King George V Seahorses
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
high value definitive postage stamps issued during the reign of King George V
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
.
The stamps are notable for the quality of the engraving and the design which features a dramatic image of Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
on her chariot
Chariot
The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
behind three writhing horses on a stormy sea. They represent a collecting field in their own right for some philatelists due to the colour variations and different printers.
George V was a keen philatelist and took an interest in the design of the stamps by the Australian sculptor Bertram Mackennal, who included the King's head in profile, a design that he had first used for the Coronation medal. The lettering was designed by George Eve, with the dies
Die (manufacturing)
A die is a specialized tool used in manufacturing industries to cut or shape material using a press. Like molds, dies are generally customized to the item they are used to create...
engraved by J.A.C.Harrison
Harrison and Sons
Harrison and Sons Limited was a major worldwide engraver and printer of Postage stamps and Banknotes.The company was established in 1750 by Thomas Harrison and it obtained its first Post Office contract in 1881. The company won the contract to print the single colour United Kingdom Edward VII...
and the stamps were intaglio
Intaglio (printmaking)
Intaglio is a family of printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface, known as the matrix or plate, and the incised line or area holds the ink. Normally, copper or zinc plates are used as a surface, and the incisions are created by etching, engraving, drypoint, aquatint or...
(recess) printed. The stamps first issued in July/August 1913 in 2/6 (brown), 5/- (red), 10/- (blue) and £1 (green) values. The first printer was Waterlow Bros & Layton
Waterlow and Sons
The Waterlow and Sons Limited was a major worldwide engraver of currency, postage stamps, stocks and bond certificates established in 1897, in England.-Portuguese Bank Note Crisis:...
, then in December 1915 the contract was awarded to De La Rue & Co
De La Rue
De La Rue plc is a British security printing, papermaking and cash handling systems company headquartered in Basingstoke, Hampshire. It also has a factory on the Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, and other facilities at Loughton, Essex and Bathford, Somerset...
, the height of the stamps was increased by 1mm and the £1.00 value was dropped.
In December 1918 Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. Ltd took over the printing of the stamps. The contract returned to Waterlow & Sons in 1934 and the dies were re-engraved, with the horizontal engraved lines behind the King's head on the earlier issues replaced with cross-hatched lines.
Overprints included Morocco Agencies
British post offices in Morocco
The British post offices in Morocco, also known as the "Morocco Agencies", were a system of post offices operated by the United Kingdom in Morocco.-First office:...
and Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
. The stamps were replaced in 1939 by the King George VI high value series.