Great Britain Philatelic Society

Could anyone give any information about the so called toned paper , yellowish , and cream
that have been listed by Stanley Gibbons on C9. Is it still accepted that this paper exists or was it a misconception that should be ignored now that the pre fire and after the fire shades have been acknowledged? I have seen examples that do appear to have a creamy colour but not a
yellow shade.Any opinions would be much apprieciated.

Good afternoon.
When amendments to the last edition of SG's Spec Cat were being discussed, I was very strongly in favour of deleting all references to yellowish or cream-toned paper. Unfortunately, I was overruled by the powers that be at SG (I haven't given up the quest to get it changed, just moved on to other things until such time as the next edition is under discussion!). There is a page in my book that demonstrates that the paper used for the pre-fire, Savoy Street and Fleet Street printings are all pretty similar. There is no doubt that some prints show some creaminess or yellowness, but so do some C10's to C13's, so the descriptions in the catalogue are just a recipe for confusion. I have seen small fortunes wasted by inexperienced collectors submitting stamps on yellowish paper for certificates as C9's or C9A's, only to be told that their prized stamp is a common C10 plate worth a fraction of what they paid for the certificate. On page 268, SG still include the comment that 'The shades of the stamps are the main method of differentiation between C9,C9A and C10, rather than the colour of the paper', but then they undo that comment by differentiating the papers before the shades in the headings! I could say what I really think of this, but I'd better not!
Regards
Mike Williams

Hi Mike,
Many thanks for your very honest reply, it would be nice for Stanley Gibbons to accept that revisions are necessary and to listen to common sense. I suppose that they believe that they have the right to choose what they publish but in this case I think they have made a mistake. I have found their catalogue to be contradictory and misleading over many years . I am referring to Victorian and Edwardian catalogues.All this confusion does not help anyone, I'm sure that many collectors are frustrated and simply abandon studying the shades .
Best wishes
Andy