Great Britain 1915 5s bright carmine "Seahorses", SG409.
A very fine and fresh unmounted mint, well-centred, example, with full original gum, of the 1915 5 shillings bright carmine, printed by De La Rue (DLR).
This striking King George V high value stamp features Britannia riding a chariot of sea-horses beside the monarch’s portrait and is a true philatelic classic.
GB Specialised Catalogue No: N67(1).
Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £1,200.
The Seahorse stamps were in circulation longer than any other British high value stamp: 26 years between 1913 and 1939.
They truly define King George V’s monarchy in one simple picture. The intricacy of the design is the credit of the renowned Australian sculptor Bertram Mackennal.
The most famous stamp collector at the time (King George V) personally approved the designs. They are beautifully engraved, being produced by the intaglio recess printing method. This meant they were of higher quality than most stamps before and after. You can really feel the engraved lines indented into the paper.
