The 1937 Coronation Stamp of King George VI: Introduction to Cylinder 6
Introduction
The results of an empirical research that used a comprehensive study of the flaws constant on the Coronation stamp to identify hundreds of stamps used on many hundreds of covers in 1937 showed that Cylinders 6 and 7 accounted for a large part of the entire production. Cylinder 6 could have accounted for as much as 30% and Cylinder 7 nearer 40% of the entire production of the Coronation stamp.What distinguishes the two cylinders from a philatelic point of view is that while Cylinder 7 received a lot of attention, with flaws being retouched virtually every time it was cleaned and rechromed, Cylinder 6 appears not to have been retouched ever – although the very last printing, after the Coronation when the pressures were lifted, does have a flaw change that seems to be a certain retouch. Apart from this all the flaws shown here are constant for the life of the cylinder.
The flaws are important in attempting to analyse the sequence of printing but also other elements, like the positioning of the printer's counter numbers, and inking marks in the margins. The sequence of states of the Hawk Moth Flaw in the bottom margin of the stop pane is a perfect example of this.
Comprehensive as this study might seem, it is essentially superficial, produced over many years, much of it before I developed the habit of signalling flaws on scans with red arrows. Any and all constructive comments and more advanced information from members will be very well received. Thank you.