Gambia Part 9

In 1895 the control letter C was replaced by a six-pointed *, and this cancellation is still in use.

About 1901 a special postmark for Registered letters was brought into use, consisting of a large ellipse with "Registered" above and "Gambia" below, both following the line of curve, and with date in centre and control letter above, either B or C, the latter often being found reversed or upside down. This is still in use.

From 1895 onwards stamps may be found cancelled with a circular postmark with "Received" above and "Gambia" below, and either a control letter C or a six-pointed *. Possibly this was a Fiscal cancellation wrongly used on postage stamps.

Most Gambia stamps, from the C.C. perforated issue onwards, may be found with a cancellation consisting of seven parallel bars forming a circle of 19mm. diameter, the two outside bars being rounded off to form part of the circle. Though this can be found on the last issue of Queen's Head stamps, it does not appear to be now used.

On the 1887 and later issues we find a cancellation composed of four concentric circles, the diameter of the largest being 18mm.

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Many letters appear to have been posted on board the mail steamer, or sent from the post office without the stamp being cancelled, as Gambia stamps are found with the mail steamer postmark, which consists of two circles with "Paquebot" above, and either "Plymouth" or, "Liverpool"

below, both being between the two circles.

The date, comprising not only the year and month but day and hour, is in three lines in the centre.

Many Gambia stamps can also be found postmarked "Freetown, Sierra Leone," or "Registered, Sierra Leone," but as we have no record of Gambia stamps being used to defray postage from Sierra Leone, we must conclude that they were sent on by a steamer which did not possess a post office, and cancelled at Sierra Leone before being s.h.i.+pped on the mail steamer.

Stamps of Gambia can also occasionally be found with the postmark of the French Colony of Senegambia.