Ceylon 6 Pence Appraisal

Ceylon Queen Victoria 6 Pence Postage & Revenue Stamp (Purple)

This item is a vintage postage and revenue stamp from Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria. The stamp is predominantly purple or lilac in color, with a central oval vignette depicting the left-facing profile of a mature Queen Victoria, characteristic of her later reign portraits. The stamp is rectangular with perforated edges, indicating it was intended to be separated from a sheet. The top border clearly displays the word 'CEYLON', and 'POSTAGE' is vertically oriented on the left side, while '& REVENUE' is vertically oriented on the right side of the main design. The denomination '6 d' (six pence) is prominently displayed within an ornate, roughly hexagonal or shield-shaped cartouche at the bottom center. The design framework around the portrait and text consists of intricate scrollwork and decorative filigree patterns, common in Victorian-era stamp designs. The overall condition of the stamp shows signs of use, primarily a prominent cancellation mark, possibly in black ink, which obscures parts of the 'CEYLON' inscription and overlaps the Queen's portrait. This cancellation appears to be a heavy, somewhat abstract pattern, making the specific postmark indistinct. The color appears slightly faded or muted with age, and there might be minor discoloration or foxing visible on the paper. The perforations appear intact around the edges, suggesting it is not significantly trimmed or damaged in that regard, though some individual perforations might be slightly bent or blunted from handling. The paper itself seems to be of standard stamp paper quality for its era. The style indicates it dates to the late 19th or very early 20th century, corresponding to Queen Victoria's reign.