Malta

Represented at the UPU by Great Britain from 1 July 1875; independent member from 21 May 1965.

Waterlow & Co SPECIMEN types have been renumbered

class	H&G	year	value	colour	card/paper	size	description	printer	specimen type	notes
post card	1a	1884	1d	carmine	soft white	139 × 89	QV	De La Rue	D{2}	1, 2
	2a	1884	1d + 1d	carmine	soft white	139 × 89	QV	De La Rue	D{2}	1, 2
	3	1900	½d	green	buff	121 × 74	QV	De La Rue	D{4}
	4	1900	½d + ½d	green	buff	121 × 74	QV	De La Rue	D{4}
	6	1902	1d	carmine	brown-buff	139 × 89	KEVII	De La Rue	D{4}
	8	1903	1d + 1d	carmine	brown-buff	139 × 89	KEVII	De La Rue	D{4}
	7	1906	½d + ½d	green	buff	121 × 74	KEVII	De La Rue	D{4}	3
	10	1913	1d	carmine	buff	139 × 89	KGV	De La Rue	D{4}
	12	1913	1d + 1d	carmine	buff	139 × 89	KGV	De La Rue	D{4}
	9	1917	½d	green	buff	121 × 74	KGV	De La Rue	D{4}
	13	1927	½d	green	cream	121 × 74	KGV Arms of Malta	Waterlow	W{41}
	14	1927	1½d	red	cream	139 × 89	KGV Arms of Malta	Waterlow	W{42}
	15	1936	1d	brown	cream	139 × 89	KGV Arms of Malta	Waterlow	W{43}
	16	1938 ?	½d	green	cream granite	121 × 74	KGVI	Waterlow	W{44}
	17	1938	1½d	dark red	cream granite	139 × 89	KGVI	Waterlow	W{45}
	18	1943	1d	green	buff granite	139 × 89	KGVI	Waterlow	W{46}
	19	1943	2d	dark red	buff granite	139 × 89	KGVI	Waterlow	W{46}
envelope	B1	1900	1d	deep rose	thick white laid	120 × 90	QV embossed	De La Rue	D{4}
regist env	C1	1884	2d	blue		G: 152 × 96	QV	McC / DLR	D{2}	1, 4
	C1b	1884	2d	blue		H: 202 × 127	QV	McC / DLR	D{2}	1, 4
	C3	1902	2d	blue		G: 152 × 96	KEVII	De La Rue	D{4a}
	C4	1913 ?	2d	blue		G: 152 × 96	KGV	De La Rue	D{4r}
	C6	1922	3d	blue		G: 152 × 96	KGV	De La Rue	D{4r}
	C7	1938	3d	blue		G: 152 × 96	KGVI	De La Rue	D{9a}
	C8	1944	4d	blue		G: 152 × 96	KGVI	De La Rue	D{9}
wrapper	E1	1885	½d	green	buff		QV	De La Rue	D{2}	1
	E2	1902	½d	green	dark buff		KEVII	De La Rue	D{4}
	E3	1913	½d	green	yellow buff		KGV	De La Rue	D{4}

type	image	dimensions	application
D{2}		89–90 × 8½–9	overprinted diag BL to TR
D{4}		91½–93 × 8½–9	overprinted diag BL to TR
D{4a}	as above	91½–93 × 8½–9	overprinted diag TL to BR
D{4r}	as above	91½–93 × 8½–9	overprinted diag BR to TL (inverted) on reverse
D{9}		41 × 4	overprinted diag BL to TR
D{9a}	as above	41 × 4	overprinted diag TL to BR
W{41}		33 × 3	overprinted diag BL to TR
W{42}		36 × 3½	overprinted diag TL to BR
W{43}		71½ × 6	overprinted diag BL to TR
W{44}		54 × 7	overprinted diag TL to BR
W{45}		91 × 12	overprinted diag BL to TR
W{46}		46½ × 5½	overprinted diag TL to BR

1	RRR – only 106 overprinted SPECIMEN.
2	The 1884 1d post cards and reply cards were printed on buff and on soft white card. The H&G listing implies that the buff cards were the first to be printed but the SPECIMEN overprints occur on the soft white cards which would have been the first to be printed.
3	This card is only known with SPECIMEN overprint and appears not to have been issued.
4	Envelopes printed by McCorquodale & Co; medallion embossed by De La Rue. On the size G envelope the sans-serif imprint under the flap measures either 58mm or 61½mm; both versions are known with SPECIMEN overprint. On the size H envelope the text on the issued stationery occurs in two versions, with and without serifs; only the version with serifs is known with SPECIMEN overprint.

Compiled by Roger Bower. Additional information and illustrations provided by Hadrian Wood and Alan Green.

Martin, R. E. [ed]. Malta – The Stamps and Postal History 1576–1960. Published for the Malta Study Circle by Robson Lowe, London, 1980.

Malta Postal Stationery 1885–1979, Malta Study Circle Study Paper No. 48. Published for the Malta Study Circle by R. E. Martin, n.p., 1979.

Smeed, Graham. Malta Postal Stationery. Reprinted from Postal History International by the author, n.p.,1979.

Wood, Hadrian. Malta Postal Cards. The author, Malta, 2000. [Edition of 12 copies.]

Last updated 26 March 2009