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BERMUDA 1848-1901

Return To Catalogue - Bermuda 1902-1920

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 catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase it.

1848 Perot issue

In 1848 the a stamp of the Bermuda Islands appeared with inscription "HAMILTON BERMUDA" and the signature of the postmaster W.B. Perot. It was made out of a cancelling device (with the month and day). These stamps are very rare, only 11 examples seems to have survived (image reproduced with permission from: http://www.sandafayre.com). The date in the center changed each year. This stamp also exists with the text in black. Dangerous forgeries exist. A picture of a black stamp can be found at: http://www.gnomevillage.com/Magic/StampPlayingCards4.asp?CardID=42.
In 1984 a Bermuda Perot stamp was sold for 33, 000 pounds sterling in London, another one was sold for US$92,000 in New York. The last stamp to be offered in 1986 was sold for US$135,000. It seems that Queen Elizabeth II posesses several of these stamps. Another website concerning these stamps: http://www.bermuda4u.com/Attractions/bermuda_attractions_perot_post_office.html.

A nice site with the history of these stamps can be found at: http://www.gnomevillage.com/gnews/StampNews/Bermuda.asp.

Forgeries:


Some recent Peter Winter forgeries

Peter Winter made forgeries of both stamps (one with a red inscription and date 1854 and one with a black inscription and date 1848). They are probably made from a photograph, the same spots and defects occur in the same location in every forgery.


Other forgery


Another forgery, more resembling a red seal, apparently made in India.

 

 

1865 Queen Victoria, various frames

1/2 p brown 2 p blue 2 p blue 2 p brown 3 p grey 3 p orange 6 p unused 4 p orange 6 p lilac 1 Sh brown

  1/2 p brown (1880)
  1/2 p green (1892)
  1 p red
  2 p blue
  2 p brown (1893)
  2 1/2 p blue (1884)
  3 p orange
  3 p grey (1886)
  4 p red (1880)
  4 p orange (1904)
  6 p lilac
  1 Sh green
  1 Sh brown (1893)

Surcharged

'One Penny.' on 3 p orange 'THREE PENCE' on 1 Sh green

Image reproduced with permission from: http://www.sandafayre.com Genuine
Very rare 'THREE PENCE' on 1 p overprint, only 9 copies seem to exist (forgeries are abundant).

  'ONE FARTHING' on 1 Sh grey (1901)
  'One Penny.' on 2 p blue (1875)
  'One Penny.' on 3 p orange (1875)
  'One Penny.' on 1 Sh green (1875)
  'THREE PENCE' on 1 p red (1874)
  'THREE PENCE' on 1 Sh green (3 types, 1874)

These stamps were first issued with watermark CC Crown, later with watermark CA Crown (1884 onwards). All stamps are perforated 14, unless otherwise stated (see under value of the stamps).

The 3 types of 'THREE PENCE' on 1 Sh stamp can be distinghuished by:
1st type: letters straight
2nd type: italic letters 'P' normal
3rd type: italic letters 'P' with rounded head

These stamps were overprinted "GIBRALTAR" for use in Gibraltar.

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

watermark CC Crown, perf 14
1/2 p brown * *  
1 p red ** *  
2 p blue *** **  
3 p orange R *** also exists with perforation 14 x 12 1/2 (issued 1886)
4 p red * *  
6 p ** ** also exists with perforation 14 x 12 1/2 (issued 1903)
1 Sh green *** *** also exists with perforation 14 x 12 1/2 (issued 1893)

watermark CA Crown, perf 14
1/2 p green c c  
1 p red c c different shades of red
2 p blue ** **  
2 p brown * *  
2 1/2 p * c  
3 p grey * *  
4 p orange ** **  
1 Sh brown ** *  

Surcharged stamps
1 f on 1 Sh grey c c watermark CA Crown, variety with broken 'G' exists (*)
1 p on 2 p blue RR RR watermark CC Crown
1 p on 3 p orange R R watermark CC Crown
1 p on 1 Sh green R R watermark CC Crown
3 p on 1 p red RRR RRR watermark CC Crown
3 p on 1 Sh green RR RR watermark CC Crown (all types same value)

Cancels:

Typical numeral cancel:

3 p orange
(Numeral cancel '1', '2', and '3')

Forgeries:

Spiro forgeries

6 p lilac, forgery?

I think the above forgeries are Spiro forgeries. The easiest way to recognize them is the typical 'Spiro' cancel that does not exist on the genuine stamps (there are no letters or numbers inside the cancel in the most common Spiro cancel; however other bogus cancels were also used, such as patterns of dots). Futhermore the letters are different on the stamp itself (note for example the broader upper part of the 'P' and 'R' in the genuine 6 p stamps).


Imperforate uncancelled forgeries, all made by the same forger (Spiro as well)?

Oneglia forgeries


Oneglia forgery with different letters in 'BERMUDA', especially the 'R' has a very squeezed top part. I've also seen this forgery uncancelled and with a forged 'One Penny.' surcharge (see image next to it).


Oneglia forgeries of the 3 p, 6 p and 1 Sh values.

The forger Oneglia made engraved forgeries (also of pairs with a white space in between) of the 1 p red, 2 p blue, 3 p orange, 3 p grey, 4 p orange, 6 p lilac, 1 Sh brown and an inverted 'One Penny' on 1 Sh green. These forgeries have an impressed watermark. The cancel I've seen is usually an unclear 'HAMILTON BERMUDA MR 23 ???'. The 3 p doesn't have the central circle placed properly, it touches the octoganal in the lower left side. The 1 p, 3 p, 4 p, 6 p and 1 Sh were also used with forged "GIBRALTAR" overprints:


Oneglia forgeries with forged 'GIBRALTAR' overprint

The 1 Sh has a forged watermark.
Most likely Oneglia forgeries as well with forged surcharges.

Other forgeries:


Forgery with a "909" cancel.


Forgery with '905' cancels


Forgeries

Deceptive forgeries exist of the surcharged stamps. Example of some forged overprints (or proofs?):


Forged overprint, wrong type


(Unlisted overprint or forgery? 'THREE PENCE' on 2 p blue)

The above overprints were not issued officially, they are probably proofs, but forged overprints also exist.

A similar fake overprint of the 'THREE PENCE' on 2 p blue is listed in: 'Philatelic forgers, their lives and works' by Varro E. Tyler, it is said to be a forgery made by the forger Benjamin.

Another fantasy product:


Forged 'THREE PENCE' surcharge on genuine 2 p stamp (inverted and normal)

I've been told that the next stamps have forged overprints:


(I've been told this is a provisional overprint 'One Penny.' on two stamps; 1/2 p and 1 p pasted on a postcard)


Another postcard with this overprint, addressed to the same person in Erfurt (Germany), 'Adolph Bauer', but received in the next year. Why was it necessary to overprint a 1 p stamp with 'One Penny'? Apparently this 'Herr Bauer' was doing other philatelic things at the time: see http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/upufirst.html; he also was involved in sending a philatelic cover all over the world. On the mentioned website a cover can be seen send from London to San Francisco, Honolulu, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Alexandria to Erfurt. So I presume that the above overprint also has some philatelic intent. My 19th century Senf catalogue does list this postcard as very rare (RRR).

 

For issues of Bermuda from 1902 to 1920 click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer