Mysteries concerning the Oil Rivers Provisionals of 1893-94
John Sacher
16 April 2009
The first question I should answer is 'why did a postal historian get involved with a five year study of stamps?' that he does not collect? That's quite easy. 15 years ago Jack Ince and I wrote a book on the Nigeria Region. As a result I was sent some Oil Rivers provisionals by the Expert Committee for an opinion. Neither of us really knew much more about these stamps than what Agabeg and Porter had written in 1955 and 1958, so I decided that I had better see what I could find.
I have had an enormous amount of help. With the gracious permission of Her Majesty and much help from the Keeper, Michael Sefi, I have been permitted to photograph and reproduce items in the Royal Philatelic Collection. Ian Greig has kindly prepared this material which is on display today. John and Mark Taylor's clients have also helped me by providing images of the items in their collections. The owner of another collection has given me full access and some 19 other people have helped me with scans. The records of our Expert Committee and of the BPA, the Philatelic Foundation and the APS have also been made available to me as well. I now know much more than I used to.
Indeed scanning and the Internet have meant that I have been able to form a much more complete archive than any of my predecessors could possibly have made.
Why were these stamps produced?
The first British move towards control and administration of the area around the Niger Delta was in 1884 when local treaties were signed and the following June when a Protectorate was declared over the 'Niger Districts' with unpaid merchants acting as Consuls in each of the ports. From 1 January 1891 the sphere of control was extended and renamed the 'Protectorate of the Oil Rivers and adjoining Native Territories' with a Consul-General at Old Calabar and Vice-Consuls at each of the other ports. From May 1893 it was extended indefinitely into the interior and re- named the 'Niger Coast Protectorate'.
There are a number of people involved in this story and there is a fuller dramatis personae in the Supplement to the London Philatelist. The most important are -
Dick Agabeg who wrote a study of the provisionals in The London Philatelist, published in 1956.
Charles James Daun who wrote the Oil Rivers and Niger Coast section of Part III of The Postage Stamps... of the British Colonies... in Africa, published in 1906.
Arthur J. Griffith who was acting Vice-Consul at Old Calabar, a considerable correspondent on the provisionals between 14 August 1894 and 1905 as well as a letter writer to The London Philatelist in 1894. He became a member of the Society.
Claude Macdonald, Commissioner and Consul-General based at Old Calabar. He wrote to The London Philatelist in October 1894 disagreeing with Griffith, who was his subordinate.
Charles W. Perryman who supplied information in 1894 about numbers of these stamps produced, and 'his man' who purchased stamps from the Post Office(s). His data has largely been accepted over the years but could be understated.
Herbert Porter who wrote a study of the stamps and provisionals of the Oil Rivers and Niger Coast published in The Philatelist in 1958.
W.V.Tanner, Vice-Consul at Opobo, who wrote letters dated 24 August and 9 September 1894, transcribed by Griffith, about the likely need to surcharge and bisect stamps locally, and is said to have hand carved the Opobo '1' surcharges.
Although the British Treasury had granted permission for GB stamps to be used at Lagos and foreign ports on the Coast of West Africa as early as 1858, strangely there is no reported use in the Oil Rivers before 30 August 1892 and that was after the GB stamps overprinted BRITISH PROTECTORATE OIL RIVERS had been issued on 20 July. I have seen 34 instances of the unoverprinted stamps being used in the period up to 1 January 1894, with one later and two much later in 1898 and 1899. This is the first mystery. Why were un-overprinted GB stamps needed at all?
Now we come to the provisional surcharges - I have identified some 4,700 individual stamps. This proved to be relatively easy for most. The lettering and bar on the surcharges themselves vary and move about. The OIL RIVERS PROTECTORATE overprint also moves enough to be an identifier. The position and form of the perforation, particularly at the corners, is a further check and of course on the used stamps the canceller provides a simple test.
The first shortage of ½d stamps arose at Old Calabar in September 1893. This was well reported and there probably was a need for the ½d surcharges, and the later 1d ones too, but there were a lot of philatelists involved even out on the Coast. Griffiths was not only a philatelist but one with strong views, though not always right. Vice-Consul Tanner kept plenty of stamps for himself, but snails ate them, so there are at least some that did not survive. Perryman had his man buying up all the stock he could get and had his ear to the ground for any information available from the Vice-Consuls who acted as Postal Agents. Claude Macdonald, later Sir Claude, knew enough about stamps to keep one of the 20/- and to supply it to his friend Lucas of Whitfield King who later in 1920 sold it to 'Mr Harmer' who was secretly working on behalf of the King.
The initial shortage in September was met with 1d stamps surcharged and bisected '½d'. This was followed by the major issue of December on 2d and 2½d stamps with so-called trial sheets and bulk production. It has always been assumed that the fancy sheets with mixed colours and inverted, sideways, diagonal and diagonal/inverted surcharges were produced first. I doubt it. They virtually all still exist, if the reported quantities produced were anywhere near accurate, so one must conclude that they were made for Officials to give or sell to collectors, although they were supposed to have been sold over the Post Office counter. Surely if there was a real shortage the first priority would have been to produce and sell stamps for use?
Let's consider the 'bulk' production on the 2d value said by Perryman and repeated by Daun and Porter to have been three sheets with violet surcharges and half a sheet in blue. Dick Agabeg agreed with this. In fact they may all have been wrong. I have seen more than enough for there to have been four sheets in violet and even that would have meant all the stamps said to have been produced still surviving including all those used. There are enough for plenty of forgeries too.
On the 2½d value Perryman, Daun and Porter reported fourteen and a half sheets in all, Agabeg reckoned there was a sheet less. They lump certain stamps together and this grouping goes back to Perryman's original report and the early Gibbons catalogue listings. These are set out in the Supplement. Were again all of every, or at least nearly every, type face and colour to have survived, including the used stamps, there would have had to have been at least a sheet more of SG11 but perhaps a sheet less of SG21 and 25 taken together, and a sheet or a sheet and a half less of SG27 than the first group said. Where Agabeg reckoned there was half a sheet of SG12, there must have been two sheets and a sheet, not two sheets, of SG17. Again there must have been twice as many SG11 as he too thought and perhaps a half sheet less of SG21. However, for me the big question is why are so many still in existence - at least 87% and perhaps 93% - of what contemporaries reported as produced?
Now let's consider the black and blue-black surcharges on the 2½d value. These have regularly been described as 'rare' stamps. The first thing I noticed about them was that even on the stamps with certificates, as described, the colours seem to overlap. Secondly on none of the actual stamps that I have seen can I find any trace of blue in the ones described as blue-black. I suspect that they are all examples of heavier and lighter inking and should be called just black. To complicate the issue further there are three 'settings' of the surcharge. 75% of the singles and all 33 exotics and stamps in composites are what I call 'normal with the left vertical stroke of the 'H' over the space between the 'P' and 'E'. There are five singles with left stroke of the 'H' over the right of the loop of 'P' and ten with the 'H' aligned over the 'E'. Of the 'normal' stamps there are no less than 44 singles, which would make a substantial part of a half sheet. If these were as regularly suggested all from the composite and mixed colour sheets, why were so many separated into single stamps? I think that they were printed separately and should be included in the 'bulk' production. I also think settings 2 and 3 are bad.
On the 2d value 'trial' stamps I have seen 19 stamps with 'exotic' surcharges over 9 varieties.
On the 2½d value there are seven different 'rare' stamps, apart from the black ones, ranging in rarity as single stamps from two up to 18. Three of these also appear in the composites, but only as one, two and four examples. There are also 60 'exotic' surcharges - inverts, etc - over 18 different basic stamps. There are in addition four different stamps on which one or two of each have had the surcharge omitted. Why were there so many colours used? Unless the ink ran out, I can think of no good reason and with the presence of all types and colours in the fancy sheets one can only conclude that either Wall himself or the printer had a good time producing stamps for the officials or perhaps themselves to create a potentially valuable market.
There is no surviving contemporary report of the quantity of 'One Shilling' stamps produced or why they were needed. My view is that in violet there must have been at least a half sheet with surcharges in Setting A and a sheet in Setting B. In vermilion there must have been at least a sheet in Setting B, but Setting A only occurred in what was probably half a sheet of mixed colours, that is violet, vermilion and black with inverts, etc, again a 'trial' sheet or perks for the officials. Only one example as a single stamp is known in vermilion for Setting A and that is in the Royal Philatelic Collection, probably separated from the mixed colour sheet. Few stamps were used in setting A, while the majority of examples of setting B are found cancelled.
Now for less a mystery than a deliberate hoax or fraud. This concerns the 27 black 'One Shilling' surcharges with sloping serifs to the 'S'. The lettering wanders all over the place from the equivalent of setting A to setting B and everything in between. I cannot accept that a different type face was found for these few stamps and these alone. Note Setting A in black with upright serifs occurred in the mixed colour half sheet. With or without certificates, in my opinion these sloping serif stamps are later forgeries. The story of the so-called 'Perryman find' is set out in the Supplement, but it simply doesn't add up.
The '5/-' and the '10/-' surcharges were either produced in much larger quantities than Perryman thought or are much easier to forge than the other values. I leave that to your judgement. They too exist with fancy inverted surcharges, etc.
The nine '20/-' stamps, three each in violet, vermilion and black, have pedigrees as long as my arm and the whereabouts of each have been known since at least 1901/02. I know where all but two are currently. One of these was sold in 1991 and the other was offered by Behr in 2001 and re-offered in 2008. However, the '20/-' stamps have their own mystery. They can be put back together by matching the perforations and the resulting shape indicates that there could have been at least six more if they were surcharged on a regular shaped block of one shillings stamps - and what is more there are three slightly different forms of the '2's in the surcharges.
Perryman said all three high values were needed for postage on heavy items, but later he changed his mind, saying that they were made to balance the books, that is to cover the cost of writing stamps down from 2d and 2½d to ½d as well as to meet a shortfall in the Post Office stock. Whoever's production figures one takes, and even if one includes the write down on the September ½d value, the cost would have been no more than £22 or £23 against the write up of the high values of around £58. By the standards of the time a £35 loss in the Post Office stock would have been very substantial. One would have expected to have found an official reference to this, perhaps even to an inquiry, and there is none. Of course if Perryman's quantities of 5/- and 10/- were correct the surplus would have been just over £12, perhaps a small enough loss of stock to avoid an official inquiry, but in that case over half the stamps recorded are forgeries.
Another question is why if there was a real shortage of ½d stamps were so many used in multiples? Griffith justifies this by saying that he got short of other values too and had to use the provisionals to make up the rate. Perhaps he did, but he also addressed a lot of letters to a handful of people, sometimes several on a day, and they carefully kept many if not all of the covers.
A final comment on the 1893 Old Calabar provisionals - most of the surcharges are pretty coarse and the lettering is rather variable in appearance, even when under- inked with some of the lettering or the bar missing. A few stamps on the other hand have clean and clear surcharges, usually lighter in colour. This particularly applies to the blue colour. Beware of these.
No doubt more stamps will be found. The commoner ones keep turning up in auctions. Of the rarer stamps, one or two have been seen for the first time just recently but I have so far not found either of the two examples of Type 7 in carmine (SG23) recorded by Agabeg.
Passing on to the Opobo provisionals, Griffiths says that there was no printing press there and that Tanner had to hand carve the three '1' surcharges himself. If that was the case one wonders where the Opobo '½' surcharge came from and I am sure he would not have made several examples of each. Why there are so many varieties of both the '1' and of the '½'?
Robert Nelson's study of the variable perforations on these stamps, which I mistakenly attributed to the last Old Calabar 'ONE HALF PENNY' surcharge in the Supplement, is in fact about the Opobo issue and specifically the pale blue stamp, of which there may well therefore have been two sheets instead of one. Furthermore my comment about the existence of diagonal bisects applies only to the three surcharges on the vermilion 1d.
The one stamp for which there seems to have been a genuine need is the Old Calabar ONE HALF PENNY surcharge on the new definitive 2½d blue value issued on 10 August 1894. There are some pretty spectacular double surcharges on these stamps. I have recorded less than a third of those produced which must indicate proper commercial use, although a much higher percentage of the 'OIE' variety has survived.
I have seen 113 covers with surcharged stamps. Nearly half of them were sent by Griffith.
In addition to the surcharged stamps, unsurcharged bisects were authorised at Bonny. I have seen 54 covers and 28 pieces. All but two covers and 17 pieces are used on the last authorised day, the 11th September 1894, and these were mostly sent by registered mail in substantial runs of consecutive numbers to the same addresses. Study of the registration numbers shows that there must originally have been well over 100 covers sent. There are also at least twelve sent unregistered on the same date. Most have quite unnecessary combinations of bisects to make up amounts for which whole stamps were clearly still available. Small numbers of bisects were also used at Old Calabar and also later at Opobo whether authorised or not.
We are told by Porter that CTOs were produced, in part from remainders sent back to the Protectorate by an unnamed London dealer. This may be true but there are a number of different dates still to be found in largish quantities. By far the greatest numbers are 129 at Forcados on 3 January 1894 and 51 at Old Calabar on 16 March 1894 - see Appendix A in the Supplement which sets out all the likely candidates. The one thing which is clear is that the statement by Griffith that only the square cancellers were used on genuine mail and the 'little circular postmark' only on whole uncut sheets is rubbish. On the other hand the statement made by Macdonald that he had abolished the square ones is also untrue.
My conclusions - this is a philatelist's dream or a nightmare, depending on your view. At least one can be a lot clearer about how many sheets were produced and about the status of the black and blue-black 'Half Penny' surcharges, also about the sloping 'One Shilling' serifs. One also has to warn that although I can only identify about 5% of the stamps seen, apart from those certified as forgeries, as potentially bad there must certainly be more forgeries than have hitherto been identified.
A display supporting a paper on
Mysteries concerning the Oil Rivers Provisionals of 1893-94.
16 April 2009
Frames 1 to 5 and 7
These frames contain material from the Royal Philatelic Collection displayed by gracious permissionof Her Majesty The Queen, with much help from the Keeper, Michael Sefi FRPSL and the Assistant Keeper, Ian Greig FRPSL.
Stamps to be noted are:-
Frame 1
20 July 1892 - Imperial stamps overprinted
"BRITISH PROTECTORATE" and "OIL RIVERS" in surcharge reversed (SG2a).
3 September 1893 - first Old Calabar '½d' surcharge on half of 1d
Se-tenant pairs of ½d in violet and vermilion (SG7f).
½d surcharge inverted and reversed in block of four (SG7ab).
Frame 2
December 1893 - second Old Calabar 'Half Penny' surcharges in a variety of types and colours
½d on 2½d with surcharge type 3 in vermilion in pair with type 8 in green (SG12 & 27).
Type 4 in vermilion on 2½d plus two stamps with surcharge omitted (SG12 & uncatalogued).
Type 4 in green on 2½d in pair with surcharge omitted (SG11 & uncatalogued).
Type 4 in green on 2½d (SG11) on JU 21 94 Old Calabar registered cover.
Type 4 in black with two type 7 in green on 2½d (SG15 & 27).
Type 4 described as light bluish black on 2½d (SG16).
Type 6 in violet on 2d (SG18) on JU 21 94 Old Calabar registered cover.
Type 6 in vermilion vertical down and normal on 2½d (SG19 & 19e).
Type 6 in vermilion inverted and normal on 2½d (SG19a & 19).
Type 6 in vermilion diagonal and inverted down on 2½d (SG19f).
Type 6 in vermilion with double surcharge on 2½d used (SG19b).
Type 6 in vermilion with type 7 with surcharge vertical up on 2½d (SG19 & 21b).
Type 7 in violet diagonal down with normal on 2d (SG20c & 20).
Type 7 in violet diagonal up with type 9 on 2d (SG20c & 29).
Type 7 in violet inverted with normal on 2d (SG20e & 20).
Type 7 in violet with double surcharge on 2d (SG20a).
Type 7 in violet on 2d (SG20) on NO 28 94 Old Calabar registered cover.
Type 7 in violet on 2½d (SG24).
Type 8 in blue on 2½d with two type 4 in carmine (SG26 & 13).
Type 8 in carmine (SG28).
Type 9 in green with type 8 in vermilion, both on 2½d (SG33 & 25).
Type 8 diagonal and inverted in vermilion with two normal on 2½d (uncatalogued & SG25).
Type 9 in blue on 2d (SG30) on NO 28 94 Old Calabar registered cover.
Type 9 in vermilion on 2½d with surcharge omitted on two stamps (SG 31 & uncatalogued).
Type 9 in violet on 2½d (SG34).
Type 10 in vermilion on 2½d (SG36).
Frame 3
December 1893 Old Calabar surcharges
'One Shilling' on 2d
Type 11A in violet inverted (SG37a).
Type 11A in violet vertical up (SG37b).
Type 11A in vermilion diagonal and inverted down (uncatalogued).
Type 11A pair in violet and vermilion (SG37e).
Type 11A in black vertical up with vertical serifs to 'S' (SG39b).
Surcharge in black with sloping serifs to 'S'.
'5/-' on 2d
Corner copy normal (SG40).
Vertical up used (SG40b).
Inverted in strip of three with two normal (SG40a & 40).
Pair (SG40) used on 2d registered cover addressed to Mr Perryman with other stamps to value of 1/10d.
'10/-' on 5d
Marginal copy normal (SG41).
Pair used on 2d registered cover, one inverted (SG41a & 41) with other stamps to value of 1/2½d.
(Both the 5/- and 10/- covers were sent from Old Calabar on 29 July 1895 via French Paquebot, although in different hands to different addressees.)
Frame 4
'20/-' on One Shilling
In violet (SG42).
In vermilion (SG43).
In black (SG44).
Frame 5
Letters from Sir Claude Macdonald to Mr C. J. Lucas concerning the supply of provisional stamps including 5/-, 10/- and a 20/- dated 22 December 1893 and 19 March 1894, together with another dated 1920 from Lucas to Mr E. D. Bacon (see also transcriptions).
Frame 6
Enlarged photographs of all nine known examples of '20/-' stamps. None have been discovered since 1902.
Frame 7
1894 (May to October) Opobo '½' and '1' surcharges
'½' in vermilion on half 1d dull blue (SG57) on MY 28 94 Opobo cover.
Unsevered pair of 12mm high '1' on half 2d surcharges used (SG59c).
'1' surcharge on half 2d (SG59) on OC 18 94 Opobob cover.
4¼mm high '1' surcharge on half 2d used (SG60).
'½' in blue on half 1d vermilion unused (SG64).
'½' in blue on half 1d on OC 1 94 Opobo cover.
10 August 1894 Old Calabar 'ONE HALF PENNY' surcharge on Niger Coast definitive 2½d
'OIE' variety in pair with normal (SG65b & 65).
'OIE' and 'ONE' double surcharge used on cover (65c).
Frames 8 and 9
Covers from my collection.
1892 '½d' in red on half 1d and pair of type 9 in green on 2½d (SG7 & 33) on registered 12 AP 94 Old Calabar cover to Sierra Leone.
Type 4 in green on 2½d (SG11) on 28 NO 94 registered Old Calabar cover.
'½' in vermilion on half 1d dull blue (SG57) on 2d registered MY 21 94 Opobo cover.
'1' in vermilion on half 2d (SG59) on part OC 18 94 Opobo cover.
1d vermilion bisected (SG52b) on 2d registered cover - Bonny 7 AU 94.
1d vermilion bisected (SG52b) on SP 7 94 Bonny cover.
Frames 10 to 12
Letters from the Society's Archive.
From Acting Vice Consul Arthur J. Griffith dated 17 August 1894 to Mr W. D. Bicton, and to "A. R." with a reply transcribed by AJG dated 25 September 1894.
Copies of letters from W. V. Tanner to AJG dated 24 August 1894 and 9 September 1894 and Wm Broadhurst to AJG dated 20 August 1894.
From Griffith to Mr C. J. Daun dated 7 March 1903, 23 March 1903, 6 October 1903, 13 January 1904, 19 January 1904, 13 June 1904, 5 March 1905 and 6 April 1905.
From C. W. Perryman to Daun dated 31 December 1904 and 26 February 1905.
From T. A. Wall to Daun dated 2 May 1905.
Transcriptions of letters in
The Royal Philatelic Collection and
The Royal Philatelic Society London Archives
The following transcriptions are of letters dated 1893 to 1905 in frames 5 and 10-12.
Copy of letter (1)
[This is not in Griffith's writing. SJS]
* i.e. ½ of 1d light blue of 2nd issue - the ones issued in May 1894 were ½ of 1d dark blue
A.J.G.
H B M Vice Consulate
Opobo
Aug 24. 1894
Dear Griffith
Thanks for your letter with the surcharged stamp which I had not seen before (i.e.
½ surcharged in black on 2½ blue issued at Old Calabar August 1894) I send you a few of the ½
we are using -∗- there are none of the 2nd issue ½ to be had or of the 3rd issue and I have never
even seen the 2d of the 3rd issue. The ones sent to us are the provisionals (to get them used up I
suppose) of the 1st issue. I should like to get a few of the 2d of the 3rd issue, if we dont get ½
stamps supplied to us soon I shall have to issue the 1d 3rd issue cut & surcharged. I am pretty well
again now but I shall not be sorry to get home in October as my illness has pulled me down a lot
Y very sins
(Signed) W.V. Tanner
Note. ½d stamps were not sent from G.P.O. Old Calabar to Opobo as they had none themselves then (except the ones they had had to surcharge in August /94, i.e. 960 2½d blue 3rd issue) so Mr. Vice Consul Tanner had to make ½d stamps for his District (Opobo) by bisecting the 1d red ones of 3rd issue & surcharging each half with the figures ½. In May 1894 only one sheet(i.e. 60 stamps] of the 1d dark blue were bisected & surcharged "½" & in August one sheet (i.e. 60 stamps) of the 1d light blue - which makes a total issue of 120 dark blue ½d in May 1894 & 120 light blue ½d in Aug./94
A.J.G.
Copy (2)
Note 3/- of 2d (3rd issue) sent & 3. 2d stamps in payment for 12 ½ surchd. 27/9./94
A.J.G.
Sep 9/94
H.B.M. Vice Consulate
Opobo W.C.A.
Dear Griffith, of the ½d surcharged on ½ penny blue, I have issued from here* (none of these were issued anywhere else - only Opobo (A.J.G.)) two sheets each of 60 stamps which makes a total of two hundred & forty, no more will be issued, as all the blue 1d are finished. I enclose 12 "½" surcharge on half red penny - of these one sheet of 60 has been issued (i.e.120 at ½d) and unless we get a supply of ½d stamps by Monday I shall issue another sheet which will be the last I expect as I dont think we have any more one penny of any sort*. I should be glad if you could get me 5/- worth of twopenny stamps of the last issue i.e. 1894 similar to the ones you enclose - The ants eat over 14 ½d stamps which I had put away also a lot of others
Y. very sins
W.V.Tanner
*
Subsequently (viz October 1894) as no stamps had been sent from Headquarters one sheet of 2d Oil Rivers was used, & the stamps bisected & surcharged "1" in red A.J.G.
* 50 ½ stamps asked for but not supplied A.J.Griffith
Postmasters No.22
Memorandum Date Aug 20th 1894
Post Office Old Calabar
From Wm Broadhurst To A.J.Griffiths Esq.
Please receive the following stamps
50 O.R.P. @ 2d 8/4
50 „ „ 2½d 10/5
50 „ „ 5d 20/10
£1.19.7
50 N.C.P. „ 2½d 10/5 Total £2.10.0
I regret to say that there are no ½d stamps on hand & the delay also, but I was out when your memo arrived
Wm Broadhurst
H.B.M. Consulate
Old Calabar
W.C.A.
25 Sept 1894
I am sending herewith three letters to go per Matadi [packet steamer - SJS], one to be registered, also two packages of photographs. They each weigh just under 4 ozs but I dont know what the postage of photographs is so I have put a 2½ stamp on each & I enclose 1/- herewith & if they require any more stamps I shall be glad if you will put them on for me & return me change if there is any
Please send me the following stamps
30 at 2d (3rd issue) 5.0
24 „ 2½ ( „ „ ) 5.0
24 „ ½ any issue 1.0
11.0
Cash enclosed total 12/-
A.G.G.
Acting Vice Consul
To G.P.O
Old Calabar
Reply Sep 25. 1894
Sir
Enclosed are Receipt for Registered Letter, 2/- in cash
5/- worth of 2½d stamps
& 5/- „ „ 2d „
I regret to say that we are absolutely out of ½ stamps.
The rate for photos per book post is ½ for 2 ozs.
The stamps you affixed were more than the required rate. But we have left them to go so as it would double all assurance and safety.
Obediently yours
A.R.
Telephone
17 Farnborough
BIFRONS
FARNBOROUGH
HANTS
31 Dec '04
My dear Mr. Daun
Thank you for your letter. I hope you will compile the O.R. list, as you are not only the most capable, but the only holder of some of them! As I have already explained to Mr. Tilleard there cannot be the least doubt at all over the status of the two panes of mixed surcharges, they were made by the printer himself along with the others, authorized by the Acting Vice Consul and Postmaster, the fact that they were mixed was merely an idiosyncrasy of the printer himself, but they were part of the parcel of £5 worth given to him to surcharge, & were returned with the balance as part of the £5 worth, and were all sold with the others over the counter at the P/office.
The only controversy I know of, is idle cant on account of the jealousy of those who didn't get any - I read that enquiries were made by more than one person or firm at the time to the officials over there, about them - I believe particularly by S. Gibbons, and every possible enquiry was made to endeavour to stamp them as bogus or 'made' issues, but I also am told that all the answers were so satisfactory that the enquirers could not damn them, altho' they were bursting to do so. Then also the consuls at various places, Mr Griffith and another man, whose name escapes me were interviewed often over here, as well as the Vice Consul & postmaster who authorized their issue, when over here on leave, but in no case was anything ever discovered but their simple legitimacy. Not one of the issuers over at Old Calabar were philatelists, or interested in philately, nor had any notion of what they were doing, or the pass that would ensue. Childish simplicity could best describe their issuance. I have had a lot of trouble over them but thanks to the postmaster I at least satisfactorily unravelled their history and the number made of each. I shall be glad to chat it over with you, when you have time and desire, in case you do take up the list making.
The 5/-, 10/-, 20/- stamps were made to make up the accounts, after the decreasing in value of the 2d & 2½d and also to make up a shortage in the stock. I have a stock list, as kept over there, which shows approximately how the shortage was made up, on the first issue only - which the F.O. charged at face to the Colony - and the higher values were made to make up the shortage and make the stock tally. It might be easier to say '- oh yes! There was a demand for high values & none in stock, hence they were made', & ignorant people would swallow such a tale more readily than the true one, which seems a bit funny and complicated, but nevertheless it is a fact, and you will appreciate that for anyone else would be a fool to invent such a sorry sort of yarn - as if I desired to invent a tale to account for them, I would no doubt philatelically invent something more easy.
Of the ½d's I got 15/24's of the £5 worth made - you know I suppose the reason was one mail was short of halfpenny and I happened to have an order then for £5 worth of ½d to come by that mail. I did not get £5 worth, so you see they didn't make up my order, my man was told that that was all he could have - what were left -others had been sold over the counter, before my man got mine - it was just while waiting for the new issue, long overdue, delayed in consequence of the alteration of title of the Colony vide the stamps made on the old die. Let me know what more you want to know!
I am st
C. W. Perryman.
Telephone
Bifrons
17 Farnborough Farnborough
Hants.
26 Feb 1905.
My dear Mr. Daun -
I enclose particulars of the first surcharge O R SG No.7 - this was made on the arrival of the stamps and shows the errors.
Yours ever
C.W.Perryman.
Oil River provisionals
½d. in red on 1d. English ORP SG No.7
_____________________
The top row of 1 sheet had 12 pairs in violet
on 3rd row 3rd stamp & 9th stamp had line across the other way
on 7th row 6th stamp had dividing line out of position, and overlapping into the 7th stamp
on 8th row 4th stamp and 10th stamp had line across the other way and surcharge inverted on both halves
other stamps allright and apparently this first sheet was the only one that had errors, as one at
least of the other sheets had these particular stamps... allright.
C.W.Perryman.
In the table below Perryman's document referred to numbering in the 1905 Stanley Gibbons Catalogue. The figures in square brackets are the equivalents today.
Oil Rivers guaranteed. C.W.P.
SG 7. 468 pairs in red Sept 1893
[SG7]
10. 12 pairs in violet. - do -
[SG7a]
SG 9. 360 Opobo 120 on Jun 2nd} 1894
[SG59] 240 - Oct 18th}
„ 44. 120 do May 19 1894
[SG57 & 58]
44c 54 240 do 120 Aug 1st}
[SG62, 63, 64]
53 1200 Old C Griffiths says 960.
[SG65]
12 April 1894
SG 12. 13. 15. 15a.16. 21. 25. 26. 27. 120 of each
[SG9,18; 11; 10a,13; 14; 20; 29; 32; 33; 35]
SG 14. 18. 360 of each
[SG10, 12, 17,19; 21, 25]
SG 22. 24. 60 of each
[SG30; 31]
SG 20 240.
[SG27]
also. 2 sheets of 120 each mixed - = 20 sheets of 120 in all = 2400
SG 15b 19 SG 31 - 28
[SG15] [SG40]
„ 15c 23 light blue bk „ 32 - 32
[SG16] [SG41]
„ 19 4 „ 33. 5
[SG22, 26] [SG42]
„ 20a 2 carmine italic „ 34. 2
[SG23, 28] [SG43]
SG 26a 22 „ 35. 1
[SG34] [SG44]
„ 20b 9 violet italic
[SG24]
„ 27a 6 SG 28/9. 352
[SG36] [SG 37, 38]
„ 30 8
[SG39]
C.W.P.
Sierra Leone
May 2nd 1905
Dear Sir,
I should have replied to your letter of March 22nd before this, but I have been an invalid for the past six months, and have long years ago retired from the Protectorate to which you refer.
Mr Griffiths, whom you mention, an old brother officer, wrote to me some time since to give him information upon the same subject and, I believe, for a little purpose. I had to reply that I could not assist him in any way whatever, as the whole of the Records of the Post Office were destroyed in the fire of 1895, in which I also lost, I regret to say, all my personal effects.
I may, however, assure you, you have been led to suppose, in error, I presume, that there was any deficiency in the accounts of the Department.
I am extremely sorry I cannot afford you any further information upon the subject.
I am, Dear Sir,
Yours faithfully
T. A. Wall
C. J. Daun Esqre
Correspondence about 20/- black in the Royal Philatelic Collection
Old Calabar
22nd December 1893.
My dear Lucas,
Your letter of the 17th Sept. written from Lyon arrived several mails ago. I didn't answer it at
once for I was collecting more stamps for you and my emissaries to the Congo and Angola had
not returned. Now I send you the results of my labours no great shakes but there may be one or
two amongst them you haven't got. I shall be interested to know if this is the case - In your letter
you ask for a complete set of provisional unused O.R.P. stamps. I didn't know whether you mean
the ones now in use - the Imperial ones surcharged - anyway I send them - our new issue comes
into use the 1st January 1894 - it is a very pretty stamp only the surcharging Niger Coast
Protectorate rather spoils it. This issue will only be in use about a year so will be rare. We still
have some of the Imperial surcharged on hand - and several stamp collecting firms at home &
abroad have offered to buy the whole lot but I have refused and mean to work them off with our
own new lot. I send you a shilling stamp surcharged 1£ - a 5d ditto 10/ and a 2d ditto 5/. These
will be very rare as only some twenty or so were struck off. If you would like them effaced I will
have it done and see that the effacing stamp is clear & distinct.
(The end of the letter refers to personal matters.)
H.B.M. CONSULATE GENERAL,
OLD CALABAR,
WEST AFRICA.
19.3.94
My dear Lucas,
By God you are an enthusiastic philatelist and the whole resources of my Postal Establishment have been hard at it to satisfy your demands - ! Herein enclosed you will find - the very last complete set of the old surcharged stamps in the Protectorate. We have been for some time out of pennies & halfpennies & begging from my friends I have collected the present set. With regard to the 5/, 10/ and 1£ surcharged there are alas no more, so if you would like the ones you have effaced please send them back to the Postmaster Old Calabar with whom I have left instructions to put them in a registered envelope - or better still keep them till I come home and I will send them out here to be effaced, this will ensure their being properly dealt with. I don't think there more than half a dozen in existence of them. We are already out of our new halfpennies & are surcharging /2½. I will keep some for you. One of the collectors at home offered to buy 1000£ worth of the surcharged Imperial issue if we would print more but I sternly refused.
I have sent one of my pet sea captains down to Boma in the Congo. He has taken your letter with
him and I hope for the best results.
The envelope of this letter carries the last stamps bar three of their kind which three I will keep
for you. If all goes well I shall be home for Ascot.
My respectful hommages to Madame .
Yours ever
Claude M. Macdonald
Warnham Court
Horsham
14 October 1920
Dear Sir,
I understand from Mr Harmer that you would like to have Sir Claude Macdonald's original letters to me with regard to the "Oil River" stamps which he sent me in 1893 & 1894, so I am sending them to you, enclosed, but I beg you will keep them as a record of the Philatelic Society, because they are private letters & there is private matter in them.
I shall be interested to know who acquired the £1, 10/- & 5/- surcharged stamps, & also the complete set of Envelopes, as they must be a very interesting Collection. I think I had the pleasure of meeting you many years ago when I was making my Collection.
Yours faithfully
C.J.Lucas
E D Bacon Esq MVO
A Dramatis Personae
| Sir Claude Macdonald | Consul-General at Old Calabar and correspondent with the London Philatelist. He provided stamps to his friend C.J. Lucas including a 20/- black surcharge which is now in the Royal Philatelic Collection. |
| Arthur J. Griffith | Acting Vice-Consul at Old Calabar and a philatelist. He became a member of the Philatelic Society, London and corresponded with the London Philatelist, disagreeing with Sir Claude Macdonald. |
| W.V. Tanner | Vice-Consul at Opobo. |
| T.A. Wall | A Sierra Leonian who was Postmaster-General, but had no memory of events when later consulted. |
| William Broadhurst | Resident at Old Calabar and correspondent. |
| W.D. Beaton | Member of the Manchester Philatelic Society and correspondent of Griffith. |
| Charles W.Perryman | A collector or dealer who 'had his man on the ground' buying stamps and collecting information. His record of stamps said to have been produced is in the RPSL archives. |
| Charles James Daun | A businessman, collector and philatelic author. He was a Fellow of the Philatelic Society, London. |
| C.J. Lucas | A dealer and member of the Philatelic Society, London. A friend of Sir Claude Macdonald. |
| William Forsyth | Fellow of the RPSL who displayed Oil Rivers Provisionals to the Society in 1935. |
| H.G. Porter | A collector, writer on Oil Rivers in 1958 and Fellow of the RPSL. |
| Dick Agabeg | A collector, writer on Oil Rivers in 1956 and Fellow of the RPSL. |
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