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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

GREAT BRITAIN LOCAL ISSUES, part 1, DELIVERY COMPANIES

Return To Catalogue - Great Britain - Great Britain Local issues, part 2 (circular delivery companies)

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.

With thanks to David Stirling (Scotland) for his help with this page. He has put up a site to distinguish the forgeries of these stamps, see Cinderella site by David M. Stirling: http://www.geocities.com/david_m_stirling/Home.html.

More information about this area can be found in the following book: "Great Britain: The Stamps of the Circular Delivery Companies and their Forgeries", isued by the Cinderella Stamp Club, Handbook No 7, By C G Harman, London: The Cinderella Stamp Club and Frank Godden Ltd. 1990.

Other book: 'Farthing Delivery, a Right for Cheaper Postage' by Donald S. Patton, London, Lowe & Brydon (printers) Ltd.

These companies were established by James Nixon Brydone or his son Robert. They exist for nine cities of the United Kingdom. However, they were never put into use because the Post Office sued them. There are several forgeries of these stamps.

DELIVERY COMPANIES

1868 Inscription "DELIVERY COMPANY" and city arms and name: Dundee, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Birmingham, London, Metropolitan and Edinburgh & Leith

(Glasgow genuine stamps)

Genuine stamps

Proofs in black (genuine, I presume, other sources say it is a reprint made in 1929?) of all the cities and values (including zoom-ins). Note the letters 'TNDC' in the corners. The Metropolitan stamp is missing in this proof, I presume the word "LONDON" was replaced by "METROPOLITAN" to make this stamp.

According to David Stirling in his website: http://www.geocities.com/david_m_stirling/Circular.html :

"The Circular Delivery Company Limited was the last of the Brydone Companies and was formed and registered on 22 February, 1868. New stamps were prepared for the seven cities which had previosly had stamps, and two new cities. The stamps were printed in sheets of 81 (9X9) having nine rows of stamps, each row being for a different city. There were four values only, farthing, green, halfpenny, blue, three farthings, brown, and one penny, pale scarlet. A vertical column from each sheet of values would thus produce a complete set of the four values from all nine cities. The Cities, in their oder in the sheet, were Dundee, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Birmingham, London, Metropolitan and Edinburgh & Leith. Only one printing was made of these stamps, though they were later extensively forged, indeed the first forgery was noted by Dr Magnus in "Le Timbrophile" in October, 1868.
Following prosecution against them, the Circular Delivery Company Limited went out of business on 2 June, 1869
The original stamps had the lettrers T N D and C inserted into the four corners of the design. There is no evidence available to show that these stamps ever saw actual usage, and it is more likely that they were produced for sale to collectors, which is exactly what happened. They are not uncommon, although they are far outnumbered by supplies of some of the forgery types. Copies with a blue pencil line across them are from the Licoln stock, he being under the impression that it was illegal to sell them unused.
The first forgery appeared in 1868 and is dangerous as it also has the letters in the corners. It is only known in imperforate condition."

So the only genuine stamps can be: 1 f green, 1/2 p blue, 3 f brown and 1 p red (scarlet). David also gives a table to distinguish the most dangerous first forgeries from the genuine stamps:

I have never seen any of the above forgeries....

David Stirling further says:

The genuine stamps are also encountered in imperforate condition but can be distinguished using the above tests. The other forgeries of the Circular Delivery Company Limited's stamps do not contain the letters TNDC. The producers also created additional values above 1d. These are, of course, totally bogus.

The second forgery of these stamps has been attributed by an early source to Edwin Healy. These are nicely printed by lithography, in the same sheet formation as the genuine, but lack the letters TNDC in the corners. There are six values for each of the nine locations.
Farthing green, halfpenny blue, three farthings buff, one penny vermillion, three pence yellow and six pence carmine. The last two values are totally bogus. The distance between the horizontal rows of stamps is 2.5 mm. and this is less than the succeeding forgeries. The colours are generally bright, unlike the third forgery, where they are rather flat. This forgery is perforated 11.5.

Third forgery?:

The "G" of "GLASGOW" is too rounded and the bird on the tree too prominent.

The "P" of "LIVERPOOL" has a very flat top part.

The sword in the arms is almost touching the upper part of the shield in this forgery type.

The sword in the arms is almost touching the upper part of the shield in this forgery type (as in the London type).

The "Y" of "DELIVERY" and the "C" of "COMPANY" are not slanting enough in these forgeries.

The stamp forger Fournier also sold these forgeries. Here some examples from the Fournier Album with "FAUX" overprint.

Here some forgeries and forged overprints made by the forger Fournier. Among them a London delivery company stamp.

Aberdeen

I presume that all the other values I've seen (listed below) are forgeries.

  1 f lilac
  1/2 p blue 'ONE HALFPENNY'
  1/2 p blue 'HALF PENNY'
  1 p blue
  1 p green
  2 p brown
  3 p lilac
  3 p yellow
  4 p red
  6 p red

Birmingham

  1 f green
  1 p blue
  1 p green
  2 p brown
  3 p lilac
  3 p yellow
  6 p red

Dundee

(Forgery)

  1 f green
  3 f orange
  1/2 p blue

Edinburgh Leith

The following values are probably bogus issues?

Edinburgh-Leith
  1/2 p green
  1/2 p blue
  1 p green
  2 p brown
  3 p lilac
  3 p yellow
  6 p red

Glasgow

  1/2 p blue
  1 p blue
  1 p green
  2 p brown
  3 p lilac
  3 p yellow
  6 p red

Liverpool

(Probably a forgery)

(Forgery!)

London

  1 f blue
  1/2 p blue
  1 p green
  1 p red
  2 p brown
  3 p lilac
  3 p yellow

Manchester

(Forgery!)

  3 f brown
  1/2 p blue
  1 p blue

Metropolitan

  1 f green
  1/2 p blue
  1 p blue
  1 p green
  2 p brown
  3 p lilac
  3 p yellow

National

Apparently this stamp exists in the colors, green, blue, orange and red.

Clearly different from the stamp above, compare for example the "N" of "NATIONAL" or the "D" of "DELIVERY". The shading of the upper part of the ribbon is missing. This is most likely a forgery.

I presume that this issue is totally bogus?

Great Britain Local issues part 2 (circular delivery companies)

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer