Embossing and Engine-Turning of Postage Stamps

Die-stamping or embossing is a method of stamping in relief, the raised impression being obtained by placing the paper between male (relief) and female (recess) dies. This process has been widely used for fiscal stamps on cheques and legal documents since the late seventeenth century. Postally it was first used in 1838 for the stamped letter sheets of Sydney, New South Wales and the 1d and 2d stamped envelopes of Britain from 1841 onwards. It was used, till recently, for the registered envelopes in the British Isles. The Sydney letter sheets were embossed albino (in colourless relief) whereas most examples have the relief colourless against a coloured ground.

Adhesive stamps in colourless relief were issued by Sardinia (1853) and Natal (1857), while stamps with coloured backgrounds and embossed relief were first issued by Basle (1845) and Scinde (1852). The British 10d and one shilling (1847) and 6d stamps (1854) were embossed at Somerset House. Portugal, Russia, Bavaria, Heliogland, several of the minor German states and the Gambia used embossing extensively in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, it has been rarely used for adhesives. Iceland ( 1911 – 1912) and West Germany (1953 – 1955, 1957, 1963 – 1964, 1969 and 1974) being isolated examples.

Embossing has been occasionally used for overprints, the Czechoslovak Olympic Congress set of 1925 being a notable example. Coloured embossing was adopted by Britain in 1968 for the Queen’s profile. This was printed in gold and then embossed on various commemorative and special issues until 1973.