Ceylon Queen Victoria Postage Revenue 5cents

Hi everyone.
Is this stamp from 1886? Can anyone help me with what the overprint says please. First word shows part of 'FORWARD' I believe. Can't figure out second word. Any idea of value please?

Hi Jpx,

The stamp was issued in 1886 and in my 2023 SG is valued at 10p, but that's for postally used.

The second word I'd say is SKRINE. It probably has something to do with Skrine Fort & Co. Ceylon tea and all that!

It looks like a fiscal cancellation.

This cancel was used to prevent thief of stamps by the courier who took it to the post office .It was also used to stop stealing of postage stamp by employee of the firm .

Skrine & Co of Colombo, at the time, used perfins. Some cancellations with a company cachet are known, but none of the recorded ones coincide with the first line.

It is rude of employees to steal from the company while we steal from the country.

Tiger Dude:

Sometimes hafta STEAL from the country because it steals from us first.

But we're not known for our strict adherence to the rules anyhoo...

If there's a way to rip off the GOB'NENT, then so be it.

Like the bumper sticker sez: Don't steal! The government hates competition!

I wish we used more stamps to represent taxes paid. Like here in Fla, they "saved" $45K per year on printing costs to eliminate the documentary; now it's all "meter strips." I hope they're losing money on it thanks to that "savings." I lived in SC when they stopped stamping cigarette packages. I ended up using that ad impetus for quitting smoking. Having no "tax stamps" to collect from the packages helped me to give up the habit.

But then...I tend to be interested in the stamps :-}

Josh