Pale Colours

Stamps with pale or light colours were introduced in 1941 as a wartime measure to provide a more economic use of ink and to reduce wear on the cylinders. The first booklets containing these stamps were issued in Mar 1942. They were a continuation of the 2s6d and 5s series, with stamps changed from dark colours to pale colours.

Glazed covers were changed to unglazed covers in Oct 1942 for the 2s6d booklet, and in Feb 1943 for the 5s booklet.

A new cover design was introduced in Aug 1943 with the GPO emblem moved to the top centre. These booklets were no longer numbered. Commercial adverts were discontinued and replaced by Post Office notices. From Sept 1944 interleaves were also discontinued. Commercial adverts and interleaves would not come back until 1953.

2s6d Booklet Series 7: BD16

To see more BD16 booklets click here.

Date: Mar 1942
Editions: 95-146(Part)
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB33, int, QB30, int, QB4, BC
Cancels: 33P

Edition 146: part of the edition with unglazed covers is listed as BD17.

2s6d Booklet Series 7: BD17

Same as BD16 but with unglazed covers.

To see more BD17 booklets click here.

Date: Oct 1942
Editions: 146(Part)-214
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB33, int, QB30, int, QB4, BC
Cancels: 33P

Edition 176: has the adverts on the back cover inverted or reversed.
Edition 179: exists overprinted Specimen Type 30.
Editions 182 onward: have a Postage Rates interleaf before the back cover.

Edition 176 with back cover inverted, or reversed as a partial fix.

2s6d Booklet Series 7: BD18

Same as BD17 but with the GPO emblem moved to the top centre.
Booklets were no longer numbered, and commercial adverts discontinued.

To see more BD18 booklets click here.

Date: Aug 1943
Editions: 88 not numbered
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB33, int, QB30, int, QB4, BC

Edition (1): incorrect 6d forces rate.
Edition (1a): 6d overprinted with 9d.
Editions (2)-(12): with or without interleaves.
Editions (13)-(88): without interleaves.
Edition (16a): horizontal line above printer’s imprint.
Editions (3), (25), (39), (60), (65): are known miscut.
Edition (72): is known with the 2d pane perforated on the bottom edge only.

Some catalogues list Sept 1943 and Sept 1948, causing the subsequent entries to be renumbered. The last booklet, Feb 1951, for example, may be found numbered as (88), (89), or (90) depending on the catalogue used.

Edition (1) incorrect 6d rate, and (1a) 6d overprinted with 9d:


Edition (39) Nov 1946 miscut (incomplete):


Edition (82) Aug 1950 miscut:

5s Booklet Series 8: BD26

To see more BD26 booklets click here.

Date: Mar 1942
Editions: 16(Part)-29(Part)
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB33, int, QB33, int, QB33, int, QB30, int, QB4, BC

Edition 29: part of the edition with unglazed covers is listed as BD27.

5s Booklet Series 8: BD27

Same as BD26 but with unglazed covers.

To see more BD27 booklets click here.

Date: Feb 1943
Editions: 29(Part)-36
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, int, QB33, int, QB33, int, QB33, int, QB30, int, QB4, int, BC

Edition 29: the first and last interleaves were omitted.

5s Booklet Series 8: BD28

Same as BD27 but with the GPO emblem moved to the top centre.
Booklets were no longer numbered, and commercial adverts discontinued.

To see more BD28 booklets click here.

Date: Sept 1943
Editions: 49 not numbered
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB33, int, QB33, int, QB33, int, QB30, int, QB4, BC

Edition (1): 6d overprinted with 9d.
Edition (1a): correct 9d forces rate.
Edition (7): with or without interleaves.
Editions (8)-(49): without interleaves.

Edition (1) 6d overprinted with 9d, and (1a) correct rate:

5s Booklet Series 8: BD29

To see more BD29 booklets click here.

Date: Apr 1944
Editions: 2 not numbered
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: GviR
Makeup: FC, QB33, int, QB33, int, QB33, int, QB30, int, QB4, BC

Editions (1)-(2): with or without interleaves.

Booklet Panes

Booklet panes of six were printed in photogravure using double cylinders (no-dot and dot sheets), and some from Oct 1938 to Jan 1943 using single sheet cylinders (no-dot only), each sheet having 240 stamps arranged as 20 upright booklet panes, and 20 inverted.

Sheets were initially perforated using the same machines as the previous reign, the vertical machine producing B3(I) and B3A(P), and the horizontal machines giving B4(E), B4A(I) and B4B(E). A triple comb machine was introduced in 1943 which perforated in the web. This produced B3(I) and B5(BP). After some months two selvedge pins were removed changing the perforation to B3(I) and B6(Ie). This stayed in use until 1955.

Cylinder panes from dot sheets perforated in the web have the extended perforation (BP or Ie) at the bottom edge of the pane.

Watermark GviR.

Adverts & Interleaves

Dubarry coloured adverts, Ford’s blotting paper, and air mail panes had all been discontinued some years before the issue of stamps in pale colours.

Commercial adverts continued on the covers and interleaves until Aug 1943, when they were discontinued and replaced by Post Office notices. From Sept 1944 all interleaves were discontinued.

The price of Dubarry Face Powder in this 1942 advert now included Purchase Tax, which was introduced as a temporary tax in 1940 to raise wartime revenue.

Wartime Post Office notices from BD18 Aug 1943.

Next: KGVI New Colours