Identification
Stamp Colours and Shades: A Guide
Colour is part of a stamp's identity, and small differences of shade can mean different, and differently valued, stamps. The same design was often printed over time in slightly varying shades, some catalogued and collected as distinct, and a few rare shades are highly valuable. Telling genuine shades apart takes a careful eye and good light, and it is important not to confuse a true shade with a stamp that has simply faded.
At a glance
Why colour and shade matter
To the casual eye a stamp is simply "red" or "blue", but to the collector colour is a precise part of identity. Stamps were printed in particular inks, and over many printings the shade could vary, sometimes enough to be recognised and catalogued as a distinct stamp.
So two stamps of the same design and value can be different stamps, and different in worth, purely on shade. This is part of what the specialist studies, especially among the long-running definitives, as our guide to identifying British stamps explains.
How shades arise and are named
- Different printings. Ink mixed and applied at different times varies, producing shades within a single design over its life.
- Named shades. Catalogues name and distinguish notable shades, and these named shades are collected as separate stamps where the difference is recognised.
- Rare shades and colour errors. A few shades are genuinely scarce, and an outright colour error, a stamp printed in the wrong colour, can be highly valuable, the British 1935 Prussian Blue being a famous case, as our King George V value guide explains.
- Plate and paper effects. Wear and paper can also affect how a colour appears, which the careful eye learns to read.
How to compare shades
Judging shades is a skill, and a few practices make it reliable. Compare stamps side by side in good, consistent natural daylight, since artificial light distorts colour. Use a known reference where possible, a catalogue colour guide or a stamp you are sure of, rather than trusting memory. Look at the stamp face on, and be patient, since the differences can be subtle. And confirm the rest of the stamp's identity too, since shade alone rarely settles a stamp without watermark and perforation, as our guides to watermarks and perforations explain.
Shade, fading and value
A faded stamp is not a rare shade
Here is the important caution. A genuine shade is how a stamp was printed; fading is damage, where light or age has altered the original colour, and the two must not be confused. A faded stamp is not a rare shade, it is a damaged stamp, and worth less, not more, as our guides to condition and value and spotting a fake or repaired stamp explain. Genuine rare shades can add real value, but they should be confirmed by an expert eye, never assumed, since wishful identification of shades is a common and costly error. Values are a guide only and depend on the individual stamp.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The same design printed in different shades can be different, and differently valued, stamps, and a few rare shades or colour errors are highly valuable. Most shade differences, though, are minor.
Because they were printed over time in ink mixed and applied at different moments, so the shade varied. Catalogues recognise and name notable shades as distinct stamps.
Side by side in good, consistent daylight, using a known reference rather than memory, looking face on, and confirming the rest of the stamp's identity by watermark and perforation as well.
No. Fading is damage, where light or age has altered the colour, and a faded stamp is worth less, not more. A genuine rare shade is how the stamp was printed, and should be confirmed by an expert.
Colour is identity; beware fading
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Founder and stamp dealerLast updated June 2026