QUEEN ELIZABETH II 1956 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO ONE CENT OVERPRINT

(Issued 20^th December 1956)

                              Stamps

            SG268 2cents stamp (1953-59)             -    Indigo, Orange-Brown (Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture)

SG280 1cents on 2cent stamp (1956)   -    Indigo, Orange-Brown (Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture)

On 20th December, 1956 Trinidad and Tobago issued a provisional stamp, the 2c value overprinted with the new value of 1c. The date is significant: it was the time of the Christmas rush.
The 1c stamp covered the local rate for Christmas cards, and during December was being used at the rate of 100,000 a day. Stocks were running low but a fresh supply was on order from printers in England. To be on the safe side, the postal authorities decided to have 500,000 2c stamps surcharged locally to meet a possible shortage.
As soon as the new shipment of stamps was ready, they were rushed out to Trinidad by air. But the aircraft bringing them was held up in London by fog and in New York by engine trouble. With the new supply expected hourly, existing stocks finally ran out on the morning of 20th December.
The Provisionals were reluctantly introduced at the G.P.O. in Port of Spain. That day nearly 82,000 of them were sold. The same night the new stock of regular stamps arrived safely and were duly put on sale the next day, leaving the provisional with an official life of only 5½ hours - one of the shortest on record.

Stamp is held in Hawid stamp mount and can easily slide out for inspection.

Display dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd Class Letter.