Great Central Railway Parcel Stamps : A Study
This article is centred on the two 'locomotive' designs of GCR parcel post stamps, one squarish, the other a vertical rectangle.
Unlike many of our articles, this is not an area that your author has studied over a long period and, whilst completeness is never attainable in articles of this nature, I am conscious that it is probably significantly less complete than I would like it to be. However, as I can find little by way of previously published studies on these stamps, the article will hopefully be a useful addition, despite any errors and the undoubted numerous omissions it will contain.
The article is based on material that has passed through our hands, notably from the Anthony Hopwood collection and from fairly recent London auction house sales, extensively extended with a large number of scans generously provided from the 'Bob and Paul Molyneux-Berry collection'. I should especially like to thank Paul for his help with much of the research in the article. A few further images came from online auction sites and we have also drawn on some (often ancient) material found in Railway Philately, the journal of the Railway Philatelic Group.
The editions of the journal we have found informative, and from which a few of the images are gathered, are as follows:
** June 1980 & September 1980 : Capt. Jackson's initial study and follow-up article based on responses received from RPG members.
** September 2013 : Roger de Lacy Spencer's Stratford upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway illustrations.
Controls and Issue / Consignment Numbers : For all the stamps covered in this article, we have used the term 'control' for the 4, 5 or 6-digit number applied to each stamp. Some stamps of the second design have additional letters (at top left) and/or alpha-numeric references (at top right), which we presume to be issue and/or consignment numbers. We use the term 'Issue Number' to cover both of these.
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SQUARE FORMAT STAMPS : First Design : Set/13 : c. 1910-1912
The final adopted version of this First Design is one of the more eye-catching Railway Parcel stamps. We would like to thank Brian Childs for providing from his records what appears to be an unadopted essay for the issue, different in many deatils from the issued stamps. We show the essay (left) below, alongside an issued stamp of the same face value, 11d.
The most striking difference, of course, is the bottom panel but, on inspection, there are numerous differences, as follows:
1. On the Essay, the figures of value are in white on a coloured field but this is reversed on the Issued Stamps.
2. Every element of the figures of value differ between Essay and Issued Stamp, numerals, the D & the full stop.
3. There are extensive differences in the areas of shading, including:
** The buffers are white on the Essay, coloured-in on the Issued Stamps.
** The chimney is white on the Essay but largely coloured-in on the Issued Stamps.
** The cab is also white on the Essay but coloured-in on the Issued Stamps (except for the roof).
** Unlike the Essay, the Issued Stamps have solid colour, rather than shading with dots, at the base of the boiler and the lamps are arranged clear of the buffer beam.
4. The initials G.C. (for Great Central) are present on the buffer beam on the Issued Stamps only.
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First Design : Issued Stamps:
A full set/13 of the First Issue, with gum, a complimentary gift to an unknown recipient. Mint GCR parcel stamps are rare. Note the large flaw on the 6d after the word 'GREAT' at left. A flaw at this location is a feature on many of the 6d stamps and the mint example above is the most extreme we have seen. The various states of the flaw can be picked out amongst the group of 6d stamps scanned lower down this section.
FIRST DESIGN TYPES : Set of 13 values.
With the exception of the 6d value, which we have seen in perhaps three shades of red, and a shade on the 11d, there are few significant shades of these first design stamps. Generally held to have been issued variously between 1910 and 1912, these stamps do however display significant variations in the fonts used for the controls, which suggests that, for most values in the set, the controls may perhaps have been added as and when required to a single print run.
The font differences are immediately obvious from a brief study of the scan above. In the September 1980 issue of the RPG's Railway Philately, Capt. Jackson divides the stamps into five different 'printings', based on the numerals in quite a small survey, apparently around 30-35 stamps. For the five issues of the stamps which he moots, Jackson uses vertical measurement of the numerals to distinguish between them. We struggled with this methodology.
The dearth of material is certainly a constant problem in reaching firm conclusions about these stamps. Even if five fonts is a correct assessment, and we are unconvinced of this, we have not found it practical to separate these fonts through measurement. Visual inspection is sufficient to break the stamps down into three fonts and that is what we have adopted. There are variations within a font but these are usually aberrant insertions of a wrong numeral or one which has been damaged.
To illustrate the variations even with a font, we show below a couple of scans, both of them with numerals which we describe as being in a 'Type A' font. Both have controls with a repeated numeral but in a different font, yet in the correct size.
Stamp 70504 : two different figures '0'. : 81818 : final '8' rounded, rather than flattened, at top and bottom.
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THREE PRINCIPAL FONTS : (our nomenclature)
As mentioned, we have chosen to limit our breakdown of First Design controls to THREE fonts, which we have 'Type'-designated as:
Small (Type S) . . . . . Medium (Type M) . . . . . Large (Type L), shown left-to-right below:
Left to Right : Types S, M & L. :
Also a Study of Figures 1 & 3:
The above show good examples of the different Figure '1' in the three fonts. On the first two stamps, each with the figure '1' used twice, there are clear differences within the font, exacerbated on the centre stamp by damage to the second figure '1'.
Figure '3' is also represented here three times but we turn to this again with the next two sets of scans, looking at the numerals 3, 6, 7 & 8.
Whereas 12 of the 13 values are only found in Type S and/or Type L, the 6d also exists in Type M, with Types S & M predominating and Type L apparently quite a scarce 6d font. In fact, the only 6d in Type L that we have seen is also the only 6d we have seen that is Perforated 12, as opposed to Rouletted.
Such difficulties with identification as may occur are likely to revolve around the 6d value, as the differences when comparing just Types S and L is quite straightforward. To assist with Type identification, we have selected a few further numerals which can be a fairly reliable guide to the font Types.
Figures 3 & 6 :
Above: Figure '3' : Type S : with scrolled ends, centre bar short. Type M : similar to Type 'S' but, of course, larger and centre bar long. Type L is totally different but we draw your attention to the very different fonts of the large '3' when comparing stamp 86838 immediately above to the '3' of stamp 32154 in the scans one row further up. They are both large but, with only three examples as a population to study, we do know which style should be considered the 'correct' one.
Figure '6' : Type S and M, similar except for size. Type L : No scrolled serif at top.
Figures 7 & 8 :
Above: The figure '7' is present and different in all three Types (serif with an inward hook on Type L).
The figure '8' of Types S and L is flattened at top and bottom, whilst it is rounder in Type M, although we saw with stamp 81818 (higher up the page) that the rounder '8' can sometimes be found on Type S stamps.
Please bear in mind that within this 3-Type categorization a few stamps may sit quite uncomfortably in a 'group' due to the presence of, for example, aberrant numerals. Our three Types are designed to provide a semi-specialized listing that is not overly onerous to pursue.
Control Numbers :
We know only of 4, 5 and/or 6 Digits controls for these stamps, but others may exist:
on Type 'S' : 4-digit, 5-digit and 6-digit controls seen.
on Type 'M' : Only on the 6d value, with both 5-digit and 6-digit controls seen.
on Type 'L' : Only 5-digit controls seen.
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Rouletting & Perforating - A confusing picture :
Where collectors only have a handful of stamps, many anomalies will go un-noticed, especially over something like the method of separation of stamps. This study, though, has thrown up some interesting, at times perplexing, questions. Firstly, to simplify this subject, we are entirely ignoring any imperforate sides which are plentiful.
With regard to edges that have some form of separation, the reporting we had previously seen about the First Design stamps only ever referred to all values being Rouletted, but that the 2d and 6d which were also known Perforated (all round). The picture, however, is more complex.
New: We can confirm seeing one 2d stamp and one 8d stamp, both of which are clearly Roul.7 x Perf. 10 and this form of stamp separation is, we think, previously unrecorded on any value of this railway. Both new stamps have been added to our check-list lower down.
The method of separation of several stamps have proved difficult to establish, so rough are some of the edges. The first presumption, viz. that this was just a matter of poor rouletting with stamps being roughly pulled apart, was thrown into doubt by apparent perforation holes in amongst the roulettes. The hypothesis that poorly rouletted stamps may later have been perforated as well, to aid counter clerks, did not quite gel with the visual clues. It was only when Paul Molyneux-Berry took a closer look at his 2/- value, that a possible answer consistent with the available evidence was revealed:
We do not recall ever seeing such a form of separation and we are pleased to adopt Paul's designation of this as a 'W-Roulette'. The normal Rouletting on this issue gauges about 7; one could describe the W-Roulette perhaps as gauging 14 but it seems unnecessary to ascribe any number to it. Stamp 2715 above can be described as Roul 7 x W-Roulette and examination of two more 2/- values shows the same pattern on stamp 4790 and probably on stamp 26857. So far, the 2/- is the only value we have NOT seen Roul. 7 all round. We have therefore not listed it in this state, but to date we have only had three scans to examine.
One of the problems of the W-Roulette is how delicate it is, resulting often in some very rough edges where it has not produced good, strong cuts. There is, nevertheless, reasonable evidence to suggest it is a separation that was also used on a proportion of the print-run of some of the other values in the set, notably the 8d and 9d and possibly, but with less conviction, on some 2d, 3d and 7d stamps.
Not all rough separations will necessarily be W-Rouletting. Poorly Rouletted 7 stamps may, perhaps, have been folded (and re-folded) down the sides and then pulled apart, leaving a nondescript ragged edge. With the ascribing of the form of separation on some stamps not possible with anything approaching 100% confidence, we prefer to err on the side of caution in our listing. Consequently, whilst we have put forward the 8d, 9d and 2/- as being known with W-Roulette, we have simply footnoted other values with possible W-Roulettes in amongst the scans, allowing the reader to make their own judgement.
As an illustration of the how the W-Roulette can present quite confusingly, we show below a 9d. Although still reasonably well defined compared to many stamps with this apparent separation, one side nevertheless appears much more like a line of perforations than of roulettes. However, counting 'perfs', the separation gauges 14, consistent with the W-Roulette:
PRICING :
We have sold some individual GCR Parcel stamps at auction and the realizations have been surprisingly uniform and totally unrelated to the scarcity of any particular value. For this reason, we have decided it would be useful to price stamps in this article. Our prices are an opinion and we think probably too modest for the rarities, of which there are several amongst these stamps.
Our restrained prices reflect the fact that collectors in this field hitherto seem to have had an artificial ceiling in mind, either because they are valuing the genuinely rare only marginally above the relatively common or because they have no market prices or other information to guide them. Whilst our prices for the rarer stamps are probably too low, having some price distinctions within a listing will hopefully inform.
In general, when it comes to mint stamps (with full gum), they vary from the very scarce to rare and most collectors hardly ever encounter them. Our single price given for each stamp in the check-lists is for USED stamps in reasonable condition, which will often include small tears, small amounts of a corner missing, some thinning etc., all of them very typical of parcel stamp condition. Very fine examples will be worth more, tatty copies less, naturally enough.
Valuation of MINT Stamps:
** First Design stamps are priced collectively above the check-list for that section.
** As First Design stamps are not usually encountered 'mint no gum', we have not attempted to assign a price to them in that state.
** Second Designs were rather haphazardly cancelled, or indeed not cancelled, and mint no gum stamps are found from time to time. We have yet to receive any proof of the existence of gum on Second Design stamps. Indeed such evidence as there is suggests that they were produced ungummed with glue pots being supplied to clerks in order to affix the stamps.
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SQUARE FORMAT DESIGNS (by face value & font):
We have decided to show all examples for which we have scans, separating them by value divided into Type S and Type L, and by separation technique. For the 6d value, we also show the Type M stamps, apparently unique to that value. Stamps are Rouletted 7 all round, except where otherwise indicated.
1d : Deep Blue :
Type S :
.
2d : Orange :
Type S :
Type L :
This stamp may have some W-Rouletting.
2d : Orange : PERFORATED 10 :
Type S
2d : Orange : ROUL. 7 x PERF.10 (on different paper) :
Type S
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3d : Carmine-Red :
Type S :
Stamp 7398 has hints of W-Rouletting.
Type L :
.
4d : Grey-Blue :
Type S :
Type L :
.
5d : Olive :
Type S :
.
6d : Rose-Red :
Type S (rouletted) :
Type M (rouletted) :
.
6d : Rose-Red : PERFORATED 10 : Type M
6d : Rose-Red : PERFORATED 10 : Type L
.
7d : Emerald-Green :
Type S :
Stamp 13711 may have some W-Rouletting.
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8d : Chestnut :
Type S :
Type L :
.
8d : Chestnut : With W-Rouletting (compound with Roul.7) :
Type L :
.
8d : Chestnut : ROUL. 7 x PERF. 10 :
Type S :
.
9d : Violet :
Type S :
.
9d : Violet : With W-Rouletting (compound with Roul.7) :
Type S :
It is curious that two stamps, only two numbers apart, should present so differently, suggesting the rouletting device was itself irregular, producing different results on stamps from, probably, the same sheet. This opens up the possibility that many more compound roulettes than we have so far listed may well exist.
10d : Slate-Grey :
Type S :
Stamp 13087, also shown fully above, comes with two comments. The first is a caution in that the apparent perforations on the left side are 'foreign', a clumsy repair made with a piece of another stamp. Its other anomaly is interesting, the only example we have seen of a figure '3' in this style on a Type S stamp. The '3' is in one of the two fonts of '3' usually found only on Type L, but with a smaller version of it being used here for the Type S control.
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11d : Deep Brown :
Type S :
Stamps 1965, 4987 and 31000 are from different scanners, the shades therefore not being suitable for comparison, but 31000 and 23861 were scanned together allowing true comparion and it appears to be on both a different paper and with a different ink, although colours can fade. The 11d is one of the scarcer values in this set, so additional print runs seem a little unlikely but printers have been known to mix papers and to fail to clean their presses and rollers properly between ink runs.
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1/- : Magenta :
Type S :
Type L :
.
2/- : Deep Green : W-Roulette (compound with Roul 7).
Type S :
In our Check-List for First Issue Stamps, we have only included font types that we have seen for each value. Others may well exist. We have also limited our formal listing of W-Roulettes to the most convincing values seen, 8d, 9d and 2/-. Two check-boxes are provided in each case but mint stamps are very scarce and most varieties will not exist mint.
PRICES for First Design MINT Stamps, with or without hinge, with full gum : All Values : £ 65.00 per stamp.
GCR First Design :
1d : Blue : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 52.00
2d : Orange : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 16.00
- ditto - Type L Rouletted [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 18.00
2d Orange : Perf 10 : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 34.00
2d Orange : Rouletted x Perf. 10 : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 30.00
3d Carmine-Red : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 20.00
- ditto - Type L [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 28.00
4d Grey Blue : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 8.00
- ditto - Type L [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 10.00
5d Olive : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 16.00
6d with Worn Plate : An additional check-box [ W.P. ] has been added to each typeface and perf. type of the 6d value for those who wish to note them. A small premium on the price would seem appropriate for the most striking examples of this flaw.
6d Rose: Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] [ W.P. ] : Used : £ 6.50
- ditto - Rose-Red [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 7.00
6d : Rose or Rose-Red : Rouletted : Type M [ . ] [ . ] [ W.P. ] : Used : £ 8.00
6d Rose-Red : Perf 10 : Type S [ . ] [ . ] [ W.P. ] : Used : £ 34.00
- ditto - Type L [ . ] [ . ] [ W.P. ] : Used : £ 35.00
7d Emerald-Green : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 14.00
8d Chestnut : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 11.00
- ditto - Type L [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 12.00
8d Chestnut : W-Roulette (compound with Roul.7) : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 14.00
8d Chestnut : Rouletted x Perf 10 : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 30.00
9d Violet : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 16.00
9d Violet : W-Roulette (compound with Roul.7) : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 17.00
10d Slate-Grey : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 10.00
11d Deep Brown : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 42.00
- ditto - Yellow-Brown (different paper) [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 44.00
1/- Magenta : Rouletted : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 9.00
- ditto - Type L [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 10.00
2/- Deep Green : W-Roulette (compound with Roul.7) : Type S [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 32.00
End of 'First Design' section.
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GCR VERTICAL FORMAT 'locomotive' Second Design stamps : Observations on the listings :
1. Papers :
** There were several white-to-buff papers used; we have not attempted a separation of these.
** The Green paper stamp shades can range from emerald to green-blue; again we have not attempted to separate them.
** For the scans, White-to-buff papers are shown first for each value, followed by those on Green paper. For the catalogue-style listings, we list all the White-to-Buff paper stamps first.
2. Fonts for the Figures of Value : ** Major changes in typeface of the Figures of Value are identified and assigned Type letters (A, B, C etc.), our own designations. We started with stamps on white or buff paper, adding any further typefaces on the Green paper afterwards. The ordering of the paper colours is unrelated to any notion of dates of issue.
3. Fonts for the Control Numbers :
** As with the First Design, there are several different fonts used on these stamps for the Control Numbers and they are eminently collectable. However, adding these to the same checklist as the font types for the figures of value would create a maelstrom of condensed information which would be most unwieldy. We, therefore, will not take this subject further, other than to mention that the controls are all 4-digits long and, unlike the First Issue, they have leading zeros. However, we would not in any way discourage readers from creating their own control-font lists, using the scans provided and other sources, and this could quite possibly reveal some hitherto unknown facts about these stamps.
4. Printing Intensity :
** Printing : Some stamps have a more intense, more solid, altogether blacker fill for the locomotive outline. We have noticed that a disproportionate percentage of the stamps with the smallest of the value fonts display this feature.
5. How the scans are arranged on the page :
** The order of the scans below are based on their face value, then their Issue Numbers, the latter arranged as follows:
1. First come those with no Issue Number, neither towards the top left, nor at top right.
2. These are followed by stamps with alpha-numeric Issue Number at top right only.
3. Next, we display stamps with a single-letter Issue Number (=letter!) near the top left; these are found with or without an additional alpha-numeric Issue Number at top right.
4. We then show stamps where one or more Issue Numbers are uncertain.
5. We conclude with scans where the identification is, or could be, incomplete.
6. Issue Numbers and Perforations :
** ALL the stamps printed on green paper that we have seen have an Issue Number (=letter) at top left (about 90% with control 'A'). All but a few have an Issue Number at top right as well.
** The stamps of this issue were produced in coils, Perf x Imperf., gauge 11 to 12, rough perf, mostly in the range Perf 11-11½.
7. Cancellations and Station Names :
** Cancellations: Almost all stamps on white or buff paper have some form of manuscript cancel, whilst a relatively small number of the stamps on green paper have an obvious cancellation.
** Station Names : A very interesting topic, which we only partially cover in this article. All the stamps on Green paper seen by us have either LEICESTER (C) or, much less frequently, GRIMSBY ROYAL DOCK FISH or MARYLEBONE station inscriptions. Leicester stamps on White paper are relatively scarce, whereas Marylebone is a little more frequent on White paper and Grimsby far commoner on White.
** Currently, all stamps for which we have scans are shown and their numbers have broadly informed our pricing suggestions.
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GCR VERTICAL FORMAT DESIGNS (by face value & paper colour): From c.1912 -
The scans below have been divided into just two groups, the first an accumulation of all the stamps on white-to-brownish papers, followed by all those on the various greens (including greenish-blues). The different papers are examined in more detail below, immediately after the display of scans.
1d : Black / white or Black / buff
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1d : Black / green
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2d : Black / white or Black / buff
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2d : Black / green
None seen.
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3d : Black / white or Black / buff
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3d : Black / green
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4d : Black / white or Black / buff
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4d : Black / green
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5d : Black / white or Black / buff
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5d : Black / green
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6d : Black / white or Black / buff
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6d : Black / green
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7d : Black / white or Black / buff
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7d : Black / green
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8d : Black / white or Black / buff
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8d : Black / green
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9d : Black / white or Black / buff
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9d : Black / green
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10d : Black / white or Black / buff
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10d : Black / green
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11d : Black / white or Black / buff
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11d : Black / green
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1/- : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/- : Black / green
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1/1 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/1 : Black / green
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1/2 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/2 : Black / green
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1/3 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/3 : Black / green
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1/4 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/4 : Black / green
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1/6 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/6 : Black / green
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1/7 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/7 : Black / green
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1/8 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/8 : Black / green
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1/9 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/9 : Black / green
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1/10 : Black / white or Black / buff
None seen.
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1/10 : Black / green
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1/11 : Black / white or Black / buff
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1/11 : Black / green
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2/- : Black / white or Black / buff
Type A2 differs from Type A1 essentially in the style of the bar for 'shilling'.
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2/- : Black / green
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2/1 : Black / white or Black / buff
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2/1 : Black / green
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2/5 : Black / white or Black / buff
None seen.
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2/5 : Black / green
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2/6 : Black / white or Black / buff
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2/6 : Black / green
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2/11 : Black / white or Black / buff
None seen.
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2/11 : Black / green
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3/- : Black / white or Black / buff
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3/- : Black / green
None seen.
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4/- : Black / white or Black / buff
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4/- : Black / green
None seen.
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5/- : Black / white or Black / buff
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5/- : Black / green
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6/- : Black / white or Black / buff
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6/- : Black / green
None seen.
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7/- : Black / white or Black / buff
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7/- : Black / green
None seen.
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9/- : Black / white or Black / buff
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9/- : Black / green
None seen.
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10/- : Black / white or Black / buff
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10/- : Black / green
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20/- : Black / white or Black / buff
None seen.
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20/- : Black / green
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£5 : Black / white or Black / buff
None seen.
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£5 : Black / green
The well-applied large 'X' on the green-paper 2/6 and on all the 10/-, 20/- and £5 values suggests that these are remainder-cancels.
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Papers of the Second Design :
Up to this point on the Second Design, we have commented little on the papers used. There appear to be many. Judging colours from scans, rather than actual inspection, is unreliable and as your author writes this, I have only a fraction of the scanned stamps in my hands. To summarise in broad terms.
1. White to Buff or Brown paper.
The majority in this group are on poor quality white paper, some of which are browned by age or the paper to which they were once affixed. Other stamps are on pale brown paper, often even coarser than the paper used for many of the white paper stamps. It may be that these buff / brown paper stamps are wartime printings when economies were a feature of every aspect of society. The total lack of dated cancellations is a major problem in establishing sequencing of these issues.
We have not separated out the white and buff / brown paper stamps amongst the scans but we have added an extra line to the check-list for those values we have seen on brown paper.
In our catalogue-style listing of the stamps, we do not feel able to price stamps on white or buff/brown papers separately. To cover all these papers, we have simply given one price, set against the stamp on White paper. We acknowledge that a small premium appears to be justified in many cases for buff/brown papers, based on the frequency with which we have found them.
In the same way, we do not feel able to price the shades of Green paper stamps separately but we do provide price distinction between the White/Buff/Brown group and the Green group of papers.
2. Green to Grey-Blue paper.
The 'green paper' stamps cover a huge range of shades from bright emerald to greenish-blue. Even more so than with the white and brown papers, there is no clear demarcation between the colours, just a progressive range of shades. The differences, however, are very collectable. If we were to put forward just three colours to cover most of the stamps in the range, we would suggest:
Emerald-Green
Greyish-Green
Greenish-Blue
Although we have provided check-boxes against all three colours for each face value 'on Green', clearly not all values will exist on several shades of Green paper.
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MINT Prices: We do not believe SECOND Design Stamps were produced on gummed paper. Mint No Gum examples are occasionally encountered but most will probably be examples that the railway employee failed to cancel, rather than truly unused stamps. This seems to be quite a frequent oversight on stamps printed on the Green paper, issued mostly at the railway's headquarters!
Due to their visual appeal, we suggest that uncancelled stamps on White/Buff/Brown papers in fine condition might merit a premium of, say, 25% over used stamps in similar condition, but no premium seems to be merited for uncancelled stamps on Green paper.
The price list below is divided into two sections, all values of the stamps on White / Brown papers being listed first, followed by all those on Green paper.
We have only listed face values known to us. The absence, so far, of a 1/5 (1s5d) stamp is a little surprising and 8/- and 9/- stamps are by no means improbable.
Where we have only seen a face value on one of the two paper groups, we nevertheless list that value for the other paper group but mark it as unseen by us to date. Some of these will almost certainly exist, others perhaps not. Entirely new values could easily exist as well, so poorly documented have these stamps been historically.
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GCR Second Design on White / Buff / Brown(ish) papers:
1d : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 13.00
2d : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 4.00 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
2d : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 5.00 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
3d : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 5.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
3d : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 11.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
4d : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.00 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
4d : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
5d : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
5d : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 12.00 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
6d : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
7d : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
8d : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.50
9d : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.00 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
10d : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.50
10d : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.50
11d : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.50
11d : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.00
1/- : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.00 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
1/- : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
1/- : on White : Type C [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.00 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
1/1 : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 17.50
1/2d : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 7.00
1/3 : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 16.00
1/3 : on White : Type B [ ? ] [ ? ] : Used : Type B not seen on White paper
1/4d : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 16.00
1/4d : on White : Type B [ ? ] [ ? ] : Used : Type B not seen on White paper
1/6 : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
1/6 : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
1/7 : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 21.00
1/8 : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 16.00
1/9 : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 14.00
1/10 : on White : [ ? ] [ ? ] : Used : 1s10d not seen on White paper
1/11 : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 8.00
2/- : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
2/- : on White : Type A2 [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.00 . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
2/- : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 2.50 . . . . .
- ditto - On Brown [ . ] [ . ]
2/1 : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 13.00
2/5 : on White : [ ? ] [ ? ] : Used : 2s5d not seen on White paper
2/6 : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 4.00
2/6 : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 5.50
2/6 : on White : Type C [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.50
2/11 : on White : [ ? ] [ ? ] : Used : 2s11d not seen on White paper
3/- : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 9.00
4/- : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 12.00
5/- : on White : Type A [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 5.00
5/- : on White : Type B [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 3.50
6/- : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 28.00
7/- : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 28.00
9/- : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 38.00
10/- : on White : [ . ] [ . ] : Used : £ 21.00
20/- : on White : [ ? ] [ ? ] : Used : 20/- not seen on White paper
£ 5 : on White : [ ? ] [ ? ] : Used : £ 5 not seen on White paper
.
GCR Second Design on Green papers: Three check-boxes for used : Emerald; Grey-Green; Greenish-Blue.
1d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 10.00
2d : on Green : [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : 2d not seen on Green paper
3d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 7.00
4d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 6.00
5d : on Green : Type B [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 3.50
6d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 2.50
7d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 2.50
8d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 4.00
9d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 3.50
10d : on Green : Type A [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 6.50
10d : on Green : Type B [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 5.00
11d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 4.00
1/- : on Green : Type A [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 3.00
1/- : on Green : Type C [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 3.50
1/1 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 14.00
1/2d : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 11.00
1/3 : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : Type A not seen on Green paper
1/3 : on Green : Type B [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 12.00
1/4d : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : Type A not seen on Green paper
1/4d : on Green : Type B [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 12.00
1/6 : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : Type A not seen on Green paper
1/6 : on Green : Type B [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 6.50
1/7 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 20.00
1/8 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 12.50
1/9 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 12.00
1/10 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 25.00
1/11 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 7.50
2/- : on Green : Type A [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 8.00
2/- : on Green : Type A2 [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 8.50
2/- : on Green : Type B [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 9.50
2/1 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 16.00
2/5 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 19.00
2/6 : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : Type A not seen on Green paper
2/6 : on Green : Type B [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : Type B not seen on Green paper
2/6 : on Green : Type C [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 13.00
2/11 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 25.00
3/- : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : 3s not seen on Green paper
4/- : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : 4s not seen on Green paper
5/- : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : Type A not seen on Green paper
5/- : on Green : Type B [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 12.50
6/- : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : 6s not seen on Green paper
7/- : on Green : Type A [ Em-G? ] [ Gr-Gn? ] [ Gr-Bl? ]: Used : 7s not seen on Green paper
10/- : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 24.00
20/- : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 33.00
£ 5 : on Green : [ Em-G ] [ Gr-Gn ] [ Gr-Bl ]: Used : £ 18.00
.
The stamp on this waybill is included amongst the 11d images higher up and is extremely unusual in that it has a station-name cancellation, G.C.R. STAVELEY TOWN. Although superfluous on a stamp with printed station name, it is a welcome departure from the norm.
On the square-design stamps, station cancels were necessary and they were also dated. On the vertical-format stamps with station name, the simplest cancellation was deemed sufficient and, consequently, anything that gives some indication of a date of use is most welcome. The waybill, unfortunately, has a pencil-scribbled final numeral for the date which is hard to decipher, shown below:
The second '1' of '191' appears to have been crossed through and an angled '2' possibly starts the added date, followed perhaps by a ('continental'-crossed) 7 or a 9, taking us well past the 1923 Grouping, if so. It is possible that the successor company, LNER, permitted the exhaustion of old stocks in order to save costs. The parcel is for Killamarsh Central, just a few miles to the north.
.
Great Central Railway STATION NAMES on First & Second Designs.
We have not attempted to make any listing of stations but, for those who would like to go down this route, we do, with kind permission of the RPG, reproduce below some pages by Capt. Jackson from the RPG Journal of September 1980. Capt. Jackson's sample size, compiled with the help of six RPG members, was rather modest, but it does provide:
1. A list of station cancellations reported by members on the First Design stamps
2. A list of station names known to those members, and their font types, for the Second Design stamps.
The large selection of scans in this article will hopefully provide a useful jumping-off point for anyone who wishes to study this aspect of the stamps.
As already mentioned, we have not adopted the 5-font / 5-printing history of the First Design. We are, however, very happy to put forward alternative information / assessments / interpretations in order to help unravel the rather secret history of all these stamps.
First Designs :
Second Designs :
.
.
.
GCR Newspaper Stamps ;
Before turning to other related locomotive design stamps, a very brief look at some Newspaper Stamps of the GCR, principally to display the fonts used, which in several respects mirror those used for the parcel stamps above.
These stamps are also found rouletted or perforated and, looking at the shades of blue, there were clearly several printings. These newspaper stamps have much more careful and regular application of the numerals, again in what appears to be three main sizes, small, medium and large. We have not studied these stamps and simply display a selection for comparative purposes.
These were the only two stamps in the small font, both 1d, in a selection of over 100 GCR newspaper stamps.
.
Newspaper Stamps GCR : Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) :
The MS&LR had been the forerunner to the Great Central Railway, the name being changed in 1897 in preparation for the extension of the railway to London. The same six newspaper values are found with MS&LR mention included in the title. We have not studied these but have noted two fonts on the 1d value. All of the MS&LR newspaper stamps we have seen are perforated, not rouletted.
.
.
.
Joint Railways (& more) :
We now turn to the use of the GCR 2nd Issue design wholly or partially adopted for issues of other railway companies, including joint lines. For the most part, this will just be a visual display of stamps for which we have scans plus simple check-lists. We would certainly expect more values than shown to exist for each of the companies below.
.
GREAT CENTRAL AND MIDLAND JOINT COMMITTEE :
Second Design type:
GC & MJC : 8d : on White [ . ]
.
London & North-Eastern Railway (company to which the GCR was 'assigned' under the Grouping of 1923):
The inscription on some stamps is 'L&NER' and on others 'LNER'; it may be possible to find dated waybills which indicate which were issued first. L&NER seems more likely to have been first. We do not distinguish between them in our catalogue-style listing.
.
Second Design type:
LNER : 1d : on White [ . ]
LNER : 3d : on White [ . ]
LNER : 5d : on White [ . ]
LNER : 7d : on White [ . ]
LNER : 7d : on Green [ . ]
LNER : 8d : on Green [ . ]
LNER : 9d : on Green [ . ]
LNER : 10d : on White [ . ]
LNER : 11d : on White [ . ]
LNER : 1/- : on White [ . ]
LNER : 1/4 : on White [ . ]
LNER : 1/8 : on White [ . ]
LNER : 1/11 : on White [ . ]
LNER : 2/- : on Green [ . ]
LNER : 3/- : on White [ . ]
LNER : 4/- : on White [ . ]
LNER : 6/- : on White [ . ]
.
.
METROPOLITAN & GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAYS JOINT COMMITTEE :
.
Second Design type:
Met & GC Joint : 2d : on White [ . ]
Met & GC Joint : 1/- : on White [ . ]
Met & GC Joint : 1/6 : on White [ . ]
Met & GC Joint : 2/6 : on White [ . ]
.
.
STRATFORD UPON AVON AND MIDLAND JUNCTION RAILWAY :
The Shakespeare Route, always an impecunious company, whose parcel stamps are both uncommon and unusually attractive. The design is not GCR but so clearly inspired by it (or vice-versa - issue dates?), that we have chosen to include all the scans in our possession. We have never handled a single example. Based on information received, these stamps may also have been printed on ungummed paper.
The scan of the 1/- Brown has been enlarged 10% for visual purposes.
.
Broadly GCR-style parcel post stamps :
Stratford & Mid. Junc : 3d : Blue [ . ]
Stratford & Mid. Junc : 7d : Blue [ . ]
Stratford & Mid. Junc : 1/- : Blue [ . ]
Stratford & Mid. Junc : 1/- : Brown [ . ]
Stratford & Mid. Junc : 2/- : Blue [ . ]
Stratford & Mid. Junc : 20/- : Blue [ . ]
.
As a final 'treat', although outside the scope of this article, we re-produce below some later parcel stamps, some very rarely seen, related either directly to the GCR (joint operations) or, in the final line of scans, some issues with a Metropolitan Railway interest, a company with close ties to the GCR. All images courtesy of the Bob & Paul Molyneux-Berry collection.
Great Central & Midland Joint Committee:
Metropolitan and Great Central Railways Joint Committee:
Great Central & North Staffordshire Ry Committee:
This style of stamp was widely used; below are some of Metropolitan Railway interest:
End of Article : Please advise us of errors and major omissions.
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