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Lots of collectible stamps to choose from: Great Britian, European, US, and the World! Discover best deals on many one of a kind rare stamps to collect atbargain prices. Perfect gifts for the family and loved ones!
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Commonwealth/ British Colonial
The British Empire was the most extensive empire in world history and for a substantial time was not only a major power but also the foremost power in the world. more...
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Commonwealth/ British...
 Aden
Anguilla
Antigua & Barbuda
Ascension Island
Australia
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Gilbert & Ellice Is/...
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Leeward Islands
Malaya/ Malaysia/ S. Setts.
Maldive Is.
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New Hebrides/ Vanuatu
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Nigeria
Niue
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Nyasaland/ BCA/ Malawi
Omnibus Issues
Other Commonwealth Stamps
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It was a product of the European age of discovery, which began with the global maritime explorations of the Iberian states in the late 15th century, that inaugurated the era of the European global empires.
By 1913, the British Empire held sway over a population of about 458 million people, approximately one-quarter of the world's population. It covered about 36.6 million km² (14.2 million square miles), about a quarter of Earth's total land area. Though it has now mostly evolved into the Commonwealth of Nations, British influence remains strong throughout the world: in economic practice, legal and governmental systems, society, sports (such as cricket and football), and the English language itself, to name just a few.
Because of its size at the peak of its power, it was often said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because the empire's span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least one of its numerous colonies.
English Empire
Growth of the overseas empire
The overseas British Empire (in the sense of British oceanic exploration and settlement outside of Europe and the British Isles) was rooted in the pioneering maritime policies of the English King Henry VII, who reigned from 1485 to 1509. Building on commercial links in the wool trade promoted during the reign of his predecessor, King Richard III, Henry established the modern English merchant marine system, which greatly expanded English shipbuilding and seafaring. The merchant marine also supplied the basis for the mercantile institutions that would play such a crucial role in English and, after the union with Scotland in 1707, British imperial ventures, including the Massachusetts Bay Company and the British East India Company. Henry's financial reforms made the English Exchequer solvent, which helped to underwrite the development of the Merchant Marine. Henry also ordered construction of the first English dry dock, at Portsmouth, and made improvements to England's small navy. Additionally, Henry sponsored the voyages of the Italian mariner John Cabot in 1496 and 1497 that established England's first overseas colony - a fishing settlement - in Newfoundland, which Cabot claimed on behalf of Henry.
The foundations of sea power, having been laid during Henry VII's reign, were gradually expanded to protect English trade and open up new routes. King Henry VIII founded the modern English navy through plans for new docks, and the construction of the network of beacons and lighthouses that greatly facilitated coastal navigation for English and foreign merchant sailors. Henry thus established the munitions-based Royal Navy that was able to hold off the Spanish Armada in 1588, and his innovations provided the seed for the Imperial navy of later days.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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| |  | Malta Errors 1972 1c Coins Imperf At Side Margin Strip £149.99 | |
 | Mint Kgv1 Stamp Collection On Hagners ~ 99p Nr 68-7 £31.00 | |
| |  | Canada Large Accumulation Modern Unmounted Mint $500 fv £10.50 | |
 | Gb Commonwealth & All World Sorter Boxes 1000S Of Items £200.00 | |
| |  | Fine group of perforated Chalons from the 1864 issue £37.11 | |
 | W485 New Ideal Album For Commonwealth To 1936 Starter!! £132.00 | |
| |  | Saints Stamp Collection ~ Much Mint & High Values 68-7 £67.00 | |
 | Quality Mint Commonwealth Stamp Collection 68-4 £26.00 | |
| |  | 0798aj Tuvalu 1990-2000 Powerful Mint/Used/Fdc/Spec Col £103.00 | |
 | Early New Zealand Stamp Collection 99p No Res 752-1 £85.00 | |
| |  | British East Africa Stamp Collection ~ 99p No Res 68-3 £40.00 | |
 | Southern Rhodesia Gv Revenues To £20 £99.99 | |
| |  | Early Commonwealth Mint & Used Stamp Collection 102-3 £72.00 | |
 | Natal Sg145 Edv11 £10 Green&Orange Durban Cds Cat £3000 £62.00 | |
| |  | Qv - Qe11 Mint & Used Gibraltar Stamp Collection 68-7 £43.00 | |
 | St. Helena, Scott # 25, One Penny On 6 Pence, Qv, Ng £5.64 | |
| |  | St. Helena, Scott # 33, 1/2p. On Six Pence, Qv, Mh £2.05 | |
 | St. Helena, Scott # 31, 1/- On Six Pence, Qv, 1883 Mh £5.13 | |
| |  | Malta, Scott # C2-C8(7), 1978 Air Post, Mlh £2.05 | |
 | Malta, Scott # J22-J31(10) 1968 Postagewmk Sideways, Mh £3.59 | |
| |  | Mauritius Sc#14 Used 2P Victoria £202.66 | |
 | Malta, Sacott # J1-J10(10), 1925 Postage Due Mh £20.01 | |
| |  | Malta, Scott # 552-557(6) Uk End Of Military Agrmt, Mlh £1.02 | |
 | Malta, Scott # 191-205(21) Complete Set Kgv1 1938, Mh £15.39 | |
| |  | St. Helena, Scott # 38 Four Pence On Six Pence Qv.Mh £5.13 | |
 | St. Helena, Scott # 37, Qv 3 Pence On 6 Pence, Used £1.53 | |
| |  | Western Australia 1885 Swan Blue Perth cancels £1.28 | |
 | Cuba 1965 Sc 948-51 Museum Paintings Set Mnh £1.02 | |
| |  | St.Helena, Scott # 101-107(7),1934 Centenary, Mh. £8.21 | |
 | Cuba 2005 Sc 4495 Santiago De Cuba S/Smnh £1.02 | |
| |  | Cuba 2005 Sc 4490-92 Postal Stamps Anniv. Set Mnh £1.02 | |
 | Hong Kong #252 Mint Never Hinged, Cv$25.00 £4.10 | |
| |  | N. Borneo - stock of stamps - see photo (s8796) £1.23 | |
 | Cuba 1974 Sc 1888-91 Stamp Day Set Mnh £1.02 | |
| |  | Sudan #79-89 Mint Hinged, Cv$43.70 £7.18 | |
 | New Zealand, Sc#912-917, Heritage Paintings, Mnh, 1988 £1.28 | |
| |  | Cuba 1962 Sc 709 E-32 New West Indies Packet Set Mnh £1.02 | |
 | Sri Lanka #507-10 Mint Never Hinged, Cv$39.25 £6.67 | |
| |  | Cuba 2007 Cuban Press S/S Mnh £1.02 | |
 | Nigeria #59 Mint Hinged, Cv$32.50 £5.13 | |
| |  | Montserrat #128-42 Mint Hinged, Cv$54.15 £7.69 | |
 | Newfoundland 1861 (2 Pence) Rose Mint £30.76 | |
| |  | Cuba 2006 Sc 4618 Hispano-Cuban Phila. Expo S/S Mnh £1.02 | |
 | Pitcairn Islands #20-30 Mint Hinged, Cv$60.75 £6.67 | |
| |  | Pitcairn Islands #39-51 Mint Never Hinged, Cv$27.10 £4.61 | |
 | Samoa #600-18 Mint Never Hinged, Cv$35.00 £5.13 | |
| |  | St. Lucia #387-402 Mint Never Hinged, Cv$45.00 £7.18 | |
 | Tonga #342-6, C159-63, Co90-2 Mint Nh, Cv$49.00 £7.69 | |
| |  | Cuba 2006 Sc 4625 Malaga Phila. Expo S/S Mnh £1.02 | |
 | Tonga #322-6, #C130-4, #Co69-70 Mint Nh, Cv$82.50 £10.26 | |
| |  | Hong Kong 1992 Qeii Machin Definitive Stamp 42v Mnh £12.99 | |
 | Malta 592-607 Mnh Fishing, Farming, Cattle, Airplane £5.13 | |
| |  | Malaya-Pahang #18A Mint No Gum, Cv$210.00 £25.65 | |
 | Burma 18A-31 Mnh George Vi, Elephant, Sailboat, Peacock £5.13 | |
| |  | Falkland Is 103-06 Mnh George Vi, Upu 75th Anniversary £3.07 | |
 | St Helena 79-87 Mint George V, Ship, Badge Of Colony £5.13 | |
| |  | 25 India Stamps 1855-1913 British Commonwealth £1.02 | |
 | Western Samoa 1953 Coronation Fdc To Us £3.08 | |
| |  | Timaru New Zealand 1953 Anti-Tb Slogan Cancel On Cover £3.59 | |
 | Swaziland To Us 1956 Multifranked Cover £3.85 | |
| |  | Standard Oil Stocks 1913 Postal Card £4.11 | |
 | South West Africa 1947 Registered Cover To Us £3.85 | |
| |  | Singapore To Malaya 1953 Multifranked Airmail Cover £3.85 | |
 | Niue 1953 Coronation Issue Fdc Sc 104-105 £3.85 | |
| |  | New Zealand 1953 Multifranked Coronation Fdc £2.57 | |
 | New Zealand 1953 Coronation Fdc Sc 282 £2.57 | |
| |  | Ascension, Scott # 188a, Souvenir Sht Of 4 Wideawake £4.10 | |
 | Kenya Uganda Tanganyika 1953 Cover To Us Nansio Cds £4.62 | |
| |  | Italy To Us 1946 Commercial Airmail Cover £7.18 | |
 | Hong Kong To Us 1929 Cover With 10C Stamp £4.23 | |
| |  | Denmark 1962 Tivoli Amusement Park Fdc Sc 404 £3.85 | |
 | Cuba To Us 1926 Cover With Scott # 276 £4.23 | |
| |  | Cook Islands 1953 Coronation Fdc Sc 145-146 £3.85 | |
 | China To Us Multi-Franked Cover From Engineer Society £5.13 | |
| |  | China 1958 President Chiang Kai Shek Birthday Fdc 1204 £3.85 | |
 | Ceylon 1959 Far East Gift Club Advertising Cover £4.11 | |
| |  | Straits Settlements Uh Mh Vf Hinged 1902 High Value. £5.13 | |
 | 1972 Hong Kong Rev. Bf#161 *Unlisted* Double Overprint £5.13 | |
| |  | New Zealand, Sc# 196, One Shilling, 1935, Mlh £2.05 | |
 | St. Helena, Scott # 6 Qv.6P Gray Blue 1889 Issue Mh £50.80 | |
| |  | Ascension, Scott # 156-159(4), 1972 Naval Arms Mh £2.05 | |
 | Niue Amateur Ham Radio Stamp S/S w/ Radio Key *Great* £2.56 | |
| |  | South Africa 1982 Architecture Mint Set Stamps £2.95 | |
 | Southern Rhodesia Scott 2 Gutter Pair Aps Certificate £25.65 | |
| |  | Stamps Turks & Gaicos Grenada Booklets Mint Unused £4.59 | |
 | Stamps Swaziland mini sheet mint unhinged Jubilee £1.51 | |
| |  | Stamps sheet Pitcairn Islands Mint Unhinged Unused £1.51 | |
 | Stamps Gibraltar Mini sheet Mint Unused unhinged £1.67 | |
| |  | Gibraltar Sc #385 Mnh Min Sheets ( X 5) @@@@ £1.03 | |
 | New Zealand; 1860s-1900 early mint/used lot on pages £9.75 | |
| |  | Natal; 1857 Embossed issue 6d. green re-printed Mint £23.09 | |
 | Victoria; 1860s-1920 Early mixed used lot on pages £4.62 | |
| |  | Cuba Sc 577-581 Mh 1956 Comp. Set Grals. of Liberation £1.53 | |
 | swaziland 456a £1.80 | |
| |  | Malaya States; Peral/Selangor small used lot on page £4.62 | |
 | Gambia/Sierra Leone; Qv issues mixed used lot on page £4.62 | |
| |  | North Borneo 1899 cover Sandakan to U.S. £5.13 | |
 | Cuba Lot Cto's 1982 1990 1994 & 1997 Complete Sets Cv £1.53 | |
| |  | British Middle East-Kuwait,Bma,Oman Gvi/Qe Lot(100+) £25.66 | |
 | Prehistoric Aquatic Animals 1994 Set Worth A Look £3.00 | |
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| Click to see more Commonwealth/ British Colonial items
Prices current as of last update, 05/17/08 6:05am.
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| | See also...
Aden, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Anguilla, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Antigua & Barbuda, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Ascension Island, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Australia, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Bahamas, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Bahrain, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Barbados, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Basutoland/ Lesotho, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Bechuanaland/ Botswana, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Bermuda, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
British Antarctic Territory, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
British Guiana/ Guyana, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
British Honduras/ Belize, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
British Indian Ocean Territory, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
British Levant, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
British Virgin Islands, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Brunei, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Burma, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Canada, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Cayman Islands, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Ceylon, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Collections/ Mixture, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Cook Is/ Aitutaki/ Penrhyn, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Cyprus, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Dominica, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Falkland Is & Dependencies, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Fiji, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Gambia, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Gibraltar, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Gilbert & Ellice Is/ Kiribati, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Gold Coast/ Ghana, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Grenada, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Heligoland, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Hong Kong, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
India, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Jamaica, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Kenya/ Uganda/ Tanganyika, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Kuwait, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Leeward Islands, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Malaya/ Malaysia/ S. Setts., Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Maldive Is., Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Malta, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Mauritius, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Montserrat, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Morocco Agencies, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Nauru, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
New Hebrides/ Vanuatu, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
New Zealand, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Nigeria, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Niue, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Norfolk Island, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
North Borneo, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Northern Rhodesia/ Zambia, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Nyasaland/ BCA/ Malawi, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Omnibus Issues, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Other Commonwealth Stamps, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Pakistan/ Bahawalpur, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Palestine, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Papua New Guinea, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Pitcairn Island, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Rhodesia/ Zimbabwe, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Samoa, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Sarawak, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Seychelles, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Sierra Leone, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Singapore, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Solomon Islands, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Somaliland Protectorate, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
South Africa, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
South West Africa/ Namibia, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
St Helena, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
St Kitts & Nevis, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
St Lucia, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
St Vincent/ Grenadines, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Sudan, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Swaziland, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Tonga, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Trinidad & Tobago, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Tristan da Cunha, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Turks & Caicos Is, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Tuvalu, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
Zanzibar, Commonwealth/ British Colonial
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