Cook Islands Scott 1-8 - Paper Types

Scott lists 1-4 as "Toned Paper" and 5-8 as "White Paper." Does anyone know if there is a method of identifying the difference between the two? (Other than ostensibly just looking at "toning.")

Did not see any description in the paper section for toned paper at the front of said catalog.

White paper here is pretty starkly bright, to me, almost looking like a fake stamp produced in recent times. Toned has a very slight yellowish brownish color to it, maybe what you might expect of stamps of the 1890s that have aged a little.

HOWEVER. A problem comes with age/staining where they can sometimes be hard to tell apart. The Gibbons Commonwealth catalogue solves that problem by lumping the two paper colors together. Paper color differences here would still be important to specialists. In any case, Scott still prices both papers the same, I'll bet.

Interesting that Scott would number this way. Avoid the issue by doing what Michel and Stanley Gibbons do: note that 1-4 ("Cook Islands Federation") can be found with either paper type, while 5-8 show the portrait of Queen Makea Takau.

What both of you referenced pretty much outlines what my SG catalog says (facepalm for not looking there as well.) What I was really looking for was something akin to "toned paper is identifiable based on striations in the paper" or some other distinct/clear cut difference. Does not look like that is going to be the case though; although will search the interwebs to see if there is a golden nugget of sorts out there somewhere.

Classic paper; want to eventually obtain both varieties; hence the question. And yes HY, both are priced identically, at least in the 2015 books I'm using. Unfortunately, that also means sellers have no impetus to use their "expertise" to differentiate between a 1 and a 5 or what have you.


Very much appreciate your responses!

OK, I did this and it kinda helps: Google "Cook Islands 1892 issue" and then click Images. You'll see both types of paper. No one seems to identify them by paper type, however I see definite paper differences across photos.
It may be a matter of buying one full set, and then finding another set that appears to be the other type, and hope for the best.

Andyrich74, it's a non-specific term and a dictionary definition might be assumed by Scott. By comparision, catalogs say "thin" and "thick" paper, but there's no absolute measurement for this. It's relative to the stamp issue at hand, with the differences sometimes being very close. So, yeah, you won't necessarily know what is meant until you accumulate several from that issue or see them in person, side by side.