The King George VI definitive set from Kenya, Uganda & Tanganyika has always been a popular set with collectors and specialists as well. The set features a number of interesting designs and colors. For the specialist, it combines a number of perforation varieties and color shades which occurred over a number of printings from 1938 until 1954.

This set includes a number of major and minor print flaws and the Rope Not Joined (Die I) in the first printing of the 50c issue, so there is a lot to look for if you buy a set of these stamps to study. See Richard Lockyer's article from Gibbons Stamp Monthly for more details on these aspects of the KUT set. You can access a complete list of Richard's articles from this KGVI Stamps hosted site.

The stamps were initially issued perforated either 13.25, or 13 x 11.75 depending on the value. Later printings of the values were perforated 14, 13.25 x 13.75, 13 x 12.5 or 12.5. The first step in sorting the KUT issues is to check the perforation. I would suggest that you use a Perforation Gauge like the Gibbons Instanta Gauge to check your stamps. This gauge uses a continuum of lines on clear plastic. To use it, just slide the stamp edge along the lines until they match up with the perforations. This provides a much more reliable measurement than the gauges with the dots, in my opinion. If you don't have a reliable gauge, you can also measure a 2cm distance on the stamp and count the number of perfs. That is what the gauge is actually measuring, so it is a reliable measure of the perforations.

Once you have checked the perforations, start comparing the colors of the various values. You probably need a few copies of the stamps to accurately sort the surface and paper colors. I typically compare them against both white and black paper. Look for differences that are not too subtle. There was always variation during this time period, but typically the color changes result from mixing new ink for a second printing. They did not have computer color analysis during this time period, so things are just not exact, compared to today's technology.

As you compare colors, especially for the stamps perforated 13.25 x 13.75 be aware that there were a number of printings that are generalized in the catalogues. One or two catalog listings might actually comprise as many as nine printings. I am basing this statement on the color descriptions and print dates listed in the "The Printings of King George VI Colonial Stamps" by W. J. W. Potter & Lt. Col. R. C. M. Shelton. Please consult this document if you want more details on the stamps from this set.

In addition to the perforations and color changes, some of the Pound value stamps were printed on both chalk and substitute (no chalk or substitute) paper. Chalk paper was used to provide a better impression and to help against cleaning cancellations from higher value stamps for reuse. It is actually a coating that is applied to the paper prior to printing. There are several tests for chalk paper. One option is to use a silver coin which will draw a pencil-like line when rubbed gently against chalk paper. I do this in the white border. If you don't want to make a line, try looking for a shiny coating on the paper when viewed under a good light source. You can also rub your finger across the face of the stamp. It will slide easily over the chalk coated paper, and will feel like it is catching against the ordinary paper. Another test is the quality of the impression. The chalk treatment was used to insure a better quality printing. For the record, the term chalk is not scientifically accurate, but it is the term that has been used in the catalogs.

One other aspect of this set is the new head plate dies that were created for the 1c, 20c and 10/ issues. New dies are created to deal with damage that occurs from use over time. If you look at the 1938 and 1950 versions of the head plate below, you can see the effect of wear from use on the details and sharpness of the images. Understanding how to isolate the die is one of the components necessary to properly identify the steel-blue shade. See the images below for a comparison of the dies over time. They also appear on the KGVI Stamps more detailed overview of the 10/ printings as listed by Potter & Shelton. Other die changes can be found in the center of the 1/ and 3/ Perf 13 x 12.5 issues. You will see more detail in the upper center of the image.

The color and paper descriptions shown below are from the 2008 Commonwealth King George VI Postage Stamp Catalogue (CW). The 2013 Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue (SG) and the 2011 Scott catalog (ST) numbers are listed to tie them together with the Commonwealth Catalogue stamp listings in these documents. The printing dates are from Potter & Shelton listings mentioned above. You can access any of the Catalogue publication web sites from my Links to British Colonial Stamp Sites, but it appears that the Murray Payne site has now merged with the Stanley Gibbons site, so there may not be any more access to the Commonwealth Catalogue.

The images were saved in a larger size and at a higher resolution so you can more easily see the details used in sorting them. Please be patient if it takes a few minutes for this page to load.

This article was written to help you identify your stamps.
Please feel free to ask a question, or include a correction.