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T15 (15) 1 1/2d red-brown [MID]  [LAR]	T16 (16) 2d orange Die I [MID]  [LAR]	T17 (16b) 2d orange Die II [MID]  [LAR]	T18 (17) 6d purple [MID]  [LAR]	T19 (18) 1s bistre-brown [MID]  [LAR]

Design: Great Britain issue of 1912-13, Scott 161 (T15), 162 (T16), 162a (T17), 167 (T18), 172 (T19): King George V, designed by Sir Bertram Mackennal.

Printing (Base Stamps): 1 1/2d, 2d, and 1s values: Typography; Harrison & Sons, London and High Wycombe, printed in sheets of two panes of 120 subjects (12 x 10). The panes are aligned vertically, so a full sheet contains twenty horizontal rows of twelve stamps, with a horizontal gutter separating the panes. 6d value printed on chalky paper by the Stamping Department of the Board of Inland Revenue, London.

Overprint: "Rialtas Sealadac na héireann 1922" (Provisional Government of Ireland 1922), in five lines, by Messrs. Alexander Thom & Co. Ltd., Dublin. Overprints are black, and most commonly measure 14.5 x 16 mm. Standard widths of individual lines are as follows: "Rialtas" - 11.5 mm; "Sealadac" - 14.5 mm; "na" - 3.5 mm; "héireann" - 13.5 mm; "1922" - 6.5 mm.

Three different overprint plates were used on all the stamps in set 4T; an additional fourth plate was used for the 1 1/2d value.

Separation: Perf. 15 x 14.

Watermark: Monogram Royal Cypher (Scott wmk. 33; Crown and GvR).

Date of Issue: 17 February 1922.

Numbers issued: 1 1/2d - 960,000; 2d (Dies I and II) - 9.6 million; 6d - 980,000; 1s - 480,000.

Notes: Like sets 1T (the Dollard low values) and 3T (the Dollard high values), these four low values overprinted by Alexander Thom & Co. were part of the Provisional Government's first issue, placed on sale 17 February 1922. Just why the Irish postal authorities selected two different concerns to overprint the issue is not precisely known. Presumably, the job was regarded as too big for either Thom or Dollard - inexperienced in postal matters - to complete expeditiously. Since no single low value was handled by both printers, there can be no confusion distinguishing the Dollard low values from the Thoms. In any case, Thom used a distinctive overprint: this is most apparent in the date "1922", which is set in block type (with no descending tail to the "9"), and is followed by a period.

Around this time the British 2d base stamp was being modified, from the original Die I of 1912 (Scott 162) to Die II (Scott 162a); sheets of each die were included among the stamps received by Thom for overprinting. Thus, the 2d value of the 17 February Thom overprints reveals two distinct varieties of design. Die I (T16, Scott 16b) shows 1) four horizontal lines in the background of the medallion between the top of the portrait head and the top of the oval; 2) relatively heavy colored lines above and below the white tablet surrounding "TWO PENCE"; 3) inner frame lines about equidistant from the outer frame lines and the solid color of the background. Die II (T17, Scott 16) shows 1) three horizontal lines above the head; 2) relatively thin lines above and below the tablet; 3) inner frame lines closer to the background than to the outer frame lines.

Provenance: Dr. Charles Wolf (T16); William and Ann Waldron (T15, T17-T19).

Errors and minor varieties

• T17b (16a): 2d (Die II), overprint inverted.
• T18-V17, T19-V17: 6d and 1s overprint variety ("R" over "Se")

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