Hello, I hope everyone is well. In corona virus lock down no doubt. Stay safe and enjoy your stamps.

here is Gibraltar Part IV

The first “commemorative” pictorial Gibraltar stamp was the George V 1931 issue showing the Rock of Gibraltar. In 4 values of 1d scarlet, 1½d red-brown, 2d pale grey and 3d blue. This is always a set to double check because there are two printings, one perf 14 and the other perf 13½ x 14 which has a significantly higher catalogue value.

One point I think worth noting here for sellers (and buyers) is that when listing this issue one really does have to recognized quality in the listing description. There is so much rubbish listed, let’s be up front about this. So many with poor colour, with terrible centering, with pulled perfs. I know this applies to all stamps we list but from my research for this piece I was rather shocked at the terrible quality that exists for this issue.

The usual commemoratives, as found for most British Commonwealth countries, were issued by Gibraltar including the 1935 Silver Jubilee issue, the 1937, Coronation issue, the Victory (1946), Royal Silver Wedding ( 1948) and the Universal Postal Union ( 1949) issues.

Michael cddstamps.com

Gibraltar Part III

One stamp missing from most Gibraltar collections is the 1889 Spanish currency issue with value omitted (No Value) Error. It is the 10c Carmine value recorded as SG 23b and currently listed by Stanley Gibbons at £7000, although I am tempted to suggest it would fetch far more at auction.

Between 1903 and 1950 a variety of definitive and commemorative stamps were issued for the reigns of King Edward VII, George V and George VI including the common 1918 War Tax overprints we see from most British Commonwealth countries. No stamps were issued by Gibraltar for King Edward VIII.

The 1903, 1904 and 1906 issues command some rather high prices and can be a very interesting era to collect given the various papers, shades, and watermarks.

In 1921 a new issue was put on sale in the same designs as the pre¬ceding issue but in different colours and watermarked Multiple Script CA. The 1d, 3d, 6d. and 2s. were also issued in different colours during this period, and both ordinary and chalky papers were used.

and as a FOOTNOTE while we are all locked down at home, please enjoy your stamps. my days just fly by studying my stock and now I am listing more in the cddstamps online store. Please visit us ... we would love to see you.

Stay safe everyone Michael

Hello, I hope everyone is still ok given the corona virus pandemic. Stay Safe. here is Part II of Gibraltar

When the Gibraltar Legislature decided to print and issue its own stamps the Bermuda design was chosen - seven values were printed and overprinted Gibraltar.

The stamps were printed in sheets of 240 - four panes of sixty each, in ten horizontal rows of six. The stamps were printed from one plate for each value and it was numbered “ 1 ” uncoloured on a disc within a coloured circle and printed photogravure by De La Rue.

The paper used for this special printing from Bermuda’s plates was machine-made with a Crown above “ CA ” watermark and with a comb machine 14 perforation.

During the period 1886 through to 1898 there were some interesting changes to the issues used. The five stamps below are used for example. The Bermuda overprints were in the contemporary currency of pence and shillings, then in late 1886 Gibraltar issued their own stamps, as Gibraltar, also in pence and shillings. By 1889 these were being overprinted in Spanish currency and valid until they were repurchased by the Post Office. In 1889 another issue was released in Spanish currency. However, the depreciation in the Spanish currency due to the result of the Spanish-American War caused the Government to revert to English currency in 1898. The colour shades are generally accepted to be different.

... and if you have some time and want to enjoy looking at stamps, and even perhaps fill a few gaps in your collection please visit our online store. We look forward to seeing you

Have a good weekend Michael

Hello, I hope this finders readers well and safe in these difficult times. I am housebound, so here is the start of a series of pieces on Gibraltar. I hope you enjoy this and future piece which I shall add every few days.

Part I

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory, also known as a Crown Colony. It is a narrow peninsula near the Southern extremity of Spain located at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. From Stanley Gibbons we can read that Spanish stamps could be used in Gibraltar from 1850.

From July 1856 until December 1875 all mail to Spain required postage to be prepaid by Spanish stamps and these issues were supplied by the Gibraltar postal authorities acting as a Spanish Postal Agent.

Stamps of Great Britain were issued for use in Gibraltar from September 1857 and used until the end of 1885. These Great Britain Victoria stamps can be identified by the cancels which containing the numeral A26 or the letter G in oval bars.

Hello, what a shambles the world is in .. I managed to have a lovely holiday recently, Panglao Island in Bohol, look it up, stunning place.....then tried to fly to Sydney Australia, but made (in hindsight a very wise decision) to offload myself at the last moment because of the c-virus lockdown in Manila, right as I was waiting to board the flight. All too stressful so now I am back home, with my stamps and I will be with my stamps for the next 11 days ... I am doing a self imposed quarantine, well actually the local government have asked all travelers into the state to do that so I am doing the right thing.

So back to stamps and what is one of the first things I see. yes this. Sad, so sad. It is up for auction, starting at 1c (USD) plus $3.90 postage. Are you laughing. You should be, or better still crying. It is stupidity, ignorance, call it what you will, like this that is going to kill any respect collectors have for sellers. Apart from the fact the stamp has two clear areas of damage it was not even described properly, other than "Queen Great Britain". Obviously an experienced seller, NOT!

Enjoy your collecting and if you want quality, at sensible prices, with stamps accurately described then please consider us at cddstamps. I think our nearly 17,000 feedbacks speaks for itself.

No more rambling on about this sad side to the hobby, I am going to do a series on Gibraltar over the coming 11 days. I look forward to seeing you and hope you enjoy it.

Have a safe and great weekend. Michael www.cddstamps.com