The Admiral Stamps of Canada

Twenty Cents

Date of Issue: 23 January 1912
Quantity: 91,966,000
Method of Printing: Both Wet and Dry processes were used.

Introduction

A total of nine plates were used in the printing of the twenty-cents value, with Plate No. 1 in Type A format, Plates 2 and 3 in Type B format, and the remainder in Type D (see Formats for an explanation of sheet types). This value was also overprinted WAR TAX or INLAND REVENUE WAR TAX for fiscal purposes. See Summary for detailed information on the various plates.

Shades

The early printings were characterized by their greyish green colour. Sage green and dark olive green variations may also be found among those printed by the Wet process. The issue printed by the Dry process is a lighter shade of olive green. (See Methods of Printing.)

TWENTY CENTS SAGE GREEN
Sage Green		 TWENTY CENTS DARK OLIVE GREEN
Dark Olive Green		 TWENTY CENTS OLIVE GREEN
Olive Green		 TWENTY CENTS GREY GREEN
Grey Green

Note: Colours in this electronic medium are very difficult to reproduce with accuracy and what is seen is often dependent on individual colour settings and monitor capabilities. For a more accurate depiction of colours, readers are advised to consult catalogues or works such as Hans Reiche's Admiral Colour Identification. (See References.)

Types

There are two main types, one in which there is no vertical line in the upper right spandrel, the other in which it is present. This was not as a result of the engraving of another die, for only one die was used for the twenty-cents value; rather, it was due to the individual retouching of all 400 subjects on Plate No. 9. As this retouching was done by hand, the retouched lines vary in length and strength in individual copies.		 TWENTY CENTS TYPE 1
No Vertical Line in Spandrel		 TWENTY CENTS TYPE 2
Strong Vertical Line in Spandrel

Retouches and Re-entries

In addition to the retouches made to Plate No. 9, which resulted in the strong vertical line in the upper right spandrel, many other retouches and re-entries exist. Those who wish to study this area in greater depth are advised to consult George Marler's book Canada: The Admiral Issue (see References).

Lathework

The twenty-cents value may be found with Type A on Plates 4 and 5, and Type D on Plates 6 and 7. (See Lathework for an explanation of lathework types.)

Updated: 11 Oct 97