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Like the postage dues, one could study these as a subject in their
own right. There were many overprintings, and anybody looking for in
depth guidance should refer to the Union Handbook. However, for a more
simplified listing, I recommend the Stanley Gibbons Part I listing as
this covers the major differences and is easy to follow. There are one
or two omissions, principally on the ½d with frame only screened and
fully screened designs, but this is only a minor problem and most
collectors would easily identify these stamps.
The mint collector should find the job of collecting officials a lot
easier than the used collector. The official stamps could be purchased
at the larger post offices, so cylinder and arrow blocks can be found in
collections, as well as the varieties already known from the
unoverprinted stamps. The used stamps can be difficult, especially the
high values. KGVI collectors are always on the look out for both of the
small format 2d stamps with the overprints reading upwards (SG O35 &
O45a). The 1950 2d with the smaller overprint has a space in the
Stanley Gibbons George VI album and is one of the two hardest stamps to
find for this album!
The use of Official stamps ended in 1955, hence they fall neatly in the
Union period.
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