GB Overprints Society

Postal context

The first official postal service in Nauru was set up by the German colonial office in 1908, as part of the Marshall Islands. When this German colony was occupied by Australia in 1914 it was felt that Nauru should have its own issues. At first they used the “N W Pacific Islands” overprints on Australian stamps, but the British stamps overprinted “NAURU” were released as and when those became exhausted. Those postmarked 2 Sept were allegedly all cancelled to order (ie in the typically Australian collectors’ packs); the earliest commercial use appearing to be October 1916. It is reported that the decision to make the island a British Mandate area, and to use overprinted British stamps, on the surface rather a strange decision, was made to avoid the political sensitivities which could have arisen if Australian (or other) stamps had been so overprinted whilst the island’s future was being decided.

The overprinted British stamps continued in use until 1924 when it was finally decided that the country should be under an Australian Mandate, and a replacement definitive set was issued.

King George V

1916, Overprint 12.5mm on lower values, watermark simple cypher

(SG №)	denomination	colour	date of issue	number issued
1	½d	Green	02/09/1916
2	1d	Bright Scarlet	02/09/1916
2c	1d	Carmine Red	02/09/1916
3	1½d	Red Brown	Dec 1923
4	2d	Red Orange (Die I)	02/09/1916
5	2d	Orange (Die II)	1923
6	2½d	Blue	02/09/1916
7	3d	Bluish Violet	02/09/1916
8	4d	Slate Green	02/09/1916
9	5d	Yellow Brown	02/09/1916
10	6d (Chalky)	Purple	02/09/1916
11	9d	Agate	02/09/1916
12	1s	Bistre Brown	02/09/1916

Varieties
1.v1	½d Green	Overprint double, one albino
1.v2		Overprint triple, two albinos
2.v1	1d Red	Overprint double, one albino
4.v1	2d Orange (Die I)	Watermark inverted and reversed
4.v2		Overprint double, one albino
4.v3		Overprint triple, two albinos
6.v1	2½d Blue	Overprint double, one albino
7.v1	3d Bluish Violet	Overprint double, one albino
8.v1	4d Slate Green	Overprint double, one albino
9.v1	5d Yellow Brown	Overprint double, one albino
10.v1	6d Purple (Chalky)	Overprint double, one albino
11.v1	9d Agate	Overprint double, one albino
12.v1	1s Bistre Brown	Overprint double, one albino

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1923, Central overprint 13.5mm on lower values

These came from a single printing, and the next printing reverted to the original format of the overprint; the 1½d and 2d die II in the 12½mm overprint came only from the final printings after the 13½mm version had been issued. It has been alleged that one reason for the reversion to the 12½mm version (at the foot of the stamp) was that King George V (a keen stamp collector) objected to the overprint falling on his face.

(SG №)	denomination	colour	date of issue	number issued
13	½d	Green	1923
14	1d	Scarlet	1923
15	1½d	Red Brown	1923
16	2d	Orange (Die II)	1923

Varieties
15.v1	1½d Red Brown	Overprint double, one albino

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1916, High Values, Waterlow & Layton Printing

(SG №)	denomination	colour	date of issue	number issued
17	5s	Rose Carmine	1916
18	10s	Indigo Blue	1916

Varieties
17.v1	5s	Overprint ‘SPECIMEN’ type 23
18.v1	10s	Overprint double, one albino
18.v2		Overprint ‘SPECIMEN’ type 23
18.v3		Overprint double, one albino and ‘SPECIMEN’ type 23

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1916, High Values, De la Rue Printing

(SG №)	denomination	colour	date of issue	number issued
19	2s6d	Sepia Brown	1916
20	2s6d	Yellow Brown	1916
21	2s6d	Brown	1916
22	5s	Bright Carmine	1916
23	10s	Pale Blue	1916
23d	10s	Deep Bright Blue	1916

Varieties
19.v1	2s6d Sepia Brown	Overprint double, one albino
19.v2		Overprint triple, two albinos
19.v3		Overprint ‘SPECIMEN’
19.v4		Overprint double, one albino and ‘SPECIMEN’
21.v1	2s6d Brown	Re-entry (R2/1)
22.v1	5s Rose Carmine	Overprint triple, two albinos
22.v2		Overprint ‘SPECIMEN’
22.v3		Overprint double, one albino and ‘SPECIMEN’
23.v1	10s Pale Blue	Overprint Triple, Black, Red and one albino
23.v2		Overprint double, one albino
23.v3		Overprint triple, two albinos

1919, High Values, Bradbury Wilkinson printing

(SG №)	denomination	colour	date of issue	number issued
24	2s6d	Chocolate Brown	1924
25	2s6d	Pale Brown	1924

Varieties
24.v1	2s6s Chocolate Brown	Overprint double, one albino
25.v1	2s6d Pale Brown	Overprint double, one albino

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References specific to this and related chapters

GBOS GB Overprints Compendium edition 8, Dr John Gledhill (12/4/2020)

Particular thanks go to Stanley Gibbons Ltd, for permission to quote their catalogue numbers and numerous other contributors who are mentioned in the Appendix section.

All content is copyright, Dr John Gledhill and the GB Overprints Society, May 2025.