Papers Used On New Zealand Surface Printed Stamps During The King George V Period
| Paper Type | Period Of Use | Direction Of Mesh/Weave | Opacity When Turned Over & Laid Face Down | Surfacing | Gum |
| De La Rue | 1908-1923 | Horizontal | Not fully opaque. The watermark is still visible when stamp is turned over | Smooth, full and even chalk coating with minimal visible pores and no flaking when viewed under magnification. | Toned and very resistant to soaking, so used stamps will often be curled from residual gum |
| Jones | 1923-1926 | Horizontal | As above, but a little less translucent than De La Rue | Some minor flaking of the coating can be seen under magnification. | Colourless and washes off easily, so that used stamps will not be curled generally. |
| Cowan | 1926-1935 | Horizontal | Opaque - the watermark is generally not visible unless watermark fluid or backlighting are used. | Usually like De La Rue, but on some issues can be like Jones. | Similar to Jones |
| Wiggins-Teape | 1926, 1937 | Vertical | As De La Rue | Smooth, as De La Rue | Similar to Jones |
So, to sort a large quantity of stamps efficiently:
- Look for vertical mesh first - these will be Wiggins teape.
- Look for opaque paper - this will be Cowan.
- Look for completely smooth chalk coating under magnification - this should be De La Rue.
- Whatever you have left should be Jones.
Issues Existing On More Than One Paper Type
- 1909-26 Universal Penny Postage - all of them.
- 1915-1933 King George V Sideface - all of them.
- 1923 Penny Map Stamp - De La Rue & Jones.
- 1926-1934 Admirals - Jones & Cowan
- 1919-1938 Postage Dues - all of them.
- 1913-1937 Government Life Insurance - De La Rue, Cowan & Wiggins-Teape
- 1931-1958 Arms Postal Fiscals - Cowan & Wiggins-Teape
Issues That Only Exist On One Type
- 1925 Dunedin Exhibition - Cowan
- 1929-1931 Health Issues - Cowan
- 1931-1934 Airmails & Overprints - Cowan