Stamps of different denominations were printed in different colors from the beginning; like their successors, postal clerks were able to distinguish between penny black and penny blue more quickly by color than by value, a practice that generally continues today. In practice, the actual color of the stamp may vary, and although collectors will pay a high price for rare shades, it may not be easy to distinguish them from differences caused by age, light, chemicals, and other factors. Stamp colors are usually described by the name of the color rather than by some number system such as CMYK; Several color guides have been produced showing a selection of colors, but these are not particularly popular with collectors.
Almost all stamps get their color from inks printed on white or light paper; a few exceptions include early Natal issues consisting only of embossing on colored paper, some recent stamps embossed on gold foil or with a metallic tint, and Uganda Cowries are produced on a typewriter. A number of early stamps were printed in black on various colored papers; the best-known example is British Guiana 1c magenta.
Red was the UPU standard for internal letters; course 2c in the US was in effect from 1883-1917 and 1919-1932.
Initially, countries usually chose colors for names at random. In 1896, members of the Universal Postal Union agreed on green, red, and blue as the standard colors for standard printed matter, postcards, and letters, respectively, when sent overseas. This convention was gradually abandoned as inflation created too many exceptions from the 1930s onwards.
Switzerland used three colors in 1850 for its first stamps and then switched to a single color design in 1854.
Two-colour stamps ("two-colours") began to appear very early, although usually reserved for higher values due to the additional expense of multiple runs. Multi-colored stamps appeared along with the development of color printing technology; they now make up the majority of contemporary stamps, although single color designs are still common, with more in some countries than others.
Color shades have several different causes. The printer may use other inks; Previously, inks were created in batches as needed and were rarely uniform. In such cases, the tint provides information about when the stamp was made, and perhaps even identifies a particular print. Extreme variations in color errors may be considered; for example, the value 4c in the 1893 American Columbian issue was usually printed in ultramarine, but some were printed in blue, a tint with a decidedly greener one; they cost in the $10,000 range instead of the usual $10.
The ink can also be thinned or applied thinner, such as World War I stamps from Germany and World War II stamps from the United Kingdom. This can also happen by accident if the printing plate is accidentally underpainted.
UV light destroys many pigments and can cause significant lightening. In addition, some countries use water-soluble materials known as volatile ink to prevent postage stamps from being reused. Stamps of this type can be much lighter after soaking.
Some dramatic color changes result from chemical exposure; such brands are called. Examples include (often erroneously called "oxidation"), a reaction involving lead that can turn a blue or green stamp black, and exposure to salt water known to occur on New South Wales stamps recovered from ship wrecks. from. Counterfeiters have also used chemicals to try and create apparent rarities, though experts now know how to identify these attempts.
In general, collectors follow stamp catalogs in terms of color nomenclature, even if different catalogs do not agree with each other. Although the named colors are numerous, the choice used by philatelists is limited to a few dozen, complemented by adjectives such as "dark", "light", "pale", "bright" and "deep". It is also possible to combine two color names, such as "grey-green" or "brown-orange", where the first name indicates the modification direction of the second color. Thus "brown-orange" is a duller and darker orange, while "orange-brown" has a more orange tint than would be seen with "yellow-brown" or "red-brown". This system becomes less clear when extended to other colors, and few collectors can accurately describe how "carmine rose" differs from "pink carmine". Some colors, such as "lake", a shade of red that often commands a premium price, have a traditional but somewhat vague meaning that differs from the common use of "lake" for pigments and dyes.
Initially, official descriptions issued by the government simply gave a basic name such as "red" for a range of shades. In recent years, descriptions have become more accurate, such as "dark sage green", though not necessarily enlightening collectors any more than they used to.
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