Bermuda: stamps

A few older goodies

  
SG 31 & 34


  
SG 38 & 42


  
SG 52b & 53


  
SG 59 & 69


  
SG 74 & 75



SG 76

A few More

  
SG 77 & 79b


  
SG 80 & 84


  
SG 88g & 92g

  
SG 94 & 96



SG 97

I have been purchasing British empire collections off ebay and I noticed that I do not see many Bermuda, Cayman Island stamps, or BVI.

10th October 1949.

Issue  commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the UPU.

A new page from my Exit Visa Revenue Collection

I published an article in the October issue of the Bermuda Post about the use of KGV and KGVI key plates to pay the Exit Tax on Ship and Air Tickets. The jest of it is that due to the costs associated with WWI, the Commonwealth was looking for all the revenues it could raise. This plan met with little resistance, and the collection of these fees extended well beyond the end of the war. In fact, it continues today, albeit without the use of stamps.

I'm just starting to get into Bermuda, and  ones pictured above make me want MORE MORE!!
Definitely a GREAT little country to collect!

Also in the Bermuda philately news, Horst Augustinovic, member of the Bermuda group just released a Beta list of ALL known Bermuda machine cancels. If you contact John Pare you can get a pdf.

They are asking for help with first and last known usages and other data before publishing with the pics.

philatelia (Terry) - you seem to LOVE those Bermuda stamps - 
I have > 100 early but not the 1sts....starts at Sc # 36.......and it would be my pleasure to send you what I have (since I do not really collect Bermuda but happened to have some) !!

Your article is great, btw !!

Your wish is my pleasure.........!! hope they fill some spaces in your collection....let me know !! I will send you my inventory and you choose Scott #s you need - that way you will not get "dups" since I know you have many !!

René
nothing in return......at least no Irelands (do not have any.....anymore)

In 1986, Bermuda issued a series of stamps depicting shipwrecks around the coast of Bermuda.  There were 17 stamps in the original set SG507-523.
From 1988 to 1990, 10 more stamps were issued with new values, surcharges, and an imprinted date.




The missing stamps were lost in the mail...probably shipwrecked off the coast of Ecuador.......

Whilst completing packets for mailing this morning I came across this once again. I had put it aside and forgot about it.
Nothing special but always nice to find a minor flaw, in this case an ink smudge.
I have added this to the packet that will be winging it's way to philatelia as an extra 'freebie' !!

From the 1922-34 series, SG#79 (Type III) Scarlet. Printed by DLR in Recess. Perf 14. Multiple Script CA Watermark. SGCat (2015) £15.

It looks to be very nice Mint Never Hinged ! 

As I mentioned previously, there are about four ways to collect King George VI stamps: The Scott Catalog, The Stanley Gibbons Catalogue, The Commonwealth Catalogue, or the actual printings. Each of these options is more complex than the previous one. Unfortunately the Commonwealth Catalogue appears to have been eliminated, so for most of us the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue is the standard that will be used. If you are interested in learning about the printings please see "King George VI Large Key Type Stamps of Bermuda - Leeward Islands - Nyasaland" by Robert Dickgiesser and Eric Yendall. That book plus the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue is the source of the details I will quote in this article.
The problem most collectors have with identifying the various color shades is that they are relying on written descriptions and don't have enough samples to actually see what is being described. Hopefully I can help resolve this problem. Enclosed is an image made from my collection of the Bermuda 2/ values as listed and described by the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue. I have written permission from them to use their descriptions in my articles, so I don't think there will be a problem illustrating how to sort these stamps. Feel free to save it to your PC if you want a ready reference for these stamps. The stamps were all scanned as one image at 600 dpi using a flatbed scanner so the colors should all be relatively true to each other, unlike a photograph of individual stamps under random lighting. I also included a scan of some of the backs so you can see the relative differences in paper and gum that exist for these stamps. These stamps were evaluated by Bob Dickgiesser when I last saw him at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1992. So I am reasonably sure about my identification of these stamps.
Sorting the stamps should involve these three steps: first identify the perforation; then notice the color of the paper; and finally determine the colors used to print the stamps. It really helps if you have a number of stamps to compare, or a reliable dealer source. The stamps were initially issued with a comb perf of 14. (13.9 x 13.8) You should use a good gauge like the Stanley Gibbons Instanta Gauge to measure the perforations. But if you don't have one, measure a 2 cm length and count the perforations. The perf 14 stamps were issued from 1938 until early 1949 for the 2/ values. Beginning in late 1949 until 1952, the stamps were perforated 13. (13.25 x 13) These stamps were also perforated using a comb perf - which cuts into the paper on three sides at one time across the row. In 1941, after German bombing damaged the De La Rue facility, a line perforator was used for one printing. These stamps measure 14.1 on all sides. There were four Bermuda stamps valued from 2/ to 10/ that were perforated using the line perf, and they are all scarce. There were limited numbers printed and they were all sent to Bermuda rather than to the Crown Agents for distribution to the dealers. So they are worth finding. You will also see that the corners tend to be a little less coordinated because this machine only cuts one line at a time. So the result is that the corners don't line up as well as the comb perf stamps. If you have an older Gibbons Catalogue, you will notice that the Line Perf stamps were not listed. They were added due to the work of Bob Dickgiesser and others who were part of the Bermuda High Group and found the many flaws as well as identified all of the printings. The result of their work is found in the book I mentioned earlier.
Once you have sorted your stamps by perforation, look at the backs of the perf 14 values. You should see one of two different papers. The early issues used a grey-blue paper, and the later ones used a paler blue paper. You might also notice the early stamps have a yellowish gum. That seems to be a result of the chemical content of the gum used at the time, but it is not universal as you can see from the attach image.
Assuming you have some 2/ stamps with the grey-blue paper, notice the center color. You will either see a deeper purple color which appears on the first printing (SG 116, CW 11) and the line perf printing (SG 116b, CW 17), or a reddish-purple color which appears on the second printing (SG 116a, not listed by CW). There are two variations of SG 116a which I will describe in my next post.
In October, 1941, the most unusual Bermuda 2/ value was printed. (SG 116c, CW 11a) It has a blue surface color that was applied which gives the stamp a mottled look. I guarantee anyone can identify it. The only other stamp I have seen that resembles it was issued during World War I for British Honduras. (SG 111-114) These stamps were overprinted with a wavy line pattern so that if they were captured during transit they could be identified and invalidated for use. I guess the same thought drove this decision, but it was not used anywhere else.
Although there were six different printings of 2/ stamps perforated 14 from 1943 until 1949, the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue only assigns one number to these stamps. (SG 116d) There is some variation in the center color, but not enough to merit a listing. The Commonwealth Catalogue lists three of the printings along with the relative dates of issue. (CW 11b, CW 11c, and CW 11d) The 1943 version is shown in the attached image, but you can go to my web page scan of the entire 2/ printings and see the remaining issues. I will attach a link in the comments sections below to the page.
The final group of stamps to identify are the Perf 13 values. There were three printings, but only two are listed by the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue. They can be identified by noticing the center colors. SG 116e (CW 21 and CW 21a) has a Dull Purple center, SG 116f (CW 21b) has a Reddish-Purple center. See my page scan if you want to see all three printings.
Hopefully this will help you identify your stamps.