Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

started as the colony of

British Honduras British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973,

, formally established in the 17th century but disputed through the 18th century.

British Honduras

Letters were sent via

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, and are known from 1786. A

handstamp A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. ...

reading "Belize" is seen on foreign mail from about 1800, and the first local post office dates from 31 October 1809. Rossiter, Stuart & John Flower. ''The Stamp Atlas''. London: Macdonald, 1986, p.161. British postage stamps were introduced in 1858, with obliteration "A06" used at Belize. This continued until the colony took over the operation of its own posts on 1 April 1860, and thereafter mail was stampless, handstamps being used to indicate payment of postage. In 1866 the colony introduced its own stamps. The design was a profile of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

typical of British stamps of the time, with an oval band reading "BRITISH HONDURAS" and the denomination, which in the first issue consisted of 1d, 6d, and 1sh values. The design continued in use until the

Key Plate In printing, a key plate is the plate which prints the detail in an image. When printing color images by combining multiple colors of inks, the colored inks usually do not contain much image detail. The key plate, which is usually impressed using ...

issue of 1891, with periodic changes of

watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations ...

and perforation. The currency changed from pounds to cents and dollars in 1888, which necessitated the surcharging of the stamp stock with values ranging from 2c to 50c. The Key Plate issue of 1891 ended the need for surcharges; initially consisting of 6 values, 5c and 10c values were added in 1895, and a 25c value in 1898. 1899 saw a modified key plate design inscribed "POSTAGE & REVENUE". Existing stamps were also overprinted "REVENUE" for use as fiscals. The design was retained, but with a new monarchial portrait in 1902, for

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

, while

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

's accession resulted in a new design issued from 1913 on. File:British 4 pence stamp cancelled A06 for use in Belize.jpg, British postage stamp used in Belize, circa 1858 File:1866 1 shilling stamp British Honduras.png, 1866 design featuring

, 1sh File:Stamp British Honduras 1891 6c on 10c on 4c.jpg, 1866 design, twice overprinted File:British Honduras 1891–1898 stamps.jpg, 1891 to 1898 designs File:British Honduras 1902 1c stamp.jpg, 1902 design featuring

British Honduras' first

commemorative stamp A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike defi ...

was a 2c carmine Peace issue appearing in 1921; the following year the same design was reissued as a 4c stamp in grey, but with the words "Peace" removed from the design. As with many of the British colonies, British Honduras issued its first pictorial stamps in 1938, a series consisting of 12 stamps with values from 1c to $5. The two-color designs included

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

figures, agricultural industries, and local scenes. The 150th anniversary of the

Battle of St. George's Caye The Battle of St. George's Caye was a military engagement that lasted from 3 to 10 September 1798, off the coast of British Honduras (present-day Belize). However, the name is typically reserved for the final battle that occurred on 10 Septemb ...

was commemorated with six stamps in 1949, three depicting the cay, and three depicting HMS ''Merlin''. File:1938 1c British Honduras stamp.jpg, 1938 1c stamp, featuring

figures File:Stamp British Honduras 1938 15c.jpg, 1938 15c stamp, showing Sergeant's Cay File:Stamp British Honduras 1948 5c.jpg, HMS ''Merlin'' on a stamp of 1949 File:1962 5 dollar stamp British Honduras.jpg, 1962 stamp, featuring

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and a

Montezuma oropendola The Montezuma oropendola (''Psarocolius montezuma'') is a New World tropical icterid bird. It is a resident breeder in the Caribbean coastal lowlands from southeastern Mexico to central Panama, but is absent from El Salvador and southern Guatemal ...

Change of name

British Honduras was granted self-government on 1 January 1964 and issued its last issue as British Honduras at the beginning of 1973, celebrating the festivals of Belize. On 1 June 1973

British Honduras British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973,

was renamed

and the first issue in 1973 used stamps of the former British Honduras opted with BELIZE and two stars. The first issue without overprinting followed this in 1973 with a Royal Wedding issue of two stamps. Belize was granted independence on 21 September 1981.

Cayes of Belize

Stamps inscribed "Cayes of Belize" were issued in 1984 and 1985.

References

External links

The British West Indies Study Circle.
{{PostalhistoryAmericas Philately of Belize

British Honduras

Change of name

Cayes of Belize

See also

References

Further reading

External links