UNDERPRINTS

Whilst just a handful of firms were to use protective overprints, well over 50 firms unofficially underprinted their stamps, usually in black ink but occasionally in red. These were printed over the gum and hence used examples tend to only show faint remains of the underprint.

Officially underprinted stamps appeared in 1867 and were undertaken by the stamp printers themselves. However, only 5 firms were to follow this route, the last being the Oxford Union Society who had previously used overprinting.

6d Mauve		2d Blue

The official underprints were printed in the stamps colour before the sheet was gummed.

The introduction of the Perfin as a security measure in 1868 largely replaced underprints. Indeed most of the firms that had used underprints, whether oficially or unofficially, moved over to the "new" Perfin. However, the OUS were to stick with underprinting into the 1880's, presumably unofficially since the colour of the underprint no longer matched the colour of the stamp.

The practice of underprinting seems to have ceased in the early 1880's. However one firm, W.H.Everett & Sons Ltd, invented a hand held roller with inking pad, which they advertised with the permission of the Postmaster General for £1. However there seems to have been no takers other than the Everett themeslves whose underprint WH/E&S/LTD turns up on on the 1903 issued of King Edward VII and the early issuses of King George V.

3d "Wattses" Underprint (18mm)		5d "Wattses" Underprint (18mm) (Not listed in Stanley Gibons)

One other firm, S & J Watts of Manchester also returned to underprinting, using a metal plate. Their underprints also appear on various issues of King Edward VII and the early issues of King George V. Two types of underprint exist, the earlier of the two being 18mm long and later issues being 14mm long.