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General Philatelic/Gen. Discussion : Color Chart

 

Author
Postings
Postmaster

08 Apr 2021
11:05:43am
Can you direct me to a comprehensive color chart of colors and shadings as used in Scott catalog descriptions? I find colors to be very confusing for s novice ae: pink, rose pink, pigeon blood pink, etc. Thanks for your help. Mike
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smauggie
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08 Apr 2021
12:44:25pm
re: Color Chart

Hi there,

You may already be well aware of this, but the Swedish Tiger website (https://www.theswedishtiger.com/) is a free resource and does have images of some color variants.

At this time Scott does not provide a color chart.

The best printed resource I am aware of (though I welcome correction) for US stamp colors is Encyclopedia of the colors of United States postage stamps by Roy White, though they are notoriously hard to find. Many philatelic libraries carry them, including the American Philatelic Research Library aka the APRL (https://stamps.org/services/library).

I really wish Scott/Amos Advantage would take some good lessons from the publishers of the Michel catalogs.

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canalzonepostalhistory.wordpress.com
Philatarium
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APS #187980

08 Apr 2021
01:33:50pm
re: Color Chart

I don't have it, but Scott did actually produce a color chart for US stamps a while back. At first I was going to say it was about 5 years ago, but a quick online search suggests it was more like 15 years ago! (Of course, I keep thinking 1970 was about 30 years ago, rather than about 50 -- I am getting way too old!)

Anyway, perhaps keep an eye out for it on eBay, etc.

Here's a listing for it from Abebooks (although they don't have one in stock at the moment, it appears):

https://www.abebooks.com/9780894873737/Scott-Specialized-Color-Guides-U.S-0894873733/plp

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"You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone. (Hoots the Owl -- Sesame Street)"

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Postmaster

08 Apr 2021
04:56:27pm
re: Color Chart

Thank you for your replies. I will keep my eye open for one of the charts. The SwedishTiger
web page is a good source if all types of good info that is well presented. Thank you for letting me know about it. Mike

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Philatarium
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APS #187980

08 Apr 2021
05:54:11pm
re: Color Chart

Do be careful about relying on digital resources for subtle color differences. There are threads on here and other sites about the problems with calibration of scanners, monitors, etc.

In fact, with colors, a lot of people (and I'm among them) think that you should use the print color guide that's produced by the same catalog publisher, because there is no consistency in naming conventions across publishers. Stanley Gibbons publishes one, as does Michel. The Scott one is harder to find and, for some reason, not maintained and updated, and, it really only applies to classic-era US stamps. (In fact, some sources I trust say that Scott is not even consistent in their naming over time.)

Scott produces some specialty guides on condition and pricing on early US. (In fact, I think there's a new one they're introducing this year.) Perhaps they include some discussion with that? I don't collect US, so I haven't explored these specialized resources very much.

So proceed cautiously.

Others here I'm sure can weigh in with their perspectives.

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"You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone. (Hoots the Owl -- Sesame Street)"

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Harvey
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This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!

08 Apr 2021
06:19:55pm
re: Color Chart

Colour shade has got to be the biggest problem in stamp collecting - especially early U.S. Also don't go by on line guides, they are usually different from the real colour and even differ according to your monitor. Stamps also fade or oxidize. GOOD LUCK! And yes, different colour guides are different as well. You must use a colour guide that goes with your catalog. There are some great guides out there, but even the guide fades or changes over time!

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""We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living but not a life. We’ve added years to life, not life to years." George Carlin"
Charlie2009
Members Picture


11 Apr 2021
04:57:00am
re: Color Chart

Doesn't Scott produce little Booklets for various stamps to show the different shades like they do in Germany and I assume others:
Image Not Found
Image Not Found

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BrightonPete
Members Picture


Praying for Ukraine

11 Apr 2021
10:02:39am
re: Color Chart

There's a missing colon at the beginning...

It should be https://www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/shop/1Stampman

Does it work now?



Edit: it does now, but I thought it would lead to a colour chart!

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sheepshanks
Members Picture


11 Apr 2021
10:08:14am
re: Color Chart

Ok the websearch from your members link is
http://https//www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/shop/1Stampman
from your post it is
https://www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/shop/1Stampman
Whether this is Stamporama inserting the extra http or not I'm not sure, Maybe Tim can tell us, perhaps try deleting the https from your members link. Leaving just the www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/shop/1Stampman

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sheepshanks
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11 Apr 2021
10:15:12am
re: Color Chart

Not sure if I recall correctly but seem to remember that even SG did not always use the Post office descriptions of colour.

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Charlie2009
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11 Apr 2021
10:20:54am
re: Color Chart


Now it works, thank you!

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cdj1122
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..

13 Apr 2021
01:13:14pm
re: Color Chart

" ... Not sure if I recall correctly but seem to remember
that even SG did not always use the Post office
descriptions of colour. ..."


Oh yes, definarilly.

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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
Kapul
Members Picture


20 Apr 2021
07:47:37am
re: Color Chart

Stanley Gibbons have a useful colour chart with a perforated hole in each colour, which when placed over the stamp the best colour match can be obtained.Image Not Found

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musicman
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APS #213005

20 Apr 2021
09:40:26pm
re: Color Chart

I use this one for US issues in general;


Image Not Found


For more intense I.D. work, I use this - which is very specialized for US Scott #'s 10, 11, 64, 65, 219D, 220, 267 and 279B;


Image Not Found

Image Not Found


Upon reading the back cover-above- you will find that actual color chips are to be found inside to help with positive I.D.'s.

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Kapul
Members Picture


21 Apr 2021
10:09:50pm
re: Color Chart

Musicman, have you ever tried comparing a known colour between your two charts to see how they match up? I suspect the printing of the colours on various charts can sometimes vary owing to paper type, ink etc.

But most of all I do feel that eyes have a great deal to do with it. We took one stamp of known shades, an SG. colour chart and 8 people of various ages and gender at a meeting one time to check the colour-- 4 people said one colour,3 people said another colour, and the remaining person was different altogether. Try it at a meeting - see how you go, it's great fun.

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michael78651

19 Apr 2023
10:54:42am
re: Color Chart

bump

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raymor
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22 Apr 2023
05:01:42pm
re: Color Chart

I thought I would post this for anyone interested in seeing what used to be a stamp colour chart back when. This is a part of an old Stanley Gibbons colour chart that makes identifying older British and Commonwealth stamps relatively easy. I like the idea of stamp simulations which makes colour identifying a little bit easier. Obviously no longer in print however I got this from my father who collected stamps way back in the 1940s.Image Not Found

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rnhistory.com
Webpaper

In loving memory of Carol, my wife for 52 years.

22 Apr 2023
06:05:43pm

Auctions - Approvals
re: Color Chart

Print quality and age make a difference as well. These are both Wonder gauges, the top one is probably 30 years old or so. It has always been keep in a drawer and you will note that some of the colors are faded while others appear more vibrant. Same things happens to used stamps if hinged to acid paper or plasticizers or exposed to bright light (especially sunlight). Tread carefully in identifying that color that turns a common stamp into a rare one.

Background also makes a difference - #65's on yellow covers look pink until masked.

Image Not Found

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Brechinite

22 Apr 2023
06:58:44pm
re: Color Chart

I also have a copy of the Gibbons colour guide as illustrated by raymor.

However it appears that Gibbons changed some of their colour descriptions after that Guide was issued.

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Author/Postings
Postmaster

08 Apr 2021
11:05:43am

Can you direct me to a comprehensive color chart of colors and shadings as used in Scott catalog descriptions? I find colors to be very confusing for s novice ae: pink, rose pink, pigeon blood pink, etc. Thanks for your help. Mike

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
smauggie

08 Apr 2021
12:44:25pm

re: Color Chart

Hi there,

You may already be well aware of this, but the Swedish Tiger website (https://www.theswedishtiger.com/) is a free resource and does have images of some color variants.

At this time Scott does not provide a color chart.

The best printed resource I am aware of (though I welcome correction) for US stamp colors is Encyclopedia of the colors of United States postage stamps by Roy White, though they are notoriously hard to find. Many philatelic libraries carry them, including the American Philatelic Research Library aka the APRL (https://stamps.org/services/library).

I really wish Scott/Amos Advantage would take some good lessons from the publishers of the Michel catalogs.

Like 
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.

canalzonepostalhisto ...
Members Picture
Philatarium

APS #187980
08 Apr 2021
01:33:50pm

re: Color Chart

I don't have it, but Scott did actually produce a color chart for US stamps a while back. At first I was going to say it was about 5 years ago, but a quick online search suggests it was more like 15 years ago! (Of course, I keep thinking 1970 was about 30 years ago, rather than about 50 -- I am getting way too old!)

Anyway, perhaps keep an eye out for it on eBay, etc.

Here's a listing for it from Abebooks (although they don't have one in stock at the moment, it appears):

https://www.abebooks.com/9780894873737/Scott-Specialized-Color-Guides-U.S-0894873733/plp

Like 
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.

"You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone. (Hoots the Owl -- Sesame Street)"

www.hipstamp.com/sto ...
Postmaster

08 Apr 2021
04:56:27pm

re: Color Chart

Thank you for your replies. I will keep my eye open for one of the charts. The SwedishTiger
web page is a good source if all types of good info that is well presented. Thank you for letting me know about it. Mike

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
Philatarium

APS #187980
08 Apr 2021
05:54:11pm

re: Color Chart

Do be careful about relying on digital resources for subtle color differences. There are threads on here and other sites about the problems with calibration of scanners, monitors, etc.

In fact, with colors, a lot of people (and I'm among them) think that you should use the print color guide that's produced by the same catalog publisher, because there is no consistency in naming conventions across publishers. Stanley Gibbons publishes one, as does Michel. The Scott one is harder to find and, for some reason, not maintained and updated, and, it really only applies to classic-era US stamps. (In fact, some sources I trust say that Scott is not even consistent in their naming over time.)

Scott produces some specialty guides on condition and pricing on early US. (In fact, I think there's a new one they're introducing this year.) Perhaps they include some discussion with that? I don't collect US, so I haven't explored these specialized resources very much.

So proceed cautiously.

Others here I'm sure can weigh in with their perspectives.

Like
Login to Like
this post

"You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone. (Hoots the Owl -- Sesame Street)"

www.hipstamp.com/sto ...

This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
08 Apr 2021
06:19:55pm

re: Color Chart

Colour shade has got to be the biggest problem in stamp collecting - especially early U.S. Also don't go by on line guides, they are usually different from the real colour and even differ according to your monitor. Stamps also fade or oxidize. GOOD LUCK! And yes, different colour guides are different as well. You must use a colour guide that goes with your catalog. There are some great guides out there, but even the guide fades or changes over time!

Like 
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.

""We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living but not a life. We’ve added years to life, not life to years." George Carlin"
Members Picture
Charlie2009

11 Apr 2021
04:57:00am

re: Color Chart

Doesn't Scott produce little Booklets for various stamps to show the different shades like they do in Germany and I assume others:
Image Not Found
Image Not Found

Like
Login to Like
this post

www.hipstamp.com/sto ...
Members Picture
BrightonPete

Praying for Ukraine
11 Apr 2021
10:02:39am

re: Color Chart

There's a missing colon at the beginning...

It should be https://www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/shop/1Stampman

Does it work now?



Edit: it does now, but I thought it would lead to a colour chart!

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
sheepshanks

11 Apr 2021
10:08:14am

re: Color Chart

Ok the websearch from your members link is
http://https//www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/shop/1Stampman
from your post it is
https://www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/shop/1Stampman
Whether this is Stamporama inserting the extra http or not I'm not sure, Maybe Tim can tell us, perhaps try deleting the https from your members link. Leaving just the www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/shop/1Stampman

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
sheepshanks

11 Apr 2021
10:15:12am

re: Color Chart

Not sure if I recall correctly but seem to remember that even SG did not always use the Post office descriptions of colour.

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
Charlie2009

11 Apr 2021
10:20:54am

re: Color Chart


Now it works, thank you!

Like
Login to Like
this post

www.hipstamp.com/sto ...

Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
13 Apr 2021
01:13:14pm

re: Color Chart

" ... Not sure if I recall correctly but seem to remember
that even SG did not always use the Post office
descriptions of colour. ..."


Oh yes, definarilly.

Like
Login to Like
this post

".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
Members Picture
Kapul

20 Apr 2021
07:47:37am

re: Color Chart

Stanley Gibbons have a useful colour chart with a perforated hole in each colour, which when placed over the stamp the best colour match can be obtained.Image Not Found

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
musicman

APS #213005
20 Apr 2021
09:40:26pm

re: Color Chart

I use this one for US issues in general;


Image Not Found


For more intense I.D. work, I use this - which is very specialized for US Scott #'s 10, 11, 64, 65, 219D, 220, 267 and 279B;


Image Not Found

Image Not Found


Upon reading the back cover-above- you will find that actual color chips are to be found inside to help with positive I.D.'s.

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
Kapul

21 Apr 2021
10:09:50pm

re: Color Chart

Musicman, have you ever tried comparing a known colour between your two charts to see how they match up? I suspect the printing of the colours on various charts can sometimes vary owing to paper type, ink etc.

But most of all I do feel that eyes have a great deal to do with it. We took one stamp of known shades, an SG. colour chart and 8 people of various ages and gender at a meeting one time to check the colour-- 4 people said one colour,3 people said another colour, and the remaining person was different altogether. Try it at a meeting - see how you go, it's great fun.

Like
Login to Like
this post
michael78651

19 Apr 2023
10:54:42am

re: Color Chart

bump

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
raymor

22 Apr 2023
05:01:42pm

re: Color Chart

I thought I would post this for anyone interested in seeing what used to be a stamp colour chart back when. This is a part of an old Stanley Gibbons colour chart that makes identifying older British and Commonwealth stamps relatively easy. I like the idea of stamp simulations which makes colour identifying a little bit easier. Obviously no longer in print however I got this from my father who collected stamps way back in the 1940s.Image Not Found

Like
Login to Like
this post

rnhistory.com
Webpaper

In loving memory of Carol, my wife for 52 years.

22 Apr 2023
06:05:43pm

Auctions - Approvals

re: Color Chart

Print quality and age make a difference as well. These are both Wonder gauges, the top one is probably 30 years old or so. It has always been keep in a drawer and you will note that some of the colors are faded while others appear more vibrant. Same things happens to used stamps if hinged to acid paper or plasticizers or exposed to bright light (especially sunlight). Tread carefully in identifying that color that turns a common stamp into a rare one.

Background also makes a difference - #65's on yellow covers look pink until masked.

Image Not Found

Like
Login to Like
this post

www.hipstamp.com/sto ...
Brechinite

22 Apr 2023
06:58:44pm

re: Color Chart

I also have a copy of the Gibbons colour guide as illustrated by raymor.

However it appears that Gibbons changed some of their colour descriptions after that Guide was issued.

Like
Login to Like
this post

"Gonnae no dae that!..........Just gonnae no!"
        

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