Home Catalogue index Volume 1 index Volume 2 index

Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

CEYLON Miscellaneous

Return To Catalogue - Ceylon 1857-1867 - Ceylon 1868-1902 - Ceylon 1903-1920 - Ceylon fiscal stamps

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.

Telegraph stamps

1881 Telegraph stamps of India overprinted "CEYLON"

  2 a red
  4 a blue
  8 a brown
  1 R grey
  2 R 8 a orange
  5 R brown
  10 R green
  25 R lilac
  50 R red

As for the telegraph stamps of India, used stamps are always cut into two.

1882 Inscription "GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON TELEGRAPH", Queen Victoria, various frames

  12 c green
  25 c green
  50 c blue
  1 R brown
  2 R 50 brown (?)
  5 R orange
  10 R lilac
  25 R red
  50 R violet

Surcharged

(Reduced sizes)

  12 c on 25 c green
  12 c on 50 c blue
  '20 cents' on 25 c green
  '20' on 50 c blue (2 types?)
  20 on 1 R brown
  25 on 50 c blue
  25 on 1 R brown
  25 on 50 R violet
  40 on 50 c blue
  40 on 1 R brown
  40 on 2 R 50 brown (?)
  60 on 1 R brown
  60 on 2 R 50 brown (?)
  60 on 50 R violet
  80 on 1 R brown (2 types)
  '80 cents' on 2 R 50 grey
  80 on 10 R lilac
  80 on 25 R red (2 types?)
  80 on 50 R violet
  5 R on 25 R red
  5 R on 50 R violet
  

As for the telegraph stamps of India, used stamps are always cut into two.

1884 Fiscal stamp overprinted "TELEGRAPH"

  25 c lilac

1892-1903 Inscription "TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT"

  5 c violet
  10 c yellow
  20 c green
  40 c blue
  60 c brown
  80 c green

1903 King Edward, inscription "GOVERNMENT of CEYLON TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT"

  5 c lilac and blue
  10 c grey and yellow
  12 c yellow and green
  20 c brown and violet
  25 c green
  40 c lilac and brown
  50 c blue and red
  60 c green and brown
  75 c blue and dark blue
  1 R brown
  2 R 50 c grey and yellow
  5 R orange and red
  10 R lilac and green
  25 R lilac and red
  50 R lilac and blue

Surcharged (1910)
  "CENTS TWENTY" on 12 c
  "CENTS TWENTY" on 25 c
  40 c on 12 c
  40 c on 1 R
  60 c on 12 c
  5 R on 12 c
  5 R on 1 R
  10 R on 12 c 

Official stamps

In 1871 stamps with Queen Victoria, overprinted "SERVICE" were prepared. However, they were never put into use.

The values 2p yellow, 6 p brown (red overprint), 8 p brown, 1 Sh violet, 2 Sh blue and 1 p blue and 3 p red of the 1868 were prepared.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

The picture below is probably a forgery of this overprint (it is inverted!).

1895 Queen Victoria stamps overprinted "On Service"

  2 c green
  2 c orange
  3 c orange and green
  3 c green
  5 c lilac
  15 c olive
  15 c blue
  25 c brown
  30 c violet and orange
  75 c black and orange (overprint red)
  1 R 12 c red

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1903 King Edward stamps overprinted "On Service"

(Reduced size)

  2 c orange
  3 c green
  5 c lilac
  15 c blue
  25 c brown
  30 c violet and green

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

The 2 c, 3 c, 5 c and 15 c were forged by the forger Fournier. I presume he applied a forged overprint 'On Service' to genuine stamps. He offers them for 2 Swiss Francs in his Fournier Pricelist of 1914.

Forged overprints made by the forger Fournier, reduced sizes, images obtained from a 'Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'. Among them a forged "On Service" overprint.

I know that the forger Harold Treherne has also made forged "On Service" overprints. I don't know if he forged this issue or the previous issue (or both?).

From 1 October 1903 onwards official stamps were no longer used in Ceylon.

Postal Stationery

ENVELOPES

1858 Queen Victoria, different designs

(Reduced sizes)

  1 p blue
  2 p green
  4 p red
  5 p brown
  6 p violet
  8 p brown
  9 p violet
  10 p red (1867)
  1 Sh yellow
  1 Sh 9 p green
  2 Sh blue

A forgery of the 2 p green is described in the book 'Album Weeds'.

1872 Queen Victoria, value in 'Cents'

(Reduced size)

  4 c blue (circle)
  4 c blue (square)
  5 c blue (1887)
  10 c red (1893)
  12 c red
  15 c red (1889)

Surcharged

'2' on 5 c 'District Letter Envelope'

'FIVE CENTS' on 4 c, reduced sizes

'FIVE CENTS' on 4 c

  '2' and bars on 5 c blue
  'FIVE CENTS' (6 types) on 4 c blue
  '5 CENTS' (4 types) on 4 c blue
  'TEN CENTS' on 12 c red
  'TEN CENTS' on 15 c red
  '10 CENTS' on 12 c red
  '10 CENTS' on 15 c red
  'FIFTEEN CENTS' (2 types) on 4 c blue
  '15 CENTS' (4 types) on 4 c blue

1895 Square stamp with Queen Victoria in circle

  5 c blue

WRAPPERS

1879 Queen Victoria

(Reduced sizes)

  2 c brown
  2 c lilac
  5 c yellow

Later issues, example:

(Cut from wrapper, reduced size)

POSTCARDS

1872 Queen Victoria, inscription "CEYLON POSTAGE"

  2 c lilac
  2 c blue (1893)
  
Surcharged
  '2 1/2 CENTS' on 2 c lilac (1884)
  '10 cents' on 2 c lilac (1884)

Overprinted 'Naples, Marseilles or Southampton'
  '8 cents' on 2 c lilac
  '12 cents' on 2 c lilac

1880 Queen Victoria, inscription "CEYLON"

  6 c blue 
  8 c brown

Surcharged
  '2 1/2 cents' on 2 c lilac
  '2 1/2 cents' on 6 c blue
  '2 1/2 cents' on 8 c brown
  '3 CENTS' on 6 c blue
  '5 cents' on 6 c blue
  '5 CENTS' on 6 c blue
  '5 cents' on 8 c brown
  '10 cents' on 6 c blue
  '10 cents' on 8 c brown

1885 Queen Victoria, new design, inscription "CEYLON POSTAGE"

  3 c lilac
  5 c blue
  5 c violet (1893)
  5 c black (1894)
  10 c brown

Surcharged
  'TWO CENTS' on 3 c lilac (1893)
  '3 CENTS' on 5 c blue
  '3' on 5 c blue
  'THREE CENTS' (black or red) on 5 c blue
  'THREE CENTS' on 10 c brown
  'THREE' on 10 c brown
  '5 CENTS' on 10 c brown

1893 Number, inscription "CEYLON POSTAGE"

(Reduced size)

  2 c blue

Later issues:

What are these (inscription 'CEYLON STAMP')?:

'CEYLON STAMP 1812'

'CEYLON STAMP 1809'

Cancels on the first issues

Mute line cancel

'A cancels'

'B cancels'

'F cancel' and 'H cancel'

Numeral cancels '42', '49' and '70' (Trincomalee)

"CAVE" and other private overprints

The next "CAVE" overprints were used by the company H.W.Cave in Colombo (source http://www.cosgb.org/ceylon.htm), and were used in several types and colors from 1884 to 1908 (CAVE perfins also exists):

The overprints seems to exist in at least two types; large in black or violet and small in violet.

Other private overprints mentioned in http://www.cosgb.org/ceylon.htm are
"AITKEN SPENCE" (violet)
"C&Co" (at least two types, violet)
"C.L.&Co." (violet)
"CARGILLS" (violet)
"CARSON & Co" (violet)
"COLOMBO CLUB" (violet)
"DELMEGE REID & CO COLOMBO" (violet in an ellipse)
"E.P.&E.C." (Eastern Products and Estate Company? violet)
"LEECHMAN" (violet)
"M.B.I" (Mercantile Bank of India, violet)
"S&Co" (violet)

"AITKEN SPENCE"

Private company overprints?

A forwarder cancel "FORWARDED BY ? VANDERST?"

Company chop "?STATES & AGENCY ? COLOMBO"

"J.M.ROBERTSON COLOMBO".

"?M SCOTT & CO ? CEYLON"

"?XR. & BINNY COLOMBO, CEYLON"

"THE MERCANTILE BANK OF INDIA LIMITED KANDY"

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer