Queen Elizabeth II 25th Anniversary Coronation First Day Cover, Sierra Leone postmarked on September 14, 1978.
Sierra Leone
Named after the rugged Sierra Leone (Lion Mountain) peninsula by the Portuguese Pedro da Cinta, the country in 1460 consisted of a mosaic of peoples living by subsistance agriculture, and the exploitation of forests and rivers. Iron was worked, and wood and ivory carving was of the highest standard. During the 17th and 18th centuries slavery took a heavy toll; up to 2000 people being captured and sold into servitude annually, but later the settlement at Freetown became a centre first for slaves freed in Britain and the U.S., then for those freed during the suppression of the slave trade in West Africa. The hopes of British abolitionists to thus spread Christianity and Empire came to fruition in 1896, when, the Creoles from the Crown Colony of Freetown having spread trade inland, Britain declared a 'protectorate' over the whole of the country. Britain's protection appeared initially in the form of a house-tax, which produced armed rebellion within two years. The people of Sierra Leone had to wait until 1951 for autonomy, and the country regained its independence in 1961.
The principal economic activity of most Sierra Leonians is agriculture, although this is changing. Iron ore and bauxite are important new sources of wealth, second only to diamond extraction for the industrialised nations, chiefly Britain. But transfer of labour to this from domestic rice production has also created serious problems, and turned the country from a rice exporter into a rice importer. Geographically the country consists of coastal mangrove swamps, giving way to bush-fallow and oil palm covered plains and savannah. The climate is hot and humid.
The theme of the Coronation Anniversary is represented by Sierra Leone with three stamps, designed by Leslie Curtis and printed by Harrison and Sons in lithography. They were released in August, 1978.
5c — Coronation Regalia. Depicted here are the Crown of St. Edward, made for King Charles II; the Royal Sceptre with the Cross, and the Royal Sceptre with the Dove.
50c — Queen Elizabeth in the Coronation Coach. H M. The Queen is seen wearing the Imperial State Crown and coronation robes.
Lel — The Queen and Prince Philip. The royal couple are shown together in this famous Coronation Day portrait.
