Stamps with new or changed colours were introduced in 1950-1951 to meet Universal Postal Union regulations. The first booklets containing these stamps were issued in May 1951.
None of these booklets contained interleaves or adverts, which had been discontinued in 1943-44, but two Pattern Books were made up in Feb 1953 in preparation for the return of commercial adverts.
2s6d Booklet Series 7: BD19
To see more BD19 booklets click here.
Date: May 1951
Editions: 10 not numbered
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB34, QB31, QB7, BC
Printed paper rate increased on 1 June 1951.
Parcel rate increased on 1 July 1951.
Edition (2): PPR red overprint.
Edition (3): PPR red overprint.
Edition (3a): no overprint, PPR corrected.
Edition (5): Parcel rate obliterated.
Edition (5a): Parcel rate Enquire at any P.O.
| (1) | May 1951 | |
| (2) | June 1951 | |
| (3) | July 1951 | |
| (4) | Aug 1951 | |
| (5) | Sept 1951 |
| (6) | Oct 1951 | |
| (7) | Nov 1951 | |
| (8) | Dec 1951 | |
| (9) | Jan 1952 | |
| (10) | Feb 1952 |
Editions (2) & (3): PPR red overprint.
Edition (3): PPR 1d.
Edition (3a): PPR 1½d.
Edition (5): rate obliterated.
Edition (5a): Enquire at any P.O.
2s6d Booklet Series 7: BD20
To see more BD20 booklets click here.
Date: Mar 1952
Editions: 15 not numbered
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB34, QB26, QB18, QB7, BC
Edition (1): back covers transposed and assembled inside out.
Edition (1): exists overprinted Specimen Type 30.
Edition (1): exists with panes in the wrong order: 2½d, 1d, 1½d, ½d.
Editions (4), (5): are known miscut.
Edition (8): exists with an extra 2½d pane but no 1½d pane.
Edition (10): exists made up as Pattern Book A.
Edition (15): part of the edition with Wilding stamps is listed as booklet F1.
| (1) | Mar 1952 | |
| (2) | Apr 1952 | |
| (3) | May 1952 | |
| (4) | June 1952 | |
| (5) | July 1952 |
| (6) | Aug 1952 | |
| (7) | Sept 1952 | |
| (8) | Oct 1952 | |
| (9) | Nov 1952 | |
| (10) | Dec 1952 |
| (11) | Jan 1953 | |
| (12) | Feb 1953 | |
| (13) | Mar 1953 | |
| (14) | Apr 1953 | |
| (15) | May 1953 |
Edition (15)a: “May 195” for “May 1953”
Edition (15)b: “May 19” for “May 1953”
BD20(7) and BD31(4) with “LEAFTEL” for “LEAFLET”.
5s Booklet Series 8: BD30
To see more BD30 booklets click here.
Date: May 1952
Editions: 5 not numbered
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB34, QB34, QB34, QB31, QB7, BC
| (1) | May 1951 | |
| (2) | July 1951 | |
| (3) | Sept 1951 | |
| (4) | Nov 1951 | |
| (5) | Jan 1952 |
5s Booklet Series 8: BD31
To see more BD31 booklets click here.
Date: Mar 1952
Editions: 5 not numbered
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB34, QB34, QB34, QB26, QB18, QB7, BC
| (1) | Mar 1952 | |
| (2) | May 1952 | |
| (3) | July 1952 | |
| (4) | Sept 1952 | |
| (5) | Nov 1952 |
Edition (2): is known with an additional pane miscut at an angle (incomplete):
Edition (5): exists made up as Pattern Book B:
5s Booklet Series 8: BD32
To see more BD32 booklets click here.
Date: Jan 1953
Editions: 2 not numbered
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB34, QB34, QB31, QB26, QB15, QB7, BC
| (1) | Jan 1953 | |
| (2) | Mar 1953 |
Edition (2): is known miscut (taken apart for display).
Booklet Panes
Booklet panes of six were printed in photogravure using double cylinders (no-dot and dot sheets), each sheet having 240 stamps arranged as 20 upright booklet panes, and 20 inverted.
Sheets were perforated using the triple comb machine introduced in 1943 which perforated in the web. This produced B3(I) and B6(Ie), and stayed in use until 1955.
Cylinder panes from dot sheets have an extended perforation hole at the bottom edge of the pane (except for the se-tenant cylinders F5 and F7 – top edge).
Watermark GviR.
QB7/a: Booklets BD19-20, BD30-32, F1-13, H1-5; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls E82-85
QB15/a: Booklets BD32, H1-6; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls F8
Labels “PPR” 17mm high, included on the stamp cylinder in photogravure.
QB18/a: Booklets BD20, BD31, F1-5, F7, F9, F11, F14; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls F5
Labels “PPR” 15mm high, printed separately by letterpress.
QB19/a: Booklets F6, F8, F10; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls F7
Variety QB19b: 2mm between 1½d and Minimum (R2/2)
Variety QB19c: Dented frame, bottom right (R1/2)
Variety QB19ab: Spur on R (R1/2)
Variety QB19ac: Blob on E (R1/2)
Variety QB19ad: 2mm between Rate and 1½d (R2/3)
Labels “Shorthand”, printed separately by letterpress.
QB20/a: Booklets F12-13, F14a; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls F7
Variety QB20b: Major retouch (R1/1-2)
Variety QB20ac: Spur on R (R1/2)
Variety QB20ad: Blob on E (R1/2)
QB26/a: Booklets BD20, BD31-32; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls G4
Variety QB26ab: Spur to rose leaf (R1/1)
QB31/a: Booklets BD19, BD30, BD32, H1-7; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls H41, H47, H48
QB34/a: Booklets BD19-20, BD30-32; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls J62, J66-70
Adverts & Interleaves
Commercial adverts were printed on covers and interleaves until Aug 1943, when they were discontinued and replaced by Post Office notices. At the same time, the contract with Sells Ltd was terminated. From Sept 1944 all interleaves were discontinued.
In Feb 1953, two Pattern Books were made up in preparation for the return of commercial adverts. These booklets are in three formats: the first with a red handstamp, “PG1/2/163”, and “3rd Feb 1953” were sent to advertising agencies to find a new contractor (J. Weiner was appointed). The second format, with the same red handstamp and “letter dated 1953”, were sent to commercial companies to solicit adverts. The third format, without handstamp, were unused spares.
Each booklet contained two interleaves dated Dec 1952 with several panes of blank labels in between (four panes in the 2/6, six in the 5/-). The space available for adverts was indicated on both covers (3 sides), on the back of the last interleaf, and on the se-tenant pane in the 2/6 booklet with three penny labels and three advert labels.
Commercial adverts returned in Sept 1953 (2/6 booklet F5, 5/- booklet H3). The three advert labels were used for Post Office notices until Dutton Shorthand took the space in Jan 1954 (2/6 booklet F12). This proof on soft white card (112 x 122mm) has an instruction to close up the gap between SHORTH and AND, but this was meant to space around the perforations. Perhaps the advert would have looked better without the gap.
