Kuwait
A regular public postal service was operated in Kuwait by the Indian postal administration from 1915. With the independence of India in 1947 control passed to the British GPO. For this reason the previously overprinted Indian stamps were replaced by overprinted GB stamps. On 1 February 1959 the GB postal administration was closed, control was handed over to the Kuwait postal department, and the overprinted stamps were replaced by a set inscribed "Kuwait".
All stamps are overprinted "KUWAIT" in addition to the value shown.
For similar overprints without any country name see under British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia.
Note: this numbering system was drawn up by the Society for the website, and may not be used without permission.
King George 6
First set using GB stamps (instead of Indian stamps)
1 April 1948 (except as stated)
1 "½ ANNA" on ½d pale green
2 "1 ANNA" on 1d pale red
3 "1½ ANNAS" on 1½d pale brown
4 "2 ANNAS" on 2d pale orange
5 "2½ ANNAS" on 2½d pale blue
6 "3 ANNAS" on 3d pale violet
7 "6 ANNAS" on 6d purple
8 "1 RUPEE" on 1/- brown
9 "2 RUPEES" on 2/6d green, Arms
10 "5 RUPEES" on 5/- red, Arms
11 "10 RUPEES" on 10/- blue, Arms (4 July 1949)
overprint varieties
(image from unidentified auction)
5 v1 2½a misplaced overprint
6 v1 3a overprint (fully or partially) albino
Silver Wedding
1 May 1948
12 "2½ ANNAS" on 2½d blue
13 "15 RUPEES" on £1 blue
overprint varieties
short bars (left), normal bars (right)
13 v1 R15 short bars
Olympic Games
29 July 1948
14 "2½ ANNAS" on 2½d blue
15 "3 ANNAS" on 3d violet
16 "6 ANNAS" on 6d purple
17 "1 RUPEE" on 1/- brown
UPU Centenary
10 October 1949
18 "2½ ANNAS" on 2½d blue
19 "3 ANNAS" on 3d violet
20 "6 ANNAS" on 6d purple
21 "1 RUPEE" on 1/- brown
Changed colours and designs
The colour of the low values was changed to retain conformity with UPU requirements; the release date of these and the new high values was to coincide with the Festival of Britain.
3 May 1951 (4a 1950)
22 "½ ANNA" on ½d orange
23 "1 ANNA" on 1d blue
24 "1½ ANNAS" on 1½d green
25 "2 ANNAS" on 2d brown
26 "2½ ANNAS" on 2½d red
27 "4 ANNAS" on 4d blue (2 October 1950)
28 "2 RUPEES" on 2/6d green type I
- type I: "2" level with "RUPEES"
29 "5 RUPEES" on 5/- red
30 "10 RUPEES" on 10/- blue type I
- type I: "1 0" slightly spaced
overprint varieties
(illustration from unidentified auction)
28 v1 R2 extra bar
image courtesy of Temple Bar auctions
29 v1 R5 extra bar
Later printings
1952-1955
type I and type II
type I and type II
31 "2 RUPEES" type II (1954)
- type II: "2" slightly above "RUPEES", 3mm between bars and "KUWAIT"
32 "2 RUPEES" type III (1955)
- type III: as type II but 2½mm gap between bars and "KUWAIT", and value further to left
33 "10 RUPEES" type II (1952)
- type II: "10" not spaced, 9mm between lines
34 "10 RUPEES" type III (date not known)
- type III: as type II, but 10mm between lines
Queen Elizabeth
Watermark Tudor Crown E2R
10 December 1952 unless otherwise stated
35 "½ ANNA" on ½d orange (31 August 1953)
36 "1 ANNA" on 1d blue (31 August 1953)
37 "1½ ANNAS" on 1½d green
38 "2 ANNAS" on 2d brown (31 August 1953)
39 "2½ ANNAS" on 2½d red
40 "3 ANNAS" (in blue) on 3d violet (18 January 1954)
41 "4 ANNAS" on 4d blue (2 November 1953)
42 "6 ANNAS" on 6d purple (18 January 1954)
43 "12 ANNAS" on 1/3d green (2 November 1953)
44 "1 RUPEE" on 1/6d blue (2 November 1953)
Note on fonts:
The 1½, 2½, 3 and 6 annas retain the font of the G6 set, in which the "U" is 1.6 mm wide; on the other values the "U" is now changed to 2 mm wide, unlike the G6 set. The wider "U" is used on all the "np" decimal overprints. There are also differences in the size of the "S" in "ANNAS". Illustrated here are the G6 ½ anna, Tudor 6 annas, Tudor ½ anna and the 40 np.
Overprint varieties
As with the Bahrain ½ anna stamp, on the first printings the "½" was applied in a separate print run and can therefore be found misplaced in all directions. However, unlike the Bahrain issue, no examples are known with it completely missing. The above examples of the Kuwait stamp show extreme examples of misplacemend to the left, the right and upwards. These illustrations also show the two types of small "2" - large and pointed in the left and centre image, more stumpy in the right hand one; it is not known whether this is a difference between the two methods of printing, or is merely a variation within the sheets.
Coronation
3 June 1953
45 "2½ ANNAS" on 2½d red
46 "4 ANNAS" on 4d blue
47 "12 ANNAS" on 1/3d green
48 "1 RUPEE" on 1/6d blue
Watermark St Edward's Crown E2R
Castles High Values (Waterlow)
1955-1956
49 "½ ANNA" on ½d orange (8 June 1956)
50 "1 ANNA" on 1d blue (10 August 1956)
51 "1½ ANNAS" on 1½d green (8 June 1956)
52 "2 ANNAS" on 2d brown (25 April 1956)
53 "2½ ANNAS" on 2½d red (8 June 1956)
54 "4 ANNAS" on 4d blue (9 October 1956)
55 "6 ANNAS" on 6d purple (16 November 1956)
56 "12 ANNAS" on 1/3d green (25 July 1956)
57 "1 RUPEE" on 1/6d blue (22 August 1956)
58 "2 RUPEES" on 2/6d brown, type I (23 September 1955)
- type I: bars close and long
59 "5 RUPEES" on 5/- red, type I 23 September 1955)
- type I: bars close and long
60 "10 RUPEES" on 10/- blue, type I (23 September 1955)
- type I: bars close and long
stamp varieities
60 sv1 R10 weak entry at bottom of right edge (row 1, stamp 2)
Later printings
type II: bars further apart and shorter
10 October 1957
type I and type II
type I and type II
type I and type II
61 "2 RUPEES" type II
62 "5 RUPEES" type II
63 "10 RUPEES" type II
stamp varieities
63 sv1 R10 weak entry at bottom of right edge (row 1, stamp 2)
Change to decimal currency
100 naye paise ("new pies") = 1 Rupee
1 June 1957
The position of the values varies so as to cover up the original value; the "20" had to be higher to remain visible against the dark background, and presumably the "NP" on the 1 np and 40 np is higher than on the 15, 25 and 50 np to more fully obscure the words "five", "six" and "pence" wheras on the latter it had to be low to cover up the original value. Plus of course the extra bars on the 50 np and the different layout on the 75 np. Considerable thought must have been put into these factors!
Note: "KUWAIT" is now in the same font on all values (see above).
64 "1 NP" on 5d brown
65 "3 NP" on ½d orange
66 "6 NP" on 1d blue
67 "9 NP" on 1½d green
68 "12 NP" on 2d brown
69 "15 NP" on 2½d red, type I
70 15 np type II (diadem top line complete) (November 1958)
71 "20 NP" (in blue) on 3d violet
72 "25 NP" on 4d blue
73 "40 NP" on 6d purple
74 "50 NP" on 9d green
75 "75 NP" on 1/3d green
2½d type I and type II
In die I (left) the top of the central cross is incomplete, in die II (right) it is complete; there are other less obvious differences due to the change in the tilt of the portrait within the frame (see below). The diadem is unfortunately often covered up by the word "KUWAIT", so if it is not easy to see check the tilt: on the above scans you can see that the right vertical line of the central cross points to the left of the right-hand edge of the "knot" in the top of the wreath in die I, whereas in the die II it points to the right of it; the portrait has been rotated about 0.3mm clockwise. The left side of the main central cross is also much more distinct on die II.
If that too is obscured check the bottom (though that is often obscured by the surcharge!):
The back of the Queen's neck points to the middle of the second leaf (from the bottom) in die I, and at the bottom of the leaf in die II. The right-hand edge of the dark border on the shoulder of the dress points to the red line in a "knot" in die I but to the middle of the knot in die II. The thick red line on the left of the dress points to the edge of a leaf in die I and to the gap between two leaves in die II. And so on...
Scouts jamboree 1957
(images courtesy of British Postal Museum and Archive who also own the copyright on these images)
The Scouts jamboree was not issued overprinted "Kuwait", for political reasons, though the decision not to issue the stamps came at the last minute, after supplies had been overprinted. The only surviving copies are in the British Postal Museum and Archive.
Some covers with the British Postal Agencies set are known used in Kuwait, but they were philatelic.
76 "15 NP" on 2½d red
77 "25 NP" on 4d blue
78 "75 NP" on 1/3d green
page last updated: 27 August 2007, 6 April 2016
gbos: GB Overprints Society