"In 1885, the Gibraltar Legislature, following the example set by Malta in 1860, and by Cyprus in 1880, decided to print and issue its own stamps and mention has been made of this in my earlier extract from the Report of Her Majesty’s Postmaster-General of 1858 with reference to the successful outcome “of the compulsory prepayment scheme between the United Kingdom and the Australian Colonies and the extension of this system to various Crown Colonies.” So the Gibraltar legislature applied for and obtained on December 17th, 1885, the required Ordinance, No. 10 of that year, which received the assent of the Crown on the 29th of December.
The extracts from the Colonial Registers of Gibraltar in the preceding chapter set out how the various steps were taken leading to the final approval by the Crown on December 29th, 1885. The currant type of Bermuda was chosen—seven values were printed and overprinted “ Gibraltar The stamps were in sheets of 240 —four panes of sixty each, in ten horizontal rows of six. The space between the left and right-hand panes was 11J mm. and between the upper and lower panes 27 A mm. The stamps were printed from one plate for each value and it was numbered “ 1 ” uncoloured on a disc within a coloured circle ; a current number is also met with— i.e., a consecutive number of the plate as printed by Messrs. De La Rue & Co., irrespective of the value of the stamp or of country of issue. This number was in colour enclosed in a small oblong frame with engrailed corners and is found on the plates of the Id. (No. 29), the 2d. (No. 32), the 6d. (No. 30), and 1/- (No. 31)." [Duveen]
Gibraltar SG 2 One penny Bermuda overprint with number of the plate 29.
This block of 9 was sold at Spink Auction in 2010
for ?280 plus buyer's premium
"These numbers appeared in the margins of the sheets, thus : for the Halfpenny, Twopence Halfpenny and Four Pence, the plate- number above the second and eleventh stamps in the top row, and below the similar stamps in the bottom row ; and for the remaining values the plate-number above the eleventh stamp and below the second, with the current-number above the second stamp and below the eleventh.
At both the top and bottom of the sheet were two thin lines in the form of a cross, as a guide to a correct “ register ” in the perforating machine.
The Gibraltar name-plate was large enough to overprint an entire sheet at one and the same operation.
The paper used for this special printing from Bermuda’s plates was machine-made, a sheet measuring nearly 21J inches in height, by just over 11 inches in width : 240 watermarks of a Crown above “ CA ” were disposed in four panes—two and two—each of sixty in ten rows of six. Each pane was enclosed in a single-lined frame, and at the outer corners of the group of four was a small cross. The space between the left and right panes was 9J mm., and between the upper and lower ones 25J mm., the latter being watermarked “ CROWN AGENTS ” in outline, sans serif capital letters across the sheet. On the right of the sheet reading down, and on the left reading up, was “ CROWN AGENTS FOR + THE COLONIES ” in similar letters ; and at each corner of the sheet was a small cross.
As above stated, the perforation was effected by a comb machine of 14 gauge ; the space between the left and right-hand panes was perforated on each side, leaving a narrow strip imperforate save for the horizontal rows of perforation which ran right across the sheet. The wide space between the upper and lower panes was perforated similarly to the rows of stamps.
From the following comparative table of the surcharged stamps, and of those in use in 1886, in Bermuda and also later issues in this Colony, it will be seen that three values in Gibraltar’s provisional issue were printed in different colours ; this may have been by choice or with the object of preventing forgeries.
These stamps are most interesting to all students of philately, and the table which follows, tabulates the contemporary issue of Bermuda, the issue of Gibraltar overprints, and the later issue of Bermuda in 1892-3 in the same design. Another curious fact anent this issue, is as to the reason of the choice of Bermuda stamps for the overprinting, in view of the fact that the Colonies in question are not adjacent.
Green, as the colour of the Halfpenny value, had been adopted in some Colonies for several years ; and the same colour for the One Shilling had been gradually going out of use for nearly as long. The use of the new colours for Bermuda’s stamps surely indicates nothing more than an intelligent anticipation on the part of the printers.
As to the Two Pence, both that and the Twopence Halfpenny were in “ blue ” and so continued for several years, and it would have been foolish to perpetuate the disadvantages of having two values in practically the same colour.
Out of deference to “ Gibbons,” I have given the colour of the One Shilling as “yellow-brown”—a better description would seem to be “ dull brown,” especially in comparison with the subsequent “ brown ” of Bermuda’s One Shilling. In the Collection of His Majesty the King there is a block of six of the One Shilling in mint condition, and is the only block of this value which I have ever seen.
As to forgeries, it can be seen from the above comparative table that the Two Pence has never existed in exactly the same shade, with and without the overprint, and it is therefore phila- telically immune from imitation; the Halfpenny, One Penny and Twopence Halfpenny were never worth forging; and the Four Pence and Six Pence are easy to detect, as all known forged overprints are on “ CC ” paper, not “ CA.” In the case of the One Shilling, the forged overprint has nearly always rough edges, and it is larger than the genuine in its overall length; forged overprints of 17 mm. in length are met with, the genuine one measures only 153/4mm." [Duveen].
6d. deep lilac, a strip of three twice cancelled with 1887 c.d.s. This rare multiple
was sold at Spink Auction in 2010 for ?350 plus buyer's premium
Sperati 1 shilling 1886 die proof in yellow-brown
on wove paper (46x67mm.), signed in pencil
Sperati "die proof" 1886 overprinted on stamps of Bermuda 1s.
in black on glazed paper (50 x 66mm), with violet
''REPRODUCTION INTERDITE'' above and signed below.
Sold at Grosvenor Auction in 2006
for ?400 plus buyer's premium
Gibraltar Postal History: 1886 Bermuda overprints
1886 (19 Jan.) envelope registered to Leeds, 2d. brown-purple and
21/2d. ultramarine each cancelled "A26", Registered d.s. at left,
London Registered d.s. (24.1) at foot, Leeds arrival d.s. (25.1) on reverse
This rare cover was sold at Spink Auction in 2010
for ?400 plus buyer's premium
1886 (21 Jan.) envelope registered to Paris, 1d. rose-red and 6d. deep lilac
each cancelled "A26" and showing Registered oval d.s., boxed "r/espagne"
and French T.P.O. c.d.s., the reverse with Cadiz (23.1) and Madrid (24.1) d.s.
This rare cover was sold at Spink Auction in 2010
for ?900 plus buyer's premium
1886 (25 Jan.) envelope registered to Leeds, 1d. rose-red pair and 21/2 ultramarine
with blue-black overprint each cancelled "A26" and with Registered oval d.s. alongside,
London Registered oval d.s. (2.2) at foot, Leeds arrival d.s. (3.2) on reverse.
This rare cover was sold at Spink Auction in 2010
for ?400 plus buyer's premium
1886 (9 Feb.) 2d. K size registered envelope to Berlin, uprated with 1d. rose-red (5)
and 2 1/2d. ultramarine with blue-black overprint all cancelled "A26" and with
Registered oval d.s. towards left, the reverse with Algeciras (10.2),
San Fernando (11.2), Madrid (12.2) and arrival (15.2) d.s.
This rare cover was sold at Spink Auction in 2010
for ?1100 plus buyer's premium
1886 (28 Feb.) 2d. G size registered envelope to Hamburg, 1/2d. dull green,
1d. rose-red (2) and 2 1/2d. ultramarine cancelled by two strikes of the
Registered oval d.s. and with a further strike at lower left, the reverse with
San Fernando (1.3), Madrid (2.3) and Hamburg (5.3) d.s.
This rare cover was sold at Spink Auction in 2010 for ?750 plus buyer's premium
References:
- "The Postage Stamps of Gibraltar" by Geoffrey E. Duveen, First Edition 1932, Reprint 1972.
