Page 7 - BWISC 60th Anniversary Display at RPSL, November 2014
P. 7
Frame 2
BARBUDA
from the collection of Charles Freeland, FRPSL
Early letter to London, part of the Codrington Correspondence.
Barbuda is a flat coral island situated north east of Antigua, whose main claim to fame over the centuries is
that its lethal reef claimed many maritime scalps. It is a dependency of Antigua, where its administration is
based. Its philatelic history is brief; in the 18th and 19th centuries it hosted a sugar plantation owned by the
Codrington family and letters originating from there have survived. In 1922 there was a single short lived
stamp issue consisting of Leeward Islands King George V definitives overprinted ‘BARBUDA’. Forty-five years
ago the island discovered the financial possibilities from marketing colourful thematic stamps and produced
a plethora of ‘wallpaper’ … no more need be said.
The exhibit contains two of five early letters recorded in Robson Lowe’s Codrington Correspondence from
Dennis Reynolds, the manager of the Barbuda estate for the Codrington family. Both are dated in late 1783.
The first is the finest example of the rare Antigua straightline Type PD3 (numbered DR98 by Lowe), while the
second is the only recorded usage of the RL Type PD4 with sloping letters (DR99). A few covers from Barbuda
are also known bearing the Antigua fleuron marks from the period 1810 – 1830.
The 1922 overprints are interesting because although the overprints were applied on the regular Leeward
Islands definitives, the Barbuda issues were the subject of a special printing from Plate 10. On some of the
values the shades differ markedly from the Leeward Islands stamps that were also printed from Plate 10 but
on different dates.
The exhibit contains imperforate pairs of the complete set of ten denominations
to 5s and also a set of specimens in pairs. There are examples of the three
recorded watermark varieties, one known plate variety on the 3d and a usage
on cover. Alongside their own stamps, Antigua and Leeward Islands stamps
were eligible for use in Barbuda, and examples are shown, together with official
paid and censor usages.
Five shillings imperf pair.
BARBUDA
from the collection of Charles Freeland, FRPSL
Early letter to London, part of the Codrington Correspondence.
Barbuda is a flat coral island situated north east of Antigua, whose main claim to fame over the centuries is
that its lethal reef claimed many maritime scalps. It is a dependency of Antigua, where its administration is
based. Its philatelic history is brief; in the 18th and 19th centuries it hosted a sugar plantation owned by the
Codrington family and letters originating from there have survived. In 1922 there was a single short lived
stamp issue consisting of Leeward Islands King George V definitives overprinted ‘BARBUDA’. Forty-five years
ago the island discovered the financial possibilities from marketing colourful thematic stamps and produced
a plethora of ‘wallpaper’ … no more need be said.
The exhibit contains two of five early letters recorded in Robson Lowe’s Codrington Correspondence from
Dennis Reynolds, the manager of the Barbuda estate for the Codrington family. Both are dated in late 1783.
The first is the finest example of the rare Antigua straightline Type PD3 (numbered DR98 by Lowe), while the
second is the only recorded usage of the RL Type PD4 with sloping letters (DR99). A few covers from Barbuda
are also known bearing the Antigua fleuron marks from the period 1810 – 1830.
The 1922 overprints are interesting because although the overprints were applied on the regular Leeward
Islands definitives, the Barbuda issues were the subject of a special printing from Plate 10. On some of the
values the shades differ markedly from the Leeward Islands stamps that were also printed from Plate 10 but
on different dates.
The exhibit contains imperforate pairs of the complete set of ten denominations
to 5s and also a set of specimens in pairs. There are examples of the three
recorded watermark varieties, one known plate variety on the 3d and a usage
on cover. Alongside their own stamps, Antigua and Leeward Islands stamps
were eligible for use in Barbuda, and examples are shown, together with official
paid and censor usages.
Five shillings imperf pair.
