Inspired: The British Guiana One Cent Magenta

The British Guiana One Cent Magenta is one of the most famous stamps in the world. It is known not only for its value and appearance but also for the stories of the owners that have come to possess it over the years.

Origins of the One Cent Magenta

The first stamps of British Guiana were crudely printed at the offices of the Royal Gazette in Georgetown, the capital of the colony. The ‘design’ was created by bending a length of copper printer’s rule into a rough circle, setting ‘BRITISH GUIANA’ around the inside and placing the value in a straight line across the centre. To aid identification each value was printed on a different coloured paper and, due to fears that the stamps would be relatively easy to copy, each had to be initialled by a postal official. These stamps were in use from 1 July 1850. Seeking a more professional (and secure) design, Waterlow and Sons of London were engaged to design and print two values, 1 cent and 4 cents. Although subsequently one of the world’s foremost stamp printers, Waterlows were, themselves, inexperienced in the art of stamp production at this time and produced a fairly basic design, consisting of a three-masted sailing ship with the Colony’s motto ‘DAMUS PATIMUS QUE VICISSIM' (seen below)

BRITISH GUIANA 1852 SG9 Used 1c black on magenta

The 1852 1c has a number of features in common with 1856 1c Magenta, with both stamps sharing a rectangular border, capitalised text and ship motif. However there are a number of differences to the two stamps.

For starters the 1856 1c magenta was printed locally in Georgetown with the design being an approximation of that used in 1852, as the stamps of 1852 were still regarded with affection by the people of British Guiana. Despite the relatively crude design, neither the 1852 nor 1856 stamps were hand drawn; the 1852 stamps were printed by lithography and the 1856 stamps were printed by typography (letterpress).

Secondly the 1852 design includes a small error in the Latin inscription "Damus Patimus Que Vicissim" ("We give and receive in return"), where the word "Patimus" was misspelled. The correct inscription "Damus Petimus Que Vicissim" ("We give and ask in return"") appears on the 1856 1c magenta.

(Above) The 1856 1c Magenta photographed using an infrared filter, making the printing more visible

(Above) The 1856 British Guiana ONE CENT black on magenta

One other little fact relating to the 1c magenta, involves the printing block of the Ship used in the design, as this was also used in the Georgetown Gazette's shipping news column as the column header. When examining both stamps you can see two differing illustrations.

Looking to examine the 1856 stamp in detail? Visitors to this year’s Thailand 2023 WSC Exhibition will have a chance to examine the famous 1856 One Cent Magenta in person from the 27th of November to 2nd of December 2023. 

You can also take a look at our online store where you can view our latest range of British Guiana stock including this 1852 British Guiana 1c Magenta.