Nigerian Stamps and Postal History

Overview The 5d lilac and dark green keyplate stamp of Lagos was one of three stamps that was first dispatched to the colony on December 30, 1893 and was issued to facilitate the payment of registration fees on parcels. The other two stamps were the 7.5d and the 10d. The 5d paid for indemnity up to 12 pounds, while the 7.5d paid up to 24 pounds and the 10d paid up to 36 pounds of value. These three stamps should provide some important reference points to help us distinguish the printings of the other values, since they were in use for only a portion of the total period from 1887 to 1903. According to Ince, a total of 92,160 stamps were printed of the 5d, and 57,540 unsold remainders were destroyed in London. So the issue quantity was fairly limited, and suggests that there were probably nowhere near 4 printings per year that the stamp was current. The last shipment was August 19, 1901, which mde for a total period of use of 7 years and eight months. There were thus many fewer than

Overview According to Ince, plate 2 was first brought into use for the printings sent out on August 19, 1901, and was used to produce a second printing that was sent out on August 29, 1902. According to him, it was only used to print two printings each of the halfpenny and 1d, as well as one printing each of the 1/- and 6d. However, given that the other values had printings sent out on August 19, 1901, it seems quite likely that the very last printings of the 2d, 2.5d, 3d, 4d, 5d, 7.5d, 10d, 2/6d, 5/- and 10/- were also made from this plate. To settle this question once and for all is the first step in sorting the remaining printings of the Lagos Queen Victoria Keyplates that were made between 1887 and 1903. Ince notes a few characteristics of these printings to enable positive identification: Continuous jubilee lines in the sheet margins, where no jubilee lines appear on the earlier printings.  Plate numbers in all four corners of a sheet, as opposed to just two corners. A