Although it may be common to perceive slight differences in color variations I tend to ignore most assuming they could be attributed to fading, etc. but sometimes the color differences just "pop" (as in my previous post). Here are a couple more. In a shoebox of supplies in THE HOARD I found a "Philatelic Color Guide" which I used for the first time on these, and will use as a discussion guide here.
The 4pf on the left is definitely "slate" which coincides with Scotts description. But the one on the right is much darker and matches closer to Indigo.
The 8pf on the left is definitely Deep Vermillion as per Scotts. The one on the left (although the scan does not do it justice) is distinctly Orange.
I seem to be coming across more of these color variations especially in Germany (I saw a few more tonight) and still have a ton of envelopes/pages to sort through.
I'm not planning to keep anything beyond the "regular" colors as I have lots of blank spaces to fill in yet. But since there are collectable/economic considerations can you lead me to a site or catalog where I could get information on the color variations and values? Better that I put these in the hands of someone they are more meaningful for and get back some compensation to expand my basic collection (Moderator: Not a solicitation to sell here).
BTW, the color guide was "Printed in U.S.A." by "Quality Hydride Products". It's fairly fresh looking color palettes and I've found it quite helpful on this test case.
All the lower values were printed between Feb 2-11, 1946. The higher ones in April & May
To get the variations you would need something like the Michel Germany 2vol Specialized - a hefty investment. Even the regular Michel Germany does not list varieties
Next you need to find a "specialized" Germany collector to get their value
Most of this series are worth pennies, some several dollars, a few 100's to 1000's
Here is a sample of your values
The search can prove lucrative like this 937Y Brown-Olive/watermark variant valued at 500X more than the basic stamp
Many thanks. I'll have to check around for a local collector (no local dealers) with the Michel catalogs (not carried by my libraries) and bookmark an on-line German-English dictionary.
I'll just start setting aside any variations until such time as I have access to the info.
Hi Dave,
If you are willing to go down the rabbit hole of color shade variations, Michel also lists a color quide which is very helpful for the German issues, most of which have a lot of variation--while the specialized is helpful, there are instances of more than 5 shades listed and the color names become meaningless without reference to the guide which replicates the colors listed.
Also, if no one here has mentioned it: There are a number of factors which can change colors ever so slightly from one common shade to one that appears as a less common shade.
Bruce
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