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Trinidad, a British colony in the West Indies, frequently faced an inconsistent supply of postage stamps during the first nine years after the establishment of its Post Office in 1851. This instability resulted from several factors: slow administrative processing in England, delays in producing and shipping the stamps, lengthy transit times, and the rapidly increasing volume of mail on the island.

This presentation examines all five issues, including examples of both stamps and covers. Known covers have been organized into a census, and multiple strips—both on- and off-cover—are shown for comparison. The few surviving mint copies are illustrated, and the various shades of blue ink are highlighted to demonstrate color variation across the issues. Most Lithos were used in the capital, Port of Spain, and in San Fernando, the island’s second-largest town. For postmark collectors, numeral cancels from several smaller towns are also presented.

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