Great Britain postage stamps year 1873/1892
🕰️ Key Issues in Great Britain (1873–1892)
📦 1. Victorian Definitives (Surface-Printed) — 1870s
After the earlier line-engraved stamps of the 1850s and 1860s, the 1870s saw continued surface-printed definitives featuring Queen Victoria’s profile with large coloured letter corner identifiers. Varieties from this period include:
- ½d, 1d, 1½d, 2½d, 3d, 4d, 6d, 8d, 1s etc., in various colours and watermarks.
- These were printed in the 1870s with different paper/watermarks (Rose, Crown, Globe) and were used widely into the 1880s.
Characteristics:
- Typical values in this period include 1d red, 2½d lilac/blue, 4d shades, 6d grey/brown, etc.
- Perforated (usually perf 14) and surface-printed by De La Rue.
These are sometimes catalogued as later Victorian definitives before the next major redesigns.
📮 2. Penny Lilac & “Postage & Inland Revenue” Issues (1881–1891)
The Penny Lilac was introduced on 12 July 1881 as the new standard 1 d stamp and remained the basic letter rate until 1901.
Key details:
- 1 d Penny Lilac inscribed “POSTAGE AND INLAND REVENUE”, replacing the old Penny Reds.
- Two die forms:
- Die I with 14 dots in each corner (short-lived in mid-1881)
- Die II with 16 dots, from late 1881 through 1901 in huge quantities.
- Penny Lilacs are surface-printed and very common in used condition.
Alongside the 1 d issue, other low values during the early 1880s (such as other Lilac and Green stamps) were printed in similar styles but are often treated as separate issues.
🎉 3. Jubilee Issue (1887–1892)
The Jubilee Issue was a major redesign of British stamps, first released in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.
Features:
- Multiple values from ½ d up to high denominations (including 10 d and 1 s) — printed in single and bi-colour designs.
- First British stamps to be widely printed in two colours (e.g., 4½ d and higher).
- Jubilee stamps remained in circulation through the 1890s and up to around 1900.
The Jubilee series includes very collectible values like 4½ d green & carmine, 9 d purple & blue, 10 d purple & carmine, 1 s green, and later 1 s green & carmine bi-colour issues.
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