Specimen Stamps: Standard Overprints and Perforations
| TYPE | APPEARANCE | DISTINGUISHING FEATURES |
|---|---|---|
| D12 |  |
De La Rue and the most common of the overprints pre 1922 |
| D12a |  |
1 mm shorter. Usually on the larger (high value) stamps |
| D12x | D12 + or - .5 mm | |
| D9 |  |
On MCA and script circa 1921. Lighter print than D16 |
| D16 |  |
Standard De La Rue overprint on script sets. .5 mm shorter but .25 mm deeper than D9 |
| D16x | D16 + or - .5 mm | |
| D19 |  |
First De La Rue perforation on script stamps - used until 1936 |
| D20 |  |
1936-40. Smaller thanD19. Curved top of E. |
| D21 |  |
Smaller holes that sometimes do not go right through the stamp |
| B9 |  |
Standard Bradbury, Wilkinson perforation 1928 to 48 |
| W8 |  |
Standard Waterlow perforation - sometimes incomplete in GV1 original 1938 issues. |
| W8a |  |
Missing perforation in 'S' 1938 & 42 |
| W9 |  |
Used after 1944. Middle of 'S' straight |