Page 247 - Jarvis & Wright: Jamaica Display to RPSL

Jamaica: War Stamps 1916 - 1920.

The De La Rue issue, 4 October 1919.
After three years of locally overprinting WAR TAX onto underlying stamps printed by De La Rue, the
Jamaica Government ordered the final issue of ½d and 3d War Stamps directly from De La Rue. As
before, the underlying ½d was printed from its 240 set single plate and the 3d from 120 set key and
duty plates. These were then overprinted in red using a 120 set overprint plate (or forme) also used
for the War Stamps of British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and St. Kitts Nevis.
Specimens, Samuel type D12.

These two specimens
have been stuck down
and bear blue crayon
marks very similar to
others from the archive
of Bechuanaland.

No overprint varieties are fully constant. It is known that De La Rue repaired flaws, but if they used
the same 120 set overprint forme for all printings it is odd that several varieties are found only on one
value or only on upper or lower panes of the ½d.

½d value.

2 printings, invoiced 17 June and 16 December 1919, 2,005,920 stamps.

Yellow-green. Blue-green.

Variety, bent
upright to T, rows
8 and 18, stamp 9.
↓

Deep green.

3d value.

3 printings, invoiced 17 June and 16 December 1919 and 6 February 1920, 2,005,920 stamps.

Purple on yellow. Pale purple on buff. Deep purple on buff.