Phosphor was included on stamps in Great Britain starting in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was implemented using colored phosphor bands and the purpose was to help with automating the British postal system. This has led many collectors to wonder how they can find phosphor on their stamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding phosphor on stamps is accomplished by knowing where the phosphor indicator is placed and how it was added to the stamp. Once you know how the colored system works and the measurements of the bands on a stamp, finding the phosphor can be done with the naked eye or with specialized equipment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The key to finding phosphor indicators on any stamps is knowing where they are placed and what type of phosphor marker was used. The colors, placement and type depend largely on the country marking the stamps. Below, we\u2019ll go into more detail about finding phosphor on stamps, and why it was used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Postage stamps revolutionized<\/strong> how the public communicated<\/strong>. Stamps and a new way to compute delivery costs made it possible for just about everyone to send a parcel through the mail without making huge financial sacrifices. Suddenly, mail was not a luxury, but an affordable option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before stamps, delivering parcels was something only the wealthy could afford<\/strong>. Delivery costs were calculated by multiplying the number of sheets mailed and the number of miles the parcel traveled by separate rates and then adding them together. Often, different cities had different mileage rates and charges per sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, postage was also<\/strong> due upon delivery<\/strong>, which put the burden of the cost on the receiver of mail, whether they wanted to receive the mail or not. Politicians were also exempted from paying postage, which offended just about everyone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the average person, mailing one standard letter<\/strong> across England cost about an entire day\u2019s wages<\/strong>. For people struggling to put food on the table, mail was simply not in the budget. For unanticipated mail, the burden of paying for a parcel was an unforeseen expense, which, when margins were razor thin, could cause financial hardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1841, the first Penny Black Stamp<\/a> was introduced. Rates were pre-determined, based on a flat rate and the weight of the parcel and pre-paid<\/strong>. This alleviated the burden of receiving unsolicited mail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, because postage costs were spread<\/strong> across all parcels<\/strong>, rates to send mail dropped significantly. Rates dropped so much the average person could afford to send mail. That opened new avenues for people to communicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stamp system was instantly popular. Very quickly, most developed nations implemented a stamp and postal system that was very<\/strong> similar to Great Britain\u2019s<\/strong>. As word of the new system got out, more and more people started utilizing the postal system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That led to the need to sort mail and verify postage<\/strong> beyond what an average person could do by hand. The necessity led to automation technology. It was, however, extremely laborious for postal officials to sort and verify postage for every parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The answer was to use phosphor to mark stamps<\/strong> to indicate their overall value<\/strong>, which helped make sorting mail easier. It was implemented in Great Britain in the late 1950s and was quickly adopted by countries across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, several countries still use phosphor<\/strong>, including the United States, Canada and Great Britain. The term for using phosphor marked stamps is \u201ctagging.\u201d Tagging in the United States helps machines sort and flip envelopes so that the stamps can be cancelled more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To understand where to look for phosphor on a stamp, you must know<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a few different ways a stamp can have phosphor colors applied to it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vertical or horizontal bars are \u201cprinted\u201d onto a stamp and that can be checked via a UV light<\/a> or in some cases with the naked eye <\/strong>. To look for the phosphor with no visual aid like a UV light, hold the stamp up to the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should be able to see a raised phosphor stripe<\/strong> or bar running horizontally, vertically, or both, across the face of the stamp. Another method is to use a UV light. This method makes the bars appear more pronounced but is not necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way to insert phosphor onto a stamp is to mix it directly with the ink<\/strong> used to make the stamp\u2019s image. The effect is to give any part of an image that has that color ink a phosphorous glow. The ink can be seen in a UV light, but it can also be seen if held up to a bright light. The phosphor infused ink is shinier than normal ink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This type of phosphor stamp application is when the surface of the stamp has a phosphor ink block<\/strong> applied to the surface of the stamp<\/strong>. The size of the block can vary, as can their placement on a stamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhosphor And Why It Was Used On Stamps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Prior To Postage Stamps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stamps And New Ways Of Paying For Postage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Postal Growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Phosphor Stamps Today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Do You Find Phosphor On Stamps?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In Bars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In The Ink<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Blocks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Prephosphored Tagging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n