India-Cochin-1938-44-6 Pies (red/brown)-"Official" (overprinted on face and reverse-with inverted "S")

Illustrated below is the 6 Pies (red/brown) of Maharaja Rama Varma 111. There are two varieties of printing of the value. Originally recess printed by Perkins Bacon from 1933-38 with an umbrella watermark. From 1938 the stamps were litho printed in Madras. This example is of the litho printing. Official stamps were overprinted with 11 varieties of  "On C G S" each showing more or less marked differences of lettering size/style etc. The example below is of the S.G. overprint 07. (with the sub-variety of inverted "S"). Other values of the stamp issues of this Maharaja are listed in Gibbons as having the official overprint on the face and reverse but not the 6 Pies value.

 

Malaya-1940's-A Page of Stamps from the Japanese Occupation of Malaya-Illustrated

Shown above are some of the stamps issued during the Japanese occupation of Malaya during the Second World War. The issues are a fairly complicated area with the many states of Malaya and the varieties of overprint used by the Japanese. Some overprints are in Japanese characters, others in English with the added variation of altered values, double overprints, colour varieties of overprint and inverted overprints. A specialist catalogue is necessary to really identify all of the stamp varieties.

The first stamp on the page is the 5 Cent stamp of Perak re-issued in 1942 with the "Dai Nippon" overprint and new value of 2 Cents.

Two of the more readily identifiable stamps are at the bottom of the page, the 1943 15 Cent (scarlet) "Ploughman" and the 1944 15 Cent (magenta) "Rebirth of Malaya"

In the middle of the page is a short set issued in 1943. The set was issued in ten values from 1 Cent to 70 Cents with the values from 1 to 30 Cents illustrated here. The legends are in Japanese with illustrations of Malayan scenes.

Also illustrated are the set of postage due stamps issued between 1943-45. The postage dues show some of the overprint varieties with one example of the 10 Cent and 15 Cent postage due overprinted in English and one example of the overprint in Japanese characters.

Below is a detail of some of the stamps

 

Ireland-1922-The Provisional Government Overprint on the George V 2/6d "Seahorse"-Illustrated

Illustrated is the British (George the Fifth) 2 Shillings and Sixpence re-issued with the overprint  in Gaelic "Provisional Government of Ireland." Not yet able to produce its own stamps most of the early Irish stamps were British stamps with a variety of overprints suitable for vertical or horizontal stamp designs. Three varieties were used with minor varieties of print type however wording and date remained the same. The horizontal version for the 2/6d is shown here.


 

Canada-1951-The $1 (Ultramarine) "Fisherman"-Illustrated

 

Illustrated above is the one dollar Canadian issue of 1951. First issued on February the 1st the stamp was printed only in ultramarine with a perforation of 12. No shades are known. Now fairly highly valued when mint and priced about one seventh of mint value in fine used condition.