Identifying stamps from the Leeward Islands King Edward VII sets issued between 1902 and 1907 is a matter of sorting between the two watermark options: Crown CA and Multiple Crown CA (MCA); and determining the difference between ordinary and chalk paper for 2 MCA values. The keyplate image was used for a number of Colonies including the Leeward Islands issues. Originally used for Queen Victoria stamps in the 1890's. the design was modified for King Edward VII. The stamps were initially issued beginning in 1903 with a two color printing until they were replaced by new colors in 1907.

If you have trouble determining the watermarks, try looking at them face down against black paper. The stamps watermarked Crown CA will always be centered fairly well on the stamp, and the design does not repeat, so even if you can not see the entire watermark, the CA will always be toward the bottom, instead of letters to the sides for the watermark Multiple Crown CA. See the images of the two watermarks below for reference. They are shown as normally seen from the back.

Once you have determined the watermark, the next step for the 1/2d and 3d MCA stamp values is to sort them between ordinary and chalk paper. The initial stamps were printed on ordinary paper. The later issues were printed on chalk coated paper. Although a silver coin will draw a line when rubbed gently against most chalk paper, I find this does not work very well for the KEVII watermarked MCA issues. I look for a shiny coating on the paper when viewed under a good light source. You can also rub your finger across the face of the stamp. It will slide easily over the chalk coated paper, and will feel like it is catching against the ordinary paper. Another test is the quality of the impression. The chalk treatment was used to insure a better quality printing. For the record, the term chalk is not scientifically accurate, but it is the term that has been used in the catalogs.

Unlike modern stamps which are issued in the millions, definitive sets from this time period were issued very conservatively. I do not have the printing details, but it would be safe to assume the 5/ issue was printed in a quantity of less than 5,000 based on other issues of this time period.

Larry Goldberg provided this printing information from "The Leeward Islands Notes for Philatelists? by M. N. Oliver. The stamps were printed in sheets of 60. There were 252 sheets of the 2/6 issues (15,120 stamps) and 138 sheets of the 5/ issues (8,280 stamps). So my estimate was low, but remember that the Leeward Islands stamps were used on the 5 colonies of Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, and the Virgin Islands. So that might account for the higher total. However, there were only 52 sheets of the 6d and 1/ issues watermarked MCA (3,210 stamps each), so those issues are pretty rare.

The catalog numbers are from the 1980 Commonwealth Five Reigns Catalogue (CW), 2013 Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue (SG) and the 2011 Scott catalog (ST). The description and print quantity is from the Commonwealth Catalogue. Please contact Bridger & Kay to obtain a copy of this publication. You can access the other publishers using the "Links to British Colonial Stamp Sites" at the bottom of this page. The catalogues list these stamps by watermark, so you will note the order seems different than you might be used to seeing. For this article, the stamps were listed by value and in order of the date they were issued.

The images were saved in a larger size and at a higher resolution so you can more easily see the details used in sorting them. Please be patient if it takes a few minutes for this page to load.

This article was written to help you identify your stamps.
Please feel free to ask a question, or include a correction.