Look for Ascension 1934 King George V set

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

Ascension is an isolated volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It lies about 1,000 miles west of the nearest coast of Africa and about 1,400 miles east of the South American coast.

The uninhabited island was first discovered by Portuguese explorer Joao da Nova on March 25, 1501. He named it Conception Island. Two years later, it was rediscovered by Afonso de Albuquerque on Ascension Day, and he rechristened it Ascension Island.

Because it was isolated, dry and barren, the Portuguese never bothered to colonize it.

The British came to the island in 1815 when Napoleon I was exiled to St. Helena. It was governed by the British Admiralty until 1922, when it was placed under the British colonial office and annexed to the crown colony of St. Helena.

Today, Ascension has its own government headed by an appointed administrator but shares the governor with St. Helena and Tristan da Cunha. The population of about 800 are mainly descendants of immigrants from St. Helena.

Ascension issued its first stamps in 1922 and continues to issue stamps to the present day.

Ascension stamps of the reigns of King George V and King George VI share the high design and production qualities of other British Empire stamps of the period. An attractive set to look for is the King George V definitive set of 10 stamps issued July 2, 1934 (Scott 23-32).

The designs of the engraved bicolor stamps feature a view of Georgetown (the largest settlement), King George V and a map of Ascension, a sooty tern breeding colony, the pier at Georgetown, Long Beach, the Three Sisters, and Green Mountain.

The Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 values the set at $161.10 in unused, hinged condition and $240 in mint, never-hinged condition. It is a good buy in very fine grade and unused, hinged condition at about $75 to $90 and in mint, never-hinged condition at around $140.

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