held at 41, Devonshire Place, London, W,1, 6th to 18th June 1955
Captions of items covering the British West Indies continued from p, 11 (Bulletin No. 8)
JAMAICA. October 17, 1860. The first reference to the initial issue of postage stamps by Jamaica is in the Company's Private Day Book of October 17, 1860, from which the specimens shown have been cut (1d, 2d, 4d; 6d and 1s – overprinted Specimen.).Postal Fiscals: 1d rose-red dated October 1868, and 1d carmine dated May 1869. 1883: Proposed scheme of colours submitted to the Crown Agents on August 23, 1883, to bring them into line with the altered ½d and 1d, stamp colours required by the International Postal Convention. It was approved; by the Major-General administering the Government of Jamaica on November 27 1883. All proofs in proposed colours are perf. 12. Essays : Queen Victoria issues of 1883-97, 2/- (2), 5/- (1). 1889-91, 2d (4). Arms type issue, 1903-04, 1d (2); ½d (1), King Edward VII issue, 1911, 1d (1). One with blank duty tablet. 1919-29 issues. Two-colour die proofs for register only in colours other than those approved for issue, with pulls in black; of the 1½d and 10/-. The 2½d shows the Union Jack on the left inverted and the 6d of the design, which was never issued for political reasons.1929-32 issue. Progressive proofs of the 1d die. A. 1s. a proving from the original die. B. shows the two impressions taken up on the cylinder from 'A'. C. is a proof from the second die, where diagonal cross-hatching has been substituted below JAMAICA for the original parallel lines in the original die 'A'.
LEEWARD ISLANDS. On February 25, 1890, the Governor requested designs for one uniform set of stamps of eight duties throughout the Colony. Three appendices showing various methods of overprinting the key-plate by means of blank duty die proofs with the name and value sketched in by hand.
MONTSERRAT. Essay of September 13, 1901, submitted at the request of the Colonial Secretary; Antigua, on July 15, 1901, when he wrote that separate issues of Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, and St. Kitts were proposed, and submitted material for the design. The Crown Agents approved it for values up to 5/-, but instructed the Company to use the approved Antigua design for the -5/- denomination. Tercentenary issue. Approved colour proofs.
NEVIS. August 1, 1883; Proposed scheme of colours, using the original blank duty key-plate die, submitted to accord with the International Postal Convention requirements.
It was approved on, September 28th.
ST. CHRISTOPHER. 1874. Blank duty die proof from the original engraving; together with proofs of the first, two duty values, of which twenty leads were struck on January 25, 1870. May 3, 1882: Colour scheme submitted, because the introduction of a ½d value necessitated the Postal Convention: colours being followed for the ½d, 1d and 2½d and the current 6d was in green. It accorded with the new Barbados scheme.
ST. KITTS-NEVIS. July 15 1901. Under this date the Colonial Secretary, Antigua, wrote that it was proposed to separate the stamp issues for Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat and St. Kitts, calling for designs embodying the material supplied to the instructions of the Colony. Two two-colour letterpress submissions of September 13th, approved by the Crown, Agents, 'A' being used for the ½d, 2½d, 2d, 6d, 1/- and 2/6. and 'B' for 1d, 3d, 2/- and 5/- in various colour denominations. The key die proofs of the initial issue approved in October 1902 before routing. Also die proofs of the two vignettes separately pulled two months later. Vignettes for the 1920-22 issue used with the head of King George V and the die proofs pulled in December 1919 before the dies had hardened. Colour proof of the l½d approved for the new colour in red-brown, and the 1d for reversion to red from the violet adopted in 1922, which was not used.
ST. LUCIA: Scheme of colours submitted on September 27, 1883, primarily to show the proposed change of colour of the 4d It was suggested it was a fitting opportunity to discard the old design of the 4d, 6d and 1/-, and introduce in their place the key-plate stamps design already current in the Convention colours for the ½d, 1d, and 2½d stamps. The Antigua specimens accepted for the surface-printed colours of the 4d, 6d and 1/- are perforated 12, as is the proposed 4d copperplate. 1936 issue. Approved colour, proofs on Multiple Script CA paper. 1936 issue. Duplicates of approved die proofs pulled during 1935.
ST. VINCENT. On August 18 1896, the Governor of the Windward Isles requested new issues of 2½d and 5d stamps for St. Vincent. Utilising the blank duty, die and painting in the values, the Company's submission of September 22nd was eventually approved on February 1, 1897. In the interval the Crown Agents requested alternatives from the universal key-plate. Submission of October 16th is also shown to which are attached alternative designs 'A' and 'B' for production by this key-plate system. These alternatives were the basis of the recess stamps issued in 1907. Rejected essay of the Arms of the Colony recess-printed stamp called for by the Governor of the Colony on April 25, 1906, together with a blank duty die proof of the design submitted on November 2nd, which was approved on December 14, 1906. In 1908 modification of the design was requested, reversing the position of the Colony's motto and the words POSTAGE & REVENUE. The approved altered design and blank duty die proof on September 7, 1908, are shown. The size of the motto was reduced in 1912, and the colour proof passed for hardening by Sir Evelyn De La Rue on July 17, 1912 is also shown.