Postal context
In 1887 the British government transferred the administration of what is now Kenya from the sultan of Zanzibar to the British East Africa Association. In 1888 it was renamed the Imperial British East Africa Company. A postal service was set up in 1890 and 3 stamps of Great Britain were overprinted with the name of the company/territory and surcharged in Indian currency because of continued strong Indian trading influence.
Queen Victoria
1 anna on 2d
4 annas on 5d
| (SG №) | denomination | colour | date of issue | number issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ½ anna on 1d | lilac | July 1890 | 1,440 |
| 2 | 1 anna on 2d | red and green | July 1890 | 1,440 |
| 3 | 4 annas on 5d | blue and purple | July 1890 | 780 |
Examples with other controls are forged overprints.
Setting for column 2 (left) and other columns (right)
| Varieties | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.v1 | 4 annas on 5d | In column 2 the word “BRITISH” is further left |
4 Annas, column 2: “B” over “S” etc (left hand image in the pair above), the normal position on the 4A is “B” between the “S” and “T” (right hand image)
According to The Overprinter (July 1974) the original essays did not include the word “Company” in the overprint.
Unfortunately (it is alleged) the entire remaining stock was soon bought by the agent of stamp dealer Whitfield King, and unoverprinted Indian stamps had to be used from late July, until an inscribed set was ready on 14 October 1890. Many used covers are addressed to that company.
British South Africa (Rhodesia)
Easton’s book about De La Rue (xxx p.749) contains an extract from a letter of 17 June 1890 from De La Rue to the British South Africa Company about their proposed stamp design, which suggests that “… If your directors are not prepared to incur the initial expense entailed in having special surface-printed Stamps, we would suggest that English Stamps overprinted with the name of your Company should be employed. Such stamps have been adopted by the East Africa Company, and can be obtained at a very moderate charge through the English Government.” Easton adds: “There is no further correspondence, and the contract went to another London House.” Two copies of an essay on the 1d lilac are known, in the same format as the BEA overprint but without the new currency part.
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.