Page 143 - Sierra Leone to 1961 - The Collection
P. 143
The George V Keyplate 1912 to 1931
Keyplates Die I and Die II
A total of 29 keyplates were made by De La Rue for the George V colonial stamps; 13 were from Die I and 16 from
Die II. Of these, nine from each die were used for Sierra Leone printings. The most significant difference between
the two dies is the presence of an extra bud on the outside spiral in each bottom corner on Die I.
. . . .
Die I
Plates 1a, 1b, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9
were used for Sierra Leone
. . . .
Die II
Plates 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20
& 21 were used for Sierra Leone
Keyplate Number 1
The first two George V keyplates were made in February and May 1912, both numbered 1. These have
become known as Plate 1a and 1b. Plate 1a originally had in both top and bottom margins, but the lower
numbers were removed in June 1912. Plate 1b had numbers in the bottom margin only.
. .
Plate 1a: Rounded Corners Plate 1b: Square Corners
