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'Seahorses' is the name used to refer to the United Kingdom high value definitive
George V stamps at The British Postal Museum and Archive
{{George V Postage stamps of the United Kingdom George V
'Seahorses' is the name used to refer to the United Kingdom high value definitive postage stamps
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...
issued during the reign of King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
.
The stamps are notable for the quality of the engraving and the dramatic design which depicts Britannia
Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...
on her chariot behind three writhing horses on a stormy sea. The stamps represent a collecting field in their own right for some philatelist
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
s 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
Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 186310 October 1931), usually known as Bertram Mackennal, was an Australian sculptor and medallist, most famous for designing the coinage and stamps bearing the likeness of George V. He signed his work "BM". ...
, 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 W. Eve, with the dies engraved by J.A.C.Harrison and the stamps were intaglio (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, then in December 1915 the contract was awarded to De La Rue & Co, the height of the stamps was increased by 1mm and the £1 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 and Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...
. The stamps were replaced in 1939 by the King George VI high value series.
References
Further reading
* Hamill, Ian and Roy Gault. ''Great British Perfins found on King George V Seahorses 1913-1939''. Orpington: Perfin Society, 2009. * Kearsley, Bryan. ''Discovering Seahorses – King George V high values''. London: GB Philatelic Publications, 2005.External links
George V stamps at The British Postal Museum and Archive
{{George V Postage stamps of the United Kingdom George V