(Concluded from Bulletin No. 11. p. 53).
"THE PROVISIONAL SURCHARGES." A tribute should first be paid to those who have done pioneer work by their researches into the settings of the surcharges employed for the issues from 1885 to 1888. I refer, of course, to Mr. L. J. Gilbert-Lodge, the late Sir Edward D. Bacon. K.C.V.O., and the late Mr. Robert Blake Yardley. Their writings dealt chiefly with the types of the 'ONE PENNY' surcharge which have always formed an attractive feature of the stamps of St. Christopher. Unfortunately not much has been contributed on the little 'Halfpenny' surcharge, the 'FOUR PENCE' (in two lines) or on the '4d.' of 1885 and 1886, and for this reason it is not possible to give a complete account of these provisionals. It is hoped, however, by the combined efforts of those interested, that more up-to-date information may be forthcoming for a subsequent issue of the Bulletin. This may well be accomplished when material which is known to exist in large connected pieces, finds its way on to the market and when it may be possible to provide confirmation of the manner in which these surcharges were produced and applied. The notes which follow on all the surcharges is merely an attempt to summarise known and recorded information and to interpolate, whenever possible, my own observations.
In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it can be stated that all the surcharges were applied in the office of the St. Christopher newspaper 'The Advertiser,' with the exception of the 'Halfpenny' on the bisected 1d. carmine-rose; this was applied in the Post Office and was issued in April, 1885. This occurs twice on each 1d. stamp diagonally, the surcharge either reading downwards or upwards (it is more unusual to see the upwards surcharge): the major varieties are the inverted and the double surcharge. Accompanying this provisional was the 'FOUR PENCE' (in two lines) on 6d. green where two main varieties occur - the double surcharge, and the variety with a full point after the word 'PENCE.' Passing over for the moment in its correct sequence, the small 'ONE PENNY' (in two lines) surcharge, we come to the '4d.' of June. 1886. and it is recorded that five types were repeated, vertically, down the sheet. The double surcharge also appears in this type and a variety without a full point after the '4d ': there is also a third variety - with the period at some distance from the letter 'd'.
Now for the 'ONE PENNY' surcharges. In 1917 (London Philatelist. Vol. XXVI, p. 214), the late Mr. R. B. Yardley acquired a complete pane of the ½d., surcharged 'ONE PENNY', of 1886, and on making a comparison with connected pieces and singles of the earlier 6d. green, of 1886, similarly surcharged, he arrived at the conclusion that the same setting was employed for both provisionals. He stated that the surcharge (presumably type-set, but possibly a stereo) was in each case made up of more or less battered type, and that the defective letters occurred in the same position in each provisional. It will be remembered that all the unsurcharged stamps of St. Christopher were printed from one key-plate, of twenty cliches - in four horizontal rows of five - the values being printed, from separate plates, in a blank horizontal space at the bottom of the stamp design, so that all the panes of stamps of all denominations are of the same size. Mr. Yardley discovered that the defects which occurred in the surcharges were common to both provisionals in the majority of cases. The ink employed for the printings of the surcharges on both values was thick and cloggy, and this resulted in many instances in the ink protruding beyond the outline of the type.
Ten years later (London Philatelist, Vol. XXXVI, p. 75) Mr. E. D. Bacon (afterwards Sir Edward D. Bacon) drew attention to varieties of the provisional stamps which he considered should be eliminated from the catalogue. The first of these was the 'ONE PENNY' on ½d of May, 1887, without a bar across the original value, of which he had for long had grave doubts: (this was subsequently deleted from Stanley Gibbons' catalogue). Sir Edward confirmed Mr. Yardley's statement that the surcharge 'ONE PENNY' with a period after the word 'PENNY' was from the same setting as had been used for the 'ONE PENNY' on 6d. of June, 1886, but that the lettering of the surcharge on that stamp was not quite so worn and defective as on the ½d.; notwithstanding this it was easy to plate individual specimens by a sheet of 'ONE PENNY' on ½d. Sir Edward mentioned that the lettering on specimens of the 'ONE PENNY' on ½d. without bar was of quite a different character, the type used for the surcharge being new, the printing clear, and it did not correspond with that on any of the 20 stamps on the sheet which he had for comparison, evidence sufficient to prove that the specimens without bar were forgeries. The genuine 'ONE PENNY' on 6d. and 'ONE PENNY' on ½d. usually have a continuous line drawn by hand in pen and ink across the original value of each row of stamps on the sheet, but specimens of the latter exist also with a pen and ink line drawn separately on each stamp.
In 1928 (London Philatelist. Vol. XXXVII, pp. 187/188) Mr. L. J. Gilbert-Lodge confirmed Sir Edward Bacon's theory that the surcharge without bar through value was a forgery beyond any question of doubt. Sir Edward had also drawn attention to a variety without stop occurring in the 'no bar' stamp, although he had not seen an example at the time he had written his notes. Mr. Gilbert-Lodge stated that one examined by him in 1928 was of identical type to the 'no bar' variety, and he considered it also to be doubtful. Sir Edward further doubted the genuineness of this value with inverted and double surcharge and wondered if these were of the same type as this forgery. Mr. Gilbert-Lodge proved, as regards the invert, that it was of the same type. Both these items have been removed from the catalogue list for many years. It is also of interest to record that the normal surcharge was also forged extensively. Of the 'ONE PENNY' on 6d. green of 1886 with double surcharge Mr. Gilbert-Lodge recorded that he had never seen a mint or a postally used example, but that he possessed two pen-marked copies, dated 22-7-'86 and 28-7-86 respectively (in what appeared to be the same handwriting). He knew also of two other similarly penmarked copies, the position of the double surcharge being similar. He ventured to suggest that possibly only one sheet was doubly surcharged and although, perhaps, issued in the usual way, this particular sheet may have been used for fiscal purposes only. (At one time I possessed an example of the normal stamp with a similar ms. Date - though the exact day of the month escapes me so that one wonders whether the normal stamps also may have been used for fiscal as well as for postal purposes.).
We now come to the small surcharge 'ONE PENNY' on 2½d. ultramarine of May 1888, one of the great rarities of British West Indies. Stanley Gibbons' catalogue lists this surcharge as being similar to Type 6 (their type) of the 'ONE PENNY' on ½d., but letters 2mm. high, and 'PENNY' 12mm. long. It is difficult to reconcile this statement with the facts recorded that the 'ONE PENNY' on 2½d. was printed from the same setting as that used for the 'ONE PENNY' on 6d. and the 'ONE PENNY' on ½d.. and although I have not (and never shall possess) an example of the 1d. on 2½d., the measurements of this surcharge and of the former two appear to be identical (it is true that as far as this rarity is concerned I have been able only to measure the surcharge from photographs of an unused copy - the only one so far recorded - and a used example and photographs are not always true as regards size, but allowing for this the measurements appear to me to be identical). The surcharge, as one would expect, has the type more worn and only one sheet of 20 stamps is said to have been printed with this surcharge; the original value in this instance was not cancelled by a bar. The rest of the stamps required in St. Christopher at that time were produced by surcharging the 2½d. with a larger type of 'ONE PENNY,' and this Sir Edward recorded was confirmed in an article by Mr. Douglas Mackenzie in 1896, who stated that the Postmaster of St. Christopher informed him at the time of issue of the stamps that only one sheet of 20 was printed with the small surcharge and one sheet only of the larger type of lettering with inverted surcharge (no details are given as to how many sheets were printed of the normal surcharge). Sir Edward re-affirmed his opinion that the bad state of the lettering in the setting of the small surcharge of the 2½d. was probably the reason for the new setting with larger letters being adopted. At one time the small surcharge, inverted, was included in the catalogue list, but as this was proved to be a forgery it was subsequently deleted. The large 'ONE PENNY' has letters 3mm. high and the word 'PENNY' measures just under 15mm., the original value being cancelled by a pen and ink bar, and as indicated in the previous paragraph there is only one genuine variety, the rare inverted surcharge.
In February 1890, owing to a scarcity of 1d. stamps, a small supply of that value was borrowed from Antigua and used provisionally in St. Christopher, the 'A12' obliterator of St. Kitts being used as a cancellation.
In 1891 a general set of Leeward Islands stamps superseded the issues of St. Christopher proper, as well as of Nevis, and also, but only temporarily, of Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat and the Virgin Islands; of the latter, however, further stamp issues were in contemporary use with the stamps inscribed 'LEEWARD ISLANDS '.
These notes deal only with St. Christopher proper and not with St. Kitts-Nevis, as my collection is confined to the issues up to 1890, but I feel sure there are other members of the Circle who can contribute much valuable information on these interesting issues.
REVENUE STAMPS USED FOR POSTAGE.
In 1883. the 1d. lilac-mauve and 6d. green of Nevis were overprinted 'Saint Christopher' (diagonally, in two lines). In 1885 the 1d. rose, 3d. mauve, 6d. orange-brown and 1s. olive were issued with the overprint 'SAINT KITTS NEVIS REVENUE' (in three lines) for use as postage stamps. It is interesting to note that the 3d. comes in as a new value and the 6d. and 1s. are in different colours to the same values used for postage (1882-90 series), though the basic design remains the same. I have not so far come across any information about these stamps, but I have wondered why the 3d. value was printed in such small letters, which leave a fairly widish white space at either side of the denomination, as the 1s. value with its extra letter is printed in the normal size of lettering: perhaps some member can provide the answer to this.
POSTAL STATIONERY. So far as is known there are no envelopes for St. Christopher. Details of the postal cards and reply cards are as follows: Design with vignette of Queen Victoria with 'ST. CHRISTOPHER' above and value below, with inscription and instructions in the same colour as the printed stamp. 1879, 1½d. red-brown; this card also comes in a paler printing. 1882, 1d. rose. In February 1883, the supply of the 1½d. card was exhausted and the 1d. was issued temporarily with half a 1d. lilac-rose, or a ½d. green adhesive attached to it, until a fresh consignment of 1½d. cards was received from England; (this no doubt accounts for the paler printing, unless this was the first printing (?).) In 1887 (or 1888) a new design appeared for the 1d. carmine and 1½d. dark brown, and in addition to the single postcards, reply cards also made their appearance, these being perforated for separation by a wide form of roulette. (J. B. Moens records the reply cards as existing with and without accent over the 'E' of the word ' RESPONSE ' ".)