When the Government Printing Office started printing
our stamps, it printed them in batches and delivered the stamps to
the Bureau of Posts in installments. Therefore, one stamp may take
many months to several years to finish, with as many as 10 or more
deliveries needed to fulfill the contract.
When APO-NEDA took over as stamp-printer, the same
practice was continued. This caused not only distinct color
varieties in many instances, but often also paper varieties as well,
because they didn't have the same type of paper used to print the
first deliveries. So any available types of paper were used for
subsequent printings, with the result that many stamps exist on 2 or
more types of paper, and for stamps ordered in large quantities,
there are as many as 5 or 6 different types of paper known!
Many of the different types of paper can be
differentiated with the naked eye, since some are cream-colored and
others white; some have cream or yellowish gum while others have
white gum; some are un-watermarked while others are watermarked
with several different types used.
However, there are those that look similar to the
naked eye but are very different under UV light. To better
understand the varieties seen under UV light, it is necessary for us
to know what fluorescence, phosphorescence and tagging mean.
VARIETIES UNDER ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT
"Fluorescence" refers to the property of
emitting visible light during irradiation by ultraviolet light. The
visible light given off can be of almost any color, depending upon
the substance that is fluorescing, and to a lesser extent upon the
wavelength of the ultraviolet light that is causing the
fluorescence.
The continued emission of light after the ultraviolet light
source has been removed is known as "phosphorescence".
.
In most countries where automatic facer-cancellers
are used, stamps have to be "tagged" to phosphorescence in
specific colors when exposed to UV light. This Is necessary in order
to overcome the problem caused by the fluorescence present in the
envelopes themselves. Therefore, the new sorting machines detect not
the fluorescence, but the color of the brief phosphorescence of the
specially-coated (tagged) stamps.
Because of the dwindling supply of natural resources,
paper manufacturers must recycle paper. In the process, chemicals
are added to remove old printing inks and other impurities. These
additives also react to ultraviolet light, in proportion to the
quantities used.
Papers without any additives do not react and so do
not glow under UV light, appearing dull or brown. These are called
plain or ordinary paper. Paper stocks with some additives
glow under UV light and, depending upon the chemicals used, may show
up
in
various colors. These are the fluorescent papers.
One-hundred-percent-recycled papers come on strongly under UV light,
and they are called the hibrites.
PAPER TYPES
To simplify the identification of the different paper
types as seen under the UV light, I developed a code system for most
of the paper types. Since some papers glow on only one side (the
front), my codes will have two letters: the first for the face
(front) of the stamp, and the second for the gum (back) side of the
stamp.
The first type of paper used was locally produced and
un-watermarked. It is a very white paper with white gum. Under UV
light, the gum side glows very brightly, the front is not as bright
and has a mottled appearance. This I call the HH PAPER, since the
back is hibrite, although it does not glow as brightly as later
hibrites, but being unwatermarked makes it a distinctly separate
type of paper. All the 1973 and 1974 issues except the 1974
Community Chest stamps are on this HH paper.
From 1975 to 1983, the papers used are all
watermarked, and 14 different types of paper are involved. All of
them have the same large "RPKK" watermark, which stands for "REPUBLIKA
NG PILIPINAS KAWANIHAN NG KOREO", or translated: "REPUBLIC
OFTHEPHILIPPINES BUREAU OF POSTS". The full watermark measures about
90 mm. x 24 mm., with the "P" measuring about 14 mm. x 24 mm., and
"R" & "K" each measuring about 16 mm. x 24 mm., with a wide space
between "RP" and "KK". The watermark comes in one of 4 positions:
upright, inverted, sideways or sideways inverted. Almost all stamps
that exist upright come inverted also. Those that exist sideways
usually come sideways inverted too. Most stamps exist either upright
and inverted only, or sideways and sideways inverted only. Only a
few exist with all 4 watermark positions. Occasionally, we encounter
a stamp that has a watermark different from the normal, and it is
possible that it is a watermark error.
The watermark on all these papers can easily be seen
from the front by simply holding it against a strong light. There is
no need for any watermark detector. However, due to the large size
of the letters used, blocks or larger multiples are usually needed
to accurately show the position of the watermark.
Of course with souvenir sheets, checking the
watermark position is no problem at all! All stamps with the large "RPKK"
watermark will have the normal watermark position mentioned in my
catalogue, for specialists who are interested in such varieties.
They are noted as being upright or sideways, since we can expect to
find stamps with inverted watermarks if we see some with upright
watermarks and vice-versa. And, we can expect to find stamps with
sideways inverted watermarks once we see some with sideways
watermarks.
Watermark 1 - large 'RP KK"
Upright
Inverted
Sideways
Sideways Inverted
The following paper types are all imported from
England, and all have the large "RPKK" watermark, which I call
WATERMARK 1:
00 PAPER - Ordinary or plain paper:
non-reactive to US light; appears brown, dull or "dead". With
cream gum.
FF PAPER - Fluorescent on both front and back:
the front gives a white glow with a bluish tinge
under UV light; the back gives a white glow. With
cream gum.
FO PAPER - Fluorescent on front only, with
back side ordinary: only the front gives a white glow with a bluish
tinge under UV light; back side is ordinary and the watermark shows
clearly as lighter lines against a dark brown background. With cream
gum.
F(red)F PAPER - Fluorescent on both front and
back: the front gives a reddish or pinkish glow under UV light; the
back gives a white glow. With cream gum.
F(red)O PAPER - Fluorescent on front only,
with back side ordinary: the front gives a
reddish or pinkish glow under UV light; back side is
ordinary and the watermark shows clearly as lighter lines against a
dark brown background. With cream gum.
F(green)O PAPER - Fluorescent on front only,
with back side ordinary: only the front gives a greenish glow under
UV light; back side is ordinary and the watermark shows clearly as
lighter lines against a dark brown background. With cream gum.
PF PAPER - Phosphor-coated paper: the front
gives a bright yellowish-green glow under UV light, with a very
strong afterglow or phosphorescence; the back gives a white glow.
With white gum.
F(or)F PAPER - Fluorescent on both front and
back: the front gives a bright orange glow under UV light; the
back gives a white glow. With white gum.
F(or)O PAPER - Fluorescent on front only, with
back side ordinary: the front gives a dull orange glow under UV
light; the back is ordinary. With cream gum.
PO PAPER - Phosphor-coated paper
with ordinary back: the front gives a dull yellowish-green glow
under UV light, with an afterglow; back side is ordinary, appearing
more like purple than brown. With cream gum.
P02 PAPER - Variation of PO paper: gum is
whiter than PO paper, although still cream in color, with bluish
tinge. Under UV light, this gum looks duller (more purple) than that
on the PO paper.
GRANITE PAPER - Phosphor-coated paper with
colored (red and green) fibers embedded: the front gives a
yellowish-green glow under UV light, with an afterglow. With cream
gum, which varies greatly under UV light. Some are ordinary, others
are fluorescent and later stocks are hibrite, with many intermediate
shades, too. It is too confusing to segregate them into different
types, so there won't be any subtypes for this paper.
DULL ENGLISH PAPER - Phosphor-coated paper:
almost similar to the previous P02 paper. However, the
yellowish-green phosphor glow is stronger, and gum side looks purple
under UV light. With cream gum.
GLOSSY ENGLISH PAPER - The front is very
glossy as compared to all the previous types of paper. It is hibrite
under UV light, glowing very brightly white. The cream gum is not as
purple as the Dull English paper under UV light, and the watermark
shows clearly as lighter lines against the purplish brown
background.
JAPANESE PAPER -
Starting in July of 1983, a new type of paper imported, from Japan,
was added to the papers being used to print our stamps. This paper
is also very glossy on the front, but has white gum which will show
the watermark clearly when held at an angle to the light. Under UV
light, this JAPANESE PAPER is phosphorescent, giving a
yellowish-green glow, and the watermark is clearly visible as
darker yellowish-green lines. This watermark is still "RPKK";
however, the letters are smaller. The full watermark measures only
about 79 mm. x 19 mm., with "R" & "K" each measuring about 14 mm. x
19 mm. and "P" about 13 mm. x 19 mm. There is also a wide space
between "RP" and "KK" . This small "RPKK" watermark I will call
WATERMARK 2. Only the stamps printed on the
Japanese paper will
have this smaller watermark. As before, almost all stamps come
either upright or inverted only, or sideways or sideways inverted
only. Again, if we see some stamps with upright watermarks, we can
expect to find some with inverted watermarks, too. The watermark
position for this Watermark 2 is noted as either upright or
sideways.
Watermark 2 - Small "RP KK"
LOCAL PAPER - In
August 1885, a paper produced locally was used to print some of the
Quintin Paredes reprints. This LOCAL PAPER was manufactured by Scott
Philippine Paper and was acquired through AMSTAR Company Inc. It is
much whiter than the imported papers, is rougher and firmer to the
touch, and has a new type of watermark. This consists of the
seal
of the Bureau of Posts, "REPUBLIKA NG PIUPINAS" in 3
lines, and "KAWANIHAN NG KOREO" in 3 lines also.
There are several different arrangements of these 3
markings. On some sheets, it will be "RP" at left, seal in middle
and "KK" at the right. On others, it will be seal at left followed
by "RP" and then "KK". Still others will have "KK" at left followed
by seal and "RP". Furthermore, some will have "KK" of one group
followed by "RP" of another group, while others will have "KK" of
one group followed by "KK" of the next group. The full watermark
will measure about 186 mm. Each of the letters measure about 5 mm. x
8 mm., with "REPUBLIKA" and "KAWANIHAN" each measuring 64 mm. Each
of the 3 lines measure 33 mm. vertically from the top of the first
line to the bottom of the third line. The seal measures 47 mm. x 47
mm. Since this new watermark, which I will call WATERMARK 3, is so
big and can hardly be seen on many stamps, I will not attempt to
list the watermark positions anymore.
Watermark 3 - Seal of the Bureau of Posts
This local paper had been used for most of the Issues
of 1986 until the arrival of the French paper; then it was used
mostly for definitives and definitive-sized stamps only.
This local paper continued to be acquired through
AMSTAR Company, Inc., although the paper mill had changed name and
ownership already. The manufacturer is still the same mill but it is
now known as Holland Pacific Paper Mill.
Several orders for the local papers produced several
batches of paper that differ in texture and quality. At first, the
paper was very white, rough and thick, then it became thinner, with
the gum on some so bad many were re-gummed. Later, paper became
glossier with smoother gum, but with the watermark barely visible.
Then some papers became cream-colored, especially noticeable on the
gum side. Afterwards, some came with very clear watermarks. Later,
the gum side showed a rough, uneven textured surface, and the
watermark became more visible as it was thinner. Then the gum became
smooth and glossy; later it showed uneven lines like slight
elevations and depressions. Finally, on the Fiesta Islands IV issue,
the gum became smooth and glossy again.
Starting with the Fiesta Islands II issue, all stamps
printed by AMSTAR have a small phosphorescent security mark, "PPS",
which measures about 5 mm. x 21 /2 mm. overall, and stands for
"PHILIPPINE POSTAL SERVICE". It glows in bright yellow and is
printed either upright or sideways on the center of each stamp,
sometimes on the side margins also.
With so many variations in the quality and appearance
of local paper, it would be too confusing to separate them into
subtypes.
FRENCH PAPER - Between August of 1986 and
March of 1988, a different imported paper was used to print the
commemoratives of that period. This paper was imported through
AMSTAR Company, Inc., from France. This FRENCH PAPER is glossy but
very thin, with white gum and is hibrite under UV light. The
watermark is a series of geometric lines in the pattern of a maze.
The paper is so thin that these watermark lines show through. The
maze watermark I will call WATERMARK 4.
Watermark 4 - Maze
After the French Paper was exhausted, the Japanese
Paper was again imported to print our commemoratives. This paper was
similar to the previous Japanese Paper; however, many
inferior-quality sheets were included and these showed less
phosphorescent coating on the front, so the yellowish-green glow
became much weaker, or almost absent on some sheets.
The paper used for stamps printed abroad are the same
for the entire printing so no paper varieties exist for such
stamps. However, the paper type is still noted in my catalog.
