G. W. Eve was invited to prepare designs for the new postage due labels in October 1913. He was offered a fee of Thirty Guineas (£31.10.0d) if any design he submitted was adopted, and a fee of Ten Guineas in the event of no design of his being approved.
Instructions to G. W. Eve:
I am directed by the Postmaster general to inform you that he proposes to introduce at an early date a system of accounting for surcharges on postal packets by means of “postage due” labels; and he will be glad to learn whether you will assist him by preparing a design for such labels. A fee of 30 guineas would be paid if any design which you submitted were adopted, or a fee of 10 guineas in the event of no design of yours being approved. In either case any design submitted would become the Postmaster General’s property.
The labels will be issued in four denominations, viz:- ½d. 1d. 2d. and 5d. The same design will be used for all four denominations, the numerals and words denoting value alone being different. The labels will be of the same dimensions as the 1d. postage stamp, but the short edge of the stamp will be from top to bottom and the long edge from left to right. The colours of the labels will probably be the same as those of the corresponding denominations of postage stamps, viz. ½d. green, 1d. red, 2d. orange and 5d. fawn.
A set of specimens of the postage due labels issued in certain other countries is enclosed. I am to request that you will be good enough to return it with your reply or when submitting a design. The postage due labels to be issued in this country should, like the enclosed specimens, bear no portrait. The value of the labels should be shown by a numeral, which should be very prominent, and also in words in much smaller type. The only other lettering on the labels should be the words “Postage Due”. It would be convenient if, in addition to a complete design of, say, the 2d. label, specimens could be furnished of the numerals for the three other denominations showing the style you suggest.
The “certain other countries” were Canada, Egypt, and Italy.
Pen & Ink Sketches
G. W. Eve’s first pen & ink sketches from November 1913 show designs for a 2d label which look very similar to the adopted design. Some designs are on Eve’s letterhead showing his address in North London. There is some correspondence from Eve in the Postal Museum written on the same letterhead.
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Pencil Essays
Eve’s completed pencil essays from November 1913, for the 2d in the adopted design with modified corner ornaments, and for the 5d in an unadopted design which is initialled “GWE ’13”.
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Bromides
Bromides were made of Eve’s design in December 1913. The stamp size bromides were mounted on cards numbered 83, 84, 85 in the top right corner and 132, 133, 134 in the bottom left corner. There is a similar set of four bromides (including a 2d) in the Royal Philatelic Collection.
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