SPECIAL FEATURE

and a stunning sky above Suva Harbour

(2s.) score highly amongst my favourite
King George VI designs. Additional 8d.,
1s.5d. and 1s.6d. stamps featuring the
colony’s coat of arms granted in 1908,
carry the Fijian motto meaning 'Fear
God and Honour the King' (Fig 17). High
denomination 10s. (paw-paw tree) and £1
Fig 17 The 1940 King George
(police bugler) were added in 1950 (Fig VI 1s.5d. value features the
18). Aside from the major errors, several colony's coat of arms Fig 18 High denomination 10s. and £1 pictorial
plate flaws, shades and perforation changes stamps were added in 1950
maintain active philatelic interest. Omnibus
issues for Victory (1946), Silver Wedding
(1948) and the UPU’s 75th anniversary
(1949) (Fig 19) preceded 1951 and 1954
charity stamps clearly inspired by New
Zealand’s annual health issues (Fig 20).
The Coronation was marked in June
1953 with a 2½d. omnibus stamp (Fig 21).
To mark The Queen’s inaugural tour of
the Commonwealth a pre-release printing
of the 8d. (coat of arms) with ‘ROYAL
VISIT 1953’ incorporated was issued on 16
December (Fig 22). Fig 19 Examples of the Victory, Silver Wedding and UPU 75th anniversary omnibus issues

Acclaimed portrait
Existing ½d., 2d., 6d., 8d., 1s., 2s.6d., 10s.
and £1 designs, modified to portray Queen
Fig 20 Fiji’s charity stamps
Elizabeth II in 1954, heralded the acclaimed that were clearly inspired by
Annigoni portrait on smaller format 1d., New Zealand's annual health
1½d., and 2½d. stamps (Fig 23). New designs issues
for 3d. (loading copra), 1s.6d. (sugar cane
train), 2s. (bananas) and 5s. (gold industry)
values were also issued (Fig 24).
From 1959 remaining King George
VI designs were finally replaced with
new images: 6d. (Fijian drummer), 8d.
(hibiscus), 1s. (location map), 2s.6d. (Nadi
airport), 10s. (cutting sugar cane), £1 (coat
of arms) (Fig 25). The Annigoni portrait,
repeated on the ½d. to 2½d. stamps, now Fig 21 The 1953
include additional tiny turtles (1d.) or Coronation
omnibus issue Fig 22 The Queen's
shells (1½d.) (Fig 26). A new 4s. (Kandavu
tour of Fiji in 1953 was
parrot) printed by Harrison (308) and a commemorated with a
10d. (Yaqona Ceremony) were released Royal Visit inscription
respectively in 1959 and 1963 (Fig 27). on the 8d. coat of
After a sales period of five years arms issue
dwindling supplies of the 4s. (308) were
replenished in April 1964 with Block CA
watermark and a background change from
slate green to a lighter shade (321) (Fig Fig 23 The acclaimed Annigoni
28). An additional 66,000 stamps (322) portrait on small format values
requisitioned in 1965 were accidentally was issued in 1956 as part
printed in the original slate green colour. of the 1954 Queen Elizabeth
The Crown Agents, unaware of the mistake, pictorial definitive series
supplied several sheets to dealers leaving a
dilemma for Fiji postal authorities. Destroy
the substantial remaining sheets with the
risk of creating a black market or release

Fig 24 Examples of the new designs introduced for the 1954 Queen Elizabeth pictorial issue

52 GSM December 2020

 SPECIAL FEATURE
Fig 25 A selection of the new Queen Elizabeth designs which finally replaced the remaining
King George VI designs from 1959
Fig 26 Tiny turtles and shells were added to
the Annigoni portrait stamps in the 1959 issue

Fig 28 The 4s. Kandavu

parrot stamp was reprinted
to replenish stock in 1964
but with a change to the
background colour

Fig 27 The 1958 4s. Kandavu parrot and 1963 10d. Yaqona
Ceremony issues

them to the public? The decision

to adopt the second option led
to authorisation for postal use in
March 1966. A fourth and final
printing in the correct colours
with Block CA watermark (359)
was issued in February 1967. Mint
and used copies of all 4s. (Kandavu
parrot) values are readily available.
Block CA watermark printings of the Fig 29 Block CA watermark printings from 1962 included the 3d. Queen’s dress uniform, 1s.6d.
1d., 2d., 6d., 10d., 1s., 2s.6d., 4s. (321), International Date Line, 2s. white orchid and 5s. orange dove stamp designs
10s. and £1 plus redesigned 3d., 1s.6d., 2s.
and 5s. photogravure denominations were
released from 1962–66. The redundant
8d. (hibiscus) was replaced with an
identical 9d. in changed
colours. The Queen’s dress
uniform (3d.) relating
to Trooping the Colour
ceremonies recalls New
Zealand’s 1954–57 high
denominations. Other Fig 30 A selection from the 17 multicoloured photogravure pictorial stamps printed by De La
images depict the International Date Rue that were issued in 1968
Line (1s.6d.), a white orchid (2s.) and an
orange dove (5s.) (Fig 29).
Fig 31 In 1969 the 1968
In 1968, 17 multicolour photogravure photogravure pictorial
pictorials from ½d. to £1 were printed stamps reappeared in
by De La Rue. Local images from several decimal currency
designers include images of flora, fauna,
gold mining and once again, the coat of
arms (£1) (Fig 30). After only six months
the entire series, except the ½d. native
huts (now 6c.), reappeared in equivalent
Fig 32 The 1963 Freedom
decimal currency from 1c. to $2 in January from Hunger and 1966
1969 (Fig 31). WHO headquarters
omnibus issues
Independence
Prior to independence, Fiji participated
in the omnibus Freedom from Hunger
(1963) to WHO headquarters building
(1966) commemorations (Fig 32).
These and other special issues are fully
listed in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue. Fig 33 Two of
the four stamps
Independence in 1970 was marked with issued to celebrate
four designs including portraits of Fiji’s independence in 1970
Prime Minister, ‘King’ Ratu Cakobau and
cession stone (Fig 33).

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SPECIAL FEATURE

The Queen’s head was retained on 16

1971–72 post-independence definitives
printed by Questa. Birds and flowers
feature on small format 1c. to 20c. and
larger 25c. to $2 denominations (Fig
34). Indistinct watermark variations on
subsequent printings are frequently
dropped into the ‘too hard’ basket by non- Fig 34 The Queen's head was retained on the
specialist collectors. 1971–72 birds and flowers definitives issue
Definitives from 1c. to $5, printed
by Questa and featuring Fiji’s iconic
structures, were issued in 1979–80.
Existing 5c. and 12c. images were
repeated on additional 4c. and 8c.
denominations in 1988 and 1986.
All printings from 1983 incorporate
tiny imprint dates which were
introduced for several former
British colonies in the mid-1970s
inevitably prompting philatelic demand Fig 35 Questa printed an issue depicting Fiji's iconic
(Fig 35). structures in 1979–80. Later printings included a tiny date
imprint at the base
Birds definitives
Marketing Fiji as a holiday destination
for ‘twitchers’ may have contributed to
16 small format bird definitives in 1995
printed by Enschedé. In 2003 a new 18c.
with imprint date matched existing 13c.
(Island Thrush) stamps.
Unstable financial conditions in 2005
generated a succession of locally printed
emergency surcharges (Fig 36). After 15
years of excessive surcharges, depleted
stocks of several denominations appear
never to have been reprinted. Countless
typeface errors including inverted, double
and misplaced overprints are almost
entirely due to run-down machinery rather
than deliberate manipulation.
As frequent special issues are released
to provide essential denominations, there
seems little likelihood of replacement
definitives any time soon.
Many serious Fiji collectors sadly miss
the inimitable late Stephen Joe of Suva,
whose knowledge of these surcharges
was generously shared with all his clients.
Regular customers will remember
Stephen’s unique colourful envelopes
franked with the latest surcharges. They Fig 36 The small format bird definitive set from 1995 was a
were a joy to receive, especially with ‘twitchers’ dream. A succession of locally printed surcharges
the added chance of finding a printing from 2005 added to their collectability
irregularity as a free gift. Although Stephen
enjoyed close ties with Post Fiji there was
never the slightest hint of underhand Fig 37 Examples of Fiji Postage
activities. dues: left, a 1917 3d. first issue;
middle, a 1918 3d. and right a
1940 1s.6d. The last was part of
Postage dues a seemingly unnecessary issue
Se-tenant sheets of locally printed ½d., initiated by Sir Harry Luke in 1940
1d., 2d., 3d. and 4d. postage dues issued
in 1917 were quickly followed by slightly 1940 by Fiji’s Governor, Sir Harry Luke, an enterprising philatelist (Fig 37). As High
narrower ½d., 1d. and 2d. values. These Commissioner of British Western Pacific, Luke is alleged to have inspired almost identical
were replaced in 1918, with ½d., 1d., 2d. superfluous postage dues in Gilbert & Ellice and British Solomon Islands also issued in
3d. and 4d. values in a new design. 1940.
Research by David Horry suggests that My thanks to Bryan Jones for clarifying the complications regarding the 4s. Kandavu
eight seemingly unnecessary 1d. to 1s.6d. stamps from 1959–67 and once again to Hugh Jefferies and Stanley Gibbons for help with
postage dues (D11-18) were initiated in illustrations.

54 GSM December 2020