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St LUCIA 1860-1901

Return To Catalogue - St Lucia 1902-1920

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Before the introduction of stamps for St.Lucia, the stamps of Great Britain were used. They can be recognized by the cancel 'A11'. I don't posess a picture of such a cancel.

1860 Queen Victoria, No value indicated, perforated

  (1 p) red
  (1 p) black
  (4 p) blue
  (4 p) yellow
  (6 p) green
  (6 p) violet
  (1 Sh) orange

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

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

Surcharged

  'Half Penny' on green (non issued)
  'HALFPENNY' on green
  'ONE PENNY' (in red) on black
  '2 1/2 PENCE' on red
  'FOUR PENCE' on yellow
  'Six Pence' on blue (non issued)
  'SIX PENCE' on violet
  'ONE SHILLING' on orange

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

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

Fiscal stamps

In 1881 the first fiscal stamps were issued, they were created by surcharging the postage stamps with 'STAMP' and the value in capital letters. The following values exist: 1 p black (red overprint), 4 p yellow, 6 p lilac and 1 Sh orange.

(I've been told that the 4 p fiscal stamp was used as a postage stamp)

Also some stamps were overprinted 'Stamp' and the value in small letters (see example above), the values 1/2 p green, 1 p black (red overprint), 4 p yellow, 6 p lilac and 1 Sh orange were overprinted in this way.

Fiscal stamps, overprinted 'REVENUE' (1882):

The values 1 p black, 2 p blue, 3 p blue, 4 p yellow, 6 p lilac and 1 Sh orange exist.

Fiscal stamps, overprinted 'Revenue' (1883)

The values 1/2 p green, 1 p black (two sizes of the word 'Revenue', also with '.' behind 'Revenue') and 4 p yellow exist.

Fiscal stamps are often used as postage stamps in St.Lucia in this period.

Forgeries:

The book Album Weeds (written in the early 20th century) already notes 7 different kinds of forgeries.

Examples:

I presume the above forgeries are made by Spiro. These forgeries are lithographed, have no watermark and are perforated 13. The mouth is quite different from the genuine stamps (the Queen looks quite sour). Maybe the easiest way to check these forgeries are the cancels: 1) an outlined oval, containing 6 parallel bars, or 2) eight parallel bars very close together, or 3) oval with bars at top and bottom, two curved lines at each side, something like the genuine cancel, but with a blank center instead of 'A11'. This forgery is also described in Album Weeds as the first forgery (it is probably also the most common forgery). I've also seen this forgery in green.

Another forgery:

Note the 'grid cancel' on the first forgery above. The 'S' of 'ST' is placed too low, the eyes are white and the curl a the back of the head is hanging too low. I think this must be the second or third forgery described in Album Weeds.

(This stamp is perforated 11, so it is probably a forgery, also note the 'FRANCO' cancel)

(Another forgery, the overprint 'ONE SCHILLING' is much broader, Oneglia forgery?)

(Oneglia forgeries?)

I know that Oneglia (Panelli) made engraved forgeries of these stamps with oil-impressed watermarks of at least the following unsurcharged 1860 issues: 1 p red, 4 p blue, 1 Sh orange. I also know he made forgeries of the surcharged stamps of at least the values 1 p black and 1 Sh orange. I suspect the above forgeries to be Oneglia forgeries. Album Weeds describes it as its seventh forgery; the outline of the back of the neck is much too thin in this forgery.

1882 Queen Victoria

  1/2 p green
  1 p red
  1 p lilac
  2 p blue and orange
  2 1/2 p blue
  3 p lilac and green
  4 p brown
  6 p lilac
  6 p lilac and blue
  1 Sh brown
  1 Sh lilac and red
  5 Sh lilac and orange
  10 Sh lilac and black

For the specialist: these stamps have watermark 'CA Crown' (as shown in the 5 Sh stamp) and perforation 14.

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
1/2 p	*	*
1 p red	R	R
1 p lilac	*	*
2 p	***	***
2 1/2 p	***	**
3 p	***	***
4 p	***	***
6 p lilac	RR	RR
6 p lilac and blue	***	***
1 Sh brown	RRR	RR
1 Sh lilac and red	***	***
5 Sh	RR	RR
10 Sh	RR	RR

Surcharged

  '1/2d' on 6 p lilac and blue (bisected)
  'ONE HALF PENNY' on 3 p lilac and green
  'ONE PENNY' on 4 p brown

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

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

Typical cancel:

Stamp with fiscal cancel:

(Fiscally used)

Fiscal stamps issued in 1884 with overprint 'REVENUE' exist in the values 1 p grey and 1 p lilac, furthermore with overprint 'Revenue' in the value 1 p red.

(Fiscal stamps with overprint 'REVENUE', I've been told that the lilac stamp was used for postal purposes)

Forgeries: I know that Sperati made a forgery of the 1 Sh brown stamp, by using a Ceylon 5 c value with the correct CA watermark. He then removed the Ceylon image and reprinted the St.Lucia 1 Sh design on it. This is a very dangerous forgery. Sperati also made a forgery of a 6 p lilac value.

For stamps of St Lucia, issued from 1902 to 1920, click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer

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