Distinguishing the KGVI Nyasaland 10/

SG 142 and 142a

by Mark Warren

SG 142 - Chalky paper	SG 142a - Ordinary paper

I've been studying the KGVI Nyasaland 10/ recently, SG 142 and 142a, and have made some observations about distinguishing these items that may be useful to others. First, a review of some of the most-used sources reveals that there is a lot of controversy when it comes to describing the colors of the head and duty plates and the paper. This article will attempt to provide some guidance to resolving those conflicts and lead to easier identification whether one is looking at a single copy or multiple copies.

Catalog Descriptions

History

It should be noted that Potter-Shelton's date of February 1945 for the second printing has been discredited and there is general agreement that the printing took place in December of 1937 or January of 1938. Dickgiesser and Yendall, in their King George VI Large Key Type Stamps of Bermuda, Leeward Islands, Nyasaland (Triad Publications, 1985) give the following explanation of the circumstances surrounding the production of the ordinary paper ten shilling:

"…because of excessive waste during the initial printing, a reprint was immediately ordered (quantity unspecified) and an additional 74 single sheets of paper were issued. Printing probably took place in December 1937…"

Since the reprint was not brought about by a new requisition, Col. Potter didn't find a record for it. But he was probably only looking for a requisition to support the second printing. The printing on ordinary paper took place some time after the chalky paper issue was done. This probably explains the differences in paper and ink color. A different paper was taken from stock and new batches of ink had to be mixed for both the head plate and the duty plate.

CHARACTERISTICS

Gum

The one thing that is not controversial is that both printings have brownish, caramelized gum to one extent or another. The gum is not a distinguishing factor.

Head plate

The color varies within both printings. There are shades of 142a that come closer to 142 than one would like, making this a less than reliable indicator. The head plate of 142a is always printed with far less definition than 142. The 142 head plate appears sharply defined and really stands out against the color of the background paper. On 142a the head plate almost seems to recede into the background compared to the frame. It is fuzzy compared to 142. One of the reasons for this is that the paper on which 142a is printed is darker green that that of 142 and it makes the head plate less distinct because it contrasts less with the background. The other reason, of course, is that the color of the 142a head plate is closer to the green of the paper than that of 142. More about the papers below.

Personally, I'd rather refer to the color of 142 as 'dark green' and that of 142a as 'bluish-green". There is no way I would ever call the 142 'emerald'. The most important thing to remember is how they appear vis-à-vis each other as described above.

Duty plate (frame)

The comments about the head plate being sharp and distinct against the color of the paper also apply to the frame. SG has adopted Dickgiesser's descriptions of 'deep red' versus 'brown-red' in an attempt to provide some guidance. There is certainly more orange in 142, but it's the distinctness of the frame against the background that is most useful for me if I don't have copies of both to compare. There is a dull appearance to the frame of 142a. 'Dull' is not a description that would be used to refer to the frame of 142.

This is where the greatest difference lies. It is true that the silver test is unreliable on these stamps as on many other key plates. However the paper is still the easiest way to distinguish the two varieties. 142a has paper which is always a true green compared to the pale emerald of 142. The 142a paper also seems to have black specks in it, resembling dirt, which 142 does not. Comparing the blown-up detail of both types illustrates this clearly. There is a smooth appearance to the surface of 142 and a 'marbled' appearance to that of 142a. But the giveaway is the darker green of 142a, which identification can be confirmed by checking for the small black dots on the surface of the paper under magnification. This is the'flecking' that CW refers to in a footnote.

SG 142 - detail	SG 142a - detail

The frame of 142a is darker and duller under UV compared to 142. It has almost a purple cast while 142 still has the same red it displays under ordinary light. While the head plate of 142a tends to be a bit greyer than 142 under UV, I wouldn't rely on it, as there are shades of both that muddy the waters. The same applies to the paper under UV. It's much easier to see the difference under ordinary light, though the paper of 142a tends to be less bright than 142 under UV.

I'm convinced the primary source of confusion in identification of these issues is that most people have never seen a copy of 142a. Once you've actually seen both types, they're hard to mistake for each other (unless you're looking at scans on eBay). I bought a copy of 142a with a certificate, did the comparisons with the four copies of 142 I had in my collection, and was able to identify and acquire a second 142a via purchase of a set on eBay. It had not been identified as 142a. I felt that this acquisition alone justified the
time spent studying these issues. My research has revealed that there may well be a second 'replacement' printing of the KGVI Nyasaland pound as well. This will be the subject of a future article.

The scans attached have been reduced in size and resolution in order to make them loadable over the Web. If anyone wants the full versions, in a zipped file, please send me an email request to: threed@ix.netcom.com.