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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

SIERRA LEONE 1896 onwards

Return To Catalogue - Sierra Leone 1862-1895

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.

For issues of Sierra Leone previous to 1896, click here.

1896 Queen Victoria, inscription "POSTAGE & REVENUE"

  1/2 p lilac and green
  1 p lilac and red
  1 1/2 p lilac and black
  2 p lilac and orange
  2 1/2 p lilac and blue
  3 p lilac and grey
  4 p lilac and red
  5 p lilac and black
  6 p lilac and dark lilac
  1 Sh green and black
  2 Sh green and blue
  5 Sh green and red
  1 Pound lilac on red

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

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

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

The higher valued stamps are mainly used for fiscal purposes, examples:

The stamps with high facial value often have the fiscal cancel removed and a postal one applied to it.

1897 Fiscal stamps with Queen Victoria, overprinted "POSTAGE AND REVENUE"

  1 p lilac and green
  '2 1/2 d.' on 3 p lilac and green
  '2 1/2 d.' on 6 p lilac and green
  '2 1/2 d.' on 1 Sh lilac
  '2 1/2 d.' on 2 Sh lilac

For the specialist: six types of the overprint '2 1/2 d.' exist (look at the different '2'):

Images obtained with permission from http://pages.sbcglobal.net/radgetters/ made by Weldon Padgett

These overprints exist side by side:

(Reduced size)

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

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

1903 King Edward VII

  1/2 p lilac and green
  1/2 p green
  1 p lilac and red
  1 p red
  1 1/2 p lilac and black
  1 1/2 p orange
  2 p lilac and orange
  2 p grey
  2 1/2 p lilac and blue
  2 1/2 p blue
  3 p lilac and grey
  3 p lilac on yellow
  4 p lilac and red
  4 p black and red on yellow
  5 p lilac and black
  5 p lilac and green
  6 p lilac
  6 p lilac and violet
  6 p lilac and red
  1 Sh green and black
  1 Sh black on green
  2 Sh green and blue
  2 Sh violet and blue on blue
  5 Sh green and red
  5 Sh green and red on yellow
  1 Pound lilac on red
  1 Pound violet and black on red

These stamps have perforation 14.

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

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

Fiscally used.

Forgeries exist, example:

Some forgeries of the 5 Sh, the red part of the stamps is slanting! They all have a ".EMOTO." cancel. It looks like the value of a cheaper value was erased.

Another dangerous forgery:

First image obtained from a Sandafayre auction. Note the badly done bottom left corners

The first forgery shown above is printed on genuine watermarked paper. This could be a Smeets forgery, made from a genuine 2 c British Honduras stamp (last image) with the design erased. The next forgeries, one with cancel "FREETOWN A MR 18 04 SIERRA LEONE", might be from the same source.

High value stamps often have the fiscal cancel removed and a postal one applied to it.

1912 King George V

  1/2 p green
  1 p red
  1 p violet (1923)
  1 1/2 p orange
  1 1/2 p red (1923)
  2 p grey
  2 1/2 p blue
  3 p blue (1923)
  4 p black and red on yellow
  5 p lilac and olive
  6 p lilac and red
  7 p lilac and orange
  9 p lilac and black
  10 p lilac and red

These stamps have perforation 14.

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

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

Larger size

  3 p lilac on yellow
  1 Sh grey and black on green
  2 Sh lilac and blue on blue
  5 Sh green and red on yellow
  10 Sh green and red on green
  1 Pound lilac and black on red
  2 Pounds lilac and blue
  5 Pounds green and yellow

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

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

High value stamps often have the fiscal cancel removed and a forged postal cancel applied to it.

1932 New design with King George V (all same design, trees and landscape)

1/2 p green, 1 p violet, 1 1/2 p red, 2 p brown, 3 p blue, 4 p orange, 5 p olive, 6 p blue and 1 Sh red.

1932 New design with King George V, higher values (trees and mountains)

2 Sh brown, 5 Sh blue, 10 Sh green, 1 Pound violet.

1933 Various designs, inscription "1833 1933", commemorating the 100 years death of slavery abolition fighter William Wilberforce

  1/2 p green (arms of Sierra Leone)
  1 p brown and black (slavery abolition)
  1 1/2 p red (map of Sierra Leone)
  2 p lilac (tree in Freetown)
  3 p blue (woman with fruit basket on her head)
  4 p brown brown (nurses)
  5 p red and green (boat)
  6 p orange and black (fishermen)
  1 Sh violet (official buildings)
  2 Sh blue and brown (slave fort)
  5 Sh violet and black (elephant)
  10 Sh green and black (King George V)
  1 Pound orange and violet (Freetown harbor) 

1935 Silver Jubilee of King George V, inscription "1910-1935"

A 1 p brown and blue, 3 p blue and brown, 5 p grey and green and 1 Sh lilac and black were issued in a design identical to many other British colonies (Windsor castle).

1937 Inscription "12th MAY 1937" portrait of King and Queen

For stamps in the same design, but for another British colony, click here

The values 1 p orange, 2 p violet and 3 p blue were issued (design identical to that of many other British colonies).

1938 King George VI in a lozenge in the upper left corner, various designs

  1/2 p green and black
  1 p red and black
  1 1/2 p red
  1 1/2 p violet
  2 p violet
  2 p red
  3 p blue and black
  4 p brown and black
  5 p green
  6 p grey
  1 Sh green and black
  1 Sh 3 p yellow
  2 Sh brown and black
  5 Sh brown
  10 Sh green
  1 Pound blue

The design is either the view of Freetown from the harbour (1/2 p, 1 p, 3 p, 4 p, 1 Sh, 2 Sh and 1 Pound) or rice harvesting (all other values).

Due to a fault in the perforation machine some pairs with no perforation in between exists of the 1 p stamps (RRR: only 6 of such pairs exist).

1946 Victory issue, identical to sets issued in many other British colonies, inscription "8th JUNE 1946"

For stamps in a similar design, but for another British colony, click here

  1 1/2 p violet
  3 p blue

1948 Royal Silver wedding, identical to sets issued in many other British colonies, inscription "1923-1948", image of King and Queen

1 1/2 p lilac (smaller size) and 1 Pound grey.

1949 UPU issue (design similar to many other British colonies)

For stamps in a similar design, but for another British colony, click here

  1 1/2 p lilac
  3 p blue
  6 p grey
  1 Sh olive

1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, inscription "CORONATION JUNE 1953", design identical to many other British colonies

For stamps in a similar design, but for other British colonies, click here

  1 1/2 p violet and black 

1953 Queen Elizabeth II, various designs (Queen Elizabeth in a small ellipse at the left upper part of the stamp)

  1/2 p violet and black (Cape Lighthouse)
  1 p olive and black (Queen Elizabeth II quay)
  1 1/2 p blue and black (Piassava workers)
  2 p brown and black (The cotton tree, Freetown)
  3 p blue and black (rice harvesting)
  4 p blue and black (mine)
  6 p violet and black (village view)
  1 Sh red and black (a bullom boat)
  1 Sh 3 p brown (aeroplane and map)
  2 Sh 6 p brown and black (bridge)
  5 Sh green and black
  10 Sh lilac and black
  1 Pound orange and black (government house) 

I've seen the following overprints:
"1853-1859-1963 Oldest Postal Service Newest G.P.O. in West Africa" (lilac) on 3 p blue and black
"1853-1859-1963 Oldest Postal Service Newest G.P.O. in West Africa 9 d." (violet) on 3 p blue and black
"2nd Year Independence Progress Development 1963 10 d." (red) on 3 p blue and black
"2nd Year Independence Progress Development 1963 AIR MAIL 6/-" (red) on 3 p blue and black
"2nd Year Independence Progress Development 1963 1/6" (blue) on 3 p blue and black
"2nd Year Independence Progress Development 1963 3/6" (blue) on 3 p blue and black
"2nd Year Independence Progress Development 1963 AIRMAIL" (violet) on 2 Sh 6 p brown and black
"2ND YEAR OF INDEPENENCE 19 PROGRESS 63 DEVELOPMENT 3 d." (red) on 1/2 p violet and black
"2ND YEAR OF INDEPENENCE 19 PROGRESS 63 DEVELOPMENT 6 d." (orange) on 1/2 p violet and black
"2ND YEAR OF INDEPENENCE 19 PROGRESS 63 DEVELOPMENT 4 d." (brown) on 1 1/2 p blue and black
"2ND YEAR OF INDEPENENCE 19 PROGRESS 63 DEVELOPMENT AIRMAIL 7d." (lilac) on 1 1/2 p blue and black
"2ND YEAR OF INDEPENENCE 19 PROGRESS 63 DEVELOPMENT AIRMAIL 1/3" (red) on 1 1/2 p blue and black
"2ND YEAR OF INDEPENENCE 19 PROGRESS 63 DEVELOPMENT AIRMAIL 11 Shillings" (red) on 10 Sh lilac and black
"FIVE YEARS INDEPENDENCE 1961-1966 20 c" (blue) on 2 p brown and black

1961 Royal visit, various designs

3 p red and black, 4 p violet and black, 6 p orange and black, 1 Sh 3 p blue and black. A '25 c' surcharge in blue exists on the 6 p value.

Sierra Leone became independent in 1961. After indepence it used various strangely shaped stamps, stamps printed on gold paper etc. etc.

Weird shaped stamp, inscription "SIERRA LEONE Land of Iron & Diamonds"

Fiscal stamp

Besides the already mentioned fiscal stamps, there are also fiscal stamps with inscription "STAMP DUTY". They were issued in 1886, example:

The following values exist 1 p lilac and green, 3 p lilac and green, 6 p lilac and green, 1 Sh lilac, 2 Sh lilac, 5 Sh lilac and 1 Pound lilac and red. Furthermore a surcharged stamp "ONE-PENNY" on 6 p lilac and green exist.

Stamps - Timbres-Poste - Briefmarken

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer