SAINT LUCIA

Saint Lucia (French: Sainte-Lucie) is a sovereign island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. The island was previously called Iyonola, the name given to the island by the native Amerindians and later, Hewanorra, the name given by the native Caribs. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 617 km² (238 square miles) and reported a population of 165,595 in the 2010 census. Its capital is Castries.

The French were the island's first European settlers. They signed a treaty with the native Island Caribs in 1660. England took control of the island from 1663 to 1667. In ensuing years, it was at war with France fourteen times, and the rule of the island changed frequently (it was ruled seven times each by the French and British). In 1814, the British took definitive control of the island. Because it switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the "Helen of the West Indies" after the Greek mythological character, Helen of Troy. Representative government came about in 1840 (universal suffrage was established in 1953). From 1958 to 1962, the island was a member of the West Indies Federation. On 22 February 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Letters to the United Kingdom from St. Lucia had to be prepaid from 1 April 1858. British stamps were authorised for use in St Lucia and this information was conveyed to the Colonial Postmaster by Rowland Hill. Obliterators were sent to the Island from Great Britain with the designator "A11" to coincide with the dispatch of British Stamps to the colony (see above). The first was sent on 16 April 1858 with the first recorded use on 28 August that year. The first stamps issued by St. Lucia were put on sale in 1860 and consisted of three duties (1d, 4d and 6d). The stamps were printed by Perkins Bacon Ltd using the line-engraved process. To save the Colony money only one plate was engraved, with the duties identified by the colour of the stamps.  This company carried mail by sea from Castries to the coastal villages of St. Lucia. Stamps were issued from around 1871 to 1872 when the company went out of business. A possibly provisional stamp is illustrated in the book by Hurt and Williams which was followed by the issue of several values depicting a steamship in an oval frame. There are a number of different printings of the stamps which may be distinguished by paper and gum variations.

 St.Lucia cover with new series of UPU barcode label. long back the postal services used the similar barcode but after that they started to use own barcode labels similar to St.Vincent Post Corporation. Now again they come back to the UPU labels, which is my favorite one.

These  Registered Airmail covers sent from the Philatelic Bureau of St.Lucia in Castries. St.Lucia previously used UPU barcode labels for registered mails , now they shifted to common Caribbean designed barcode labels similar to St.Vincent . Soon Grenada also will accept the similar design. The covers posted on  November 16, 2016 and I received on December 13,2016.

The covers posted on April 22, 2015 and I received on May 02, 2015. The registered one reached on May 14, 2015.