This article was taken from “Gibbons Stamp Monthly” (October, 1956). It contains some interesting material concerning the early issues of the Elizabethan reign and the printers and designs of these issues. It should be of interest to all of our West African enthusiasts.

To the Gold Coast goes the honour of being the first British Colony to begin a definitive set for Queen Elizabeth. The first stamp was the 21/2d., featuring a trooper of the Mounted Constabulary, with a new medallion of the Queen which appeared on December 19th, 1952, a little over ten months after the Accession. The printers Messrs Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., were probably helped in this achievement by the decision to use the same designs as in the previous King George VI set but nevertheless new dies and plates had to be made.

Once again we have succeeded in contacting most of those who played a part in the preparation of this handsome series and are able to show the drawings and photographs on which the designs were based together with extracts from the official descriptions. We wish to thank the Director of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications, Gold Coast, for details of photographs and artists, Messrs. Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. for the loan of photographs, Mr. P. B. Redmayne for two photographs taken by him and Mr. C. W. Hill who kindly allowed us to include portions of an article he had written.

These stamps may well he the last for Gold Coast under its present form of government as a new design bearing the country’s future name, Ghana, is in preparation for issue when independence is achieved.

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½d. Position of Gold Coast. The source of this design was a drawing by a Post Office draughtsman. The printers were given a free hand to make a good-looking stamp from this, the Crown Agents stipulating the caption: “Position of the Gold Coast.” One can only say that it was a good thing the printers exercised their skill to transform this feeble sketch into a presentable stamp.

Above: the design made originally for the 2½d. King George VI and used again for the ½d. Queen Elizabeth (see top of page).

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1d. Christiansborg Castle. The photograph which served as a model for the designer was taken by the West African Photographic Service, Accra. This is a view of the more modern part of the building, added in 1921, which houses the Governor’s office. The Castle itself, which is the Residence, was completed in 1790 during the reign of Christian VII of Denmark when the Danes had a settlement in Accra.

Above: the 1d stamp and the Christiansborg Castle photographed by the West African Photographic Service.

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1½d. Emblem of the Joint Provincial Council. From a drawing by Mr. B. A. Johnston of Azim. The emblem consists of a stool, which is the symbol of chiefly office in the Gold Coast, upon which are three State Swords representing the three provinces, Eastern, Western and Central. The chain in front of the stool symbolizes the linking together of the three provinces.

Above: the 1½d stamp and the drawing by Mr. B. A. Johnston it is based on.

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2d. Talking Drums. This design was taken from two sources: a sketch by Mr. B. A. Abban of the P.O. Staff, and a photograph by Moses M. A. Ziorkley of Accra. Judging by the pattern around the tops of the drums and the position of the legs, the drums were copied from the sketch, whereas the position of the drummer’s arms indicate that he was taken from the photograph. Mr. Abban writes: “Talking Drums feature very prominently in the history of all the Akan tribes, and the drum I had in mind is ‘Okyerema’, which is in the palace of the paramount chief of Anomabu, a small seaside town with a long history. The two notes are combined to form a code (like morse) for messages which recall important occasions in the history of the state.”

Above: the 2d stamp and Mr Abban’s drawing and Mr Ziorkley’s photograph on which the design was based.

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2½d. N.T. Mounted Constabulary. The basis of this design is a photograph by the West Africa Photographic Service showing a trooper of the Northern Territories Mounted Constabulary framed by the archway of Christiansborg Castle. He is one of the Governor’s escort on ceremonial occasions. It will be noted that the cannon on the left has been omitted from the stamp.

Above: the 2½ d stamp and the Photograph by the West Africa Photographic Service.

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3d. Manganese Mine. The photograph from which the designer worked a reproduction of a magazine illustration captioned “The hillside of Nsuta where manganese ore is obtained. (Copyright R. Gee)”. The white area in the middle is the result of blocking out on the negative a string of empty trucks which was evidently considered an undesirable feature. It should also be noticed that in the finished stamp the train on the right has been moved to the nearer line.

The ore is carried to Takoradi where it is loaded into ships and is an important Gold Coast export.

Above: the 3d stamp and the magazine illustration, with string of empty trucks blocked out.