Provincial Airways - Detailed Study of 3d air label.

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Section 3 - Colour Trials Colour trials exist in the following colours. the first colour given being that in which the main portion of the design is printed:- Green & blue Green & orange Blue & Purple Blue & green Orange & Green Purple & blue Red & purple < Green and Red # Red & blue Purple & red < Red & green Blue & red Purple & orange Red & orange Blue & orange Orange & purple Orange & red Orange & blue > < Exists only in single colour trials, not pairs. # Exists with double perforation variety. > This was the colour as finally issued.

All the above colour trials were struck from the original blocks, and consequently do not show the SOUTHAMPTON variety or any of the other minor flaws as described in the printing from the stereotype plates. They were printed on plain white wove paper, perforated but not gummed. One set exists of all the colours, except the red and purple, in which the two alternative colour combinations are printed on one sheet of paper, about 90 x 100 mm. Each impression is perforated all round and across the margins, and there is a blank space between the two images equal in size to the stamp itself. This form of make-up enables the effect of the alternative colours to be accurately gauged. The only other set of these colour trials has these sheets of the two images cut across the centre of the blank space in the middle, thus making them into miniature sheets of one stamp with a margin all around. There was also a trial of the image printed in one colour but on different coloured papers. The image was in black brown and blue and each was printed on pink white, buff blue and orange paper. This was done as an alternative to the bi-coloured stamps.

Green and Red

Purple and Red

Red and Purple

Purple and Blue

Blue and Purple

Purple and Orange

Green and Orange

Orange and Purple