Great Britain, May 6, 1840 First Issues Collectors Club of stamps and philatelic material

Solomon Islands

Thursday, February 14, 1907.


Solomon Islands Scott #2
Solomon Islands Scott #2

Perforated 11, no watermark, lithographed.

Printed by W.E. Smith and Co.

 

The first issue.
Description # printed # issued Scott # S.G. #
½ penny ultramarine 60,000 45,364 1 1
1 penny red 60,000 25,598 2 2
2 pence dull blue 60,000 20,641 3 3
2½ pence orange 60,000 12,072 4 4
5 pence yellow green 30,000 8,310 5 5
6 pence chocolate 30,000 7,853 6 6
1 shilling violet 30,000 7,281 7 7

All issue quantities are approximate.
Excellent forgeries and forged cancels are common.

The printer used two separate line perforation machines, both of gauge 11. One made large, clean-cut holes. The other made small, rough holes. These two machines were used in practically every conceivable combination, including mixed, double and missing entirely.

Three types exist of the ½ penny and 2½ pence, and six each of the other values, differing in minor details.

Forgeries show different perforations and have the boat paddle touching the shore. Genuine stamps show a gap between the paddle and the shore.

These stamps were withdrawn on November 1, 1908.

An excellent source of more information is Tulagi.com devoted to the postal history of British Solomon Islands.

This page was last modified on Monday, 03-Nov-2003 15:44:36 PST