Ireland
The establishment of the "Irish Provisional Government" on 16 January 1922 seemed to take the (Irish) post office by surprise. Although work must have started on designs preparatory to independence these did not appear until 6 December 1922 (the 2d "map", which, it should be noted, includes Northern Ireland within the boundaries of Ireland). As a result, a series of temporary overprints was arranged, the first of which appeared on 17 February; these arrangements seem to have been rather hasty, as no fewer than four printers were used - Dollard and Thom for the early sets, Harrison for the coils, Government Printing Works and Harrison for the 1925-1935 "Seahorses". Unoverprinted British stamps with Irish postmarks between 16 January and the issue of overprinted stamps attract a significant premium. In the meantime there were also a few unofficial handstamps, presumably to make a political point (see political propaganda).
Although the issues look complicated, in fact only 4 values (1½d, 2d, 6d, 1/-, in the 5-line overprint, numbers 3/29, 4/30, 5/31, 10/36, 13/40) are difficult to distinguish. There are a great many minor varieties in the lettering in all issues, and many minor re-entries on the Seahorses.
In parallel to the postage issues, all the many revenue issues also appeared with the different overprints. It is a truly complex 12 months of overprints!
British postage dues continued in use in Ireland until 1925 - since they had no country designation or King's head they were allegedly deemed not to need an overprint. However, the nation was clearly not so anxious about the appearance of the British monarch's head on their stamps, since the King George V "seahorse" high values continued to be overprinted for use in Ireland until 1937, 15 years later.
In the confused and hasty hand-over of power, a remarkable bureaucratic oversight arose. Because of lax wording in the 1922 Post Office Act which gave the Irish overprinted stamps the same validity as unoverprinted ones, the Irish issues were also inadvertently rendered valid for use in any colony which used GB stamps, including (for example) Ascension. Such usage, however obviously philatelic, is keenly sought after. The anomaly was quickly corrected (Robson Lowe, 1952, p.398).
Note: this numbering system was drawn up by the Society for the website, and may not be used without permission.
King George V
1st set, Irish Provisional Government
Overprinted "Rialtas Sealadaċ na hEireann 1922"
- short "9" in 1922, 14½ mm * 16 mm, printed by Thom, dull black to grey (1½d, 2d, 6d, 1/-)
- long "9" in 1922, printed by Dollard (other values)
17 February 1922 (except as stated)
1 ½d green
2 1d red
3 1½d
4 2d orange, die I
5 2d orange die II
6 2½d blue, black overprint
7 3d violet
8 4d grey, black overprint
9 5d brown
10 6d purple, chalky paper
11 9d black, black overprint
12 10d blue
13 1/- brown
note: the 1/- with the "long 9" overprint is a forgery
14 2/6d brown (Waterlow)
15 5/- red (Waterlow)
16 10/- blue (Waterlow)
2d dies
2d: on die I the inner frame line is near to the central design, in die II it is in the middle of the white gap.
(this illustration is from Bechuanaland Protectorate)
Dollard, Thom and Harrison sizes
Dollard and Thom main set, 14½ mm wide
Harrison coil, 15 mm wide
Thom late print, 15.7 mm wide.
overprint varieties
(image courtesy of De Montfort Stamps)
1 v1 ½d overprint inverted
1 v2 ½d overprint misplaced upwards - top line at the bottom (minor misplacements are common)
1 v3 ½d overprint misplaced upwards - top line missing (bottom marginal copy of v2)
1 v4 ½d overprint misplaced downwards - bottom line at the top (minor misplacements are common)
1 v5 ½d overprint misplaced downwards - date missing (top marginal copy of v4)
1 v6 ½d overprint omitted in pair with normal
1 v7 ½d overprint in red (essay, but a few copies are known used)
2 v1 1d overprint double
2 v2 1d overprint inverted
2 v3 1d overprint inverted, double, one albino
2 v4 1d overprint misplaced upwards - top line at the bottom (minor misplacements are common)
2 v5 1d overprint misplaced upwards - top line missing (bottom marginal copy of v4)
2 v6 1d overprint misplaced downwards - bottom line at the top (minor misplacements are common)
2 v7 1d overprint misplaced downwards - date missing (top marginal copy of v6)
3 v1 1½d overprint misplaced upwards - top line at the bottom (minor misplacements are common)
3 v2 1½d overprint misplaced upwards - top line missing (bottom marginal copy of v1)
3 v3 1½d overprint misplaced downwards - bottom line at the top (minor misplacements are common)
3 v4 1½d overprint misplaced downwards - date missing (top marginal copy of v3)
4 v1 2d die I overprint inverted
4 v2 2d die I overprint misplaced upwards - top line at the bottom (minor misplacements are common)
4 v3 2d die I overprint misplaced upwards - top line missing (bottom marginal copy of v2)
4 v4 2d die I overprint misplaced downwards - bottom line at the top (minor misplacements are common)
4 v5 2d die I overprint misplaced downwards - date missing (top marginal copy of v4)
5 v1 2d die II overprint inverted
5 v2 2d die II overprint misplaced upwards - top line at the bottom (minor misplacements are common)
5 v3 2d die II overprint misplaced upwards - top line missing (bottom marginal copy of v2)
5 v4 2d die II overprint misplaced downwards - bottom line at the top (minor misplacements are common)
5 v5 2d die II overprint misplaced downwards - date missing (top marginal copy of v4)
8 v1 4d overprint inverted
9 v1 5d overprint misplaced upwards - top line at the bottom (minor misplacements are common)
9 v2 5d overprint misplaced upwards - top line missing (bottom marginal copy of v1)
9 v3 5d overprint misplaced downwards - bottom line at the top (minor misplacements are common)
9 v4 5d overprint misplaced downwards - date missing (top marginal copy of v3)
11 v1 9d overprint double, one albino
11 v2 9d overprint inverted
11 v3 9d overprint misplaced upwards - top line at the bottom (minor misplacements are common)
11 v4 9d overprint misplaced upwards - top line missing (bottom marginal copy of v3)
11 v5 9d overprint misplaced downwards - bottom line at the top (minor misplacements are common)
11 v6 9d overprint misplaced downwards - date missing (top marginal copy of v5)
note: inverted overprints on other values are deemed to be forgeries.
Malformed letters and minor variations in the alignment of the rows of the overprint are numerous on the Thom and Dollard printings, and are not a reliable indicator of which printing they are from.
watermark varieties
2 wi 1d watermark inverted
3 wi 1½d watermark inverted
3 wr 1½d watermark reversed
4 wi 2d die I watermark inverted
4 wr 2d die I watermark reversed
5 wi 2d die II watermark inverted
9 wi 5d watermark inverted
stamp varieties
3 sv1 1½d broken "E" - "PENCF"
Change of colour of overprint
1 April 1922 (except as stated)
The colour of the overprint on 3 stamps was changed from black to red to make it more visible. In July the printing of all three values was transferred from Dollard's to Thom's and their printing on the 4d and 9d stamps was in a darker carmine colour than the paler red Dollard colour.
(The 9d, missing from the above images, has a similar difference to that shown by the 4ds, but is less easy to see; don't be misled by the shade difference in green stamp colour of the two 4ds - that is irrelevant for these purposes)
17 2½d red overprint
18 4d red overprint
19 4d carmine overprint (July 1922)
20 9d red overprint
21 9d carmine overprint (July 1922)
Coil stamps, overprinted by Harrisons in London
Note: the Irish printers lacked the machinery to make up the coils
overprint 15 mm * 17 mm, vertical and horizontal coils
19 June 1922 (except as stated)
Note: singles from horizontal coils can be distinguished from vertical coils by the guillotining of the edges: horizontal coils have the top and bottom perfs guillotined rather than torn, in the vertical coils the side edges are guillotined; many copies are guillotined badly, and used copies from horizontal coils are often also badly miscut on the vertical sides because of misaligned automatic affixing machines. The 1d came mostly from horizontal coils. The 2d die II was not issued in coils unoverprinted in the UK.
For the difference between 2d die I and die II see above: since the coils were joined from cut up sheets rather than in continuous rolls it is possible to get 2d coil joins where one stamp is die I and the other is die II, though it is obviously easy to fake these.
22 ½d green vertical coil
22a horizontal coil
23 1d red vertical coil
23a horizontal coil
24 1½d brown vertical coil (21 June 1922)
24a horizontal coil
25 2d orange die I vertical coil (19 June 1922)
25a horizontal coil
26 2d orange die II vertical coil (August 1922)
26a horizontal coil
watermark varieties
26 wir 2d die II watermark inverted & reversed
Thom printings, bolder blue-black
long 9 in "1922" on Seahorses, short "9" on other values, overprint 14½ mm * 16 mm
The 1½d, 2d, 6d, 1/- are difficult to distinguish from the first set.
June 1922
27 ½d green
28 1d red
29 1½d brown
30 2d orange die I
31 2d orange die II
32 2½d blue (red overprint)
33 3d violet
34 4d grey (red overprint)
35 5d brown
36 6d purple (chalky paper)
37 9d black (red overprint)
38 9d green (October 1922)
39 10d blue
40 1/- brown
41 2/6d brown (Waterlow) (October 1922)
42 5/- red (Waterlow) (October 1922)
43 10/- blue (Waterlow) (October 1922)
For the difference between 2d die I and die II see above.
overprint varieties
28 v1 1d overprint misplaced
30 v1 2d die I overprint inverted
31 v1 2d die II overprint inverted
note: some authorities dispute the authenticity of the inverted overprints on the 2d die I and die II.
watermark varieties
31 wir 2d die II watermark inverted & reversed
33 wir 3d watermark inverted & reversed
36 wi 6d watermark inverted
stamp varieties
28 sv1 1d, flaw on "O" in "One", as if "Qne" (several variations)
Thom wider overprint
overprint 15.7 mm * 16 mm
21 November 1922 (except as stated)
It is not clear why Thom reset the overprint to this wider setting.
44 ½d green
45 1d red
46 1½d brown (4 December 1922)
47 2d orange die II
48 1/- brown (4 December 1922)
overprint varieties
44 v1 ½d jet black overprint
This is thought to be from a trial/essay sheet.
watermark varieties
45 wi 1d watermark inverted
Irish Free State
On 6 December 1922 the status of the country changed to "Irish Free State" so a revised overprint was applied to the British stamps. The stamps engraved "Eire" were gradually released during 1922 and 1923, and overlapped with some of the later overprinted stamps.
3 line overprint "Saorstát Éireann 1922"
Low values: December 1922 -1923
Seahorses: 1922-1928
49 ½d green (18 December 1922)
50 1d red (16 December 1922)
51 1½d brown (21 December 1922)
52 2d orange die II (11 December 1922)
53 2½d blue (6 January 1923)
54 3d violet (6 January 1923)
55 4d grey (16 January 1923)
56 5d brown (23 December 1923)
57 6d purple (23 December 1923)
58 9d green (21 December 1922)
59 10d blue (13 January 1923)
60 1/- brown (21 December 1922)
61 2/6d brown, dull blue-black overprint (Waterlow) (21 December 1922)
64 5/- red, dull blue-black overprint (Waterlow) (28 December 1922)
67 10/- blue, dull blue-black overprint (Waterlow) (28 December 1922)
overprint varieties
49 v1 ½d, no accent on "Saorstat" (row 15 stamp 2)
49 v2 ½d, accent reinserted by hand
50 v1 1d, no accent on "Saorstat" (row 15 stamp 2)
50 v2 1d, accent reinserted by hand
50 v3 1d, accent and final "t" missing
50 v4 1d, accent and "t" reinserted
51 v1 1½d overprint double
53 v1 2½d, no accent on "Saorstat" (row 15 stamp 2)
54 v1 3d, no accent on "Saorstat" (row 15 stamp 2)
55 v1 4d, no accent on "Saorstat" (row 15 stamp 2)
57 v1 6d, accent inserted by hand (row 15 stamp 2)
58 v1 9d, no accent on "Saorstat" (row 15 stamp 2)
60 v1 1s, no accent on "Saorstat" (row 15 stamp 2)
60 v2 1s, accent reinserted by hand
61 v1 2/6d, no accent on "Saorstat" (rows 3 & 8, stamp 2)
61 v2 2/6d, accent reversed " ` ", on "Saorstat" (row 7 stamp 4)
64 v1 5s, no accent on "Saorstat" (rows 3 & 8, stamp 2)
64 v2 5s, accent reversed " ` ", on "Saorstat" (row 7 stamp 4)
67 v1 10s, no accent on "Saorstat" (rows 3 & 8, stamp 2)
67 v2 10s, accent reversed " ` ", on "Saorstat" (row 7 stamp 4)
watermark varieties
57 wir 6d watermark inverted & reversed
stamp varieties
50 sv1 1d, flaw on "O" in "One", as if "Qne"
61 sv1 2/6d re-entry
Later printing
narrow date
25 August 1925
62 2/6d brown
65 5/- red
68 10/- blue
overprint varieties
65 v1 5s narrow date, overprint omitted in pair with normal
65 v2 5s narrow date, overprint misplaced
68 v1 10s narrow date, overprint double, one inverted (pair with normal)
Further later printing
wide date (as 1922), deep black ink instead of blue-blank ink
1927-1928
63 2/6d brown (9 December 1927)
66 5/- red (February 1928)
69 10/- blue (15 February 1928)
overprint varieties
63 v1 2/6d brown, narrow date se-tenant with wide date (black/grey black overprint) (May-June 1927)
note: this comes from a printing plate comprising a mixture of wide and narrow dates; the December 1927 printing plate was entirely wide dates.
63 v2 2/6d, no accent on "Saorstat" (row 9 stamp 2)
63 v3 2/6d, flat accent " - ", or " ^ ", on "Saorstat"
66 v1 5/- red, narrow date se-tenant with wide date (black/grey black overprint) (May-June 1927)
note: this comes from a printing plate comprising a mixture of wide and narrow dates; the December 1927 printing plate was entirely wide dates.
66 v2 5s, flat accent " - ", or " ^ ", on "Saorstat" (row 9 stamp 2)
69 v110/- blue, narrow date se-tenant with wide date (black/grey black overprint) (May-June 1927)
note: this comes from a printing plate comprising a mixture of wide and narrow dates; the December 1927 printing plate was entirely wide dates.
69 v2 10s, flat accent " - ", or " ^ ", on "Saorstat" (row 9 stamp 2)
Coil stamps, overprinted by Harrisons in London
Note: the Irish printers lacked the machinery to make up the coils
These can be distinguished from the sheet overprints by the foot of the "1" being rounded instead of square (see illustration below), and (of course) by the edges being guillotined for use in coil machines. Most ½d, 1d and 2d stamps are in horizontal coils, most 1½d in vertical coils. The 2d die II was not issued in coils unoverprinted in the UK.
7 March 1923
70 ½d green vertical coil
70a horizontal coil
71 1d red vertical coil
71a horizontal coil
72 1½d brown vertical coil
72a horizontal coil
73 2d orange die I vertical coil
73a horizontal coil
The square foot sheet stamp, round foot coil stamp, and the "long 1" variety (the latter can be found both on horizontal and vertical coils, including several of those illustrated above).
overprint varieties
70 v1 ½d, long "1" in "1922"
71 v1 1d, long "1" in "1922"
72 v1 1½d, long "1" in "1922"
73 v1 2d, long "1" in "1922"
watermark varieties
70 wir ½d watermark inverted & reversed
73 wi 2d die I watermark inverted
Re-engraved Seahorses
March 1935
It is interesting to note that the use of high values bearing the head of the "British King" were still in use 13 years after independence.
Original and re-engraved versions of the Seahorses (there are other less conspicuous differences)
74 2/6d brown
75 5/- red
76 10/- blue
overprint varieties
All values exist with a malformed ("flat") accent on "Saorstat"
go to Irish political propaganda overprints
page last updated: 7 August 2006, 2 June 2013. 24 August 2020
gbos: GB Overprints Society