**** P I T C A I R N    I S L A N D S **** 

                                                                  22 FEB 1971

                                  ROYAL VISIT BY PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH

                                                      LOWER MARGIN BLOCK OF 4

                                  PRISTINE NEVER HINGED (UNMOUNTED) MINT CONDITION

                                                       Sc.#118, S.G. 115, Mi.#118

                                                  ------------ • • • • • • ---------------                                                       

EXCEPTIONAL bottom margin BLOCK of 4 of this controversial Pitcairn Island stamp, with NON-perforated margin. NO SPLIT PERFORATIONS, NO COLOR DISTORTIONS (my scanner gives white and pastel colors a lemon tinge!). The bottom margins of the stamp sheets were NOT perforated.

History of this issue: On 23 December 1970, it was announced that the Duke of Edinburgh would visit Pitcairn Island in two months in the Royal Yacht "Britannia", after a visit to Easter Island, while 'en route' to Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands.

There being insufficient time to design, approve, print, and deliver suitable stamps to the Island in commemoration of this historic event, it was decided to overprint an existing Pitcairn stamp with suitable wording.  The stamp selected by the Assistant to the British High Commissioner in New Zealand was the 10c definitive "Ship Landing Point" (Sc.#104, S.G. 101).

The Crown Agents arranged for the whole of its stock of 405 sheets (40,500 stamps) to be overprinted "ROYAL VISIT 1971" by De La Rue & Co., in London. The stamps would be delivered by the Royal Yacht when it arrived at Pitcairn on 21 February.  The Islanders, on hearing the good news, requested 1,000 stamps (10 sheets), believing that this comprised the entire overprinting of the issue. It was only many months later that they heard that the remainder of the stamps had been sold to the trade.

The stamp issue was not announced until March 1971, giving the stamp trade and stamp collectors no prior notice of its existence.

NOTE:  The Royal party that landed at Pitcairn consisted of Prince Philip, his uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Mountbatten's daughter and son-in-law, Lord and Lady Brabourne, the Commander of HMY "BRITANNIA', Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge, and a group of Royal Yachtsmen.

OUR eBAY STORE OFFERS (2011) COVERS OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROYAL VISIT, SINGLES AND A BLOCK OF 4 OF THE "ROYAL VISIT" STAMP, AND THE ULTRA-RARE 22 FEB.1971 ROYAL VISIT FIRST DAY COVER.

References:

• "The Pitcairn Islands Stamp Catalogue" by Bill Hornadge - Second Revised Edition - 1981

• "PITCAIRN - Port of Call" by Dr Herb Ford - First Edition - 1996