The 1904-1906 King Edward VII Keyplate Issue of Lagos Part Two

The 1904-1906 King Edward VII Keyplate Issue of Lagos Part Two

Today's post comes a few days late, as I was away on a much needed temporary vacation. However, it will hopefully have been worth the wait, as today, I will be showing you a wide array of cancellations on this issue. Next week, I will complete my coverage of this issue, with a nice selection of covers and postal history.

Cancellations on Single Stamps of the Issue 

Halfpenny Deep Dull Green and Myrtle Green on Ordinary Paper


The left stamp has a German seepost cancel. The second stamp from the left is postmarked with a Plymouth Paquebot cancel and is dated December 21, 1904.This is a relatively early date, as the stamp was first issued on October 10, 1904. The third stamp shows a large Ibadan May 25, 1905 CDS cancel, while the right stamp bears an Ogbomosho CDS cancel, dated January 1, 1905.


The left stamp is a faint Oyo cds, dated April 7, 1905. The right stamp is a January 1906 registered Lagos CDS.

Halfpenny Dull Green and Myrtle Green on Chalk-Surfaced Paper


These three stamps are all cancelled after Amalgamation. The left stamp is cancelled in Warri on April 12, 1907 and shows the "2" of the date inverted. The middle stamp is cancelled in Akassa, while the one on the right is cancelled in Ibadan, on October 19, 1906.



These stamps are also all cancelled after Amalgamation. All three are cancelled in Forcados between August 3, 1906 and September 13, 1907. Forcados was part of the Niger Coast Protectorate prior to Amalgamation.


The first two stamps in this row are canceled in Benin. One is an oval registered cancel, while the other is a CDS. The right stamp is cancelled in Ifon.


In this row we have a rare strike of the Lagos barred oval cancel, which had generally fallen out of use by 1898. The other two stamps are circular oval and "Post Office" cancels from Lagos. The middle stamp is cancelled May 1, 1906, which is just a couple of months after Amalgamation.



The pair of stamps on the left is cancelled in Bonny, April 6, 1907. Bonny was part of the Niger Coast Protectorate before amalgamation. The stamp on the right is cancelled in Onitsha on November 5. The date is not clear, but appears to be 1907.

These two stamps bear ship cancels. The left stamp is cancelled with a Plymouth paquebot cancel, while the right stamp is a Hamburg German Seepost cancel.

1d Purple and Black on Ordinary Red Paper 


The left stamp is another scarce strike of a 5-bar Lagos grid cancel. The middle stamp is an early November 5, 1904 strike of a circular registered Lagos cancel. The right stamp bears a 21 mm Lagos CDS cancel dated October 22, 1904. These dates are both early, given that the stamp was first issued on October 10, 1904.



These three stamps are all cancelled after Amalgamation, and are all cancelled in villages that had been part of Niger Coast Protectorate. The left stamp bears a Bonny CDS, dated June 1, 1907. The middle stamp is Calabar, dated February 8, 1907 and the right stamp bears the new Calabar Southern Nigeria CDS dated May 2, 1907.



The first two stamps here are cancelled after Amalgamation, while the right stamp is cancelled before Amagamation on May 29, 1905. The left stamp is cancelled with a Plymouth paquebot cancel. The middle stamp is cancelled Ode Ondo, and the right stamp bears a Post Office Lagos CDS cancel.



At least two of the three stamps on this row are cancelled after amalgamation. The left stamp bears a registered cancel from Egwani. The middle stamp is cancelled with a Benin CDS dated May 1, 1907. The right stamp is cancelled with an Asaba CDS dated April 25, 1907.


These two multiples, consisting of a pair and a strip of 3, are both cancelled in Warri, with the pair being dated August 10, 1906 and the strip dated September 28, 1906. 

These three stamps are all cancelled after Amalgamation. The two left stamps are cancelled in Ebute Metta, and the right stamp is cancelled in Aboh on February 28, 1907.


The stamp on the left bears a nice strike of an oval registered Southern Nigeria cancel. This one is likely to be Lagos, but could be another village. The middle stamp bears a German Hamburg Seepost cancel. The right stamp bears a lovely strike of an April 13, 1907 Ifon CDS.




The left stamp in this row is canceled before Amalgamation, at Ibadan, on May 26, 1905. The other two stamps are both cancelled at Onitsha in 1906 or 1907. The middle stamp is postmarked with a registered cancel and the right stamp is a CDS cancel.


These three stamps are also all cancelled after Amalgamation. On the left, we have a Forcados cancel dated March 31, 1907. The middle stamp is cancelled at "Egwanga" on April 20, 1907. The right stamp is canceled at Calabar on January 9, 1907. 
1d Purple and Black on Red Chalk-Surfaced Paper

These first three stamps are all cancelled after Amalgamation. The first stamp on the left is cancelled at Ibadan, the middle stamp is cancelled at Calabar and the right stamp is cancelled at Ogbomosho.



These three stamps are also cancelled after Amalgamation. The first two were used at sea and are cancelled with Plymouth paquebot cancels. The right stamp is cancelled with a Onitsha oval registered cancel.


These stamps are also cancelled after Amalgamation. The left stamp is cancelled with a Forcados CDS. The second stamp in the middle is cancelled in Warri, while the right stamp is cancelled in Calabar.


Finally, the last three stamps shown here are also cancelled after Amalgamation. The left stamp is cancelled with an Akassa CDS. The middle stamp is cancelled with an Abeokuta CDS, and the right stamp is cancelled in Forcados. 
2d Purple and Royal Blue on Ordinary Paper
Both of these stamps are cancelled in Abeokuta. The right stamp is cancelled sometime in 1905. The left stamp has a November cancel, but the date is not visible. 
2d Plum and Ultramarine on Chalk-Surfaced Paper

These first three stamps are all cancelled after Amalgamation in 1907. The left stamp is cancelled in Bonny. The middle stamp is cancelled in Egwang, which is a scarcer village name. The right stamp is cancelled at Asaba.



The left stamp is cancelled at Aboh. The middle stamp is cancelled at Onitsha and the right stamp is cancelled with a Degeema oval registered cancel. The middle and right stamp are both cancelled after Amalgmation.




Again, the three stamps shown here are all cancelled after Amalgamation. The left stamp is cancelled with a Lagos W.C.A CDS dated December 1, 1906. The middle stamp is cancelled in Calabar on July 12, 1907. Finally, the right stamp is cancelled with a Plymouth paquebot cancel.


Both this pair and the single stamp are cancelled at Warri after Amalgamation. The oval registered cancel is dated August 2, 1906. The right stamp is cancelled with a CDS cancel. 
2.5d Deep Purple and Ultramarine on Blue Chalk Surface Paper

All three of these stamps were cancelled after Amalgamation. The left stamp is cancelled with a Lagos Registered cancel. The middle stamp is cancelled with a Badagry CDS, and the right stamp is cancelled with a Sapelle CDS. All three of these stamps appear to be type 2, with the larger letters of value.


The left stamp is cancelled with an Abeokuta CDS dated October 23, 1907. The right stamp is cancelled with a Lagos CDS. 
3d Purple and Chestnut on Ordinary Paper
Neither of these two stamps show a clear date. The left stamp is cancelled with an oval Lagos registered cancel. The right stamp is cancelled with an Ebute Metta CDS cancel. 
3d Purple and Chestnut on Chalk Surfaced Paper

These three stamps are all cancelled in Sapelle, but it is not clear whether or not it was after Amalgamation. The left stamp is cancelled with a CDS, but the other two stamps are cancelled with an oval registered cancel.



These four stamps are all cancelled after Amalgamation. The left stamp is cancelled in Onitsha. The second stamp from the left is cancelled in Forcados. The third stamp is cancelled with an oval Calabar registered cancellation. The right stamp is cancelled with an Egwang CDS.


These three stamps are also cancelled after Amalgamation. Both of the first two stamps are cancelled with Post Office Lagos WCA CDS cancels. The right stamp is cancelled at Obubra, which is another location which is seldom seen. 
6d Deep Purple and Purple on Chalk Surfaced Paper
I have quite a large number of used examples of this value, but most of them have smudgy, unreadable cancels. This stamp is cancelled with a nice clear strike of a Lagos CDS dated May 20, 1907. 
One Shilling Dull Green and Black on Ordinary Paper
Both of these stamps are cancelled in Lagos, with 21 mm Lagos CDS cancels. According to Ince this stamp was issued on October 15, 1904. Yet, the stamp at the left is dated October 8, 1904, which suggests that it was actually issued earlier. The right stamp appears to have been used December 16, 1904, which is another early date. 
One Shilling Dull Green and Black on Chalk Surfaced Paper
Both of these stamps are cancelled after Amalgamation. The town names are not readable, but the dates are: August 16, 1906 and September 13, 1906. 
Two Shillings Sixpence Dull Green and Carmine on Ordinary Paper
This is a nice used example of this high value, cancelled just 2 weeks after Amalgamation, on March 3, 1906, in Lagos. As per last week's post, only 6,240 of this value were ever printed, so the number of used examples like this is very limited. 
Two Shillings and Sixpence Dull Green and Carmine on Chalk Surfaced Paper
The left stamp is cancelled with a Warri parcel cancellation. The right stamp is cancelled with a lovely strike of a Aboh CDS. 
Five Shillings Dull Green and Ultramarine on Ordinary Paper
These two stamps are nice used examples, but the cancellations are not readable. Enough detail is visible to discern that these are Lagos cancels. 
Five Shillings Bluish Green and Ultramarine on Chalk Surfaced Paper
This lovely example is dated December 21, 1909 and is cancelled with a crisp strike of a Lagos registered CDS cancel. Only 6,240 of these stamps were ever printed and issued. So, an example like this with full original colour and crisp cancel is a true rarity. 
Ten Shillings Dull Green and Sepia Brown on Ordinary Paper
This beautiful example is cancelled with the same cancel as the five shilling above. It is a December 21, 1909 Lagos registered CDS. According to Ince, only 6,240 stamps were issued. 
Ten Shillings Dull Bluish Green and Sepia Brown on Chalk Surfaced Paper
This is another very nice example of this rare high value. This one is cancelled with a March 1, 1907 Lagos registered cancel. According to Ince, only 6,240 stamps were issued.  
This concludes my showing of the cancels on this issue. Next week, I will finish this issue off with a lovely display of covers and postcards. 
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