Identifying stamps from Montserrat King Edward VII issues watermarked Multiple Crown CA is a matter of sorting between the two watermark options: Crown CA and Multiple Crown CA (MCA), and then determining the difference between chalk and ordinary paper for 4 values. The stamps printed on paper watermarked Multiple Crown CA replaced by the Crown CA watermarked paper beginning in 1904, until it was replaced with new colors beginning in 1908.

If you have trouble determining the watermarks, try looking at them face down against black paper. The stamps watermarked Crown CA will always be centered fairly well on the stamp, and the design does not repeat, so even if you can not see the entire watermark, the CA will always be toward the bottom, instead of letters to the sides for the watermark Multiple Crown CA. See the images of the two watermarks below for reference. They are shown as normally seen from the back.

Once you have determined the watermark, the next step for four of the stamp values is to sort them between chalk and ordinary paper. The initial stamps were printed on chalk coated paper. The later issues were printed on ordinary paper. Although a silver coin will draw a line when rubbed gently against most chalk paper, I find this does not work very well for the KEVII watermarked MCA issues. I look for a shiny coating on the paper when viewed under a good light source. You can also rub your finger across the face of the stamp. It will slide easily over the chalk coated paper, and will feel like it is catching against the ordinary paper. Another test is the quality of the impression. The chalk treatment was used to insure a better quality printing. For the record, the term chalk is not scientifically accurate, but it is the term that has been used in the catalogs. In order to help you get a feel for identifying the two paper types, each stamp is marked with the paper type, even if it only has one option.

Unlike modern stamps which are issued in the millions, definitive sets from this time period were issued very conservatively. I do not have the printing details, but it would be safe to assume the 5/ issue was printed in a quantity of less than 5,000 based on other issues of this time period.

The catalog numbers are from the 1980 Commonwealth Five Reigns Catalogue (CW), 2013 Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue (SG) and the 2011 Scott catalog (ST). The description is from the Commonwealth Catalogue. Please contact Bridger & Kay to obtain a copy of this publication. You can access the other publishers using the "Links to British Colonial Stamp Sites" at the bottom of this page.

The images were saved in a larger size and at a higher resolution so you can more easily see the details used in sorting them. Please be patient if it takes a few minutes for this page to load.

This article was written to help you identify your stamps.
Please feel free to ask a question, or include a correction.