The Abary Post Office, located on the West Coast of Berbice, was first established at the Profit Police Station on July 13, 1860, after being transferred from the nearby Belladrum Estate. Due to the closure of the Profit Police Station, the post office was relocated to Abary on July 11, 1863, becoming part of the East Coast Demerara Postal District.
The Abary Post Office continued to serve the local community until its closure on April 1, 1899. Following the closure, mail services for the area were handled by the post offices in Mahaicony or Weldaad. The office was later reopened on July 2, 1945, under the Mahaicony-Abary postal designation..
The following are the Date Stamps used at Abary with EKD prior to 22 January 1901, the day marking the end of the reign of Queen Victoria. In addition to listing the Panda Type #, for reference, we also list the T&H Type from The Postage Stamps and Postal History of British Guiana by Townsend & Howe, the Type and referenced page from The Postal History of British Guiana by Edward B. Proud, and the referenced pages from British Guiana Coded Postmarks – Study paper No 3 by Michael Rego, for coded postmarks.
→ Panda Type # E 2 . 1 – Abary
T&H Unlisted; Proud Abary D3 p.127
EKD: 5 Mar 1880 / New LKD: 10 Oct 1881
This Abary Circular Date Stamp (C.D.S.) is a Panda Type E2 postmark. The Panda Type E2 is Single Ring (S.R.), 26.5 mm. American Type. 3 line date (3 L.D.) B.G. at foot. Known with year missing.
The Panda Type E2.1 is unlisted in The Postage Stamps and Postal History of British Guiana by Townsend & Howe as no strikes were known to exist to the authors in 1970 when the book was published.
According to the article British Guiana Village Postmarks: An Update on Townsend & Howe by Peter Ford published in the British West Indies Study Circle (BWISC) Bulletin No. 199, December 2003, the earliest known date of this postmark is 5 Mar 1880 and the last known date is 30 Oct 1880. The 5 Mar 1880 strike is on the only recorded cover (see image below) which last sold in 2014 in the Foxley by Spink sale for £950 plus commission. It is ex-Proud and ex-Nathan. It is currently in the British Guiana Part I – The Simon Greenwood Collection auction with Spinks (11 Dec 2024) [Click to Bid].
Since the EKD for the next Abary postmark, Panda Type E7.1, is dated 24 Feb 1882, we assume the strikes with no year, as is typical for this type, is the next year of usage or 1881. This makes the strike dated 10 Oct with no year the LKD of 10 Oct 1881.
To date, we can conclude there are at least four known strikes:
- Dated 5 Mar 1880 – EKD on cover (see image below)
- Dated 30 Oct 1880 – previous LKD per Ford
- Dated 14 Mar with no year assumed to be 1881 – in the Panda Collection (see image below)
- Dated 10 Oct with no year assumed to be 1881 which makes it the new LKD – in the Bush Lot collection (see image below)
This postmark is rated (E)xclusive in the Panda British Guiana Postmark Catalog with a catalog value of £650 for a complete clear strike (x2 on cover).
→ Panda Type # E 7 . 1 – Abary
T&H Type 5c p.301; Proud Abary D4 p.127
EKD: 24 Feb 1882 / LKD: 9 Nov 1898
This Abary Circular Date Stamp (C.D.S.) is a Panda Type E7 postmark. The Panda Type E2 is Double Ring (D.R.), 23 – 24.5 / 13 – 14.5 mm. 2 L.D. with Y.A. B. Guiana at foot
The Panda Type E7.1 is unlisted in The Postage Stamps and Postal History of British Guiana by Townsend & Howe as no strikes were known to exist to the authors in 1970 when the book was published.
The Panda Type E4.22 is cataloged as Type 5c and is listed as “Very Scarce” in The Postage Stamps and Postal History of British Guiana by Townsend & Howe.
The Panda British Guiana Postmark Catalog 