have a color changeling?

Nevermind! Found two colors! :)

Please share what information you found and where you found it. Thanks.

OK, maybe not - my eyes are crossed from searching and now I cannot find the link that had both colors featued. Ok here are several examples for sale. One looks reddish and the other clearly orange? I am going to keep searching and try to find official info.

https://picclick.com/KENYA-UGANDA-T...&gid=1&pid=1

https://picclick.com/Kenya-Uganda-T...&gid=1&pid=1

https://picclick.com/Kenya-Uganda-T...&gid=1&pid=1

https://picclick.com/British-Colony...&gid=1&pid=1

Looking at the pics on your links, it appears that the scanners are reading some colors differently. For example, the 5 shillings stamps vary.

yes, well - mystery not solved yet...they could both be color changelings

You seem to be using ebay as a substitute for a real catalog. It's time to invest in the proper literature.

Thanks. When Im ready and can invest, yes I will. I actually am not using ebay to categorize my stamps, I only showed those as an example of the color variation because I'm not finding the info on online catalogs or other stamp references. thus far I enjoy reading and interacting on this site very much, therefore I tend to ask a lot of questions - it keeps me motivated and enthusiastic , I'll get there and gain experience at my pace. Thank you.

The unsatisfying answer is "maybe", but these two stamps might just be in the normal range of shades and are not so radically different to where I would call one or the other a changeling. The right stamp might or might not be faded or might just have a subtly lighter application of ink. The left one may or may not be darker than the expected just due to subtly heavier inking. The one I have (only one and used) is actually between the two colors shown but perhaps closer to the right one, if that counts for anything.

Scans and scanners are not consistent or perfect as we keep saying at SCF. My stamp scanned very much like the left stamp (cold scanner, most likely) but looks different in real life.

First off, color naming is not an exact science. The basic color for this stamp is different in different catalogs, with perhaps Gibbons and Michel being the most accurate, as they do try to match colors to their color guides. However, the editors likely looked at one stamp from one printing and did not go back and compare multiple stamps from multiple printings over several years, where colors can change. So your stamps could possibly be in the normal range of shades. There is often not necessarily one exact color for a stamp.

When colors and shades are compared, mint stamps are highly preferred, because there is less of a chance that something has affected the color. If your right stamp was on a beat-up and faded cover, we could easily figure the stamp was faded. Without additional evidence like that,it can be hard to say.

Keep the questions coming as you have them. They are useful to others in this era where there are so many fewer collectors and dealers to help.

Thank you, that is extremely helpful. I did read on an online stamp catalog that the color was red to red orange or something similar, so I think that the normal color variation is probably quite likely and fading of course- I never found two versions of this stamp.

The challenge I have, is no history on a lot of my stamps as they were either given to me from my Aunt in Mexico (loose) or I just acquired a few from my Dad over the Holidays (he forgot that he had started a new mini collection in the early 70s (he was intent on replacing his OLD childhood collection) - that unfortunately my Grandmother in Matamoros threw away when he went off to college (ugh!).

Today I learned about stamp mounts. that was a nice discovery for me. When I am really ready to start the official albums (Mexico first :) ) - I can possibly go that route.

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement.