At the London Convention of 1814, the colonies of Berbice and the United Colony of Demerara and Essequibo were formally given to Britain. In 1831 the two colonies were unified as British Guiana. The colony would remain under British control until independence in 1966. British Guiana’s first stamps were issued in 1850, looking rather like a circular postmark on coloured paper. They are referred to as the ‘Cotton-Reels’ and are very rare. Today’s stamp was issued in 1853. It shows a three-masted schooner and has a face value of 4 pence. CV for an unused copy like this is around 1.000 £.