Identifying stamps from the Leeward Islands King George V set watermarked Multiple Crown CA is matter of sorting first the watermark, then the paper color for some issues, and the color of the stamp for most of the issues. The stamps used a new keyplate design that was used for a number of Colonies.

The stamps were initially issued in 1913 using paper watermarked Multiple Crown CA, and then was replaced with the same issues printed on paper watermarked Multiple Script CA beginning in 1921 until they were replaced by a new keyplate design for the King George VI issues in 1938.

If you have trouble determining the watermarks on these stamps, try looking at them face down against black paper. The stamps watermarked Multiple Crown CA will have sans serif letters with a crown that is narrow and straight edged. The Multiple Script CA watermark has cursive letters and a crown that is more rounded. 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 is to sort the surface and for some the paper colors. Color shades can be difficult to sort, especially when you only have a couple of stamps to compare. They typically occur when the stamps are printed after the initial printing. Today we have computer color matching, but during this time it was done by hand with components that might differ from the original ink formula. I like to place the stamps against black and then white paper and view them under a strong light. You really need to look at the back of the stamps to see the paper colors clearly. The backs of the 3d, 4d, 1/ and 5/ stamps are shown to help you identify them on your stamps. The images shown attempt to show the colors, but they do not show them as well as viewing the stamps in person. So use the images as relative indicators.

The keyplates used for the King George V printings have two states, known as Die I and Die II. The Die I stamps were the ones initially produced. They were replaced by Die II usually due to wear on the plate. All of the Leeward Islands King George V stamps watermarked Multiple Crown CA are Die I, except for the 4d and 2/ issues which only come as Die II. Since there was only one Die used for the production of each value, it is not important that you understand how to differentiate between the Dies for this issue. That will not be true for the next set (watermarked Multiple Script CA) which have some values that were both Die I and Die II.

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 the white back stamps are the least common with less than 25 sheets of 60 stamps sent to the various Colonies according to Michael Oliver. Any additional printing information would be appreciated.

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 22 sheets of the 3d and 1/ white back issues (1,320 stamps each), 26 sheets of the 5/ white back issues (1,560 stamps), and 21 sheets of the Lemon Paper 5/ issue (1,260 stamps). The total combined printing for all of the 5/ paper colors was 407 sheets (24,420 stamps).

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. For this article, the stamps were listed by value and in order of the date they were issued.

I can not say that I always agree with all of the color descriptions. If you have a stamp with a paper color and a printed color - sort the paper color first. This is especially true for the white back issues.

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.