The King George VI definitive set from Ceylon is a really challenging set to complete, even if you are not a specialist. The set features a number of interesting designs and colors. It combines a number of perforation varieties, watermark variations, paper changes, overprints to resolve shortages, a revenue stamp that was validated for postal use for a brief period of time, and color shades which occurred over a number of printings from 1938 until about 1952. It is also one of the few King George VI sets that was assigned to multiple printers for the initial design and who changed due to war time production problems.

This set includes a number of major and minor print flaws, 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 perforated in these variations during the course of the printing of some of the values: 13 x 11.75; 11.25 x 11.5; 13.5; 13.5 x 13; 14; 12; and 13.75 x 14. So the first step in sorting the Ceylon 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.

Most of the stamps in this set were printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson. This printer also produced the Falkland Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and a few other sets. These stamps are all perforated 11.5 x 11.25. The remaining stamps which include the 2c, 3c, 50c, 5R and 10R values were produced by De La Rue. The De La Rue perforators where frequently changed which results in the various changes noted above. They were even out of service entirely for a period which led to Bradbury Wilkinson taking over production of the 2c, 3c, and 50 values in the mid 1940's.

In addition to perforation changes, many of the values were initially printed on paper watermarked Multiple Script CA sideways, and in later printings the watermark was upright. So you need to compare the watermarks to determine the direction it was placed. See the images below to see what to look for. Only the stamps that have a sideways watermark are identified with the watermark. All other stamps shown will have an upright watermark. The watermark is shown as it would appear looking at the back of the stamp. Most of the watermarks can be seen easily by placing the stamp face-down on black paper. Use a watermark detector if this doesn't work for you.

Once you have checked the perforations and the watermarks, 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 11.25 x 11.5 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 fifteen 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.

The 5 Rupee 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. See the examples below to understand the differences.

The 10 Rupee value was originally printed as a revenue stamp. It was validated for postal use from December 1, 1952 until March 14, 1954. If you collect used stamps, look for a valid postal use during this time period.

The color and paper descriptions shown below are from the 2008 Commonwealth King George VI Postage Stamp Catalogue (CW), except for the 25c values which include a previously listed 1947 printing that is no longer included. 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.