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BARBADOS 1852-1891

Return To Catalogue - Barbados 1905-1920 and miscellaneous

Currency: 4 farthings = 1 penny; 12 pence = 1 Shilling; 20 Shillings = 1 Pound

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: .

Barbados is a small flat coral island in the Caribbean (size about 20x20 km, situated northeast of Venezuela). It was settled by Great Britain in 1627 and gained independance in 1966.

1852 Sitting Brittania, no value indicated

Imperforated
  (1/2 p) green
  (1 p) blue
  (4 p) red

Perforated

  (1/2 p) green (1860)
  (1 p) blue (1860)
  (4 p) red (1861)

These stamps had no value-indication. Similar stamps were issued in Trinidad.

For the specialist: these stamps were first issued in 1852 on bluish paper (imperforate and no watermark); the values 1/2 p and 1 p were re-issued in 1857 on white paper (imperforate and no watermark). All three stamps were issued perforated in 1861 (still no watermark). The watermark 'large star' was introduced in 1870 for all three values (stamps are perforated). This watermark was changed to 'small star' in 1971 (perforated). Many different perforations exist for these stamps.

 

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
No watermark, imperforate
(1/2 p) green	RRR	RRR	blue paper
(1/2 p) green	RR	RR	white paper
(1 p) blue	R	R	blue paper
(1 p) blue	R	R	white paper
(4 p) red	RR	RR	blue paper
No watermark, perforated
(1/2 p) green	R	R
(1 p) blue	RR	***
(4 p) red	RR	RR
Watermark 'large star', perforated
(1/2 p) green	RR	***
(1 p) blue	RRR	RR
(4 p) red	RRR	RR
Watermark 'small star', perforated
(1/2 p) green	RRR	RR
(1 p) blue	RR	***
(4 p) red	RRR	RR

Cancellations:

Examples

(Reduced size)

Forgeries

Example:

(Forgery)

This forgery can easily be detected by the background pattern. A coloured outline can be found all around the stamp, then a white space and then a wave-like pattern. The genuine stamps don't have this pattern. I have also seen this forgery in the colours red and blue. Similar forgeries were made for Trinidad (in many colours) and Mauritius:

(Barbados forgery next to similar forgeries of Trinidad and Mauritius made by the same forger)

Another forgery:

The above forgery has different borders from the genuine stamps. Also the lettering is slightly different. I don't think the cancel on this stamp was ever used in Barbados.

(And some nother forgeries, there should be an white outline around the hair, which is absent in the above forgeries)

(Other forgery, image obtained from Bill Claghorn's forgery site)

I have seen other forgeries of the blue and green stamps (sorry, no pictures available yet).

(A forgery in the wrong colour: black! Image obtained from Bill Claghorn's forgery site: http://members.tripod.com/claghorn1p/Barbados/)

In the Fournier Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries, the following cancel can be found:

(Reduced size)

I don't know where this cancel 'BARBADOS 1 JY 7 59' was used for.

1858 Brittania sitting, with value

Imperforated

  6 p red
  1 Sh black

Perforated

  1/2 p green (1874)
  1 p blue (1874)
  3 p lilac to violet (1873)
  4 p red (1875)
  6 p red to brown (1861)
  6 p orange to yellow (1870)
  1 Sh black (1863)
  1 Sh violet (1875)

For the specialist: The first stamps with value indication in this type were issued in 1858 (the 6 p red and 1 Sh black); they were imperforated and had no watermark. In 1861 the same two values were re-issued with perforation (but no watermark). All later stamps were perforated. In 1870 the 6 p red and 1 Sh black were issued on watermarked paper ('large star'). In 1871 the same two values together with the 3 p were issued on paper with watermark 'small star'. In 1874 the values 1/2 p green and 1 p blue were issued (on paper with watermark 'large star'). In 1875 a whole set was issued on paper with watermark 'CC crown' (1/2 p, 1 p, 3 p, 4 p, 6 p orange and 1 Sh violet). Of this last set two different perforations exist: 12 1/2 and 14.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
No watermark, imperforate
6 p red	RRR	RRR
1 Sh black	RRR	RR
No watermark, perforated
6 p red	RR	R	two colour shades exist
1 Sh black	RR	R
Watermark 'large star'
1/2 p green	RR	R
1 p blue	RR	R
6 p red	RRR	RR
1 Sh black	RRR	R
Watermark 'small star'
3 p lilac	RR	RR
6 p red	RRR	RR
1 Sh black	RR	R
Watermark 'CC crown'
1/2 p green	***	***
1 p blue	RR	**
3 p violet	RR	RR
4 p red	RR	***
6 p orange	RRR	RR
6 p yellow	RR	***
1 Sh violet	RR	***

Cancels:

Typical cancels:

(Reduced sizes)

The numeral cancels (parish postmarks?) correspond to the following towns:
1 : St. Michael
2 : Christ Church
3 : St. Philip
4 : St. George
5 : St. John
6 : St. Joseph
7 : St. James
8 : St. Thomas
9 : St. Andrew
10 : St. Peter
11 : St. Lucy

Similar stamps were issued in Trinidad.

Reprint:

(Reprint in blue with no value inscription)

I've been told that the above reprint is made from the original die impression and made in 1919. It has no value inscription. The reprint is a printed in a brilliant deep blue shade, on thick wove paper and has no watermark.

Forgeries:

I have seen some forgeries of the 6 p value, example:

(Forgeries)

The style of the lettering is different from the genuine stamps in the above forgeries.

(And another forgery of the 1 Sh stamp)

1873 Brittania, large size

  5 Sh red

Bisected, value cut off and overprinted (1878)

  '1d' on 5 Sh red

For the specialist: This stamp has watermark 'small star' and is perforated 15 1/2. The centering is often very bad.

The surcharge exists in three types:
type 1: '1' 7 mm high, 'D' 2 3/4 mm high (serif of '1' straight)
type 2: '1' 7 mm high, 'D' 2 3/4 mm high (serif of '1' slanting)
type 3: '1' 6 mm high, 'D' 2 1/2 mm high

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
5 Sh	RRR	RR
1 p on 5 Sh	RRR	RRR

Forgery:

The above forgery is done very clumsily.

1882 Queen Victoria

  1/2 p green
  1 p red
  2 1/2 p blue
  3 p lilac
  4 p grey
  4 p brown
  6 p brown
  1 Sh orange
  5 Sh yellow

Surcharged

  'HALF-PENNY' on 4 p brown

For the specialist: these stamps have a watermark 'CA crown'.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1/2 p	*	*
1 p	***	*
2 1/2 p	***	**
3 p	***	***
4 p grey	RR	***
4 p brown	***	**
6 p	R	R
1 Sh	R	R
5 Sh	RR	RR
1/2 p on 1 p	*	*

The forger Sperati seems to have made a forgery of the 5 Sh stamp. I have no further information concerning this forgery (if you have information, please contact me!):

5 Sh blackprint from Sperati's original negative

For issues of Barbados of 1892-1920 and miscellaneous click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer

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