KING EDWARD VIII
Barry Stagg reveals that, whilst there were only four GB stamps, there are enough Edward VIII errors, varieties, and postal history to occupy collectors for years
There are only a few stamps of King Edward VIII, thanks to his brief time on the throne, but as Barry Stagg reveals, there are enough errors, varieties, and postal history to occupy a collector for years. Perhaps it’s time for us to revisit this short but engaging chapter of GB stamp history
I’m often asked why I collect King Edward VIII stamps when only four were issued, no postal stationery and a reign that lasted less than twelve months! To answer that I need to step back a little to when I started collecting. Like most young stamp collectors of the time, I collected everything until I realised the impossibility of that endeavour and so soon resorted to pursuing just British stamps. But sometime in the 1980s I found that collecting British stamps was becoming too big a task too; I started to look for more bounded areas for collection. I thought King Edward VIII (which we shall now call KE8) stamps were suitable with only four stamps and a handful of errors to find, plus perhaps some coils and booklets; in a few years it should be a done deal! Thirty years later…
Edward VIII stamps
The twenty items selected here would not only form the basis of a good and interesting collection but could be expanded to make a substantial KE8 stamp study. Further, the selection only includes items that would be in the financial reach of most readers.
Before you start your collection two books are worth finding and reading, Stanley Gibbons’ King Edward VII to King George VI. Volume 2. 14th
Edition and AJ Kirk’s King Edward VIII. 2nd Edition (GB Philatelic Publications Ltd). The latter is many years old now and a lot more information has emerged since, but it is still a useful starting guide and can be found on popular web auction sites for a very modest price. The website of the Great Britain Philatelic Society (www.gbps.org.uk) contains much information on KE8 too.
It has been said many times before but you can collect whatever you
wish. You certainly don’t have to collect what is suggested here; the list is a guide on what you could collect and is intended to encourage you to start a KE8 collection. If you do, it will keep you interested for a lifetime.
The first four items of the are the four issued stamps, starting with the ½d. A nice clean KE8 ½d stamp would be easy to find; however, how about searching out a copy with the cylinder number visible in the selvedge? (Figure 1). For a greater challenge try and find a ½d stamp with each of the cylinder numbers – there are at least thirteen of them. Similarly for the 1d, 1½d and 2½d, try finding copies with the cylinder number visible in the selvedge, see figures 2, 3, and 4, respectively. These three stamps have at least seven, fifteen and two cylinders to collect. Many of these can be found fairly easily and at pocket money prices, but a few may take a while to find.
It is important to understand what markings are in the selvedge of a sheet of stamps, and KE8 stamps were printed in sheets of 240 (twelve columns by twenty rows. A complete sheet (of any value) is therefore important in a collection of KE8 items (figure 5).
We should mention that KE8 sheets were printed in pairs, side by side. The left hand side had the cylinder number whereas the right hand side had the cylinder number with a full stop immediately after it. This full stop is often called the ‘stop’ or ‘dot’ pane. Figure 5 is clearly from the dot pane and therefore was printed on the right hand side. Apart from the cylinder number in the selvedge there is the Control Number (A36 or A37), the
round hole that locates the sheet for the perforating machine, the sheet number and the horizontal and vertical mid-way sheet arrows. I think it is safe to say that there is still more work to do to fully understand all these markings.
The next five items are commercial envelopes or postcards which have date stamps on, or close to, the stamps’ issue date. There are hundreds of First Day Covers with first day cancellations, but these are philatelic and in this context don’t count! It is much harder to find commercial envelopes that were sent on the first day of issue. The ½d stamp was issued on 1 September 1936, as was the 1½d and 2½d, and it was the paper rate. It was used for quotations, business invoices and the like. Figure 6 is an envelope dated 10 September that had had a receipt inside; hence it was sent at the paper rate of ½d. The 1d stamp was issued on 14 September 1936 and was the internal postcard rate. Figure 7 is a good example.
The 1½d stamp was also issued on 1 September 1936. It was the internal first 2oz rate and figure 8 shows a good example of a commercial envelope used on the first day of issue. The 1½d was also the Empire rate, so the cost was 1½d to post from anywhere in the UK to anywhere in the Empire. Figure 9 shows an example posted on 3 September 1936. If you would like a harder challenge then finding an envelope sent to each of the Empire countries could take some time! Under a special arrangement the 1½d was also used for destinations in the USA. Figure 10 is a nice example of such an envelope and is dated 27 January 1937. Finding an envelope addressed to the USA with a 1 September date stamp is particularly challenging. And lastly in this group is a 2½d stamp used for the Foreign rate. Figure 11 shows such an envelope, dated 18 September 1937.
Before the Second World War the UK had over 6,500 merchant ships, the biggest merchant fleet in the world. Hundreds of thousands of British seamen sent letters home, many using the Paquebot mailing arrangements. Figure 12 is a nice
example from an Empire country, is dated 10 May 1937 and has a Quebec handstamp. The other Paquebot item to find is one that came ashore in a foreign country. Figure 13 is a good example; posted on-board with a 2½d stamp and sent ashore in Panama, with a Cristobal date stamp of 24 April 1937. Cristobal is on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal.
There are a small number of constant errors on the KE8 stamps (Gibbons lists five) and the three below would are not too difficult to find and would certainly enhance a collection. There are other constant errors but some refer to marks in the selvedge or marks that are not easily visible with the naked eye. Figure 14 shows the ½d, the ‘Pearl beside the Crown’ error that can be found on three Cylinders, 7 dot, 10 dot and 12 dot in position row 20 column 2 (conventionally written as R20/2). You can just see a circle to the right of the crown.
Figure 15 shows the 1½d from cylinder 2, position R18/1. You will notice that the King’s smooth hair line is interrupted at the top by a small hair bump or a piece of raised hair. This is the ‘Hair flaw’. And the last of errors is shown in Figure 16, from cylinder 2 dot of the 2½d, position R13/12. There is a spot of ink inside the King’s ear (shown on the top stamp) and this is known as the ‘Flaw in the ear’.
Arguably the most colourful and interesting aspect of collecting KE8 items are the books and booklets (books were sold over Post Office counters, booklets were sold from vending machines). KE8 has four different values of books and booklets: 6d, 2/-, 3/- and 5/-. The 6d has a plain buff-coloured cover, the 2/- and 3/- have a blue and red cover respectively and the 5/- also has a buff colour, the three higher values having advertisements on the front and back covers and inside the books. And there are plenty of books to collect: 32 types of 2/-, 13 types of 3/- and two types of 5/- books. The 6d comes in just one type. Some of these books are well outside the ‘pocket money’ range but others can be found for a modest sum. Figure 17 shows a 2/book number 366 (the number is on the top right hand corner).
Stamp panes
As well as collecting the books and booklets many people collect the stamp panes, both with or without the advertising labels. We should point out that all panes can be found with upright and inverted watermarks. Due to the way the stamps were printed there are equal numbers of both. Personally I do not separate the two but others may wish to collect both varieties of watermark on a particular pane.
Figure 18a shows a pane of six 1d stamps and Figure 18b shows a block of four 1½d stamps with two advertising labels. The latter has sixteen different varieties of adverts to collect. The plain pane of six stamps (found in ½d, 1d and 1½d varieties) can be found with or without cylinder numbers (two cylinders were used for each value) and in three varieties of perforations resulting in over thirty possible plain panes of stamp combinations to collect. Many of these stamp panes are sold for a modest sum although the panes with advertising labels tend to be more expensive.
Each stamp book not only contains various stamp panes but it also includes pages of advertising,
some for the Post Office and some commercial advertising. Figures 19a and 19b are just two of the internal pages that have commercial advertisements on them; whereas figure 19c shows a page of Postage Rates for the world. These make a fascinating collection and used stamp books or incomplete stamp books can be bought for a very modest sum.
A rather different use of the three lower value stamps was to satisfy the requirement for a 2d stamp duty on receipts. Since the Stamp Act of 1891 a 2d stamp was required on all receipts. This was modified in 1920 by requiring a 2d stamp on receipts over £2 and the need for a 2d stamp on any receipt was finally abolish in 1970. Such a receipt is shown in figure 20. Receipts can be hard to find as many were destroyed after use; however, they can be found in dealer’s ephemera boxes or on auction sites.
Final thoughts
By no means is this a complete list of KE8 material that could be collected. Apart from stamp coils, meter cancels, postage dues, perforation varieties, TPO mail, air mail and express mail there is a huge amount of Moroccan Overprint material to collect. And we have not covered the interesting and colourful early essay material. We hope we have interested you in starting a KE8 collection and, if nothing else, you now know there is a lot more to King Edward VIII than just four stamps!