Ceylon/Sri Lanka STAMPS FOR SALE
CEYLON 1938 50c black and mauve, Wild Elephants, SG 394, superb never hinged mint corner margin pair.
CEYLON 1887 1r12c dull rose wmk Crown CC sideways, SG 201, very fine mint vertical PAIR with engine- turned ornamental sheet selvage at left. Pretty.
CEYLON 1863-66 ½d dull mauve WMK INVERTED,SG 48aw,used,faded,rough perfs
CEYLON 1863-1999 MINT COLLECTION in an album, includes 1863-66 2d emerald, 1888-90 2c on 4c surcharge inverted SG 202a, 1904-05 to 2.25r, 1912-25 5c wmk inverted & reversed and 50c wmk inverted, 1921–32 to 5r, 1926 to 5r, 1935-36 set, 1935 Jubilee set, 1938-49 set to 5r (x3) with many shades, perf & wmk types and blocks of 4, 1951-54 set etc. Mostly good to fine & fresh condition. (approx 700 stamps)
CEYLON 1888-90 surchs both “SPECIMEN” opts, SG 209s & 211s,fine mint (2)
CEYLON 1892 3c on 4c rose “SPECIMEN” opt, SG 242s, fine mint, fresh
CEYLON 1890 5c on 15c olive-green “SPECIMEN” opt, SG 233s, NHM
CEYLON 1893-99 “SPECIMEN” opts set, SG 245s-49s, fine mint, fresh (9)
CEYLON 1898-99 surcharges “SPECIMEN” opts set,SG 250s/55s, fm, fresh (9)
CEYLON 1908 “SPECIMEN” opts complete set, SG 289s-91s, mint, fresh (2)
CEYLON 1912-25 5r black/blue-green olive back SPECIMEN opt, SG 317bs,vfm
CEYLON 1912-25 5r black on green white back “SPECIMEN” opt, SG 317as, fm
CEYLON 1912-25 1r purple on pale yellow “SPECIMEN” opt, SG 315ds, vfm
CEYLON 1912-25 1r purple on lemon “SPECIMEN” opt, SG 315bs, vfm
CEYLON 1912-25 1r purple on yellow white back SPECIMEN opt,SG 315as,vfm
CEYLON 1912-25 2r black & red on lemon “SPECIMEN” opt, SG 316bs, vfm
CEYLON 1912-25 2r black & red/yellow white back SPECIMEN opt,SG 316as,fm
CEYLON REVENUE 1938 green & orange, Barefoot 8, fine cds used,full perfs
CEYLON TELEGRAPH STAMP 1905 25r carmine & scarlet whole stamp, SG T178, fine cds used.
CEYLON 1935 9c green & indigo Silver Jubilee with DIAGONAL LINE BY TURRET variety (position R. 10/1), SG 380f, never hinged mint in lower left corner pair with normal stamps, fresh. An attractive positional piece. (2 stamps)
CEYLON 1938-49 2c black & carmine perf 13½x13, SG 386a, NHM, fresh
CEYLON 1938-49 50c black & mauve “Wild Elephants”, Perf 13×11½, MSCA Wmk, SG 394, very fine mint.
CEYLON 1938-49 50c black & mauve “Wild Elephants”, Perf 13×11½, MSCA Wmk, SG 394, very fine mint
CEYLON 1872-80 2c and 4c, wmk CC, SG 121/122, mint straight edge (2)
CEYLON 1863-66 ½d dull mauve, wmk CC, perf 12½, SG 48, mint
CEYLON 1938-49 2c black & carmine, P13½x13, SG 386a, VFM
CEYLON 1885 5c on 36c blue surcharge WMK REVERSED variety, SG 156x, used
CEYLON 1883-98 2c dull green WMK INVERTED variety, SG 147w, vfu
CEYLON 1938-49 2c black & carmine perf 13½x13, SG 386a, very fine mint
We sell Ceylon/Sri Lanka stamps, collections, complete sets, errors and varieties
Ceylon/Sri Lanka Stamps – Ceylon’s first stamp was issued on 1st April 1857 and like many of the early imperforate classics printed by Perkins Bacon, it is on blue paper. Until 1866 only 4 basic designs existed for values between ½d and 2s but the range of spectacular colours, different values, imperf or with different perforation gauges and the 3 different types of watermark can keep stamp collectors busy for many years!
Ceylon Stamp Designs
An important British colony Ceylon enjoyed many exquisite stamp designs crafted by the great London printers, the Victorian issues enhanced for the philatelist by an unusually large amount of watermark varieties and, during the 1880’s a preponderance of surcharges which can often be found inverted and doubled.
The pictorial issues of the 1930s and 1940s are a playground for the specialist stamp collector with plate flaws and many different perforations. The postmarks of Ceylon are attractive and increasingly popular amongst collectors, for these, we would recommend “The Encyclopaedia of Ceylon Postmarks / King George VI” by David Horry.
Ceylon Philately includes many rare and valuable stamps, amongst the classic issues most notably the 1858 4d dull rose which should only be purchased from a reliable source such as us, as it can be cleverly faked by altering a later version of the same stamp. In a list of other rarities we must add the 1925 1000r purple on red, a large magnificent stamp occasionally encountered with a fiscal (non-postal) cancellation but worth in the region of £30,000 in mint condition.
