Perforation Varieties of the 1948 Definitive Set

This study began quite by accident; I was trying to identify a few new acquisitions of the Khyber Pass stamps using my Perftronic
electronic perforation gauge. I noticed that the readings were neither in accord with Scott nor with Stanley Gibbons. As I measured
more stamps I noticed a larger variety of perforations than I would expect. I then acquired more copies of each stamp and measured
those only to discover that there were more perforation varieties!

After measuring hundreds of stamps of each type I am now seeing many repeatable perforation readings. What could explain these wild
readings?

It could be that my Perftronic gauge is in error but this would not explain the
repeated readings of different stamps.

My theory is that in the early days when the plates were brought to Pakistan
for subsequent printings, the sheets may have been run through different
perforators without much regard to the pin-distances. When changing pins, the
operators may also not have been too careful about the exact pin distances.
This would explain the fact that there are so many different readings and
orientations.

Another factor that influences these perforation varieties is that in those days
the perforators had their pin-distances in accordance with the imperial
measures i.e. in thousandths of an inch, not in millimeters. This may not
seem significant initially but it is very significant when one converts the
imperial measure to the metric. One such study by Kiusalas was done in 1965
which resulted in the development of a conversion gauge.

Although the Kiusalas Gauge was developed for US stamps only, it does help
illustrate just how easily yet significantly perforations can change. As an
example, the Kiusalas gauge tells us that it takes less than three thousandths of
an inch for a perforation gauge reading to go from 11.75mm to 12mm.

The illustration of the Kiusalas Gauge at left shows that perforation 10 can
be obtained by using 79, 80 or 81 thousandths of an inch perforator pins.

In the tables below, I have broken out the numbers thus:

123/123 s123/123 S123/123 (123 is an imaginary number)

Ordinary mint/used s= small “SERVICE” mint/used (S= large “SERVICE”)

I made no distinctions between the two small “SERVICE” overprints

This study is by no means complete; there are still hundreds more just in my
own stocks to measure but it is a tedious task and will take some time.
It appears to me that this is a good opportunity for others to cross-check my
work. I hope such and examination of my results will either support them or,
will uncover some flaw in my methods. Either way, it will be a good step
forward.
Salimullah Hostel 1 Rupee 2 Rupees 5 Rupees
13.25 5/3 s5/3 5/37 s8/3 7/41 s4/2 S7/2
13.25x13.5 0/8 S0/1 0/35 0/62 S0/4
13.25x13.25x13.25x13.5 0/1 s1/0 0/17 s2/0 2/5 s1/0 S2/0
13.25x13.25x13.5x13.5 00 0/1 00
13.25x13.25x13.5x13.25 0/1 0/1 0/1
13.25x13.5x13.25x13.25 1/0 0/13 0/15
13.25x13.5x13.5x13.5 00 00 0/1
13.5x13.25 0/1 0/1 0/3
13.5x13.25x13.25x13.25 00 0/1 0/1
13.5x13.25x13.5x13.5 00 00 0/1
13.5x13.5x132.5x13.25 00 0/1 00
13.5x13.5x13.5x13.25 00 00 0/1
13.5x13.5x13.25x13.5 00 0/2 0/2
13.5 00 00 0/2
13.75x14 15/1 0/1 1/1 s0/2
13.75x14.25x13.75x14 1/1 00 5/0
13.75x14.25x13.5x14.25 0/1 00 4/2 s2/0
13.75x14.25 20/88 s25/23 18/36 s14/9 7/55 s9/0
13.75x14x13.75x14.25 1/1 4/0 1/1
13.75x14.25x14x14.25 00 0/4 s1/1 0/1 s1/0
14x14.25x13.75x14.25 0/1 0/1 0/1
14x14.25 0/5 s0/1 0/3 0/6

Khyber Pass 10 Rupees 15 Rupees 25 Rupees

11.75 2/2 s5/2 27/8 11/3
11.75x11.75x11.75x12 0/1 00 00
11.75x12x11.75x11.75 0/1 s1/0 3/0 1/0
11.75x12 0/6 s1/0 2/0 1/2
12x11.75 0/3 0/3 0/1
12 0/2 0/3 0/3
12.25x12.75 00 00 1/0
13.25x12 7/34 s13/1 4/4 6/6
13.5x13 0/2 s0/3 00 0/1
13.75 3/0 s1/0 3/0 4/0
13.75x13.75x14x13.75 1/0 00 00
13.75x14 00 s1/0 00 1/0
14x13.75 7/0 s8/2 00 1/0
14x13.75x13.75x13.75 2/0 00 00
14x13.75x14x14 1/0 s1/0 00 00
14x14x14x13.75 0 00 1/0
Scales of Justice 3 Pies 6 Pies 9 Pies
12.5x12.75x12.25x12.5 0/1 00 0/1
12.5x12.75x12.25x12.75 0/3 0/1 0/2 s0/1
12.5x12.75 00 00 0/10
12.5x12.5x12.5x12.75 00 00 0/1 s0/1
12.5x12.5x12.25x12.75 0/3 s1/0 00 00
12.25x12.5x12.25x12.75 s1/0 00 00
12.25x12.5x12.5x12.5 0/7 0/22 s2/0 1/7 s1/1
12.25x12.75x12.5x12.75 00 s0/2 s0/1
12.5x12.5x12.25x12.5 00 0/10 s1/0 00
12.25x12.75x12.25x12.5 00 s0/1 00
12.25 3/0 1/0 00
12.25x12.25x12.5x12.5 0/2 00 0/1
12.25x12.5 14/18 s2/2 21/22 13/11 s7/3
12.5 8/30 s1/3 6/27 s3/8 2/57 s5/0
12.25x12.75 00 0/5 0/2 s0/1
12.5x12.75 00 0/1 0/4 s0/4
13.25 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 8/2 S12/2 ---- ----
13.25 S0/9 3/11 s3/1 7/4
13.25x13.25x13.25x13.5 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 1/0 S2/0 ---- ----
13.25x13.5x13.25x13.25 00 00 0/1
13.25x13.25x13.5x13.25 0/2 s0/1 00 00
13.25x13.25x13.5x13.25 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 01 ---- ----
13.25x13.5x13.5x13.25 0/1 00 00
13.25x13.5x13.5x13.25 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 0/4 ---- ----
13.25x13.5 1/0 s2/0 S1/1 0/9 s1/1 1/4 s1/2
13.25x13.5 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 1/0 S4/0 ---- ----
13.5x13.25x13.5x13.5 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 0/1 ---- ----
13.25x13.5x13.5x13.5 00 00 1/1
13.25x13.5x13.5x13.5 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 2/0 ---- ----
13.5x13.25x13.25x13.25 S0/1 00 00
13.5x13.25x13.25x13.25 Overprinted “2 PAISA” S2/0 ---- ----
13.5x13.5x13.25x13.5 0/2 s0/1 0/1 00
13.5x13.5x13.5x13.25 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 0/4 ---- ----
13.5x13.25 1/1 s1/0 S1/0 0/1 s1/0 0/7 s0/1
13.5x13.25 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 1/2 S0/4 ---- ----
13.5 00 s1/2 0/1 0/2
13.5 Overprinted “2 PAISA” 0/3 S0/1 ---- ----

Jeff Siddiqui, Editor.