Stamps of the British Empire: A World Tour

A British crown colony that became autonomous in 1960 and independent in 1979, St Lucia's island postmaster in Castries used a distinctive barred cancel on early English stamps. Five stamps are mounted, from an early One Penny to a coat-of-arms design and a seated QEII pictorial.

An independent state in the British Commonwealth from 30 November 1966, Barbados issued its first stamps back in 1852. Ten stamps here span a seated-Britannia design and St George-and-dragon issue through to a Trafalgar centenary, a brain-coral definitive, a Boy Scouts' Diamond Jubilee commemorative and an orchid pictorial.

Occupied by the English in 1672, St Vincent's island post office in Kingstown marked English stamps with a distinctive barred cancel before its own issues began. Seven stamps run from early Victoria-era definitives through QEII portrait series in three, four and ten cents, closing with two George VI pictorials.

A former British crown colony, Grenada joined the West Indies Federation in 1958 and became independent on 7 February 1974. Eleven stamps trace Victoria-era ship pictorials through a 1958 Federation map issue to a Grenadines-overprinted Blenheim Palace commemorative. Tobago, a separate crown colony from 1814, was folded into Trinidad and Tobago on 1 January 1899.

Trinidad was taken by the English in 1797; the two islands were administratively merged in 1889. Independent from 31 August 1962, a republic from 1976, this sheet carries a long run of 24 stamps — classic Britannia-seated designs through War Tax overprints to modern pictorials of steel-band dancers, a mosque and an aircraft.

A large part of Dutch Guiana passed to England in 1814; British Guiana became independent in 1966. Its stamps from 1850 — among the world's great rarities — were valid for inland use only. Eleven stamps trace ship pictorials through two 1937 Coronation issues to a rice-field George VI definitive.

England took possession of the Falklands in 1833 despite Argentine claims. Eleven stamps span 1878 to modern issues, including a thrush bird definitive and a South Georgia overprint.

Discovered by the Portuguese in 1502 and English from 1650, St Helena became a crown colony in 1834. Nine St Helena stamps run to a modern QEII issue; six Ascension stamps include a 1966 Apollo satellite-station commemorative.

An Ottoman province where British financial oversight grew from 1876, Egypt became a British protectorate from 1914–1922, a kingdom in 1923. Ten stamps run from early Piastre-denominated issues through Sphinx and pyramid pictorials to a King Farouk portrait.

Held jointly by Egypt and Britain from 1899, Sudan gained self-rule in 1954 and independence in 1956. Five stamps show the classic camel-post rider design across several denominations, plus a cotton-picking pictorial.