THE SAINT VINCENT 1988 CRICKET PLAYERS STAMPS
AND OTHER VARIETIES PRINTED BY THE FORMAT INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PRINTERS LTD.

The Production of the 1988 Saint Vincent and Dependencies Cricket Players Stamps

In 1988 the Format International Security Printers Ltd. were commissioned By the St. Vincent postal authorities to produce two issues of stamps depicting various cricket players. This issue was different than the earlier Leaders of the World issues. The stamps were to commemorate the Cricketer's of the 1988 International Season. The two sets of stamps were produced for Saint Vincent and Saint Vincent Grenadines and they both issued the stamps on July 29, 1988.
These are the sets which were produced and issued:

1988 SAINT VINCENT CRICKETER'S OF 1988 INTERNATIONAL SEASON Scott #1108-15, SG #1144-51, MS1152



1988 SAINT VINCENT GRENADINES CRICKETER'S OF 1988 INTERNATIONAL SEASON Scott #606-13, SG #573-80, MS581

WARNING!!!

Dangerous modern forgeries of the St. Vincent Grenadines Cricket Players M.D. Marshall souvenir sheet have appeared in 2015 and are on the market. Imperforate forgeries of the souvenir sheet have been placed on the market!
The possibility that the other issues and the St. Vincent issues have or are being forged as well. Buyer beware!
Visit the linked page to define them and what to avoid.

The Saint Vincent Grenadines 1988 Cricket Players Stamp Forgeries
According to prior written information and internet research the following findings will be presented and will stand until solid evidence is presented proving otherwise........

According to Scott Catalog the Saint Vincent 1988 Cricket Players souvenir sheet was never issued. Stanley Gibbons lists it as a normal issued souvenir sheet.
According to Scott Catalog the Saint Vincent Grenadines 1988 Cricket Players souvenir sheet was never issued. Stanley Gibbons lists it as a normal issued souvenir sheet.
So what gives? Is Scott Catalog right or is Stanley Gibbons right?

According to the documents obtained from the trial exhibits the following quantities were produced and distributed to Saint Vincent and the Philatelic Distribution Corporation (PDC).

Quantities are based on documents for the Saint Vincent Grenadines Tennis Players reprint singles set, Saint Vincent Grenadines and Saint Vincent Bequia souvenir sheet printings and also based on general printing practices for Saint Vincent.

To Saint Vincent;
60,000 perforated sets
2,000 perforated sets overprinted specimen
10,000 perforated souvenir sheets
2,000 perforated souvenir sheets overprinted specimen

To the PDC;
10,000 perforated sets
2,000 perforated sets overprinted specimen
1,000 imperforate sets overprinted specimen
2,000 perforated sets missing color
1,000 imperforate sets missing color
3,000 sets of progressive color proofs
50,000 perforated souvenir sheets (10,000 sent to Saint Vincent)
10,000 imperforate souvenir sheets
5,000 perforated souvenir sheets overprinted specimen (2,000 sent to Saint Vincent)
5,000 imperforate souvenir sheets overprinted specimen
5,000 souvenir sheets missing color (perf or imperf not noted)

To the Universal Postal Union:
565 perforated sets and 565 perforated Souvenir Sheets (taken from Saint Vincent's stock)

The same quantities were produced for Saint Vincent Grenadines issues except the singles sets sent to Saint Vincent postal authorities was 30,000 perforated sets instead of 60,000 perforated sets.

What is not known is that a reprint was done for the single stamp sets. The evidence is the print order for the Saint Vincent Grenadines Tennis Players singles set. The reprinting was to fill out PDC stock both of the normal issue and more varieties. I note there was no request for imperforates in the above original order. The stamp sets were hugely popular to collectors and thus the reprinting of the stamp singles was required by the PDC.
There is no evidence that the souvenir sheets were reprinted.
Basing on the Saint Vincent Grenadines reprint orders which falls right in line with many other reprint orders for many issues we must then add the following list.

To the PDC;
21,000 perforated sets
5,000 imperforate sets
2,000 perforated sets overprinted specimen
1,000 imperforate sets overprinted specimen
3,000 sets missing color (perforated or imperforate not noted)
3,000 sets of progressive color proofs

You can see that the imperforate sets are ordered in the reprint order only. The varieties ordered with intent of future popularity to collectors.

The majority of varieties were saved in the PDC stock. Some being confiscated in the raids for evidence in the trials. The full panes of progressive color proofs have been and are being sold on eBay since mid 2014. This shows us that the majority of the stock still exists.

We can therefore add the two printings together and present final totals of the quantities that really exist for the 1988 Cricket Players issues.

For Saint Vincent:
91,000 perforated sets
5,000 imperforate sets
4,000 perforated sets overprinted specimen
2,000 imperforate sets overprinted specimen
4,000 perforated sets missing color
2,000 imperforate sets missing color
6,000 sets of progressive color proofs
50,000 perforated souvenir sheets
10,000 imperforate souvenir sheets
5,000 perforated souvenir sheets overprinted specimen
5,000 imperforate souvenir sheets overprinted specimen
5,000 souvenir sheets missing color

Simply reduce the perforated singles sets quantities by 30,000 sets for the Grenadines sets and you have final quantities for both issues!

I have not seen the Saint Vincent nor the Grenadines Cricket souvenir sheets with full sets of progressive color proofs on the market. It is most probable they exist and are just mixed in a dealers stock somewhere. A quantity was sold in the final auction of the archive.

I have not seen the errors of missing color for any of these issues. In some cases one of the color proofs has mistakenly been called an error because the black color is missing on them. Unless the stamps for these issues are perforated they cannot really be called an error.

The imperforate specimen overprinted stamps and souvenir sheets seem not to exist also. I have not seen the Saint Vincent nor the Grenadines souvenir sheet with specimen overprint. Again a quantity was sold in the final auction of the archive.

I have not seen the Saint Vincent souvenir sheet nor the Grenadines souvenir sheet as imperforate on the market. Except for archival proofs they may all have been lost or destroyed.

Internet research shows that the varieties that do exist are readily available which also provides more evidence that most were saved.

Pricing should be based on the quantities shown.

The following are examples of the varieties that were produced and sent to Saint Vincent or the PDC and are or have been available.

THE NORMAL IMPERFORATE PROOFS

Saint Vincent 1988 Cricket Players Imperforate Proof Pane

Saint Vincent Grenadines 1988 Cricket Players Imperforate Proof Pane

The packs of the imperforates would be with the color proofs and since they are being sold in pane sets they will become more readily available in time as more collectors and dealers begin breaking the panes. Pricing should run at $5-10.00 for a complete set for one of the two issues.

THE PROGRESSIVE COLOR PROOFS

Color Proof Set of the $4.00 1988 Saint Vincent Cricket Players Stamp Issue

Color Proof Set of the $2.00 1988 Saint Vincent Grenadines Cricket Players Stamp Issue


The quantities produced show that 300 pane sets of each value for both stamp issues can exist. Some panes have already been cut as shown. Pricing for a full set of color proofs of one value should run at $1-2.00.

THE SPECIMEN OVERPRINTS

1988 Saint Vincent Cricket Players Stamp Issue overprinted Specimen

1988 Saint Vincent Grenadines Cricket Players Stamp Issue overprinted Specimen


The quantities produced show that the specimen overprinted stamps are more common for these issues than for many other issues. Pricing should run around $5.00 a set.

ERRORS

I stated earlier that no missing color error stamps appear to be on the market. If they do appear pricing should be at around $1-2.00 a stamp and $5.00 for a souvenir sheet.

GUTTERS ETC.

1988 Saint Vincent Grenadines Cricket Players Center Cross-gutter Blocks

These are perforated cross gutter blocks from the uncut press sheets.
They are rarer than most everything else that exists for these issues except for master proofs and original drawings etc;. Basically 1-7 of the press sheets were saved in the archive thus only 1 to 7 of these exist.Because these were not kept with the other parts of the press sheet ie; side gutters, top and bottom gutters etc; the value is in the range of $50-100.00 for cross gutters and around $10.00 each gutter pair.

1988 Saint Vincent and Grenadines Cricket Players Uncut Press Sheet of the Souvenir Sheets

This is one of the rarest items from the archive. The souvenir sheets have missing perforations on one side. It's value cannot be determined because of it's extreme rarity if not uniqueness!

This basically sums up what was produced for the Saint Vincent 1988, Saint Vincent Grenadines 1988 Cricket Players issue. If and as more information becomes available, this page can and will be updated accordingly.

References taken from:
Trial exhibits #45 and 47
Stanley Gibbons Windward Islands and Barbados
Scott Catalog
Inventory list for the Format Archive by Robson Lowe
The Bileski Documentation
Online internet research

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