Newfoundland Stamps
Issues of 1908-1911
No Newfoundland stamps were actually issued during the brief reign of King Edward VII, except for the 2 C. denomination pictorial definitive stamp of 1908, shown in the column to the right. The commemorative stamps that appeared in August 1910 were actually issued after the death of King Edward VII and the accession of King George V.
The twelve commemorative Newfoundland stamps shown directly below are referred to by philatelists as the Guy Issue. They were issued on August 15, 1910 to commemorate the 300th Anniversary of the Colonization of Newfoundland.
The two highest denominations of the set deviate from the subject matter, as they picture the recently deceased King Edward VII and the newly acclaimed King George V.
The Newfoundland stamps issued in 1910, with only one exception, are all perforated 12, though some denominations have scarce varieties that have various perforation gauge combinations. See the specialized catalogs for details.
The
technical details for these Newfoundland stamps include the commemorative
inscriptions from each stamp in quotation marks. Where necessary,
historical notes will follow each of these Newfoundland stamps and their
technical attributes, as shown below.
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- 1 C. (1910 - Scott #87) - "King James I Who Granted Charter to Guy."
King James (1566-1625) was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart (Stewart), Duke of Albany. His grandmother was Margaret Tudor, the sister of King Henry VIII of England and Ireland, and as such, he was a direct descendant of King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch of England. In 1567, his mother abdicated the Scottish throne in his favor, and he became King James IV of Scotland (Reign: 1567-1625). When his cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, died with no heirs in 1603, James was acclaimed King James I of England and Ireland (Reign: 1603-1625).
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, England had become a maritime and colonial power, competing for possessions in the New World with the other great imperial powers of Europe. King James continued this legacy. English colonial settlements were established at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 and at Cupers Cove (Cupids), Newfoundland in 1610.
- 2 C. (1910 - Scott #88) - "Arms of the London & Bristol Company for Colonization of Newfoundland."
The London & Bristol Company was created in 1610 by English merchants interested in the fishing resources around Newfoundland. In May 1610, King James I granted the company a royal charter, giving it a monopoly in agriculture, mining, fishing, and hunting on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland.
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- 3 C. (1910 - Scott #89) - "John Guy -- Who Established First Permanent Colony."
John Guy (d. 1629), the son of a Bristol tradesman, was an English merchant adventurer, colonist, and politician.
In 1608, as a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers in Bristol, Guy visited Newfoundland Island to scout possible locations for the establishment of a colony, selecting Cupers Cove as the site. In 1610, the final decision was made to establish a colony in Newfoundland, and Guy was appointed the Governor of the new colony by the London & Bristol Company. In August 1610, Guy arrived at Cupers Cove, along with 39 colonists, grain, and livestock, and in 1611, he returned to England, leaving his brother in charge of the new colony. Guy made another trip to Newfoundland in 1613, with more colonists and livestock, after which he returned to England to pursue his political career.
John Guy was the Mayor of Bristol from 1618-1621, and he served in the English Parliament as the MP from Bristol from 1621 to 1628.
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- 4 C. (1910 - Scott #90) - "Guy's Ship The Endeavour."
- 5 C. (1910 - Scott #91) - "View of Cupids."
Cupids is a town located on Conception Bay in Newfoundland. Throughout its history, the town has also been known as Coopers, Copers Cove, Cupers Cove, and Cuperts. The town was established by John Guy, and it is the second oldest, continuously occupied, British colonial settlement in North America.
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- 6 C. (1910 - Type I - Scott #92) - "Lord Bacon -- The Guiding Spirit in Colonization Scheme."
- 6 C. (1910 - Type II - Scott #92A) - "Lord Bacon -- The Guiding Spirit in Colonization Scheme."
There are two types of this 6 C. denomination stamp.
- Type I -- The "Z" of "COLONIZATION" is REVERSED.
- Type II -- The "Z" of "COLONIZATION" is NORMAL.
Francis Lord Bacon (1561-1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, essayist, and author. He served as Attorney General, under Queen Elizabeth I, and as Lord Chancellor, under King James I. Bacon, through his writings, is considered an early visionary of English colonialism, and he played a major role in the establishment of the English colonies in North America, principally in Virginia, the Carolinas, and in Newfoundland.
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- 8 C. (1910 - Scott #93) - "View of Mosquito."
Bristol's Hope, formerly known as Musket's Cove and Mosquito, is a small community located on Conception Bay in Newfoundland. The community was established in about 1617 by settlers from Cupers Cove, about 10 miles away. The Plantation of Bristol's Hope, as it was called then, became the second English colony in Newfoundland, but it was abandoned in about 1631.
- 9 C. (1910 - Scott #94) - "Logging Camp, Red Indian Lake."
- 10 C. (1910 - Scott #95) - "The Paper Mills -- Grand Falls."
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- 12 C. (1910 - Scott #96) - "King Edward VII."
- 15 C. (1910 - Scott #97) - "King George V."
During 1911, the 6 C. through 15 C. Newfoundland stamps of the Guy Issues were reprinted, and they are all perforated 14.
Their listing attributes are as follows:
- 6 C. (1911 - Scott #98) - Lord Bacon.
- 8 C. (1911 - Scott #99) - View of Mosquito.
- 9 C. (1911 - Scott #100) - Logging Camp.
- 10 C. (1911 - Scott #101) - Paper Mills.
- 12 C. (1911 - Scott #102) - King Edward VII.
- 15 C. (1911 - Scott #103) - King George V.
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The eleven Newfoundland stamps shown above were issued on June 19, 1911 to celebrate the Coronation of King George V.
The 1 C. through the 12 C. denomination Newfoundland stamps feature members of the Royal Family of King George V. The 15 C. denomination features the Seal of Newfoundland.
- 1 C. (1911 - Scott #104) - Queen Mary.
- 2 C. (1911 - Scott #105) - King George V.
- 3 C. (1911 - Scott #106) - Prince of Wales (King Edward VIII).
- 4 C. (1911 - Scott #107) - Prince Albert (King George VI).
- 5 C. (1911 - Scott #108) - Princess Mary (Countess of Harewood).
- 6 C. (1911 - Scott #109) - Prince Henry (Duke of Gloucester).
- 8 C. (1911 - Scott #110) - Prince George (Duke of Kent).
- 9 C. (1911 - Scott #111) - Prince John (died of Epilepsy, age 13).
- 10 C. (1911 - Scott #112) - Queen Alexandra (Mother of King George V).
- 12 C. (1911 - Scott #113) - Duke of Connaught (Uncle of King George V).
- 15 C. (1911 - Scott #114) - Seal of the Colony.
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Newfoundland Stamps - Issues of 1908-1911
The 2 C. denomination definitive stamp shown above (Sc. #86) was issued in September 1908.
The design features a Map of Newfoundland, showing the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the left and the Atlantic Ocean on the right.
This was the only Newfoundland postage stamp issued during the short reign of King Edward VII.