Description: This historic farthing postage stamp from the Leeward Islands represents a definitive staple of mid-century Caribbean postal history. Line-engraved in a uniform chocolate-brown monochrome ink, the design centers on a dignified, right-facing portrait medallion of King George VI surmounted by a tiny imperial crown. The central vignette is wrapped in an ornate, Victorian-style architectural border that mirrors the inscription "POSTAGE" on the left and "& REVENUE" on the right. The combined federal colony name "LEEWARD ISLANDS" anchors the top margin in sharp, white block lettering, while the fractional denomination "1/4d" sits enclosed in a distinctive hexagonal tablet along the baseline. This specific specimen displays exceptional fresh preservation, boasting clean comb perforations along all four sides and an immaculate face completely free of commercial ink postmarks.
Circa: Issued 1936 – 1952
Condition: MLH
Notes:
The history of the Leeward Islands: spanning the northern arc of the Lesser Antilles, including Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands; began with thousands of years of indigenous settlement by the Arawak and Carib peoples. Charted by Christopher Columbus during his second transatlantic voyage in 1493, the islands were named "Leeward" due to their geographic position away from the prevailing trade winds compared to the Windward Islands further south. By the early seventeenth century, the archipelago became a primary flashpoint for European imperial expansion, with English settlers establishing a permanent foothold on St. Kitts in 1623 and Nevis in 1628. These early settlements triggered a brutal colonial rivalry between Great Britain and France, who fiercely contested ownership of the islands for over a century due to their supreme strategic naval value.