In 1920 older stamps surcharged with lower values were issued as lower value stamps were destroyed by the damp heat. At least such were the arguments...
Engraving: Leonard Vincent Phillips
Design British stamp: J. Giraud ♦ French Rade de Nouméa: H. Vollet, Typography J. Puyplat
Printing: Thomas De La Rue & Co., Ltd. ♦ French stamp: not known
Surcharge printing: Government Suva - Fiji
First Day: 7(?) June 1920 ♦ first day recorded: 11 June 1920 ♦ French stamp:25 May 1920
Perforation: 14
This series does not exist with an official overprint "SPECIMEN".
Quantities: 1d on ½d: 15,000 ♦ 3d on 1d: 20,000 ♦ 5d on 2½d: 20,000
Quantities: 5c on 50c w/o COND.: 300 ♦ 5c on 50c: 20,000 ♦ 10c on 25c: 60,000
Some earlier hammer prices for the 300 copies only stamp: June 2000 Australia: 700 US$; Sept. 2003 Paris: 618 €.
Please see some fakes at left.
The First Day 7 June is not certain anymore as I found an image of a pair of 5c stamps in an Australian Stamp Forum (Stampboards.com) with a clear and very genuine looking cancel of 25 May 20.