BB4 Specimen Type 26
The first booklet containing stamps of King George V was issued on 10 August 1911. It contained 18 penny and 12 halfpenny Downey Head stamps, both Die 1B and, unlike previous Edwardian booklets, was sold at face value.
The front cover design was similar to the last Edwardian cover, with the Cypher changed from EviiR to GvR, and “Eleven ½d. Stamps” changed to “Twelve ½d. Stamps”. The back covers had adverts for Pears Soap.
A total of nine editions were issued with Downey Head stamps. The first seven of these were unnumbered but have been given numbers (8) to (14), following on from (1) to (7) of King Edward VII. Subsequent booklets had the edition number printed on the front cover. The first number used was “8”, probably as this was the eighth booklet of the new reign. For those editions which have the same front cover, the edition number can be determined by the advert on the inside of the front cover:
| (8) | Aug 1911 | Aitchison & Co. |
| (9) | Aug 1911 | Gresham Insurance |
| (10) | Aug 1911 | Empire Hotels |
| (11) | Apr 1912 | Marsuma Cigarettes |
| (12) | July 1912 | Palethorpes’ Sausages |
| (13) | Sept 1912 | Royal Typewriters |
| (14) | Nov 1912 | Times Book Club |
| 8 | Jan 1913 | Taylor’s Razors |
| 9 | Mar 1913 | Aitchison & Co. |
To see all nine Downey Head booklets click here.
Trials and Essays
An Edwardian booklet BA5(6) with stamp panes cancelled “London Chief Office, E.C.” Type E served as an essay for the new front cover, with manuscript alterations.
A trial for edition (8) was made with uncancelled stamp panes. The covers are as in the issued booklet inside and out, but the interleaves are plain paper with no printing.
A trial for interleaves was made using edition (10). Manuscript “Harrison present issue / With varnish surface”. Half of one interleave was coated with brown varnish. The four stamps were Specimen Type 22.
A trial booklet with manuscript “I. H&S 13/7/12” had plain red covers and contained four panes of purple Harrison “head” labels with five plain paper interleaves.
2s Booklet Series 1: BB1
Date: Aug 1911
Editions: (8)-(10)
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: Imperial Crown
Makeup: FC, int, NB3, int, NB3, int, NB3, int, NB1, int, NB1, int, BC
Cancels: E
Edition (8): an essay and a trial exist, see above.
Edition (8): exists without the 5th interleaf.
Edition (10): a trial for interleaves exists, see above.
Editions (8), (9), and (10) inside front covers.
Editions (8), (9), and (10) outside back covers.
All advertisers wanted to be in the first booklet of the new reign, so three editions of one million copies each were issued at the same time.
2s Booklet Series 1: BB2
The front cover was redesigned to include Inland Rates of Postage.
Three progressive proofs were taken. The first proof had “Inland Rates of Postage” included in the lower panel, four copies known. The second proof improved the legibility of the top panel, only a single copy known. The third proof added “Not exceeding” to the lower panel and was approved, two copies known.
Date: Apr 1912, July 1912
Editions: (11)-(12)
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: Imperial Crown
Makeup: FC, int, NB4, int, NB4, int, NB4, int, NB1, int, NB1, int, BC
Cancels: 22, F, G
Edition (11): progressive proofs exist, see above.
Edition (12): a trial for interleaving exists, gelatin.
2s Booklet Series 1: BB3
Same as BB2 but stamps with Simple Cypher watermark.
Date: Sept 1912
Editions: (13)
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: Simple Cypher
Makeup: FC, int, NB5, int, NB5, int, NB5, int, NB2, int, NB2, int, BC
Cancels: 22, H
A pack of ten BB3 booklets with a pale blue-green wrapper band.
Editions (11), (12), and (13) inside front covers.
Editions (11), (12), and (13) outside back covers.
2s Booklet Series 1: BB4
The top panel condensed and “Foreign and Colonial Letters” added to the rates of postage.
Date: Nov 1912
Editions: (14)
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: Simple Cypher
Makeup: FC, int, NB5, int, NB5, int, NB5, int, NB2, int, NB2, int, BC
Cancels: 26, H
Trials for 1s and 5s booklets were made using the design of Edition (14). The 1s trial had a pale blue cover with “A” in red and contained three panes of Harrison “arms” design, one red and two green. The 5s trial had pale blue or varnished white covers and contained 13 panes of Harrison “head” design in bistre with diagonal thick green lines. The adverts in the trials were from Edition (14). Neither trial was adopted.
2s Booklet Series 1: BB5
Booklet edition number added to the top left corner.
Date: Jan 1913, Mar 1913
Editions: 8-9
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: Simple Cypher
Makeup: FC, int, NB5, int, NB5, int, NB5, int, NB2, int, NB2, int, BC
Cancels: 26, H, I
Edition 8: a trial for rates of postage on the inside back cover exists.
Edition 9: a trial for front cover adverts exists (Lipton’s Tea).
Edition 9: exists without interleaves.
Editions (14), 8, and 9 inside front covers.
The advert for Aitchison & Co is similar to that in booklet (8), but without the address in Manchester.
Editions (14), 8, and 9 outside back covers.
Booklet Panes
Booklet panes of six were printed in letterpress, each sheet having 240 stamps arranged as 20 upright panes, and 20 inverted. Cancellations (precancellations, “specimen” and “cancelled” overprints) are equally likely to be found on upright or inverted panes, unless otherwise noted.
The vertical gutter between the left and right halves of the sheet contained short horizontal bars which can be seen in the selvedge of panes from the inner two columns. Panes from the outer two columns do not have these bars. Panes with and without bars occur in equal numbers.
Sheets were perforated by Harrison using a horizontal comb machine with a single extension pin that produced perforation Type B1(E). However, in the rush to issue booklets for the new reign, a small number of Crown watermark sheets were perforated using a vertical perforator normally used for counter sheets. This produced perforation Types B3(I) and B3A(P).
Full sheet reconstructions are shown under Sheets & Perforations.
Watermark Imperial Crown.
Watermark Royal Cypher (Simple Cypher).
All Downey Head booklet panes are from dies 1B, and all are stapled.
NB1/a: Imperial Crown; Booklets BB1-2; Perfs E, P, I; Cancels 22, E, F, G
Variety NB1ab: Indent below Y (R1/1)
NB2/a: Simple Cypher; Booklets BB3-5; Perfs E; Cancels 22, 26, H, I
Variety NB2b: White flaw after Y (R2/2)
NB3/a: Imperial Crown; Carmine; Booklets BB1; Perfs E, P, I; Cancels 22, E
Variety NB3b: Broken left frame (R1/2)
Variety NB3c: Open top to leaf (R2/3)
NB4/a: Imperial Crown; Scarlet; Booklets BB2; Perfs E; Cancels 22, F, G
Variety NB4c: Open top to leaf (R2/3)
Variety NB4ab: White flaw above right value (R2/1)
NB4b/c: Imperial Crown; Aniline scarlet; Booklets BB2; Perfs E; Cancels G
NB5/a: Simple Cypher; Scarlet; Booklets BB3-5; Perfs E; Cancels 22, 26, H, I
Variety NB5c: Open top to leaf (R2/3)
Variety NB5ab: White flaw above right value (R2/1)
Harrison Head dummy stamp pane, used in some Harrison trial booklets.
Adverts & Interleaves
Interleaves in Downey Head booklets continued to be printed in green.
BB1 edition (9) interleaves.