 In 1922 , as an interim measure before the first specially designed definitives were ready , a series of contemporary stamps of King George V were overprinted . The <unk> stamps were issued and in use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland between 1912 and 1922 and continued in use in Great Britain and Northern Ireland until 1936 . Three printing firms held overprinting contracts : Dollard Printing House Ltd . , Alex . Thom & Co Ltd . , and Harrison & Sons . In June 1925 the Government Printers , Dublin Castle , obtained the contract and completed all overprinting until 1937 , when the final , high @-@ value stamps were issued . 
