In 1908 a Notice To Advertisers in booklet BA4 announced:
“The Postmaster-General is prepared to consider offers for the insertion of trade advertisements in these Books” and in 1909 the first adverts appeared in booklet BA5. Adverts and notices were printed in green until 1916, when they were changed to black.
The first coloured advert was in 2s booklet BB6 edition 13 issued in September 1913. It was placed by William Vernon & Sons advertising Millennium Flour. This advert, and a later advert for Oat-Flakes, were printed in three colours. Adverts for the YMCA, the Red Cross and for Dean & Dawson were in two colours (the standard colour of green or black, plus one additional colour).
In the 1930s two inserts were included in booklets. T. B. Ford Ltd printed adverts on samples of their blotting paper, and the Dubarry Perfumery Co printed full colour adverts on glazed cards.
No further coloured adverts were printed until the 1969 Stamps for Cooks booklet.
1913 – Millennium Flour
1915 – YMCA
1915 – Red Cross
1921 – Millennium Oat-Flakes
1927 – Dean & Dawson
1934 – Ford’s Blotting Paper
1936 – Dubarry
1937 – Tuberculosis (not issued)
1941 – Vani-Tred Shoes (not issued)
1969 – Stamps for Cooks
Millennium Flour (Vernon & Sons)
Type I: Are you getting bread like this?
Series 1: 13, 21, 23, 25, 29, 31, 41, 48
Type II: Bag of Flour
Series 1: 30, 44, 51
Millennium Oat-Flakes (Vernon & Sons)
Type I: Makes Delicious Porridge – Price 1′- each
Series 2: 34, 35, 36, 37
Type II: Are of Guaranteed Purity – Surcharge in Scotland & Ireland
Series 2: 38
Series 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8
Type III: Makes Delicious Porridge – Surcharge in Scotland & Ireland
Series 3: 13, 14
YMCA
A two-colour advert for the YMCA appeared in BB6 edition 27. As interleaves were printed in green up to edition 42, the only additional colour was red, which was used to print the arrow. For the second YMCA advert in BB9 edition 48, interleaf printing had changed from green to black, so again the only additional colour was red.
Type I: Red Arrow
Series 1: 27
Type II: Red Triangle
Series 1: 48
Red Cross
A two-colour advert for the Red Cross appeared in BB6 edition 32. As with the first YMCA advert, the only additional colour was red, which was used to print the cross and two lines of text.
Series 1: 32
Dean & Dawson
Dean & Dawson adverts for “Your Summer Holiday!” were printed with black text on a green pictorial background. There were various background designs. Unlike previous coloured adverts, which were printed on the back of the first interleaf, Dean & Dawson adverts were printed on the front of the second interleaf, which was their chosen position in Series 3 and 4 booklets for a number of years. They placed black-and-white advertisements in the same position in editions before and after the coloured editions.
Different background designs have been found in the same editions. The design could have been changed part way through editions, or maybe all designs were present on a single sheet of advertisements. Not enough examples have been seen to draw a conclusion, but it is possible that examples of each design may be found in all coloured editions — Series 3: 119–123 and Series 4: 56–59.
Type I: Having a drink
Series 3: 120, 122, 123
Series 4: 59
Type II: Taking a walk
Series 3: 119, 120, 123
Series 4: 56
Type III: Going for a paddle
Series 3: 121
Series 4: 57, 58
NAPT
The National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis (NAPT) issued sheets of ‘stamps’ to be purchased by the public for pasting on letters, parcels, etc, the proceeds going to the organisation. They proposed an advert in one booklet issue, to be issued in October 1937. The design would be in black, blue, green and red. The interleaf would advertise the sale of these ‘stamps’ to the public.
After the initial request, the Post Office heard nothing further regarding this proposal.
Vani-Tred Shoes
An advert for Vani-Tred Shoes was requested in August 1941. It was to be black on the usual interleaf paper with coloured reproductions of four kinds of shoes.
Harrison replied that they were unable to undertake the printing as the four colours would necessitate a considerable amount of work, and as a result of recent losses of personnel to munition works, etc, they had the greatest possible difficulty in fulfilling their existing commitments.