BRITISH STAMPS
1840
Queen Victoria
Information on Alphabets and Letters in the corners
On stamp issues with two letters in the corners there were 4 types of lettering used. These are as follows:Alphabet I: From 1840 to the end of 1851 and used on all plates. The letters are small.
Alphabet II: From 1852 to the middle of 1855, the letters are larger, heavier and broader than Alphabet 1.
Alphabet III: From mid 1855 to the end of the Victorian period. The letters are taller and thinner.
Alphabet IV: 1861. Only used on the 1d, Die II, plates 50 and 51. The letters are hand engraved whereas the other alphabets are punched. The size and shape are inconsistent but they are typically larger and heavier than the other alphabets.
The use of letters was an attempt to reduce forgery as each stamp on the sheet has a different combination of letters. For eaxmple the 1d stamp was printed on sheets of 20 horizontal rows of 12 stamps so the lettering would be as follows:
Row 1: AA, AB, AC ...... AL
Row 2: BA, BB, BC ...... BL
Row 3: CA, CB, CC ...... CL
Row 20: TA, TB, TC ...... TL
On stamps with 4 letters in the corners a similar techniques was used, the use of 4 letters being an attempt to further reduce the use of forgeries:
Row 1 top corners: AA, BA, CA ...... LA
Row 1 bottom corners: AA, AB, AC ..... AL
Row 2 top corners: AB, BB, CB ...... LB
Row 2 bottom corners: BA, BB, BC ..... BL
Row 3 top corners: AC, BC, CC ...... LC
Row 3 bottom corners: CA, CB, CC ..... CL
Row 20 top corners: AT, BT, CT ...... LT
Row 20 bottom corners: TA, TB, TC ..... TL
SG 1 to SG 6
Queen Victoria
issued 6th May 1840, letters in the lower corners, small crown watermark, Imperforate.
SG 1
1d
intense black
1d
intense black
SG 2
1d
black
1d
black
SG 3
1d
grey black
1d
grey black
SG 4
2d
deep full blue
2d
deep full blue
SG 5
2d
blue
2d
blue
SG 6
2d
pale blue
2d
pale blue
SG VI
Official Stamp
The 1d. Black (Type 1) was prepared for use but not issued for postal usage. The stamp has a 'V' and an 'R' in the top corners. Obliterated specimens are those that passed through the system due to oversight or as experimental trials of obliterating ink.
SG VI
1d
black
1d
black
