View the Reverse
of Cover with
Registry Stamp &
Rcvd Postmarks

The Registered Cover above was sent from Port Harcourt, Nigeria on September 28, 1923 and entered the United States postal system at New York on October 20. It was postmarked received by the Providence, Rhode Island Registry Division on October 21, 1923. The cover contains four 1-Pence (carmine) King George V issues (Scott #19 issued 1921-1933). This stamp is identical to the first Nigerian issue, (Scott #2) except for the watermark. On Scott #2 the watermark is multiple crowns with three points and crosses with a print CA, (type 3) and on Scott #19 the watermark is multiple crowns with a single point and script CA, (type 4).

The reverse of the cover bears an imprinted registry stamp and as I am not a specialist in this area and only maintain a copy of  the Classic Specialized World Stamps 1840-1940; I could not identify the registry stamp.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is located on the west coast of Africa and is bounded by Benin, Niger and Cameroon. It has an area of 356 thousand square miles and is the most populous country in Africa. Native languages spoken include Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, Hausa, Edo, Ibibio and Tiv. The country is named for its largest river; the Niger. 

The earliest known culture in Nigeria was that of the Nok, which flourished during the Iron Age between 500 BC and 200 AD. (the Nok culture was named after the village in which their artifacts were found.) During the 17th and 18th centuries the cities of the Gold Coast of which Nigeria was a part had become the principal Slave Trading Outposts for Western Africa.

On January 1, 1914 the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria (formerly the Niger Coast Protectorate) were united by the British to form the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. 

Independence was granted on October 1, 1960 and in 1963 Nigeria officially became a republic. A military coup in 1983 ended the that attempt at democracy, however a new constitution was adopted in 1999 and the first civilian government in 16 years was formed. Free elections were held in 2003. Nigeria's major resources include large reserves of oil.

Port Harcourt was founded by the British in 1912. It is named after Lewis Viscount Harcourt who was Secretary of State for the British Colonies. The city is located in the Niger Delta. The port was originally founded for the export of coal, which was bought from the interior down the Bonny River on which the port sits. Today the city is an industrial and commercial center and is the headquarters of the Nigerian Petroleum Industry.