8c Babyhead issues

8c issues

1890 8c yellow green

Cliché Type I, Gum Type A.

Sheets of 100 (10 x10) inscribed UNION GENERAL POSTAL 500,000 from 5,000 sheets issued 1 January 1890

The colour of this issue was described by Mencarini (1896) as “yellow green ”. Bartels et al (1904) describe the colour to be “yellow green” and “bright yellow green”.

In general, the colour of this printing has a faint appearance (and is exaggerated by toning or fading). Palmer (1912) describes the colour as “pale yellow green” and similarly Cotter (1897) and Galvez (1898) indicate the colour as “light yellow green”.

Occasional stamps do have a stronger colour which possibly gives rise to the “bright yellow green” shade variety described by Bartels et al.

#27 8c yellow green

Stanley Gibbons and Galvez (1942) indicate that this issue was printed on thin paper. These descriptions are generally relative to the later 1894 issues which tend to be on thicker paper. In this respect the 1890 8c yellow green issue is generally on thinner paper than the 1894 issues. Galvez actually uses the description 'thin semi-transparent paper' however, this does not appear to be the case in sense used in this catalogue.

However, examples of thin semi-transparent paper are known to exsit.

Examples of 8c yellow green shade varieties

Edifil: #83 yellow green ‘verde amarillento’ (earlier versions ‘verde amarillo’) (1890)

Scott: #160 yellow green (1890)

SG: #166 yellow-green, thin paper (1 Jan 1890)

1892 8c ultramarine

Cliché Type I, Gum Type A.

Sheets of 100 (10 x10) inscribed UNION GENERAL POSTAL 250,000 from 2,500 sheets issued 1 January 1892

The colour description of this stamp is generally referred to as "ultramarine", although Hanciau (1905) described it as "pale blue".

#28 8c ultramarine

Shade varieties

Edifil: #98 ultramarine ‘ultramar’ (1891-1893)

Scott: #161 ultramarine (1892)

SG: #182 ultramarine (1 Jan 1892)

1894 8c red brown

1896 8c red brown

Cliché Type I, Gum Type B.

Sheets of 100 (10 x10) inscribed UNION GENERAL POSTAL 400,000 from 4,000 sheets issued 1 January 1894

Cliché Type I, Gum Type C.

Sheets of 100 (10 x10) inscribed UNION GENERAL POSTAL 250,000 from 2,500 sheets issued 1 January 1896

There are two printings of the 8c red brown stamp (1894 and 1896). Bartels et al (1904) indicated that the 1894 issue is browner compared to the later printing which is described as having a more red tinge and as being ‘paler’. Palmer (1912) repeats this distinction, except that the 1896 variety is ‘lighter’ in shade. Hanciau describes the 1896 as “red brown” and the earlier issue as simply “brown”.

In practice, there is little difference between the colour of the two issues and Peterson (PPJ 2005-1) also notes this fact.

Fortunately, the gum type can be used to identify the two issues; the 1894 issue has type B gum, whilst the later 1896 issue has type C gum.

#29 8c red brown (gum type B), #30 8c red brown (gum type C)

Bartels et al (1904) and Palmer (1912) record a "chocolate" colour variety occurring in the 1894 issue. Peterson (PPJ 2005-1) also notes a "brown" colour variety, but he records occasional examples for both the 1894 and 1896 printings. Peterson speculated that these were colour variations of the first and second printings rather than changelings or an unrecorded printing.

#30a brown colour variation on postally used October 1897

Mencarini (1896) describes the 1894 issue to be on ‘thick paper’ and the 1896 issue to be on ‘thin paper’. Galvez describes the paper of the 1894 issue as opaque. Stanley Gibbons does not describe an 8c issue in 1896 but does describe the 1894 issue to be on ‘thick paper’ (all the 1894 issues are described by Stanley Gibbons to be on thick paper).

Peterson (PPJ 2005-1) also notes that the paper thickness is reportedly thicker in the 1894 issue compared to the 1896 issue.

It does appear that many of the 1894 issue are printed on a thicker, heavier, stiffer paper compared to that of other issues. However, there are also varieties of the 1894 issue that are on thin semi-transparent paper (although perhaps not as thin and transparent as other examples/issues of the thin semi-transparent paler type).

To complicate matter on gum types, some of the 1894 issues appear to have an impression of closely spaced diagonal lines superimposed on to gum.

diagonal impression/ribbing in gum

Cotter (1897) describes the colour of both the 1894 and 1896 issues as "deep pink" and "rose", which appears to be an error. However, it is curious that Harradine (1987) describes an issue in March 1896 of the following: “8c. de peso, carmine-rose with five sample sheets, in deep red”. However, neither the carmine rose or deep red coloured sheets are later catalogued by Harradine, apart perhaps from the existence of 8c red brown imperforated proof.