Identifying the Turks & Caicos Islands 1909 Set is a matter of sorting between color shades for the 1/4d, and paper colors for the 3d and 1/ values. This set of stamps replaced the first King Edward VII set. It was replaced with stamps showing King George V in 1913.

The stamps are all watermarked Multiple Crown CA, except for the 1/4d red issues which was later printed on paper watermarked Multiple Script CA. So you only need to identify the watermark for those issues, unless you are looking for the many inverted or reversed watermarks. See the images below of the watermarks as they will be seen from the back of the stamp.

Once you have identified the watermark the next step is to sort the colors. Color shades can be difficult to sort, especially when you only have a couple of stamps to compare. They typically occur when the stamps are printed after the initial printing. Today we have computer color matching, but during this time it was done by hand with components that might differ from the original ink formula. I like to place the stamps against black and then white paper and view them under a strong light. Thick paper tends to not show less of the black background when you look at the back of the stamp against black paper. Colored paper is best identified looking at the back of the stamp also. The images shown attempt to show the colors, but they do not show them as well as viewing the stamps in person. So use the images as relative indicators.

Unlike modern stamps which are issued in the millions, definitive sets from this time period were issued very conservatively. I do not have the print quantities for this set, but would be happy to add them if someone submits them to me.

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.