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BERMUDA DOCK ISSUE

1902-1910

On 22nd October 1896 the Colonial Secretary requested the Crown Agents and printers De La
Rue & Co to prepare a new Sd. value stamp for double rate letters to United Kingdom and the
U.S.A. Two essays were prepared for Key plate production showing the central design of the
badge of Bermuda. Subsequently the plan for the Sd. stamp was abandoned.

As a result of the death of Queen Victoria the second of the two essays was approved on the 8th
August 1901 for the ld stamp and the new farthing newspaper wrapper On 19th December
1901 it was decided to extend the design to all values of the stamp as and when required.

The final design was bicoloured with the central vignette in one colour and the frame in another
colour. The stamps were surface printed in two passes:- one for the vignette another for the
frame. The printing quality was high as no constant flaws of the frame or vignette exist.

From the terminology written by the printers on some die proofs it is clear that the stamps were
known quite correctly as "Bermuda Arms". However early philatelic articles referred to them
as Dock stamps as it was believed that the stamps depicted the new dry dock in Bermuda.
It was constructed in England and sent to Bermuda for the naval base on Ireland Island.
The design shows a ship at the entrance to a gated dock which allows a ship to loaded
or unloaded without tidal interference. A dry dock allows for complete drainage.
This erroneous description became the adopted title for this series of stamps.

This display depicts the die proofs of the vignette a.od the frames in various stages,
all the issued stamps showing the different shades that occured and the different
sheet format plus additions made by the printers to the interpaooeau margins
which are unique to these stamps of Bermuda

INDEX TO PAGES
Pages 2-3 Die proofs

Pages 4-6 tst Issue 1902-04

Pages 7-13 2nd Issue 1906-09

Pages 14-15 3rd Issue 1908-10

Page 16 All the 3 issues on cover

As none of the stamps that were sent to Bermuda were destroyed they remained in
use for up t().ni.ne years after they had been issued and when ~tocks ran out they
were replaced by the new "Ship" stamps which were first issued in June 1910