Great British Surface Printed Stamps Issued 1855-1900
As the Embossed issues were so unsatisfactory, it was decided to produce stamps using the Surface Printed method. The contract for the production of these stamps with values of 2d and above was given to Thomas De La Rue. The Line Engraved issues below 2d continued to be printed by Perkins, Bacon and Co. until 1880. After 1880 De La Rue printed all GB stamps until the latter part of Edward 7th reign.

In this printing process, the technique is basically the reverse of Line Engraved whereby the recessed parts of the plate transfer varying amounts or no ink to the paper depending on how deep the recess is cut.

The Surface Printed issues of Victoria are wonderful. During this time, many different values and Colours were produced. Many of the stamps can be collected with different plate numbers. The only sad thing for collectors is that so few used stamps escaped the dreaded obliterator. Most of the lower values are therefore heavily used, as all stamps were supposed to be literally obliterated and the cancels in use for most of this period were the Bar type which did the job rather well. This is why during this period, stamps sold as fine used are nothing like as fine as later issues when the CDS (Circular Date Stamp) came into use more. Some did escape, some, when two or more stamps were applied to the envelope and the postal clerk either couldn’t be bothered or forgot to cancel each stamp separately. Sometimes you will see pairs, strips or blocks with only one cancel and these are sold at a premium and are described as Contrary to regulations.

The most common source of Very Fine Used stamps (CDS) from this period though is from Telegraph receipts or Post Office in hose accounting.

Most of the high value stamps of Victoria (2/6 and above) were used in this way. Very few high values, particularly the £5 Orange (SG 133/137), were ever stuck on envelopes and postally used. Some values, notably the 1 shilling Green value (SG 115/17) plates 5, 6 and 7 are far more common with lovely CDS postmarks than they are with bar cancels. This is because a great many were used on telegraph forms in the Stock Exchange.

In 1898 some of these forms came into the stamp market and it was discovered that some of the stamps were skillful forgeries. They had gone undetected for 20+ years and the person responsible was never discovered. This would have been a very lucrative venture at the time. As the clerk who did it, would have been able to pocket 1 shilling every time he applied one of the fakes instead of the real stamp.

In 1883/4 the Lilac and Green issues were introduced. The green values were not good news for collectors of used stamps, as the ink is fugitive and can easily wash out in water when soaking off paper. This fugitive green ink was used for some later issues as well and fine coloured used copies are difficult to find.

The final series of stamps of Queen Victoria’s reign are without doubt the best in my opinion. The Jubilee issues are the first GB stamps where two colours were applied to some values. They are quite simply beautiful! They are known as the Jubilee issue simply because they started to appear in the same year as her 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne in 1887. They were not produced to celebrate this fact, so cannot be regarded as the first commemorative issue. 2 major errors on stamps occurred in the reign of Victoria, there are others, but these 2 stand out.
The first is the OP-PC error instead of CP-PC on 1½d Reds plate 1 (SG 51/52). Issued in October 1870 and continued for 4 years, it was not discovered by anyone until 1894. Amazing, as the error occurs on every sheet of Plate 1.
The second is LH-FL instead of LH-HL on the 2½d Rosy Mauve (SG 140).