Worldwide Stamps and Postal History continued...

A very fine mint example with large margins and original gum. Some trivial gum wrinkles, mentioned for accuracy, but a really fine example of the first postage stamp issued by Gambia with intense colour.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £600.

The first stamps issued for the West African colony of Gambia are noted for their simple but effective design. They were printed from 1869 by the London printers, De La Rue & Co.

The coloured background was typographed first, showing the name ‘Gambia’ in white letters at the top and the value in words in a matching panel at the bottom. A profile head of Queen Victoria was then embossed in white on it. This gave a cameo effect, similar to a brooch. The stamps are known as the "Cameos".

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A fine used example other than a few slightly shortish perforations not detracting from overall quality.

A scarce King George V variety.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £130.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 87c] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine used example lightly cancelled by part registered ovals. A small tone spot barely detracts from overall appearance and quality.

A scarce King George V variety.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £140.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 86c] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine quality used example of this rare watermark variety with attractive example of the target cancellation. There is one faintly toned perforation, which is immaterial to the overall quality present.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £140.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 31w] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fresh and fine mint example with large part original gum.

A scarce King George V variety in most attractive condition.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 86c] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine used example with part circular date stamp. There are no known mint examples.

A rare and dramatic error of missing colour. The Arms were die-stamped, so an albino impression is present. Accompanied with normal stamp for comparison.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 249a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine mint example with original gum. Lightly toned gum, and minor offsetting on reverse, but still fine of appearance.

A very scarce printing variety. Total printing was only 789 sheets, probably from six vignette plates.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £425.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 146c] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine mint positional block with original gum. Most importantly, the high value printing variety is unmounted mint. A few minor perforation tones, which do not detract.

A very scarce and attractive piece in this positional form. The total printing was only 789 sheets, probably from six vignette plates.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £470+.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 146/c] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine mint positional block of four with original gum. Minor bends, but most importantly the high value printing variety is very fine. A lovely looking block with very fresh appearance.

A rare printing variety. The total printing was only 789 sheets, probably from six vignette plates.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £320+.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 146/a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine used example, neatly cancelled by large part Bathurst circular date stamp, dated "20 SP 35", which leaves variety clear. One slightly pulled perforation at top, but a very scarce printing variety in used condition.

The total printing was only 787 sheets, probably from six vignette plates.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £350.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 145a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine unmounted mint example with original gun. Slightly trimmed perforations at left, which does not detract from overall quality.

A scarce printing variety of this popular commemorative stamp issue. The total printing was only 787 sheets, probably from six vignette plates.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £190+.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 145a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine unmounted mint example with full original gum. The gum is fractionally yellowish in colour and there are a few slightly shortish perforations but, overall, of fine appearance and with lovely fresh colours.

A very scarce variety of this popular stamp issue. The total printing was only 975 sheets, from four vignette plates.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £275.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 144b] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine unmounted mint positional block of four with full original gum.

Very scarce in this form and in pristine unmounted mint condition.

The total printing was only 1,717 sheets, from eight vignette plates.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 143/b] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A very fine mint example with original gum.

Beautiful quality and rare.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 117w] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine mint example with large part original gum.

A very rare King George V printing variety as there are only 101 possible examples and much fewer surviving, particularly in such fine mint condition.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 101a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine mint and well-centred example with original gum. Fractionally toned, but still fine for this.

A very rare KIng George V printing variety as there are only a maximum of 102 possible and much fewer surviving, particularly in such fine mint condition.

Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £700.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 98a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine and fresh mint example with large part original gum.

A scarce variety with a maximum of only 129 possible.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 96b] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine and fresh mint example with large part original gum.

A very rare variety with a maximum of only 129 possible.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 95a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A fine used example, neatly cancelled by part Bathurst circular date stamp dated "JU 20".

A scarce King George V printing variety and even scarcer used than in mint condition.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 88a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A brilliant quality unmounted mint pair with full original gum.

A scarce King George V printing variety in the finest possible condition.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 86/c] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A single and a horizontal pair showing constant varieties, the former with "Broken B" (R9/4, left pane or R9/1, right pane), the latter with left stamp showing "Split M" (R4/3, left pane).

Fine and fresh mint examples with large part original gum.

Scarce and interesting King George V varieties.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 86var] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

Without gum as usual and odd imperfections, but an extraordinary group of the highest importance and rarity, from the Gabon Universal Postal Union (UPU) archive which was dispersed c.1975.

These parallel local "SPECIMEN" handstamps of Hong Kong and Rhodesia (see Samuel p.60) which were produced at the request of the UPU and sent to Gabon at the same period, as a result of this newly established French colony requiring examples of current stamps no longer available from Bern. Probably five of each value originally existed, with the pairs undoubtedly unique.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 53/66] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A brilliant quality mint example with large part original gum. Post office fresh and without a doubt one of the finest examples in existence.

A very rare variety as only 125 maximum possible examples.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 43a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

A brilliant quality unmounted mint example with full original gum. Corner gum crease present does not detract in any way.

An extremely scarce stamp variety, particularly in unmounted mint condition, which is hardly ever seen.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £150+.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 109x] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

Fine and fresh mint example with large part original gum. R8/3, left pane.

A very rare stamp variety with only 104 possible examples.

The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £350.

Get Market Data for [Gambia 95a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census