Has anyone any information on the Downey Head cutouts on "pink" paper from STO stationery. The Post Office declatred these to be "illegal".

Hi Bob

Huggins only lists the Downey Head on postcards (both PO issues and STO). I'm curious!

Mike

Best bet is to contact Alan Huggins, Colin Baker, or George King for full details. However, if I remember correctly dealers at the time prepared quite a number of variants on different types of paper, and at least one started referring to the varieties as different varieties of stamp, presumably to the point where the Post Office got fed up with it.

Letterpress usages of the Downey Head STO dies on ordinary paper instead of postcards are listed in Collect British Postal Stationery under "newspaper wrappers".

Fred Smallbone e-mailed me with the following:

I saw the question come up on the GBPS about the Pink Downey cutout, I tried to reply to it but have misplaced the password I use for the site. I have the answer to the question and have attached a scan which shows the source of the Pink Downey. Please let Bob know as he was the one who asked the question.

Should have added Newspaper Wrappers and Letter Cards! But I can't find Fred's Voting Papers, or at least their class of stationery with Downey Heads, in Huggins and Baker.

As George King pointed out when I consulted him about a GVI item, basically embossed dies are listed under envelopes, and letterpress dies are listed under either postcards or newspaper wrappers, regardless of what they were actually used for -- moderately confusing but at least it keeps all the types together!