different tale (as was expected)--he gave us a few facts, and that
was all we wanted. It was first intended for postage to England,
and was actually used for a time. The postage was afterwards
reduced and the 10d stamp took the place of the 12d. The latter is
now (the genuine) one of the rarest in existence, and very readily
obtains such prices as $4.00 and even $5.00 for one specimen.
Proofs are often offered for sale on India paper, with the word
'specimen' written on one side. Amateur collections must content
themselves with this last, for it is utterly impossible to obtain
the real Simon Pure article for less than the sums we name, and
even then, it is doubtful whether it can be had at the price or
not. The color of the genuine stamp is black, it is an adhesive,
and contains a portrait of Queen Victoria in an inscribed oval,
with figures 12 at corners.

All three values of this first set were issued imperforate and while the
3d, of which at least three millions were issued, varies but little in
shade, the 6d, printed in comparatively small quantities, provides a
number of striking tints. In his check-list, Mr. Howes gives
"black-violet, deep-violet, slate-violet, brown-violet, dull purple,
slate, black brown, brownish black, and greenish black", and we have no
doubt the list could be considerably amplified, though the above should
be sufficient for the most exacting of specialists.

The catalogue gives two distinct sorts of paper--laid and wove--for all
three values, with a sub-variety of the latter, designated "thin", for
the 3d and 6d denominations. But specialists are not satisfied with this
meagre classification and recognise numerous other varieties such as
thick white laid, soft white wove, thin and thick grayish, thick hard,
thick soft, ribbed, etc. Mr. D. A. King, in his article in the _Monthly
Journal_, says, "There are fourteen varieties that we are able to
distinguish", and he gives a general classification of their
characteristics as follows:--

Series I, II, IV and V.--The texture of these papers is virtually
the same, and it is indeed often difficult, particularly in the
case of the 6d, to distinguish between the _laid_ and _wove_
papers. The lines in the _laid_ paper are of a most peculiar
character, and cannot, as a rule, be brought fairly out by holding
the stamp between one's eyes and the light.