The original intent of the Post Office was that two separate stamps be used to pay the standard letter rate,
IE. a two cent stamp for the regular postage plus an additional one cent War Tax stamp.
There was an obvious advantage to having a single stamp for this purpose and so the existing 2c Carmine
was modified with the addition of the letters 1TC and became in effect a 3 cent stamp.
This new value came into use in January of 1916.
All of the 2+1c War Tax stamps were printed using the 'wet' method'.
Essays for the new 2+1c prepared by drawing on a regular 2c Carmine
Essay of a design that was not used
Essay of the approved design. The "1TC" has been added in white ink
Die I was used for Plates 1-14
The proof as approved by the Post Office
Redrawn Die I number OG 100
Die Proof printed on India and die sunk on card.
Trial Color Proof printed in Black on card
Hand punched PO numbers were no longer used by this point in time
Plates 1-6 were printed for PO 937A
Upper right Plate 1 with PO 937A
Plates 7-10 were printed for PO 937C
Lower right Plate 7 with PO 937C
Plates 11-14 were printed for PO 937F
Upper left Plate 14 with PO 937F
Redrawn Die II number OG 106
Printed in Carmine on India
Plates 15-16 were printed from Die II
Upper left Plate 15 with PO 937F
Upper left plate 16 with PO 937f
Coil stamps for the 2+1c Carmine were produced from sheets of 100 perforated 8 vertically and left imperforate horizontally. Strips of 10 stamps were produced by cutting the sheet horizontally along the imperforate gutters. The resulting strips of 10 were then joined together to form a long strip of coils. Stips of blank paper were added at both ends of this strip. Two plates numbered 1 and 2 were laid down for the coils identified by PO 938.
A starting strip of four with an attached label
A 'paste up' strip of four where two strips of 10 were joined
An ending strip of four
Appartently there was at some point a shortage of Post Office sheets for the 2+1c. Some of the coil sheets that already been perforated 8 vertically were also perforated 12 horizontally and issued in sheet form. We know that these are from the coil sheets by the printing order "938". The normal post office sheets have PO "937".
Upper right plate 1
Upper right plate 2
A few of the coil sheets exist perforated 12x12. These may have been produced by taking an imperforate coil sheet and using the regular perf(12) machine. They may also be an early example of the 'favours' that became a part of the Admiral issue.
Lower right plate 1
Lower left plate 2
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