Possible British Sg#204

One of my favorite things about stamp collecting is sorting the different colors of a model or series, especially the UK shadow stamps. Yesterday, while sorting, I came across a stamp that I think, based on its characteristics, could be a British SG#204... a rare Purple on Orange stamp. I deduce this from its darker yellow tone (tending towards orange) on both the obverse and reverse, in addition to its purple color being very distinguishable from SG#202 Purple on Yellow and SG#203 Deep Purple on Yellow... I know it's hard to see the shades on screen, but I scanned it alongside SG#202 and 203 and at least you can see that they are three different shades of Purple, and on the reverse, how the color is more orange...

I'm afraid I'm not seeing any orange.

But can you see two different yellows? I'll expose the image...

You could have a point if they were mint. However, being all three fairly soiled there is no telling especially not through pictures


Peter

I think so... I'm posting it on the forum because I have doubts since it's not a common stamp... For me, it's very noticeable in purple and exposing the photos to the maximum... where SG#204 barely loses color while the others go white...On the back they are clean enough to appreciate the tone

Postmark on the right's from either Yelvertoft or Yelverton- most likely Yelverton. On the left, Young Street (wild guess Doncaster or Sheffield). Looking at alleged 204s online I'm thinking maybe the purple becomes more brown in hue when printed on an orangish-yellow background.

If 204's supposed to be orange, I'd expect it to be close to Stroudley's Improved Engine Green in colour. :)

Lemon and orange are a complex subject. I've seen some specimens that are clearly orange, while others are less intense. The Orange one is already slightly darker at first glance... not just the 204 but all the Lemon/Orange series. I think the key is in the ink. Here's a photo of the Edward VII series, where according to my classification you can see SG#234 Purple Lemon (chalk), SG#233B Pale Purple Lemon (chalk), SG#232A Dull Purple Orange Yellow (chalk), SG#232C Red Purple Orange Yellow (chalk).



I have overexposed these two images and unlike the Queen Victoria series... Edward's orange is the one that tends to turn white... The mysteries of the British shadows...

I acquired one of the QV issue as a "junior stamp collector". I was confused as to how a stamp which looked brown on yellow was described as purple- I concluded that Victorians must have had a weird idea about the colour purple.

The design's a typical mid-Victorian geometric-type thing, like a washstand tile, but the idea of printing purple on yellow, that's something else!

The colour was determined by requirements laid down by the Inland Revenue and only lilac (purple) and green pigments met those requirements. It, clearly, is purple.

Considering the state most of those stamps are in, I am tempted to discard that classification.
Instead of inventing things, you might try to find facts about the papers and printing inks that have no relation at all.




I am sorry, but I have not the slightest doubt there is no orange paper among them.

I even doubt there is more than one SG number; i.e., I doubt there is a deep purple among them.

The left is deep purple / yellow, the right purple / orange.

A 204 that RASAG just sold:

Interesting. rodgcam and NSK examples have the same centering and almost the same perf patterns. Very likely from the same sheet.

While it's true that the stamps are used and of low quality, it's not that their nuances can't be appreciated due to their condition; can be worked with it. Besides, for now, it's the only thing I've been able to find within my financial means...
Well, where you call "inventing" are conclusions that, whether correct or not, I draw from many hours in front of my old stamps... and I also like them to be refuted, which is why I share them on the forum, as it helps me a lot to learn and make more accurate classifications...
As always, NSK, your opinion is appreciated and respected... I'm not going to argue about the orange color... but I have to disagree with the deep purple... I'm uploading a photo with 1 purple SG#202, 2 deep purples SG#203, and the supposed 204...

This always works out best when the person claiming a certain stamp submits that item for an expert opinion and reports back. Everything else is just a tennis match.

You can disagree all you want and fill spaces in your collection as you like, but I am even surer now that there is not a deep purple among the QV stamps you posted.

As I wrote many times: three or four different looking colours do not make the same number of listed colours.




True. But I doubt anyone will pay the fee for a stamp worth maybe £ 2.