Blocks, Strips & Multiples..

I bought these ops.-surcharges probably thinking they might be worth money - they're not unfortunately, and I doubt if they'd now, combined, run to buying a cup of coffee. Being a bit dim, I would never have called such ops. 'surcharges', but am sure that's how they're described correctly, even though they reduce the value from 8c. down to 1c. - I tend to think of a surcharge as increasing the value, not reducing it.
I could be very wrong, but think the essence of the reason as to why there appears to have been an excessive amount of surcharged low value 'Straits Settlements' stamps in the last couple of decades of the C19 may well have been due to a shortage of genuine low value issues.
Shortages of some commonplace stamps caused higher values to be surcharged, as with these 1c. on 8c. issues, and it's likely that the late arrival, by ship from England, caused this situation. This predicament arose at various times virtually until the end of QV's reign, apparently.
Of course, I could be off the wall with all this - so will appreciate the thoughts of others, please.

The 1c. on 8c. orange looks to be SG 91 ... and the 1c. on 8c. green looks to be SG 93 (which is slightly more interesting in view of the odd broken letters of the surcharge) - both stamps here were issued 1892.

The history of this part of the globe is o.k. if you're a masochist - East India Company 1837 - then Indian stamps from c.1854 - then Burma stamps from 1861 - then a Crown Colony from c. 1867 etc.

P.S.  just realized looking at the broken/missing black surcharge letters  -  do those white  spots  look like  perf. dots  that may have prevented ink placement ??


paul1 the white dots certainly look like "swarf" from the perforations.

An Oz  strip from 1988 I think - SG 1105 - 09 - post mark  is 'Gold  Coast Mail  Centre 4217', which believe is Crombie Ave., Bundle QLD  -  with stamp title of 'The First Fleet'.              There seem to be several different designs of these groups of stamps commemorating the bicentenary of the U.K.'s  first visit down under.
Queensland's Gold  Coast remains so named,  although the other one in Africa, equally patronized by the British, did  gain independence and is now Ghana  -  Brits.  have  a  habit of turning up  wherever there's gold.  

Hi drblade - that wasn't my interpretation of the 'kindly' comment from Peadar Ruadh - George VI suffered badly from his stammer - which eventually became much less pronounced, though this apparently led to much frustration in his earlier days as monarch. Have to say I wasn't aware of his hostility toward GB during and after WW II. What in particular was he guilty of, do you know?

Aren't those missing stamps from position #67?