value of the stamp intended to be printed on it. It can readily be
understood that these would sometimes get mixed and result in more of
those oddities in which philatelists delight.

[Illustration: Watermark, Crown with letters CC]

[Illustration: Watermark, Crown with letters CA]

[Illustration: Watermarks, Cross and Orb, Anchor, Elephant Head,
Pine-Apple, Castle]

[Illustration: Water Marks, Post Horn, Turtle, Geneva Cross]

Here are some well-known watermarks. The letters CC under the Crown
stand for "Crown Colonies." This was extensively used on stamps of the
British Colonies. It has been replaced by a similar design, lettered CA,
"Crown Agents for the Colonies," which is still in use. A great variety
of crowns have been used, as also of stars. The cross and orb are found
on stamps of Great Britain. The anchor belongs to the Cape of Good Hope,
the elephant to India, the pine-apple to Jamaica, the castle to Spain
(where else would we have castles if not in Spain?) the post horn to
Denmark, the turtle to Tonga. The Geneva cross belongs to Switzerland
but is not really a watermark, as it is impressed in the paper after the
stamps are printed. The pyramid and sun and the star and crescent both
belong to Egypt. The lion comes from Norway, the sun from the Argentine
Republic, the wreath of oak leaves from Hanover, the lotus flower from
Siam.

[Illustration: US. POD '99]