Third Issue January 1, 1872
The Third Issue was put on sale on January 1, 1872, and sales continued until April 1879, when the Fourth Issue superseded it.
These stamps owed their origin to the conferment upon Ismail Pasha of the title of "Khedive", hence all Government Departments, including the Postal Administration, were named "Khedivial", and this designation was applied too, in Arabic and French, on the stamps of this, issue.
The were produced in two distinct printing, 1872 and 1874-1875, at the Government Printing Works, Boulac, Cairo. The two printing's which vary in the following characteristics : The 1872 sheets have a thick line of colour in the top margin of the sheet (or at the right hand side on the majority of the 5 pares sheets) and the other margins are all blank, whereas a decorative pattern surrounds the sheet on all four sides in the 1874-1875 printing
The first printing of the Third Issue is produced on thick paper with the impressions sharp and clear; the second on thinner paper, sometimes oily in appearance, (used for the and 5pi. values) or having blurred impressions.
The first printing has clean-cut perforations, compared with the blind or defective perforations of most of the 1874-1875 stamps. Some exceptions may be found, but there should be no difficulty for anyone to sort cut the low values, of the two printings.
From Left to Right :-
5pa dull chestnut to deep red-brown 10pa - dull violet or reddish violet 20pa - Prussian blue, indigo & pale blue (lithographs only)
1pi - rose-red to deep rose-red and deep carmine-red 2pi - yellow 2½p - slate violet (pale to deep) 5pi
Overprinted January 1, 1879
10pa on 2½p - slate violet 5pa on 2½p - slate violet
Articles:
The London Philatelist 1956 Jan. Feb and Mar
reprinted L'OP 102 Apr./July 1960.
Egypt: Stamps & Postal History:
Chapter XIV p183/220
Collections:
The Keith Pogson Collection
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