Existing comment:
Take Away the Magenta
What's Left?
This photograph of the 1856 One-Cent Magenta was taken using an infrared filter. This suppresses the appearance of the stamp's red surface, making the black printing more visible.
Damus petimus que vicissim:
British Guiana's motto, derived from the Roman poet Horace. It means, "We give and we ask in return."
Initials E.D.W.:
Because the stamp could be replicated by anyone with access to printer's type and a press, postal clerk Edmond D. Wight's handwritten initials deterred conuterfeiters.
Vignette:
Shows a barque, a three-masted sailing ship common in the nineteenth century. Not meant to represent any particular ship, this illustration would have been available in many print shops.
Corners:
No one knows why the one-cent stamp's rectangular corners were clipped. The four-cent exists in both clipped and intact examples.
Postmark:
Dated April 4, 1856, it reads Demerara, but that is a country name. The stamp was printed, sold, and used at Georgetown, the colonial capital.
Surface-colored paper:
Created by adding a thin later of color on top of a sheet of white paper. This method of coloring paper was cheap, but also prone to smudging.
Inscriptions:
The stamp's text reads British | Guiana | Postage | One Cent. The Guianese dollar, consisting of one hundred cents, became the currency in 1839. One-cent stamps were for mailing newspapers; four-cent stamps were for letters. This may explain the one-cent stamp's rarity; letters were more likely to be saved than newspapers. |