The Early Postage Stamps of British Guiana. 389 
Colonial Governments for complete sets of all stamps issued by the 
colony, 1 have had a tew sheets struck off of those old stamps from the 
original dies to enable me to comply with their request. I can therefore 
spare a few to collectors at their actual value ; viz., the amount they 
represent respectively. As they are not to be used for the service of 
the Post Office, and can only be obtained in small numbers from this 
Head Office, they will be rare, although, of course, not so rare as they 
have been.” 
The above was written to Judge Philbrick in reply to his enquiries 
on the subject. The stamps sent by Mr. E. T. E. Dalton were the 
reprints. 
THE 1853 ISSUE. 
The somewhat primative and no doubt hurriedly produced issue of 
the preceding year, was followed by a more compact and attractive 
design, better representing the high class lithographic work of the well- 
known firm of Waterlow & Sons, Ltd., of London. 
The design represents a full rigged ship sailing to the left within an 
oval white band, around which the C olony’s Motto “ Damus Petimusque 
Vicissim ” in small coloured block capitals is inscribed. The whole being 
enclosed in a rectangular frame of four straight labels, bearing the word 
* British” on the right, “Guiana” on the left, “ Postage” at the top, 
and the value at the bottom; these being all in white roman capitals 
with serifs, on a coloured background. At each corner a single figure 
reading collectively 1853. The parts of the labels not occupied with the 
inscriptions being filled up with a rough network in colour. The 
spandrels between the oval band and the labels are filled up with solid 
colour in concentric circles. 
The design of this issue is fully described ; as it was the first executed 
and accepted design for the postage stamps of this Colony, the main 
characteristics of which have appeared in every subsequent issue, except 
the pictorial series issued to comimemorate the Jubilee of (Queen 
Victoria’s reign. And these stamps are only excelled in beauty of design 
and fine printing by the issue of 1865. 
This issue consisted of only two values, viz: le. in shades of 
verinilion, brown-red ; and reddish brown and 4c. in shades of blue. The 
stamps were produced by lithography and printed on white woye paper 
varying in substance; and unperforated. The accepted theory up to 
quite recently was, that both values were produced from a single die 
engrayed on copper, the bottom labels of value being separately 
engraved. Impressions from the parent die suflicient to “nake up the 
required number of stamps for the sheet (supposed to be 100) were 
reproduced on transfer paper ; these transfers were pasted on another 
