Line-Engraved Stamps 1840-79

The line-engraved period of 1840-79 is a most interesting field of collecting due to variations in die, plate numbers, paper colour, stamp colour, watermark, perforations, cancels and alphabets used.

die I1840 die II1855
Die I
May 1840		 Die II
Jan 1855

Imperforated Stamps

scn2545.jpg scn2546.jpg scn2549.jpg
Die I, plate 2, Alph I Die I, plate 1, Alph I Die I, plate 2, Alph I

red maltese cross black maltese cross
Red MX postmark Black MX postmark
Stamp colour changes from black to red

blued paper.jpg pl58.jpg sg36-back.jpg
blued paper small crown watermark large crown watermark
sg8-12.jpg sg8-29.jpg sg9.jpg
Imperforated colour varieties (die I, Alph I or II)

scn2547.jpg scn2548.jpg
Plate 3 1841
MX postmark		 Plate 4 1849
"1844" postmark
white lines added, Alph I, imperforated

Perforated Stamps

sg17-1.jpg sg17-2.jpg sg17-3.jpg sg17-4.jpg
Colour varieties SG 17, watermark small crown, perf 16, blued paper, Die I, Alph II
sg19.jpg sg20a.jpg sg21.jpg sg21a.jpg
plate 4, Alph I, die I
 plate5, Alph II Die II,
wmk small crown, perf 16		 Die II
sg26-pl5.jpg sg29-plum.jpg sg34.jpg sg35.jpg
wmk Large crown, perf 16 perf 14 plate 5, Large crown plate 6, Alph III
sg36.jpg sg37.jpg scn2550.jpg scn2552.jpg
perf 16 perf 14 plate 8 plate 14
white paper letters in all four corners, die II thin white lines

The ½d and 1½d were issued in 1870

sg48 sg51

The-Line engraved period of 1840-79

The line-engraved period of 1840-79 is a most interesting field of collecting due to variations in die, plate numbers, paper colour, stamp colour, watermark, perforations and alphabets used as shown in the table below.
Date SG Description Wmk Perf Die Alpha Plate Value V Fine Used*
  Imperforate            
6 May 1840 1-3 1d black SC Imp I I 1-11 85
8 May 1840 4-6 2d blue SC Imp I I 1-2 170
Blued paper            
Feb 1841 7 1d red-brown (black plate) SC Imp I I 1-11 24
Feb 1841 8-12 1d red-brown SC Imp I I 12-131 3
6 Feb 1852 8-12 1d red-brown SC Imp I II 132-177 3
13 Mar 1841 13-15 2d white lines SC Imp I I 3-4 16
Perforated            
1848 16a 1d red-brown (Archer) SC Roul I I 70/71
1850 16b 1d red-brown SC 16 I I   95
1853 16c 1d red-brown SC 16 I II  
1854 16d 1d red-brown SC 14 I I    
Feb 1854 17-18 1d red-brown SC 16 I II 155-204 3.5
Jan 1955 22 1d red-brown SC 14 I II   12.5
28 Feb 1855 24-25 1d red-brown (die II) SC 14 II II 1-21 14
1 Mar 1855 21 1d red-brown SC 16 II II 1-15 6.5
15 May 1855 26 1d red-brown LC 16 II II 1-15 22
Aug 1855 29-33 1d red-brown LC 14 II III   1.5
white paper            
Nov 1856 37-41 1d rose- red LC 14 II III   0.5
26 Dec 1857 36 1d rose- red LC 16 II III   12.5
1861 42 1d rose- red LC   II IV 50/51 3
  two pence            
1 Mar 1854 19,20 2d blue SC 16 I I 4 20
22 Feb 1855 23 2d blue SC 14 I I 4 55
5 July 1855 23a 2d blue SC 14 I II 5 55
18 Aug 1855 20a** 2d blue SC 16 I II 5 68
20 July 1855 27** 2d blue LC 16 I II 5 85
20 July 1855 34 2d blue LC 14 I II 5 12
2 July 1857 35 2d blue LC 14 I III 6 12
1 Feb 1858 36a** 2d blue LC 16 I III 6 69
Letters in all four corners, plate number included in design        
1 Oct 1870 48/9 ½d   14 II   1-20 2.75
1 April 1864 43/4 1d LC 14 II   71-225 0.35
1860 53a 1½d rosy mauve LC 14 II   1
1 Oct 1870 51/2 1½d rose red LC 14 II   1 14
July 1858 45 2d LC 14 II   7-12 2.4
7 July 1869 46/7 2d thinner lines LC 14 II   13-15 4

* These are dealer selling prices in £, they are for stamps in very fine used condition
and in most cases the stamp would be worth less than ½ quoted prices.
** these are actually quite rare, less than 1,200,000 were issued


Messrs. Perkins, Bacon & Co completed their printing contract for the line engraved stamps on 31 Dec 1879. The total number of stamps produced was:-
½d 1,600,276,320
1d. 20,699,858,040
1½d 42,638,160
2d 338,540,280

The line-engraved stamps were replaced by the surface-printed provisional issue of 1880

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