Page 52 - BWISC 60th Anniversary Display at RPSL, November 2014
P. 52
Frame 47
BWI REVENUES – THE LEEWARD ISLANDS FEES (1881–1934)
from the collection of Michael Medlicott
The first adhesive stamps to be printed (by Thomas
De La Rue & Co.) featuring the Colony name ‘Leeward
Islands’ were the Fees Stamps issued for fiscal purposes
in 1881 – ten years after the formation of the colony
and nine years before the issue of the first Postage &
Revenue stamps. They were affixed to legal documents,
recognising the payment of court and other judicial
fees, and are known used in all the Presidencies, most
rarely in Nevis and the Virgin Islands.
Artists’ Essays, prepared for the approval of Crown
Agents and the Colony, and die proofs, plate proofs and
colour trials were all released by De La Rue for sale by
Robson Lowe, and are included in the display. The Fees
stamps were never remaindered or released to the stamp
trade, so that mint examples are of considerable rarity;
only two mint sets of the Victorian issue, for example,
are recorded (one of them shown here), and subsequent
reigns are equally elusive in unused condition.
Five values to the £1, bearing Queen Victoria’s head,
were issued on Crown over CA paper – the CA appearing
in both wide and narrow format – to be followed in 1902 Essay prepared by De La Rue for the
by similar values with the head of King Edward VII. Queen Victoria revenue issue.
In 1906, the paper was changed to the universal Multiple
Crown CA paper for four values to the Five Shillings in
altered colours. These stamps lasted ten years until 1916, when the accession of King George V was belatedly
celebrated with the same four values in a new design. In April 1921, they were replaced in their turn by five
values to the £1 on Script paper. Both the Fees and the contemporary Postage & Revenue stamps are found
with MC/A and MC/B perfins, punched by clerks to the two divisions of the Magistrates’ Courts.
The final page of the display shows Artist’s Essays for two
of the twelve values of Leewards Islands Revenues prepared
on 17 March 1890 as designs for impressed dies. Probably
because of the potential expense of preparing hand-presses,
leathers and dies for each and every Presidency, the Revenue
dies were never issued.
Master Die Proof from the De La Rue Striking Book of the
Key design of the King Edward VII revenue stamp.
BWI REVENUES – THE LEEWARD ISLANDS FEES (1881–1934)
from the collection of Michael Medlicott
The first adhesive stamps to be printed (by Thomas
De La Rue & Co.) featuring the Colony name ‘Leeward
Islands’ were the Fees Stamps issued for fiscal purposes
in 1881 – ten years after the formation of the colony
and nine years before the issue of the first Postage &
Revenue stamps. They were affixed to legal documents,
recognising the payment of court and other judicial
fees, and are known used in all the Presidencies, most
rarely in Nevis and the Virgin Islands.
Artists’ Essays, prepared for the approval of Crown
Agents and the Colony, and die proofs, plate proofs and
colour trials were all released by De La Rue for sale by
Robson Lowe, and are included in the display. The Fees
stamps were never remaindered or released to the stamp
trade, so that mint examples are of considerable rarity;
only two mint sets of the Victorian issue, for example,
are recorded (one of them shown here), and subsequent
reigns are equally elusive in unused condition.
Five values to the £1, bearing Queen Victoria’s head,
were issued on Crown over CA paper – the CA appearing
in both wide and narrow format – to be followed in 1902 Essay prepared by De La Rue for the
by similar values with the head of King Edward VII. Queen Victoria revenue issue.
In 1906, the paper was changed to the universal Multiple
Crown CA paper for four values to the Five Shillings in
altered colours. These stamps lasted ten years until 1916, when the accession of King George V was belatedly
celebrated with the same four values in a new design. In April 1921, they were replaced in their turn by five
values to the £1 on Script paper. Both the Fees and the contemporary Postage & Revenue stamps are found
with MC/A and MC/B perfins, punched by clerks to the two divisions of the Magistrates’ Courts.
The final page of the display shows Artist’s Essays for two
of the twelve values of Leewards Islands Revenues prepared
on 17 March 1890 as designs for impressed dies. Probably
because of the potential expense of preparing hand-presses,
leathers and dies for each and every Presidency, the Revenue
dies were never issued.
Master Die Proof from the De La Rue Striking Book of the
Key design of the King Edward VII revenue stamp.
