Identifying the Dominica King George V issues watermarked Multiple Script CA is primarily a matter of determining the watermark, and then sorting between ordinary and chalk paper for the 6d issues. You can also look for the watermark varieties which are quite scarce.

The design was used from 1903 until it was replaced with a new design in 1923. You will find it printed on paper with three different watermarks, Crown CC, Multiple Crown CA, and Multiple Script CA. This article deals only with the King George V issues watermarked Multiple Script CA, which were printed from 1921 to 1923 when they were replaced with a new design which included the portrait of King George V.

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 appear sideways. When viewed from the back, the CA will be at either the right or the left side of the paper compared to the crown. The Stanley Gibbons catalogue indicates that the stamps were printed with the watermark showing the Crown to the left of CA. The image below shows the way the watermark should appear when viewed with the stamp placed face down. Anything different would be considered a watermark variety.

Determining Chalk Paper for this issue, my suggestion is that you rub your finger across the face of the stamp. It will move smoothly over chalk paper, and will feel some resistance over the ordinary paper. For the record, chalk paper is really just paper with a coating which helps the ink be applied more effectively. It tends to leave a better quality impression and in many cases also will seem a little shiny when looked at under a good light source.

Unlike modern stamps which are issued in the millions, definitive sets in the early 1900's were issued very conservatively. I do not have the print quantities for this set, but considering it was only printed on paper watermarked MSCA for two years, it is probably under 20,000 for the higher values, based on number of stamps printed for other Colonies during this time period. Please feel free to add this information if you have it.

The catalog numbers are from the 1980 Commonwealth Five Reigns Catalogue (CW), 2013 Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue (SG) and the 2011 Scott catalog (ST). Some of the catalogues show these issues in different order than you will see them here. The description 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 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.