Ceylon postage stamps
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
from 1857
Issuing entity
British CeylonCeylon postage stamps are postal issues produced for British Ceylon, beginning with imperforate issues released in 1857. The first stamp, issued on 1 April 1857, was a brown 6 pence denomination depicting a portrait of Queen Victoria, utilized for sending a half-ounce letter from Ceylon to England. Eight additional stamps featuring Queen Victoria's portrait were issued within the same year.
Early Ceylon issues are characterised by portraits of the reigning monarch, while later issues transitioned to pictorial subjects. Subsequent colonial additions included five stamps released on 23 April 1859, among which was a 4 pence denomination printed in dark pink, known as the 'Dull Rose'.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 2
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Control of Ceylon passed entirely to Great Britain in 1815 following earlier periods of rule by local kingdoms, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Ceylon's postal emissions began on 1 April 1857 and rank among the earliest British colonial postage stamp releases. British administration persisted until political independence was granted in 1948, after which the country became a republic and assumed the name Sri Lanka in 1972.
Design
- Motifs
- Reigning monarch on early issues; pictorial subjects later
Identification
- Early issues
- The first issues are imperforate and identified by paper and watermark
- Recognition pointers (from background sources)
- Early issues from 1857 are imperforate and are differentiated by paper and watermark characteristics. Early designs display the portrait of Queen Victoria, including the initial 1857 6 pence in brown and the 1859 4 pence in dark pink ('Dull Rose'). Motifs feature the reigning monarch on early issues, whereas later releases depict pictorial subjects.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Watermark, perforation and paper data to be transcribed from a verified catalogue
- Catalogue numbers require transcription