REFERENCE LIST OF THE PHILATELIC SOCIETY, LONDON.

Issue I. January 1st, 1861.

Five values. Lithographed (?) and printed by Mr. Chas. Whiting, of London, upon medium white wove unwatermarked paper (that used for the stamps first issued being yellowish in tone); white gum. The entire sheet of each value contains thirty stamps arranged in six horizontal rows of five, excepting the Two Pence, which has sixty in six horizontal rows of ten. Designs: The same diademed profile of Queen Victoria to left does duty for all five stamps, and the inscriptions are all in white block letters. The One Penny has the head upon a reticulated background, enclosed within a band of solid colour, which touches the four sides of the stamp, and is curved at the four corners. The band is inscribed at the left top and right side with the name of the Colony and the word “POSTAGE,” and at the bottom with the value in words. The four corners of the stamp contain small conventional ornaments, and an outer line of colour completes the design. Two Pence.—The head of Her Majesty rests upon a reticulated background of a different pattern to that of the One Penny, and is enclosed within a circular band of solid colour, inscribed with the name of the Colony above and “POSTAGE” below. Straight label of solid colour at the bottom of the stamp, with the value in full. The spandrels are filled in with reticulations of the same pattern as the One Penny, and the design is completed by a single outer coloured line. The Three Pence is precisely similar to the Two Pence, but the Queen’s head is contained within an upright oval band. The Six Pence is also similar to the Two Pence, excepting that the head is enclosed within an octagonal band. The Nine Pence has Her Majesty’s head upon a similar background to the One Penny, but enclosed within a ribbon-like band of solid colour, inscribed with the name of the Colony and the word “POSTAGE.” The hand is impinged upon at the bottom by a broad straight label of solid colour, inscribed in three lines “NINE PENCE CURRENCY—EQUAL TO—SIXPENCE STG.,” the first line being curved. Conventional ornaments in the upper corners, and a plain outer line of colour completes the design. Shape, upright rectangular. The One Penny and Nine Pence were not issued with the other three values, and probably did not come into use until the year 1865. ([Illustrations 96, 97, 98, 99, 100.])

(A) Perforated 9. (January 1st, 1861).

Varieties.—Divided in two, diagonally, and used for half the values.

(B) Rouletted.

(C) Perforated 11, 11½, 12, and compound. (1865 ?)

Varieties.—(A) Divided in two, diagonally, and used for half the value.

(B) Imperforate, horizontally.

(C) Imperforate, vertically.

(D) Imperforate.

Remarks.—The Two Pence, rouletted, is unknown to the Society. The variety is described in The Halifax Philatelist for November, 1888, page 129. The writer says the specimen seen was used, and on part of the original envelope “it has a fine wide margin, and shows the roulette cuts plainly.”

The imperforate stamps are believed to be proofs, and not to have been issued in this state. A paper on the minor varieties found in these stamps was published in The Halifax Philatelist for September, 1888. The author is Mr. David Lang, and the article a very interesting one. The following is a reproduction of it:

“VARIETIES OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND STAMPS.

“This province has the reputation of issuing the worst-looking series of stamps in design and execution of any of the British North American provinces. On examining them closely there are a number of varieties in the stamps of which I propose to give a short list of the most conspicuous. In the

“One Penny, printed in sheets of thirty; six rows of five stamps each.

“Second row, fifth stamp: White line above ‘N’ in ‘ISLAND’ broken, filled with solid colour for about one-eighth inch.

“Second row, second stamp: Full stop above ‘L’ in ‘ISLAND.’

“Sixth row, fifth stamp: No cross-bar to ‘A’ in ‘ISLAND.’

“Three Pence, printed in sheets of thirty; six rows of five stamps in each.

“First row, second stamp: White circle and coloured dot in centre before ‘P’ in ‘PRINCE.’

“Second row, fifth stamp: Full stop between ‘E’ and ‘D’ in ‘EDWARD.’

“Third row, second stamp: ‘I’ in ‘ISLAND’ with white dash at top, making it look like inverted L.

“Same stamp: Full stop at the top bar of the last ‘E’ in ‘THREE PENCE.’

“Fourth row, fourth stamp: Full stop after ‘EDWARD,’ it being in a line with top of ‘D.’

“Fifth row, third stamp: Full stop between ‘P’ and ‘O’ in ‘POSTAGE.’

“Nine Pence, printed in sheets of thirty; six rows of five stamps in each.

“Second row, fourth stamp: Two full stops, one above the other, after ‘STG.’

“Second row, fifth stamp: Full stop before ‘S’ in ‘STG.,’ apparently put there instead of after ‘STG.,’ which has none.

“Two Pence, printed in sheets of one hundred; ten rows of ten stamps in each.

“Third row, tenth stamp: Part of ‘T’ in ‘TWO’ off, making it look like inverted I. Full stop before ‘T’ in ‘TWO.’

“In the older printing of the One Penny a peculiarity exists which some of our readers may have in a complete form; that is, an outer line all around the stamp. I have four specimens with this line in the golden yellow and yellow-brown shades, perforated 12. Specimen No. 1 was the last stamp in the row, and has the marginal part of the sheet attached to it. The line is the full length of the right hand side of the stamp, the perforation going directly through it. No. 2 has the line on left hand side and bottom, the full length and width of stamp, with traces of it showing on perforation at top and right hand side. No. 3 has line showing in parts at left hand side and at bottom. No. 4 shows only at bottom. The last two are of the yellow-brown shade.

“This peculiarity may also be found in the Four Pence, but parts of the line only showing. A peculiarity of the Four Pence is that in the diamond, on each side of the stamp, there is a small oval ornament, which has in the diamond on the right hand side of the stamp a small line to it at top and bottom, but on the oval at the left hand side none at all in any. The Cent issue with one exception is free from those errors or secret marks, or whatever they may be. The one is in the Three Cents, which are printed in sheets of one hundred, ten rows of ten stamps in each. The seventh stamp of the first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth rows has a full stop between ‘PRINCE’ and ‘EDWARD,’ thus ‘PRINCE. EDWARD.’ The varieties in the Pence issue mentioned above are, I think, some kind of secret marks, although they are not found in a regular rotation as in the Three Cent, being arbitrarily scattered here and there over each sheet, the varieties of each stamp when they occur being precisely the same, so that it is hardly possible that such a series of errors could be made unintentionally; but of this some one with more knowledge of the stamps may be able to speak.

“David Lang.”

Issue II. 1st November, 1868(?).

One value. Engraved and printed by Mr. Charles Whiting upon medium white wove unwatermarked paper; white gum. The entire sheet consists of thirty stamps arranged in six horizontal rows of five. Design: The same diademed profile of Queen Victoria to left, as in the preceding issue, upon background of horizontal lines. Curved scrolls of solid colour at top and bottom of the stamp, the upper inscribed with the name of the Colony, and the lower with the value in words. Beneath the top scroll a small curved label of solid colour inscribed “POSTAGE.” All the inscriptions are in white block letters. Fancy ornaments at the sides of the stamp and a single outer line of colour complete the design. Shape: Upright rectangular, machine-perforated 11, 11½, 12, and compound. ([Illustration 101.])

Variety. Imperforate. Probably proof.

Issue III. 1st June 1870(?).

One value. Engraved and printed by the British-American Bank Note Co., of Montreal and Ottawa, upon medium white wove unwatermarked paper; yellowish gum, machine perforated 12. Design: Diademed, nearly full face, portrait of Queen Victoria looking to left, upon background of horizontal lines, enclosed within an upright oval. Curved label of solid colour following the shape of the oval at the left, top, and right side, inscribed with the name of the Colony and the word “POSTAGE” in white Roman capitals. Arabesques in the lower corners, surrounding a background of cross-hatched lines. The left contains “3d. STG.,” and the right “CY. 4½d.” in white numerals and letters. The upper corners also contain arabesques. Shape, upright rectangular. ([Illustration 102.])

Issue IV. January 4th (?), 1872.

Six values. Lithographed(?) and printed by Mr. Charles Whiting, of London, upon medium white wove unwatermarked paper; yellowish or brown gum, machine-perforated 12, 12½. The entire sheet of each value consists of one hundred stamps, arranged in ten rows of ten. Designs: The same diademed profile of Queen Victoria to left is found upon all the stamps. One Cent.—The head rests upon a background of horizontal lines, surrounded by a circular band of solid colour, inscribed with the name of the Colony above and the word “POSTAGE,” below. Straight label of solid colour at the bottom of the stamp, with value in full. Small upright rectangular blocks of solid colour in the four corners, containing numeral of value. Spandrels filled in with reticulations, and a plain outer line of colour completes the design. Two Cents.—The head is upon a background of solid colour, enclosed within a narrow upright oval band of reticulations. Plain label of solid colour surrounding the upper part of the oval, inscribed with the name of the Colony and “POSTAGE.” Straight label of solid colour at the bottom of the stamp, with value in full. Square blocks of solid colour in the four corners, containing Arabic numeral of value. The remainder of the design is filled in with reticulations, with a border formed of a plain coloured line. Three Cents.—The head of Her Majesty is upon a background of horizontal lines, enclosed within a fancy trilobed band of reticulations, having over it a curved label of solid colour inscribed with the name of the Colony. Straight labels of solid colour at the top and bottom of the stamp, the lower one extending quite across. The upper bears “POSTAGE” and the bottom one the value in full. Small upright rectangular blocks in the upper corners, containing Arabic numeral of value. The rest of the design consists of reticulations and a border of a plain coloured line. Four Cents.—The head rests upon a background of solid colour, enclosed within a fancy-shaped octagonal band of reticulations. Straight labels of solid colour at top and bottom of the stamp, the upper inscribed in two lines “POSTAGE—PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND,” and the lower with the value in words. Square blocks of solid colour in the four corners, containing Arabic numeral of value. The sides of the stamp are filled in with reticulations, and a plain outer coloured line completes the design. Six Cents.—The Queen’s head is on a background of horizontal lines, enclosed within a fancy-shaped hexagonal band of reticulations. Two straight labels of solid colour at the top, and a similar one at the bottom of the stamp. The upper are inscribed “POSTAGE—PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND,” and the bottom bears the value in words. Square blocks of solid colour in the upper corners, and similar upright rectangular ones in the lower, contain the Arabic numeral of value. Straight bands of reticulations at the sides of the stamp and a border of a plain coloured line complete the design. Twelve Cents.—Head of Queen on background of solid colour, enclosed within a band of reticulations forming a twelve-sided figure. Curved plain label of solid colour above, and a similar straight label extending the whole width of the stamp below. The upper is inscribed with the name of the Colony and “POSTAGE,” and the lower with the value in words. Square blocks of solid colour in the upper corners, with Arabic numerals of value. The rest of the design is composed of reticulations and a border of a plain coloured line. The inscriptions on all the stamps are in white block letters, excepting the values in the bottom labels of the Two, Four, Six, and Twelve Cents, which are in Roman capitals. Shape, upright rectangular. ([Illustrations 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108.])

Varieties.—(A) All the values may be found with dark brown gum, which has stained the paper and given it a brownish hue. (B) All the values exist imperforate but they are probably only proofs. (C) The Six Cents is known divided in two, each half serving as Three Cents.

Remarks.—A large stock of the stamps of each issue remained in the hands of the postal authorities at the time the Island became incorporated in the Dominion of Canada. The stock was disposed of in 1874 to a speculator, who has since supplied the principal stamp dealers throughout the world.

Note by Mr. T. K. Tapling, M.P.—In The Stamp Collector’s Magazine, vol. x. p. 105, will be found an amended notice relating to the values constituting the above issue. Among them is catalogued a Ten Cents on the authority of The American Journal of Philately. Some discussion arose subsequently as to the authenticity of this value, but the mystery attaching to it seems never to have been wholly cleared up. Very few specimens were seen, and these appear to have been obtained by M. Moens from what he considered a thoroughly satisfactory source. Much doubt has been thrown upon the stamp by English writers; but a few weeks since I was shown a specimen in Mr. Pearson Hill’s collection, which he told me had been there over seventeen years. Mr. Hill’s connection with our General Post Office enabled him to get nearly all his stamps direct from Foreign and Colonial Governments, and his impression is that this stamp reached him in the same way. It is similar in design to the Three Pence of the first issue, of which it is apparently a copy, though the details are rather larger and the general appearance rougher. It is a companion in style and execution to the issue of which it is supposed to form a part, and the perforation (machine 12) is identical. The colour is dull mauve. It is possible that the stamp was prepared and never issued, though even in this case Mr. Hill might quite well have had a specimen sent him with the others by the Prince Edward Island Government; but if it was merely a fraudulent speculation it seems strange that copies are, and always have been, exceedingly uncommon. I venture no definite opinion either one way or the other, and hope this short note may draw an answer from some one qualified to speak with certainty.