Authentic vermilion FIVE PENCE galley front scan. Commons filename says1895; its description identifies the1899 issue. Representative illustration; watermark is not authenticated.
1899 / Heritage
Maltese galley
The first pictorial definitives
Denomination5d
Issue date1899-02-04
The story behind the issue
Four pictorial designs brought local boats, maritime history, an allegory of Malta and Saint Paul onto the island’s stamps. The lower values used Crown CA paper, while the two higher values used Crown CC.
Technical details
- Issuing authority
- Malta Post Office
- Postal purpose
- Postage
- Currency
- GBP pre-decimal
- Designer
- Not documented
- Printer
- De La Rue
- Printing process
- Line engraving
- Stamp dimensions
- Not documented
- Stamps per sheet
- 120 stamps in two panes of 60
- Plate number
- No plate number reported by Séfi
- Perforation
- Not documented
- Watermark
- Crown CA (sideways)
- Paper
- Not documented
- Colour
- Vermilion
- Quantity
- Not documented
Sources & verification
VerifiedImage & attribution
UK / Malta Post Office; original-stamp reproduction from eBay item360301232368, uploaded by Gwillhickers to Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — exact Commons file page explicitly declares PD-UKGov for the artwork and faithful reproduction;1899 artwork is more than70years old
Base designs only; shades, errors, proofs and later printings excluded.
