Spain - 1976 - Permanent Stamp - Which Colour?

Regularly, the question of colours comes up. Here is a nice one. The stamp has an 'official' colour.

There are many reasons why different examples of a stamp may vary in 'shade' to some extent. However, even when a catalogue lists just one shade, its editor may have his idea about what the name of the colour should be. Often, that colour is not the official one.

What colour is this 2 pta stamp according to you, the catalogue you use, or a listing from a dealer you use?



I am curious what colour different listings assign to this 1976 (15 July) permanent stamp issued by Correos of Spain and whether that matches the official colour. Although I am not asking for the obvious 'blue' as this being a stamp that has some kind of blue colour, I am also not asking for the 'shade' of this specific stamp. Please, consider it a generic Spanish 2 pta permanent stamp issued 15 July 1976.

*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

"Blue like an orange" (from a poem by Paul Eluard)

No, world modern stamps is not what the post is about. It is a general post about colour denominations.

Edifil lists it as "azul" (blue) while Scott has it as "deep blue." I won't offer a personal opinion as I'm terrible with color identification. The subject of the stamp is an interesting character but that's another matter.

Hello.
Many millions were issued from that stamp since the next series of the King did not appear until 1990.
There are many shades, although Edifil only lists it as blue.
They were issued on gray paper, white paper and phosphorescent.
Of all of them there are many shades.
This is part of a colleague's assignment.
Regards.

Very nice group of stamps Roberto. I love the range of shades. I can only dream of pages of blocks of four on the different papers and in different shades.

The purpose of my post is to get some more insight into how different editors list the colour for the basic stamp. As RK 1468 writes, Scott lists it as deep blue. I think The Spanish Federation of Philatelic Societies (FESOFI) has copied the Edifil listing. The site that may not be mentioned here lists it (in English) as dark blue.

I noticed many posts about British stamps by users of Scott use different colours from the SG listing for Queen Victoria stamps. There, it may even lead to incorrect identification of a stamp..

My guess is other catalogues may come up with yet different colours. I doubt any lists the official colour. I, also, could have used a Machin to make my point. However, Douglas Myall made a similar point.

My block of the printing on phosphorised paper:


I am curious what other colours will pop up.

By the way, Roberto, I spent a few days in the part of Spain your flag is from, chasing Cristóbal Colón. It had been some time since I was there. It was good to be back. The food was excellent.

NSK, you have illustrated very clearly the difficulty in determining color. I assume this stamp was printed with a single color of ink but it is obvious that the background is darker than the portrait. So what is the correct "color" for this stamp? The background or the portrait?
Using the Michel color guide the portrait is bright Prussian blue, based on trying to compare RGB values with a digital color meter app.

Hello.
I am really glad of your satisfaction, recommend us to your friends and acquaintances.
After all, tourism represents the largest part of income in Andalusia, which triples agriculture and quintuples industry.
This year we expect 25 million tourists, which is not bad for a Community with 8.5 million inhabitants.
It seems unreal, but what we sell the most is sun and beach; there are few communities where you can go to the beach in the morning and ski in the afternoon, at certain times of the year.
Regards.

Orient Blue

The stamps were issued by decree of the Minister of Hacienda (it would encompass the Inland Revenue Service in most countries), dated 14 June 1976. The order specifies the printer, size, colour, and even number of stamps per sheet.

Below is an extract of the order. The official colour is Orient Blue (azul oriente). The first stamps must have been printed by the date the decree was issued. It is likely the colour had been chosen by Correos and identified by FNMT that printed it by this time.

As Roberto's post evidences, the printer was unlikely to mix up the exact same colour for every printing. So 'shades' exist. However, it is likely the printer mixed up an ink that qualified as Orient Blue. - The succeeding series also was issued by decree. -

Interestingly, the FESOFI website mention a decree of 11 June. 1976. Although they are aware of a decree, still, they copy Edifil's colour and get the date of the decree wrong.



@Germania: Thanks, I was looking for the colour mentioned in the Michel catalogue. With a colour key, you are likely to get into the issue of shades. I was trying to stay away from that subject.

Only one colour was used. The portrait was printed in the same colour as the background. 'Shades' in photogravure do not just occur by mixing in black or white. A deep blue stamp supposed to be blue can be exactly that; printed from a cylinder etched deeper.

@Roberto,

I, certainly, can recommend people to visit Andalusia. I stayed in Huelva. It was convenient, as there are frequent buses to La Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, and Moguer. Huelva surprised me. You will not find many tourists in Huelva. There are quite a few foreigners because of the nearby mining industry. Huelva lies on the Río Tinto, from which the British Rio Tinto Mining Company took is name. It is a vibrant city, especially in the evening. You can have excellent portions in the centre. – I had one of the best 'gazpacho andaluz' I ever tasted in Moguer.

For our American friends: La Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, and Moguer make an excellent philatelic pilgrimage for the afficionados of this one:

Huelva (Friary of La Rábida) and Moguer on local "charity" stamps from Spanish Civil War