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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

GRENADA 1861-1897

Return To Catalogue - Issues from 1898-1920 and miscellaneous - Grenada Miscellaneous

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Before Grenada issued its own stamps, the stamps of Great Britain were used with cancel "A15".

(Example of a letter with two 1 p and one 4 p Great Britain stamps with cancel "A15", reduced size, image obtained from a Shreves auction)

1861 Queen Victoria in an ellipse

  1 p green
  6 p red

This issue is known as the 'Chalon head issue' (after the designer Chalon). For the specialist, this issue exist without watermark (1861) and with watermark star (1863, small or large). Many different colour shades exists of these stamps.

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

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

Forgeries, examples:

In these forgeries, the Queen has a dot on her forehead. Also note the very white spot on the right hand side of the crown. They might have been made by the same forger as the forgery of Bahamas and Natal shown last. I think none of the above cancels were ever used in Grenada. For example the numeral cancel "853"?

Here the same(?) forgery with a cancel "30" in a tiny lozenge, surrounded by a barred oval. Next to it forgeries of Tasmania, Newfoundland and Bahamas with the same cancel.

Very primitive forgery with broad upper part of the "P" of "PENCE"

I have also seen a Spiro forgery of this issue (at least the 1 p green exists), it is described in Album Weeds. Sorry, no picture available yet.

A more sophisticated forgery (the lettering is different from the genuine stamp, for example the "S" of "SIX" or the "P" of "PENNY")

These forgeries seem (always?) to be cancelled with this bar cancel. Next to it, two forgeries of the Bahamas, Natal and Queensland made by the same forger. I've been told that they were Fournier products (which I doubt) or Behrmann forgeries.

1875 Queen Victoria in a circle, overprint "POSTAGE" and value in black or blue

  1/2 p lilac and black 
  2 1/2 p red and black 
  4 p blue and black 
  1 Sh lilac and blue (overprinted "POSTAGE" and value in blue)

These stamps have watermark 'Star' and perforation 14.

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

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

Error "SHLLIING" instead of "SHILLING":

("SHLLIING" error, certified genuine: RRR)

1883 Fiscal stamps overprinted

  'POSTAGE' on 1 p orange and green (large 'POSTAGE', 1883)
  'POSTAGE' on 1 p orange and green (bisected, surcharged obliquely) (1883)
  'd.1 POSTAGE' on 1 1/2 p orange and green (1886)
  'd.1 POSTAGE' on 4 p orange and green (1886)
  'd.1 POSTAGE' on 1 Sh orange and green (1886)
  '4 d. POSTAGE' on 2 Sh orange and green (1888, 2 types)
  'HALF PENNY POSTAGE' on 2 Sh orange and green (1889)
  'POSTAGE AND REVENUE 1d.' on 2 Sh orange and green (1890)
  'POSTAGE AND REVENUE d. 1' on 2 Sh orange and green (1890)

These stamps have watermark 'Star' and perforation 14.

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

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

The original fiscal stamps:

The following values exist: 1 p, 1 1/2 p (Three half pence), 2 p, 3 p, 4 p, 6 p, 9 p, 1 Sh, 2 Sh, 5 Sh, 10 Sh, 1 Pound and the overprints 1 p on 1 1/2 p and 1 p on 2 Sh, all in the colours orange with green value inscription. They are sometimes used postally, however this was not authorised officially. See also https://www.revrevd.com/grenada.html A forged 3 Pounds, 10 Shillings value exist by adding the words "THREE POUNDS" to a 10 Sh stamp.

Miscellaneous: unseparated stamps of the "POSTAGE" on 1/2 p orange exist, they are sometimes used as 1 p stamps (very rare):

I have also seen fiscal stamps with handwritten overprint "Postage", example:

Forgeries:

Jeffreys forgery, front and backside, 'proof'. Note the forged 'Star' watermark which can clearly be seen from the back.

A Jeffreys forgery of the 'TWO POUNDS' overprint, the cancel is a forged "A GRENADA AU 29 89" in a single circle.

The above stamp is a Jeffreys forgery, used in combination with forged overprints. Note the appearance of parts of adjoining stamps. Jeffreys forged the basic fiscal stamp to which he also applied forged 1/2 p, 2 1/2 p, 4 p and 1 Sh overprints. In addition to this he made some bogus 1 Pound, 2 Pounds and 5 Pounds fiscal overprints. These forgeries were made around 1885 to 1890. More information about these forgeries can be found at: http://www.bwisc.org/50_bulletins/b137_198806/b137_198806.pdf. The 4 p forgery exists with forged cancels with dates "MR22", "AU26" or "JU19". The 1 Pound forgery exists with '27NO' forged cancel and the 5 Pounds with "JU26" or "JU28" forged cancels.

Many forgeries exist with the fiscal postmark erased (usually a pencancel) and then a new (forged) postal cancel applied to it, possibly further 'enhanced' by applying some forged overprints. This is an area for the expert, however, sometimes the erased fiscal postmark is still clearly visible. Especially the forged postmark "GRENADA A MA 12 84" seems to occur quite often.

Forged cancel "GRENADA A MA 12 84"

(Forged 'POSTAGE' overprint on a genuine stamp)

Other forgery, the erased fiscal pencancel is still visible.

The forger Raoul de Thuin forged the "POSTAGE" overprint on the 1 p fiscal stamp (two overprints on unbisected stamps?); the overprint does not have any serifs and can thus be recognized. He also forged "A15" cancels as well as a circular "GRENADA JA 23 83" cancel (with the '2' not very clearly visible). More info and images: "The Yucatan Affair: The Work Of Raoul Ch. de Thuin, Philatelic Counterfeiter", compiled by a specialist editorial staff, an American Philatelic Society handbook. issued in 1974.

Other forged overprint with forged "ST.DAVID'S JY 25 GRENADA 90" cancel (image obtained from Tim Pearce); the date is fixed. This looks very similar to the forged cancel on the Brussels forgeries of the King Edward VII 1902 5 and 10 shilling forgeries. Could this forgery also have been made by the forger Smeets? The uncancelled stamp (but with manuscript fiscal cancel!) might be from the same source.

I've seen some stamps with "SPECIMEN" overprints. I'm not sure what is the status of these stamps.

Other dubious items. Some of them still with the fiscal manual cancel clearly visible.

1883 Queen Victoria "GRENADA POSTAGE"

  1/2 p green
  1 p red
  2 1/2 p blue
  4 p grey
  6 p lilac
  8 p brown
  1 Sh violet

These stamps have watermark 'CA Crown' and perforation 14.

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

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

Surcharged

  'POSTAGE AND REVENUE 1d.' on 8 p brown (1890)
  '2 1/2 d.' on 8 p brown

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

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

These stamps were printed in rows that are tete-beche (if we look at two stamps one above another, one is inverted as in the picture of the 1 p on 8 p).This also means that the watermark on one of these stamps is inverted.

Overprinted "SURCHARGE POSTAGE" and value to be used as postage due stamps:

(Reduced sizes)

  '1 d.' on 6 p lilac
  '1 d.' on 8 p brown
  '2 d.' on 6 p lilac
  '2 d.' on 8 p brown

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

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

Forgeries, examples (note "2 1/2 PENNY" instead of "2 1/2 PENCE"!):

(Reduced sizes)

Fiscal stamps in the same design exist with inscription "GRENADA REVENUE" (1884):

The following values exist: 1 p lilac and red, 2 p lilac and blue, 3 p lilac and green, 4 p lilac and black, 6 p lilac, 9 p lilac and brown, 1 Sh green and red, 2 Sh green and blue, 5 Sh green and black, 10 Sh green and brown and 1 Pound green and orange. Half of these stamps were printed upside down, so tete-beche stamps and stamps with inverted watermark (CA crown) can be found.

1887 Queen Victoria "GRENADA POSTAGE & REVENUE"

  1 p red

These stamps have watermark 'CA Crown' and perforation 14. As in the previous issue, this stamp was printed in rows that are tete-beche.

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

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

1895 Queen Victoria, inscription "POSTAGE REVENUE"

  1/2 p lilac and green
  1 p lilac and red
  2 p lilac and brown
  2 1/2 p lilac and blue
  3 p lilac and orange
  6 p lilac and green
  8 p lilac and black
  1 Sh green and orange

For the specialist: this issue has the 'Crown CA' watermark and perforation 14:

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

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

For issues from 1898 to 1920 and miscellaneous click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer