Russia

June 3, 2015, 11:03 am

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1866 Scott 20 3k black & deep green "Coat of Arms"

Russian Empire

Quick History
The Russian Empire, an absolute monarchy from 1721 to 1905, and then a constitutional monarchy until the February and October revolutions of 1917, was ruled by the Tsars. The heavily rural and economic backward lands were still worked by serfs until they were liberated in 1861. The Industrial Revolution came late to Russia, compared to Western Europe, and the stunning defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) was a severe blow to the Tsarist government.

Russian Empire 1914

Tsar Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, and titular King of Poland, and ruled absolutely from 1894 to 1905, and then constitutionally until his abdication in March, 1917.

Tsar Nicholas II

Nicholas II, who actually was of primary German decent, was related by blood to much of European royalty: King Christian IX of Denmark (Grandparent), King Frederick VII of Denmark, George I of Greece, Queen Alexandra ( consort of King Edward VII), Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King George V, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway, King Constantine I of Greece, and King Frederick William III of Prussia. 

But ill winds were blowing, primarily of the Bolshevik kind, and all the relationship royalty could not save him and his wife, his son, his four daughters, the family's medical doctor, the footman, the maidservant, and the family's cook, who were all executed on the night of July 16/17, 1918.

Russia (yellow) -Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic- within the U.S.S.R.

The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was a sovereign state from 1917-22, then the leading member of the Soviet Union (USSR) until 1991. The USSR was a Marxist-Leninist single party state lead initially by Vladimir Lenin and  the Communist Party, with Moscow as the capital.

The capital had been St. Petersburg between 1730-1917, and the population of Russia was 181,000,000 in 1916.

Between 1917-22, there was a civil war between pro-revolution Reds and the counter-revolution Whites. The Reds were victorious, and the Soviet Union was formed with the unification of the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Republics.

The USSR also included Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, who had issued their own stamps.

After Lenin's death in 1924, Joseph Stalin ruled with a totalitarian iron fist until his death in 1953.

The history of Russia could be expanded to the size of a Tolstoy novel. The classical collector may want to become more familiar with it, especially the revolutionary 1917-22 era.

1913 Scott 100 70k yellow green & brown

"Michael Feodorovich"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2011 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Russia 1857-1943, 1415 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 661 are CV <$1-$1+, or 46.7%. Of interest, commemoratives of the 1930s and air post issues generally have a higher CV.

Russia, like the U.S. or China, is a world to itself, and one could spend a lifetime studying the philatelic output. I should have 3-4 blog posts devoted to the stamps of Russia, but I will reluctantly have only one. So with the WW classical collector in mind, I will mostly focus on the trickier earlier Russian Empire issues.

For the last part, we will look at some forgeries of the 1919 Army of the North issues.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
100 Kopecks = 1 Ruble

1865 Scott 12 1k black & yellow "Coat of Arms"

Wove Paper

In order for the classical collector to successfully categorize the earlier typographic stamps of the Russian Empire, awareness of several things are necessary.

* Paper (Whether wove, horizontally laid, or vertically laid.)
* The Posthorn motif and the absence or presence of "Thunderbolts".
* Watermarks- or lack thereof.

The first stamps of the Empire all show the "Coat of Arms" design (1857-1912), and naturally have Cyrillic script, which is somewhat difficult for collectors from Roman script countries to interpret.

Therefore, attention to detail is advised. ;-)

The 1865 six stamp issue- shown above- is of wove paper and is unwatermarked.

No Thunderbolts across Post Horns

In addition, the earlier issues (1857-1888) show no thunderbolts across the Post Horns. This is very useful to separate out the earlier from the later (1889-1912) issues.

1866 Scott 19 1k black & yellow "Coat of Arms"

Horizontally Laid Paper, Wmk 168

Looks like the same stamp as the preceding one, doesn't it?

The 1866-70 six stamp issue is characterized by the horizontally laid paper, and to a lesser extent, by the wmk 168.

Horizontally Laid Paper

Wmk 168- Wavy Lines noted

The horizontally laid paper for the Russian issues will show horizontal parallel dark lines on the back of the stamp- often quite obvious, and watermarking fluid is usually not needed.

There is also a watermark- here a wavy line is seen above the pencil mark.

Wmk 168 "Cyrillic EZGB & Wavy Lines"

The watermark is wmk 168 "Cyrillic EZGB & wavy Lines". Here the wmk is brought out by using watermark fluid.

The watermark is present in the issues produced from 1866-1906. It is usually not critical that the wmk be found for these issues for identification purposes.

1875 Scott 30 20k blue & orange

Horizontally Laid Paper

Between 1875-82, another issue of five stamps was produced using horizontally laid paper. Note the lack of thunderbolts across the post horns.

Horizontally Laid Paper

Flipping the 20k blue & orange stamp over, note the easily determined horizontally laid paper.

1883 Scott 34 5k red violet

"Imperial Eagle and Post Horns"

Horizontally Laid Paper

A new issue of eight stamps using two newer designs was released between 1883-88.

One significant change was, prior to 1882, the 1k, 2k, 3k, & 5k had small numerals in the background (look at the 1k & 3k examples shown earlier for this post), while this issue for these denominations have a background of network, like the higher denominations.

Note the issue has horizontally laid paper, and no thunderbolts across the post horns.

1889 Scott 41 4k rose & Scott 42 10k dark blue

"Imperial Eagle and Post Horns with Thunderbolts"

Horizontally Laid Paper

In 1889, a new five stamp issue was produced- with thunderbolts across the post horns.

With Thunderbolts across Posthorns

Here it is- easy, No? The 1889-1812 issues all show the thunderbolts across the post horn motif.

1889 Scott 47 2k green 

With Thunderbolts across Posthorns

Horizontally Laid Paper

Between 1889-92, a nine stamp issue with thunderbolts across the post horns and horizontally laid paper was produced. The definitive factor here is the horizontally laid paper.

1902 Scott 56 2k yellow green

Vertically Laid Paper

In 1902-06, a thirteen stamp issue was released, but on vertically laid paper.

An important way to tell the difference with the preceding 1889-92 issue is... the vertically laid paper!

This also marks the end of the use of the wmk 168 "Cyrillic EZGB & wavy Lines".

1909-12 Scott 80 14k dark blue & carmine

Vertical Lozenges of Varnish on Face

Wove paper, Unwatermarked

Then, a 1909-12 fifteen stamps issue was produced with two new designs included. But eight stamps used preceding designs, one of which is illustrated here. How to tell the difference?

This issue is on wove paper, and is unwatermarked!

Also, the stamp is shiny, as vertical lozenges of varnish were used on the face.

Finally, a 1917 seventeen stamp issue was produced by the provisional government during the civil war using types of the 1889-1912 issues. These stamps have wove paper, and are imperforate.

Russia 1909-12 Scott 79 10k dark blue

Finland 1911 Scott 80 20p deep blue

Be aware that there are many similarities between Russian and Finnish stamps of the era. The Finnish stamps have "dot in circle" devices, or are inscribed "Markka", Markkaa", "Pen", or "Pennia".

Finland 1911 Scott 80 20p deep blue

Actually, the Finnish 1911 20p deep blue from the preceding scan is not a great print example. Here is a better one.

For more on the differences between Russian and Finnish stamps of the era, see my Finland 1856-1917 blog post.

1913 Scott 92 7k brown "Nicholas II"

A nice 17 stamp typographic issue with all different designs was released in 1913. The issue features the tsars back to Peter I. The ill-fated and last Tsar Nicholas II is shown here on the 7k brown.

1915 Scott 107 20k olive green ""Alexander I"

Thin Cardboard, without Gum

Between 1915-1917, some of the stamp images from the 1913 issue were put on thin cardboard, and used as paper money! They are listed in  the stamp catalogues, because they were sometimes used for postal purposes.

The October, 1915 three stamp"money" issue has "Arms" and a five line inscription on back which reads "Having circulation on par with silver subsidiary coins"

1917 Scott 113 2 on 2k yellow green "Alexander II"

Types of 1913 issue

Thin Cardboard, without Gum

The 1916-17 five stamp "money" issue is found with and without surcharge.

The back has "Arms", value, and a four line inscription.

1917 Scott 141 3k rose red "Alexander III"

Thin Cardboard, without Gum

The 1917 three stamp "money" issue also is found with and without surcharge.

The back has value, and a four line inscription below a horizontal bar.

1923 Scott 253 4k deep rose ""Worker", Lithographed

1924-25 Scott 279 4k deep rose, Typographed

Moving ahead to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics era, there are several issues that have similar stamps printed lithographically or through typography, and can be confusing for the collector.

Specifically, the 1923 10 stamp imperforate and the 1924 4 stamp perforate issues were printed with lithography. Then the 1924-25 4 stamp imperforate and the 1924-25 18 stamp perforate issues were printed using typography.

But there are small differences between the issues, which can be used for identification purposes.

1923 Scott 253 Litho+ 1924-25 Scott 270 Typo- Right Ear

Note, for the A58 "worker" design, the two white lines forming the outline of the ear are continued across the face with the lithographic stamp.

1923 Scott 256 10k dark blue "Soldier", Lithographed

1924-25 Scott 275 10k dark blue, Typographed

The A59 "soldier" design is likewise found lithographed and typographed.

The typographed stamp has a white spot between the cap and the visor.

1923 Scott 256 Litho & 1924-25 Scott 275 Typo- Right Shoulder

And the white line on top of the right shoulder touches the frame on the left for the lithographic specimen, but not for the typographic example.

1924-25 Scott 282 7k chocolate "Soldier"; Perf 14 1/2 X 15, Unwmk

1925-27 Scott 310 7k chocolate; Perf  12, Wmk 170

The typographic issue comes in several flavors, based on perforation and watermark.

The 1924-25 issue is unwatermarked, and has perf 14 1/2 X 15 for major numbers, and perforation 12 for minor numbers. Then there was a 19 stamp issue in 1925-27 which has perf 12, and is watermarked 170 "Greek Border and Rosettes".

Wmk 170 "Greek Border and Rosettes"

Here is a look at the "Greek Border and Rosettes" watermark, which usually is quite obvious.

Russia Army of the North "Coat of Arms", Imperforate Issue

1919 Scott 1 5k violet brown : Genuine vs Forgery

The Army of the North stamps have OKCA inscriptions, which means "Special Corps, Army of the North".

There are plenty of forgeries in collections, and Varro Tyler (Focus on Forgeries-2000) has five pages devoted to this issue.

Note for the 5k violet brown...
Genuine: Double (clear) circles around the "5" numerals.
Forgery: Solid thick circles around the "5" numerals.

1919 map by Petrograd (St. Petersburg)

Note "Army of the North" and N.W. Army

The "Army of the North" was a white army (as was the N.W. Army which it later merged with), and fought in the St. Petersburg area under the command of General Aleksandr Rodzianko. Both armies were mainly composed of Estonians.

The campaign was unsuccessful, but five stamps were issued from September-December, 1919,

Russia Army of the North

1919 Scott 3 15k yellow: Genuine vs Forgery

The 15k yellow...
Genuine: The lower part of "C" and "A" are touching; The octagon around OKCA is wide and short.
Forgery: The lower part of "C" and "A" do not touch; The octagon around OKCA is symmetrical.

Russia Army of the North

1919 Scott 5 50k green: Genuine vs Forgery

The 50k stamp exists only on pelure paper.

50k green...

Genuine: The small ornaments midway along the inner framelines on each side are circular with a dot in the center; there are small open circles on either side of OKCA.

Forgery: The small ornaments midway along the inner framelines on each side are solid circles; there are small solid circles on either side of OKCA.

Deep Blue

1902-05 Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 106 pages for Russia, and has spaces for essentially all of the Scott major numbers. The Scott Classic 1840-1940 catalogue includes the 1918-22 Postal-Fiscal stamps (25 stamps), but they are not included in the Steiner. I elected not to include this category in my catalogue count.

1918 Scott 149 35k blue "Severing the Bond"

Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic

Big Blue
Big Blue '69, on 25 pages, has 617 spaces for regular, semi-postal, postage due, special delivery, air post, Army of the North, offices in China, and offices in the Turkish Empire categories.

Coverage is 43.6%.

There are 31 stamps with CV $10-$30+ required, but none cross the "Most Expensive" category ($35).

Of the 31 spaces, 28 are either 1930s era commemoratives or air post stamps.

Checklist: There are choices to be made in BB for spaces between horizontal laid/vertical laid/woven paper, perf /imperf, and Litho/Typo printings. See the comments section or the Scott catalogue for details.

Checklist

1865-71 (Actually to 1875)

12 or 19, 26, 13 or 20, 14 or 22, 15 or 23,

1875-79

27,28,29,30,

1883

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,

1889-1905* (Actually to 1909)

46 or 55,47 or 56,48 or 57,41 or 57C,49 or 58,50 or 59,42 or 60,

51 or 61 or 80,62 or 81,43 or 63 or 82,64 or 83,65 or 84,44 or 66 or 85,67 or 86,

45 or 68 or 87,53 or 69,54 or 70,71,72,

Next Page

1909-12

73,74,75,76,77,78,79,

1913

88,89,90,91,92,93,

94,95,96,97,98,99,

1916

110,111,

1917

117,118,

1918

149,150,

1917-18 (Imperf)

119,120,121,122,123,124,125,126,

127,128,129,130,131,132,133,

Next Page

1917-19

134,135,112,113,139,140,

1919* (Army of the North)

1,2,3,4,5,

1921

177,178,

1921*

179,181,182,183,184,185,

186,187,188,189,190,

1922

206, (203),211,212,213,

1922-23*

230 or 234,231 or 235,232 or 236,233 or 237,

1923 

238,239,240,(241),

Next Page

1923* (-1927)

250 or 276 or 304,251 or 277 or 305,252 or 273 or 278 or 306,253 or 261 or 274 or 279 or 307,

254 or 280 or 308,255 or 281 or 309,256 or 262 or 275 or 285 or 313, 257 or 288 or 317,

242,243,245,244,

1924*

265 or 269,266 or 270,267 or 271,268 or 272,

1925*

294 or 298,295 or 299,

1925*

326,327,328,329,

330 or 333,331 or 334,332 or 335,336 or 339,338 or 341,337 or 340,

1927

376,377,379,380,

Next Page

1927

375,378,373 or 374,

1926

342,347,348,

1927-28

382,383,385,386,388,389,391,

1927-28

393,395,396,

1929

411,412,

1928

402,403,404,405,

1929-31*

413 or 456,414 or 457,

415 or 458,416 or 459,417 or 460,418,419 or 462,420,422,

423,424,425,426,

Next Page

1929-30

427,428,429,430,

1932

470,

1930

431,432,433,434,

435,436 or 469,438 or 452,439 or 453,440 or 454,

1932-33

472,473,474,475,476,

480,481,482,485,

514,515,516,477,

Next Page

1933

489,491,492,495,490,

493,494,499,496,497,

498,507,508,509,

500,501,502,

504,505,506,

503,518,519,520,521,

Next Page

1933

522,523,

1934

524,525,

1934

526,527,528,529,

530,531,532,536,539,

537,538,544,545,

540,541,542,543,551,552,

553,554,

Next Page

1934

546,547,548,549,550,

559,560,

561,

562,563,

Next Page

1935

564,565,

566,

567,568,

569,570,571,572,

Next Page

1935

573,574,575,576,577,578,

579,580,581,582,

1936-37

583,584,585,586,

587,588,589,

1937

590,591,592,593,594,595,

Next Page

1937-38

597,598,599,

600,601,602,

603,604,

606,607,608,609,610,612,

625,626,627,628,611,613,

629,630,631,632,633,

Next Page

1938

634,640,641,642,635,

636,637,638,639,

659,661,662,663,

664,660,665,

643,645,646,644,

Next Page

1938

647,648,649,650,651,652,

653,654,655,656,657,

658,678,679,

683,680,681,682,686,

684,685,687,688,689,

690,691,692,

Next Page

1938-39

666,667,668,

669,671,673,675,

670,672,674,

676,677,693,694,

695,697,696,714,715,

Next Page

1938-39

698,699,700,701,702,703,

704,705,706,707,

708,709,710,

711,712,724,728,

725,726,727,

Next Page

1939-40

729,730,731,732,733,

718,719,720,721,722,723,

745,746,747,748,757,758,

759,760,761,762,763,764,

765,766,734,735,713,736,738,

Next Page

1939-40

749,750,751,752,

753,754,755,756,

767,768,769,770,

771,772,773,774,

775,776,777,778,

779,789,790,791,792,793,

Next Page

1940

780,781,782,783,

794,795,796,797,

798,799,800,801,802,

803,804,805,806,807,

808,809,810,784,786,

Next Page

1940

785,787,788,

811,812,813,816,

814,815,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1914

B5 or B9,B6 or B10,B7 or B11,B8 or B12,

B14,B15,

1922

B34,B35,B36,B37,

1926-27

B48 or B50,B49 or B51,

1928

B54 or B55,B56 or B57,

Postage Due*

J11 or J18,J12 or J19,J13 or J20,J14 or J21,J15 or J22,J16 or J23,

Next Page

Special Delivery

1922

E1,E2,E3,

Air Post

1931

C2,C4 or C7,C8,C5 or C9,

1927

C10,C11,

1930

C12,C13,

1931

C15 or C20,C16 or C21 or C25,C17 or C22,C18 or C23,

Next Page

Air Post

1931

C26 or C30,C27 or C31,(C28),

1933-34

C40 or C45,C41 or C46,C42 or C47,C43 or C48,

C44 or C49,C50,C51,C52,

C37,C38,C39,C56,

C53,C54,C55,

Next Page

Air Post

1934-35

C57,C58,C59,

C60,C61,C62,C63,

C69,C70,C71,

C72,C73,

C74,C75,

Next Page

Offices in China

1899

1,2,3,4,5,6,

1904-08

9,

1910-16*

24 or 25,26 or 27,28 or 29,30 or 31,32,33,34 or 35,36,

50,51,52,53,54,55,56,(57),

Offices in the Turkish Empire

1868-72*

8 or 12,10 or 14,11 or 15b,

1884

23,24,25,26,

1900-03

27 or 28,29 or 31,32,30 or 33,

1909

40,41,42,43,

1910

200,201,202,203,204,

1912

208,209,210,

1913

213,214,215,216,217,218,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):

1875 Scott 30 20k blue & orange ($10+)

1906 Scott 72 10r carmine rose, yellow, and gray ($10+)

1933 Scott 477 30k dark gray ($30+)

1933 Scott 523 40k carmine ($10)

1934 Scott 525 10k slate blue ($10)

1934 Scott 531 10k ultramarine ($10+)

1934 Scott 532 15k red ($20+)

1934 Scott 545 30k brown orange & carmine ($10+)

1935 Scott 553 15k rose carmine ($30)

1935 Scott 554 20k emerald ($10+)

1934 Scott 548 15k green ($10+)

1934 Scott 550 35k carmine ($20+)

1935 Scott 565 15k black & black brown ($10+)

1935 Scott 567 35k ultramarine & black brown ($10)

1935 Scott 572 35k black brown ($10+)

1935 Scott 582 40k black brown ($10)

1938 Scott 697 80k deep blue ($10)

1932 Special Delivery Scott E3 80k dull green ($10+)

1927 Scott C10 10k dark blue & yellow brown ($10)

1927 Scott C11 15k deep red & olive green ($10+)

1930 Scott C12 40k dark blue ($10+)

1930 Scott C13 80k carmine ($10+)

1931 Scott C26 30k dark violet ($20)

1931 Scott C27 35k dark green ($20)

1931 (Scott C28) 1r gray black ($20+)

1933 Scott C37 5k ultramarine ($10)

1933 Scott C38 10k carmine ($10)

1933 Scott C39 20k violet ($10)

1934 Scott C56 20k black ($10+)

1934 Scott C55 15k brown ($10)

1934 Scott C57 30k ultramarine ($10+)

B) *1899-1905- choices are horizontal vs vertical laid paper vs (a few cases) wove paper. In some instances, I admit somewhat different colors than what is specified in BB because they still fall under the date criteria.

C) *1919 (Army of the North) category is in the middle of the regular section. There are plenty of counterfeits.

D) *1921- Scott 180 20r blue (>$1) is not given a space.

E) *1922-23 - Imperf vs Perf choices

F) *1923 - choices are Litho vs Typo (Perf 14 1/2 X 15) (Unwmk) vs Typo (Perf 12) (Wmk 170)

G) *1924 Imperf vs perf choices

H) *1925 stamps have some Imperf vs Perf choices.

I) *1929-31- Choices are Perf vs Imperf: all are wmk 70 except for Scott 420. Note the 1937-52 Types (Unwmk) are not given a space.

J) *Postage Due- choices are unwatermarked vs wmk 170.

K) Offices in China *1910-16- choices are blue or black overprint

L) Offices in the Turkish Empire *1868-72- choices are perf 11 1/2 vs perf 14 1/2 X 15.

M) (   ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

1927 Scott 393 18k olive green "Lenin"

Out of the Blue
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to the classical era stamps of Russia. There is, of course, much more that could be said and learned about the philatelic output.

Note: The Russian Empire and USSR maps, and pic of Tsar Nicholas II, appear to be in the public domain. The "Army of the North" map is courtesy of Bee See (Brian) of Stamp Community Forum fame, and is used with his permission. Thanks Brian!

I like comments!

---

Trains on Classic Era Stamps

June 9, 2015, 2:36 pm

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New Brunswick 1860 Scott 6 1c red lilac "Locomotive"
The first image of a train on a stamp

Into the Deep Blue
One of the joys of collecting stamps is there are so many different ways one can go about it. Many collectors find a thematic approach a great way to focus a collection.

Although my general interests are broad- namely WW 1840-1940, what would happen if I looked at the collection through the prism of a thematic subject?

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

One of my favorite movies was the 1987 comedy with Steve Martin and John Candy called "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles".

How about if I took those themes and looked at the first 100 years of philately?

But I will need to pick one theme for closer focus.

And the choice was easy.

What did I long for, while poring over the tattered pages of the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogues as a child?

A train set.

(And no, I never  received one, and then my interests moved on.)

Shall we see what the classical era of stamp issues offer us for "trains"?

(And the classical era is defined for the purposes of this post as 1840-1940 WW and 1840-1952 British Commonwealth.)

Stanley Gibbons Thematic Catalogue

Now this post is not a serious attempt at exhaustively exploring the theme of "Trains on Stamps", but a whimsical snapshot of "train and railroad" images found in my collection for the classical era.

But if one gets seriously hooked with "Trains on Stamps", there is plenty of information published or on the internet.  I'm not going to list resources here, because a brief search should get you started quickly.

U.S. 1869 Scott 114 3c ultramarine "Locomotive"

Let's  begin with the United States, and the little steam locomotive has been chugging on this stamp since 1869. This was part of the first pictorial issue of the United States, and is considered by many to still be one the most beautifully engraved issues.

The locomotive is a classic 4-4-0* of the period, and probably a wood burner because of the flared shape of the smokestack.

( 4-4-0*- Steam locomotives used the Whyte system for wheel arrangement in North America, and consists of three digits: The number of wheels before the driving wheels, the driving wheels, and the trailing wheels, if any.)

The 3c rate was the "workhorse" of the 1869 issue, as it paid the domestic 1/2 oz rate.

Although it was not specifically stated, the 3c locomotive design was probably selected because of the completion of the trans-continental railroad in 1869.

 The 1869 issue is beloved today, but it was not popular at the time (small size? radical change in subject?).

There was a special reprint of the 3c in 1875 (Scott 125) for the Centennial International Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia. Only 1,406 of them became ultimately available, and CV is now $3,150.

U.S. 1901 Scott 295 2c carmine & black "Empire State Express"

The Pan-American Exposition Issue (in Buffalo, NY) of May 1, 1901 is, for some collectors, the most beautiful of all U.S. issues because of the classic bi-color engraved designs.

The 2c carmine & black shows a 4-4-0 locomotive and passenger cars. It is the "Empire State Express" of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad.

Did the train actually exist?

The photograph by A.F. Yates of No. 938

Yes, and here is the photograph on which the stamp image was based! The information was published first in "Stamps" of May 22, 1937 by Allan M. Thatcher. The photograph resides in the Smithsonian Institute.

The No. 938 was a standard locomotive of class 870 built by Schenectady Locomotive Works beginning in 1891. The No. 938 was built in 1898.

U.S. 1913 Scott Q5 5c carmine rose "Mail Train"

In 1913, there was a 12 denomination series, all in carmine rose, issued that was intended exclusively for parcel post. And the regulations at the time specified that only these parcel post stamps could be applied to parcel post mail!

The same color for all of the denominations, the size (often too large for the parcel tag), the awkward sheet number (45!), and the restrictive regulations themselves made this issue highly unpopular with postal clerks, and the official usage period was only six months. Then, any stamp could be used for parcel post.

The 5c carmine rose shows a moving "mail train" approaching a suspended mail bag. The design was based on a photograph of a still train at Union Station, Washington, D.C. The train appears to be a 0-8-0 of the period, but I found no information that the train has ever been identified.

U.S. 1913 Scott Q9 25c carmine rose "Manufacturing"

The 25c carmine rose is labeled "manufacturing", and is based on a photograph of a steel plant in South Chicago. There is a rail car in the foreground.

Although the Parcel Post stamps themselves were unpopular among the postal clerks, the concept of introducing parcel post service in 1913 was an important one: for now, the post office raised their weight limit from 4 pounds to ultimately 50 lbs, and there was little restriction on what could be mailed.

Canada 1929 Scott 157 20c dark carmine "Harvesting Wheat"

Canada is surprisingly not a major contributor to trains on stamps for the classical era. In fact, most of the British Commonwealth, with their tendency for having monarchs on the stamps, provide little or no train designs during the classical era.

Canada does have a few train images if one looks carefully.. The focus of this 1929 stamp is the wheat harvest. But in the background, the transcontinental is going by.

Canada 1951 Scott 311 4c dark gray 
"Trains of 1851 and 1951"

Canada also has this design, recalling the steam trains from 1851, and the "modern" trains of 1951. The occasion was the Centenary of the British North American postal administration.

Canada Special Delivery 1927 Scott E3 20c orange

"Five Stages of Mail Transportation"

The Canada 1927 Special Delivery stamp show various "stages" of mail transportation. Dog sleds are included, but I don't see a motor vehicle. ;-)

Newfoundland  1928 Scott 149 5c slate green "Express Train"

Newfoundland has, from the 1928 fifteen stamp issue, an image of an express train crossing Newfoundland. This stamp was re-engraved for the 1929 issue.

A steam locomotive is hauling a coal car and four passenger coaches.

Newfoundland Railway- Main and Branch lines

The Newfoundland Railway operated from 1898 to 1988. The gauge was a narrow 3'6", and the main line was 548 miles.

Newfoundland 1932 Scott 210 24c light blue

"Loading Iron Ore at Bell Island"

A 1932 Newfoundland issue stamp shows the iron ore docks at Bell Island. As I grew up on the shores of Lake Superior close to the Mesabi Iron Range, the scene is familiar indeed!

Bell Island Pier, Circa 1900

The iron ore was delivered via train. The 1932 stamp does not directly show a train, but the association is so strong in my mind, that I had to exhibit the stamp. ;-)

New Brunswick 1860 Scott 6 1c red lilac "Locomotive"

The earliest representation of a locomotive on stamps that I have is from New Brunswick 1860 - engraved, from the American bank Note Company. The depiction is said to be Engine No. 9 of the European and North American railway.

In fact this stamp is considered to be the first depiction of a train on a stamp.

Engine No. 9

Here is a pic of Engine No. 9.

Map of the European and North American Railway

The illustration shows an 1850 map of the European and North American Railway. The railroad clearly goes through New Brunswick. The map is found at the U.S. Library of Congress website.

Argentina 1921 Scott 286 3c violet "Allegory, Pan-America"

In Argentina, for the 1st Pan-American Postal Congress in 1921 in Buenos Aires, six stamps were issued with this allegorical design. Note the train on the right.

Austria 1937 Scott 385-387

Centenary of Austrian Railways

For the centenary of railways,, Austria in 1937 issued a three stamp set depicting the first locomotive "Austria", a modern steam locomotive, and a modern electric train.

A general comment: I noted an increase in train and railroad themed stamps for many countries during the 1930s, celebrating a centenary of railroads.

Belgium 1895 Scott Q20 50c carmine 

The 1882-1997 Belgium Parcel Post and Railway stamps all have this stylized design of an engine. "Chemins de Fer" is a French phrase for "Railroad". "Spoorwegen" is the similar Flemish one.

Belgium 1916 Scott Q75 1.10fr ultramarine

The Belgium 1916 lithographed "railway" issue of 20 stamps have a "winged wheel" and the train  design. Of interest the 1.10 franken denomination script here is then found as "1.10 frank" for the 1920 issue stamp.

These are known as the Le Havre issue, as they were printed by Waterlow & Sons for the Belgium government in exile in Le Havre, France.

Belgium 1920 Scott Q94 1fr gray

The Belgium 1920 "winged wheel" and "train" issue of 21 stamps changed the design. Note the thick bar and solid circle below "FR".

Belgium 1920 Scott Q125 3fr deep rose

The 1920-21 issue of 29 stamps has two bars under the "FR".

Belgium 1934 Scott Q182 4fr red violet "Modern Locomotive"

The 1934 three stamp set is printed by photogravure.

Belgium 1935 Scott Q184 10c rose carmine

"Modern Railroad Train"

The Belgium 1935 engraved 24 stamp issue consists of two "train" designs: Here the "Modern" train is shown.

Belgium 1935 Scott Q203 20fr green

"Old Railroad Train"

The other design shows an old train. The issue was in commemoration of the Centenary of the Belgium State Railway.

Brazil 1924 Scott 273 10r red violet "Railroad"

Brazil had, between 1920-24, four typographed stamps from four different issues ( 1 unwmked, 3 kinds of wmk) illustrate a train, and scripted "viacao" for "railroad"

This is the only classic era stamp with a "train" theme for Brazil.

Bulgaria 1939 Scott 346 1 l yellow green "Early Locomotive"

For the 50th anniversary of the Bulgarian State Railways, a four stamp issue was produced in 1939. The printing was through photogravure.

Bulgaria 1939 Scott 347 2 l copper brown "Modern Locomotive"

Combing through the 1840-1940 Scott catalogue, it is apparent that there was an increase during the 1930s of "train" issues, because of anniversary commemorations.

Bulgaria 1939 Scott 348 4 l red orange "Train Crossing Bridge"

Here, a viaduct supports a railroad with the stamp image showing a train crossing. There are a number of stamps in the classical era where a viaduct or bridge is illustrated, but it is not always clear if the viaduct or bridge is for a road or a railroad.

China 1913 Scott 205 3c blue green "Junk"

The famous and iconic "Junk" issues of China have a surprise for those that carefully look at the stamp: A train in the background!

China 1923 Scott 256 7c violet

The three major issues (1913- London Printing, 1915- Peking printing, 1923 re-engraved) all show the train, but with subtle differences.

Costa Rica 1929 Scott 150 13c on 40c deep green

Telegraph stamp surcharged for postage

In 1929, Costa Rica had a group of telegraph stamps surcharged for postage. And so, another train enters the scene. ;-)

Czechoslovakia 1938 Scott 249 50h deep green

"View of Pilsen"

Scenes of "industry" on stamps need to scrutinized for railroad tracks or trains. Here, this 1938 engraved Czechoslovakian stamp has such.

Ecuador 1908 Scott 174 1c red brown "Locomotive"

Ecuador has this 1908 engraved specimen printed by Waterlow & Sons. The issue was for the opening of the Guayaquil- Quito Railway.

Building this quite spectacular narrow gauge railroad in 1908 took 4,000 lives, including 2,700 Jamaican laborers. The 282 mile line climbs to 11,480 feet.

By 2008, only 10% of the Ecuadorian railway network was operational because of El Nino 1980s-1990s rains and floods destroyed the tracks.

But the Guayaquil-Quito route has been recently restored, and the four day, three night luxurious journey using a restored old steam locomotive, colored cherry red, can now be booked for $1,200. :-)

Ecuador 1930 Scott 309 16c red & yellow green "Landscape"

For the centenary of the founding of the republic in Ecuador, an attractive bi-color thirteen stamp issue was produced.  The 16c red & yellow green, with the pictorial theme "Landscape", suggests that Ecuador is the place for tourists. A close look will reveal a train in the landscape.

Ecuador 1936 Scott 346 1c rose red

Tobacco stamp overprinted in black

Note the train on the left for this Ecuador tobacco stamp that is overprinted for postal use.

Egypt 1933 Scott 168 5m brown & gray "Locomotive of 1852"

For the 1933 International Railroad Congress held in Heliopolis, a four stamp set was produced by Egypt showing various trains. 

France 1937 Scott 327 30c dark green "Electric Train"

For the 13th International Railroad Congress held in France in 1937, a two stamp engraved issue was released. This illustration depicts an electric train.

France 1937 Scott 328 1.50fr dark ultramarine

"Streamlined Locomotive"

An art deco design is apparent for this "modern' streamlined locomotive.

French Equatorial Africa 1937 Scott 33 1c brown & yellow

"Logging on Loeme River"

For this 1937 French Equatorial Africa stamp, the subject is "logging". But a careful look will reveal a train crossing over the viaduct.

Germany 1935 Scott 459 6pf dark green

"The Eagle"

For the Centenary of Railroad in Germany, there was a four stamp issue released in 1935.

The "Eagle" ("Alder" in German) was built by Robert Stephenson in Newcastle, England in 1835, and delivered to the Bavarian Ludwig Railway for service between Nuremberg and Furth.

"Adler" photograph 1850s

This steam locomotive had a wheel arrangement of Whyte 2-2-2.

Germany 1935 Scott 460 12pf copper red

"Modern Express Train"

European travel by train is still a viable possibility for many- contrast that with U.S. ;-)

Germany 1935 Scott 461 25pf ultramarine 

"The Hamburg Flyer"

The Fliegender Hamburger was the world's fastest between stations at the time (77 mph), and the diesel powered train carried passengers between Berlin and Hamburg beginning in 1933.

Germany 1935 Scott 462 40pf red violet

"Streamlined Locomotive"

The four set issue has a CV of  <$1-$1+.

Gold Coast 1948 Scott 135 3p blue "Manganese Mine"

The Gold Coast has a depiction of tracks and a train at a manganese mind for their 12 stamp 1948 issue.

Guatemala 1921 Scott 174 15c black &  vermilion

"La Penitenciaria Bridge"

Guatemala has a 1921 issue stamp showing a train crossing a bridge.

I've encountered this stamp before. From my Guatemala blog post...

For some reason, I was quite fascinated with this stamp and the meaning behind the design. I imagined this depicted the Penitentiary, which no doubt is isolated. Then there is an elevated railroad bridge with a train that is entering the Penitentiary. The train may be the only way in or out of this enclosure. Is it bringing supplies or prisoners? What are the life stories of those incarcerated?

A little internet research yielded some of the answers...

"This bridge was built in 1894, during General Jose Maria Reyna Barrios' term of office, for the Southern railway. Its name comes from its location, next to the prison, or penitenciaria"

Perhaps I shouldn't have such an active imagination. ;-)

Honduras 1898 Scott 103 1c brown "Railroad Train" 

For Honduras, an 1898 set of eight stamps shows a "Railroad Train". The Scott has a note about "excellent counterfeits" existing.

India 1937 Scott 158 4a dark brown "Mail Train"

During the British Commonwealth era, as mentioned, stamps favored mostly monarch portraits. But this 1937 India stamp does depict a mail train.

Iran Scott 1935 Scott 793 1r red brown & purple

"Railway Bridge over Karun River"

For the 10th anniversary of the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran in 1935, a nine stamp pictorial issue was released showing infrastructure advancements.

By 1939, the Trans-Iranian Railway from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf was opened. It crossed the 7,000 foot pass between Tehran and the Caspian Sea. The railway had more than 3000 bridges and 126 tunnels through the Zagros Mountains. 

Italy Scott 1939 410 20c rose red

"Wood Burning Engine and Streamlined Electrical Engine"

For the Centenary of Italian railroads in 1939, a three stamp set was printed on photogravure.

Manchukuo 1939 Scott 130 2f deep orange, black & deep blue

"Network of State Railroads in Manchukuo"

The Japanese puppet state of Manchkuo (Manchuria) illustrated the extensive rail road map of the country on a 1939 issue.

Manchukuo 1939 Scott 131 4f deep blue & indigo

"Express Train Asia"

The two stamp issue was in commemoration of having attained 10,000 km of railway mileage in Manchuria.

Manchukuo 1937 Scott C4 30f deep blue

"Railroad Bridge"

A 1937 air post stamp of Manchukuo highlights a railroad bridge.

Middle Congo 1933 Scott 67 4c olive green

"Viaduct at Mindouli"

For this Middle Congo 1933 stamp, the viaduct appears to be for railroad transport. A close look at a collection to pick out "train" or "railroad" themes is sometimes necessary.

Mozambique Colony 1918 Scott 130 15c carmine & black

"Scene on Beira R.R."

There is a wonderful bi-color engraved 37 stamp issue produced between 1918-31 for Mozambique Company. Two of the stamp denominations show a train on the Beira railway

The port of Beira was linked to Salisbury (now Harare) in Rhodesia (now Zimbawe) in 1899.

Mozambique Company 1935 Scott 164 1e dark blue & black

"Zambezi Railroad Bridge"

Mozambique Company, for 1935, has this stamp image of a railroad bridge crossing the Zambezi River.

Dona Ana Bridge 

This appears to be the Dona Ana Railway Bridge on the lower Zambezi River which was constructed in 1934 by the Portuguese. It linked the Moatize coal fields and Nyasaland (now Malawi) with the port of Beira. At the time of construction, it was the longest railway bridge ( 2.3 miles) in Africa.

Nicaragua 1890 Scott 28 5p lake

"Locomotive and Telegraph Key"

A ten stamp set with this design was produced for Nicaragua by the infamous Nicholas Seebeck in 1890. All of the stamps in the set can be found unused even today at minimum catalogue value.

I'm not complaining though- a very nice design. ;-)

Nicaragua 1937 Scott 670 7 1/2c red orange "Train"

A 1937 six stamp issue for the 75th anniversary of the postal service in Nicaragua includes this train themed design.

Nicaragua 1932 Scott C68 20c blue green

"El Nacascola"

In Nicaragua, the opening of the Rivas Railroad between San Jorge to San Juan del Sur on December 18, 1932 was the reason for this five stamp lithographic issue on soft porous paper. These air post  stamps were printed in sheets of 4, without gum. The stamps are poorly rendered in my view.

Nicaragua 1932 Scott C72 15c purple

"Bridge at Santa Lucia"

Another 1932 air post five stamp lithographic issue for the opening of the  Leon-Sauce Railroad was done likewise. Only sold for one day. (But reprints were produced also.) These issues are clearly intended for collectors and their wallets.

Nicaragua Zelaya Province 1912 Scott 1L119 

35c brown & black "Locomative"

The Province of Zelaya is along the eastern Atlantic coast. The capital was Bluefields.

Special stamp issues were required, as Zelaya (and Cabo Gracias a Dios) used silver money, while the rest of Nicaragua used paper money.

The 1912 engraved fifteen stamp issue had this illustration.

Nigeria 1942 Scott 64 5sh orange & black "Niger at Jebba"

A railway bridge crossing the Niger river at Jebba is depicted on this 1942 Nigeria stamp.

Peru 1871 Scott 19 5c scarlet "Locomotive and Arms"

This embossed  1871 imperforate (known as the "Trencito") is considered one of the very first commemorative stamps produced. The occasion was the 20th anniversary of the completion of a railroad line between Lima and Callao, the first railroad  in South America.

Peru Scott 1936 C13 35c gray black 

"La Callao, First Locomotive in South America"

For the centennial of the founding of the Province of Callao, this single air post stamp was issued in 1936.

I couldn't find anything about the locomotive specifically, but no doubt it used the first railway in Peru, the Callao-Lima 8 mile long standard gauge railway, opened on May 17, 1851.

Contrary to the claim on the stamp, this was not the first railroad in South America: British Guiana had one in 1848.

Russia 1922 Scott B36 (20r + 5r) gray blue "Railroad Train"

This is a Russian 1922 semipostal imperforate that Scott states is inscribed " For the Hungry".  !!

Russia 1932 Scott E3 80k dull green  "Locomotive"

The 1932 three stamp special delivery issue has a "locomotive" on the 80k denomination. This issue is printed with photogravure.

El Salvador 1896 Scott 157D 3c yellow brown "Locomotive"

El Salvador also had Seebeck inspired issues between 1890-1899.  The 1896 twelve stamp issue, either found with a "Liberty cap" watermark, or unwatermarked, has a "locomotive' design for the 3c denomination. Very nice.

South West Africa 1937 Scott 110 1 1/2p violet brown, pair

"Mail Transport"

The rather lovely 1937 thirteen stamp pictorial issue for South West Africa has an image of an airplane, a ship, and, yes, a train under the subject of "mail transport".

Southern Rhodesia 1937 Scott 39 2p brown & green

"Queen Elizabeth, George VI"

For the coronation of George VI and Elizabeth, Southern Rhodesia issued a four stamp set. It depicts Victoria Falls with a train in the foreground!

Sweden 1936 Scott 258 40p olive green "Mail Train"

Another mail train is depicted on this 1936 engraved Swedish 40p stamp, part of a fifteen stamp issue in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Swedish Postal Service.

Turkey 1939 Scott 830 6k chestnut "Locomotive"

For Turkey, the completion of the railway link from Silvas to Erzurum of the Ankara-Erzurum Railroad was celebrated with a four stamp 1939 issue.

Uruguay 1899 Scott 114 5c greenish blue "Locomotive"

Finally, the 1895-99 22 stamp engraved issue has a "locomotive" design for the 5c denomination.

This particular Scott number-114- is described as "greenish blue" in color. I note the old 1947 catalogue also listed a 114a "blue" variation, and the stamp illustrated here might fit that color description better.

Nicaragua Zelaya Province 1932 Issue

Out of the Blue

I hope this brief foray into "trains" and "railways" for the classical era has given birth to your own ideas about the possibilities of thematic collecting.

Note and acknowledgements:
For information on U.S. train stamps, I used the Trains on U.S. Stamps website.

Although I found most of the stamp images by leafing through the Scott Classic 1840-1940 catalogue, other ones were "discovered" by reading the "Trains on Stamps" thread on Stamp Community Family Forum.

The Stanley Gibbons "Collect Railways on Stamps" catalogue scan pic is courtesy of Rodney Allen. Thanks Rod!

Other Pics and maps illustrated on this blog post appear to be in the public domain.

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Saar

June 15, 2015, 12:56 pm

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1921 Scott 83 25m ultramarine, red & black 

"Burbach Steelworks, Dillingen"

Quick History
Saar or Saargebiet was a former piece of Germany by the Saar River occupied by France (mostly) and Great Britain after WW I. Saar was an industry and coal rich area, and hence an attempt by the Allied powers to neuter and punish Germany through the Treaty of Versailles.

Saarbeckengebiet Map

The territory was governed under the League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1935. The coalfield production was given to France.

The capital was Saarbrucken, and the population was 812,000 in 1933.

Stamps were issued for the Saar between 1920-1934.

With the fifteen year Versailles Treaty mandate running out in 1935, a plebiscite was held, and 90% of the ethnic German population voted to join the German Reich. The other 9% voted "no", primarily because of fear of the Nazi government.

The territory was reunited with Germany on January 17, 1935.

German stamps were then used.

History repeated itself after WW II.

The territory became the Saar Protectorate under French influence on February 16, 1946. After a referendum in 1955, Saarland rejoined Germany on January 1, 1957.

1922 Scott 116 5fr brown & red brown

"Burbach Steelworks, Dillingen"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Saar 1920-1934, 237 major number descriptions. Of those, 112 are CV <$1-$1+, or 47%. The WW classical collector should be able to find a representative selection for a modest outlay.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
100 Pfenning = 1 Mark
100 Centimes = 1 Franc (1921)

1920 Scott 8 20pf blue violet, Type I

1920 Scott 14b 60pf deep gray lilac, Type III

German Stamps of 1906-19 Overprinted

On January 30, 1920, stamps of Germany (1906-19) were overprinted "Saare" for the mandated territory. Seventeen major number stamps are found in the Scott catalogue, and CV ranges from <$1-$10+ for fifteen of them.

One will note, for Saar Stamps, that "used" often have a higher CV than "unused".

The overprint is found with three types.
Type I: Larger letters, no control mark (short thin line) below bar. (illustrated)
Type II: Larger letters and control mark present.
Type III: Smaller letters and control mark present. (illustrated)

The Scott catalogue has Type I as major numbers, and Type II and Type III as minor numbers. Some of the minor numbers have a very high CV ($1,000+ !).

1920 Scott 28 30pf orange 

Bavarian Stamps of 1914-16 Overprinted

The March 1, 1920 issue used 1914-16 Bavarian stamps, and overprinted them. The eighteen stamps issue has a CV of <$1- $10+ for ten stamps.

I noticed in my collection that I do  not have some of the low denomination stamps: Scott 19 2pf gray, Scott 20 3pf brown, and Scott 22 7 1/2pf green. There is a reason for that. ;-)

These particular stamps were never officially issued, but were available for postage, and can be found on cover. CV ranges from $35 - $1000 !.

1920 Scott 58 4m black & rose

German Stamps of 1906-20 Overprinted

On March 26, 1920, an 18 stamp issue using the 1906-20 German stamps, and overprinted "Saargebiet" was  released. CV is a modest <$1-$8+ for the issue.

1921 Scott 67 10m on 15pf violet brown

Germany Scott 120 Surcharged

Three stamps were surcharged/overprinted in February, 1921. Although CV is a relatively modest <$1-$6+, forgeries exist.

In fact, this might be a good time to mention that "overprint forgeries exist" for all of the earlier issues of Saar.

1921 Scott 82 10m green & red brown 

"Presidential Residence, Saarbrucken"

A lovely typographed mostly bi-color 16 stamp issue was produced in 1921. This was the first non overprinted issue for Saar.

One of the all time great stamp images in my view ( "25m ultramarine, red & black  "Burbach Steelworks, Dillingen" ) from this issue heads the blog post

1921 Scott 96 2fr on 5m yellow & violet, blue surcharge

"St. Ludwig's Cathedral"

The preceding bi-color issue was surcharged on May 1, 1921, using three colors (red, blue, black), on 14 stamps. This was because of the changeover in currency ( Pfenning/Mark to Centimes/Franc).

1922 Scott 115 3fr orange & dark green

"Mettlach Church"

A somewhat less lovely eighteen stamp issue (more monochromatic), using the same vignette scenes found for the 1921 bi-color stamps, was issued between 1922-23 with the Centimes/Franc denominations. CV ranges from <$1-$3+ for 15 stamps.

1927 Scott 135 5fr deep brown "Burbach Steelworks"

Between 1927-32, a sixteen stamp set with seven scenes was issued. CV is <$1-$8+.

1934 Scott 150 1.50fr sapphire, blue overprint

Stamps of 1935-32 Overprinted in Various Colors

Plebiscite Issue

To publicize the plebiscite, sixteen regular issue stamps from 1925-32 were overprinted and released on November 1, 1934. The overprint is in various colors.

1926 Scott B3 50c + 50c red orange 

"Children getting Drink at Spring"

Semi-postal stamps are more popular in Europe, and therefore it is not surprising to find semi-postals issued between 1926-1934. Generally, the 60 semi-postals found in the Scott catalogue have a higher CV than the regular issues. Most are in the $4+-$20+ range. Used condition has a higher CV.

An example from the  first semi-postals- a 1926 four stamp issue- is shown here. Nicely designed.

1934 Scott B55 60c (+20c) red orange "Anxiety"

Overprinted in Various Colors Reading Up

Plebiscite Issue

On December 1, 1934, a seven stamp issue was issued- overprinted for the plebiscite- using the prior released March 15, 1934 semi-postal issue.

As far as I can tell, all of the Saar semi-postals were printed using photogravure.

1928 Scott C2 1fr dark violet 

"Airplane over Saarbrucken"

Air Post stamps for Saar were first issued in 1928 with a two denomination issue. CV is $3+-$4+.

1922 Scott O15 1fr brown red, blue overprint

Fifteen Official stamps were produced between 1922-23 on the regular 1922-23 issue using a "Dienstmarke" overprint, either in red or blue.

Of interest, the overprint can be found with two overprint types.

Illustrated above is Type 2: Center bar of "E" centered, "S" has a flat bottom, "A" slightly inclined to right.

1922 Scott O3 10c blue green , red overprint

And here is the overprint Type 1: Center bar of "E" slightly above center, "S" has rounded bottom, "A" symmetrical.

1930 Scott O23 60c red orange "Colliery Shafthead"

Regular Issue of 1927-30 Overprinted in Various Colors

There was also a 1927-34 Official issue with eleven stamps, using the regular 1927-30 issue overprinted in various colors.

This issue also comes in two types of overprints.

Type II (shown above) is printed at a 23-25 degree angle.

1927 Scott O25 1fr violet, red-orange overprint

This is an example of a Type I overprint, which is printed at a 32 degree angle.

Deep Blue

1921 Surcharged Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 16 pages for the major number spaces in the Scott catalogue.

For myself, I have many stamps in both unused and used condition, and I wanted to keep an example of both. So I have added several extra quadrilled pages .

1925 Scott 119 10fr black brown "Madonna of Blieskastel"

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on five pages, has 133 spaces. Coverage is 56%.

The 1940s editions coverage is less, with 121 spaces.

BB has six spaces with CV > $10: one of which, the blank space choice official 1932 (Scott C4) 5fr dark brown, is CV $47.50.

Checklist

1920

4,5,6,7,8,11,12,

13,14,15,21,23,24,26,

41,43,45,46,48,50,52,

53,54,55,56,57,

42,44,47,49,51,

1921

68,69,70,71,72,

73,74,75,76,77,

Next Page

1921

78,79,85,86,87,

88,89,90,91,92,

1922

99,101,100,102,104,

108,109,110,113,115,

1923

103,105,107,112,

1925

118,

120,121,122,124,

Next Page

1927-32

123,125,126,127,

128,129,130,131,

132,133,134,135,

1934

140,141,142,144,

145,139,143,146,

147,148,149,(150),

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1926

B1,B2,

1931

B23,B24,B25,B26,

1929

B16,B17,B18,

1931

B30,(B31),(B32),

1934

B47,B48,B49,B54,B55,(B57),

Air Post

1928

C1,C2,

1932

C3,(C4),

1934

C5,C6,(C7),

Next Page

Official Stamps

1922-23

O1,O2,O3,

O4,O5,O6,O7,

O8,O10,O11,O12,

O14,O15,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):

1931 Scott B26 1.50fr (+75c) ($10+)

1931 Scott B30 40c (+15c) ($10+)

1931 (Scott B31) 60c (+20c) ($10+)

1931 (Scott B32) 1fr (+50c) ($10+)

1932 (Scott C4) 5fr dark brown ($47+)

1922 Scott O15 1fr brown red (Bl) ($10+)

B) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

1929 Scott B16 40c (+15c) olive green 

"Orphaned" by Kaulbach

Out of the Blue

Every time I visit a "German Sphere" country, I am amazed by the beauty, as well as the implicit history of the stamps.

Note: Map appears to be in the public domain.

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St. Christopher

June 21, 2015, 2:16 pm

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1882 Scott 9 1p rose "Queen Victoria"

Quick History
One of the four Presidencies of the British Leeward Islands Colony, St. Christopher issued their own stamps between 1870-1890. Then, Leeward Islands stamps were produced, and later (1903), St. Kitts-Nevis. St. Christopher was also known as St. Kitts.

For a general review of the stamp productions of the various islands, and the unhappy association of islands with each other, see my Leeward Islands blog post.

Caribbean Map with St. Kitts (St. Christopher)

St. Christopher (St. Kitts) is one of the Leeward islands in the west Indies, and is 18 miles long and 8 miles across.

St. Christopher Circa 1729

The first English colony was established in 1623, then a French colony in 1625. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, control of the island went back and forth between Great Britain and France. Since 1783, the island was controlled by Great Britain.

Sugar cane was introduced in 1640 along with the importation of African slaves for the plantations.

Slavery was abolished in 1834, but the important sugar monoculture continued until 2005.

St. Kitts and Nevis

The population of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) was 18,000, and the capital is Basseterre. Nevis is located 2 miles south.

1882 Scott 8 1/2p green

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for St. Christopher 1870-1890, 29 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 9 are CV $1+-$8+, or 31%. A representative selection can be accumulated for a modest expense.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
12 pence = 1 Shilling

St. Christopher A12 Obliterator

The Scott Classic 1840-1940 catalogue lists stamps of Great Britain used in St. Christopher for 1858-60, identified by the "A12" obliterator for Basseterre.

Although I don't have any (they are quite expensive), I can show an example of the obliterator used on a 1884 2 1/2p ultramarine stamp. The cancel is enhanced using the University of Utah retroReveal site.

1871 Scott 3 6p green, Perf 12 1/2

Wmk 1 "Crown and C C"

The first issue proper for St. Christopher is a 1870-71 three stamp "Queen Victoria". The issue is characterized by the Perforations (12 1/2), and the watermark ( Wmk 1 "Crown and CC" ).

(If you need a refresher on the British Colonial watermarks, see Jamaica or Gold Coast. )

1875 Scott 4 1p lilac rose, Perf 14

The 1875-79 four stamp issue had the same design and watermark (wmk 1), but with perforation 14. 

1882 Scott 13 4p blue, Perf 14

Wmk 2 "Crown and C A"

The 1882-90 nine stamp issue continued with the same "Queen Victoria" design, but is found with "Crown and C A" (wmk 2). Four of the stamps have a very modest CV ($1+-$2+).

Between 1883-1888, a bisected stamp, seven surcharged stamps, and five "postal-fiscal" stamps were also issued. CV prices are in the $20+-$60 range, although there are a few with both higher and lower CVs. I don't have any examples, but these are more in the specialist realm anyway.

Deep Blue

1882-90 Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has two pages for the stamps of St. Christopher. All major number stamps are given a space, except for the 1883 and 1885 "Postal Fiscal Issues" (five stamps) that are in the Scott Classic catalogue. I'm not much of an enthusiast for "Postal Fiscal Issues", so I have no problems with the Steiner lack of coverage.

1884 Scott 12 2 1/2p ultramarine

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on one line of one page, has five spaces. Coverage is 17%.

St. Christopher is located on the same page as the beginning of the St. Helena coverage, and after Saar. The coverage is the same for the 1940s BB editions.

St. Christopher Big Blue Spaces

Big Blue gives a date range of 1870-1890, but a closer look reveals that the illustrated space, and the three denomination & color specification spaces, are all from the 1882-90 issue.

The good news is there are no expensive (CV $10+) stamps required.

Checklist

1870-1890*

8,9,12,14,(7)

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold): None

B) (   ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

C) *1870-1890- although BB gives a date range of 1870-1890, the illustration and color denomination specifications are all from the 1882-90 Issue.

1875 Scott 7 6p green

Out of the Blue

The name "St. Christopher" lives on in the classic stamp world.

Note: Maps appear to be in the public domain.

Comments appreciated!

St. Helena

June 27, 2015, 11:30 am

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1890 Scott 38 4p on 6p pale brown

Quick History
St Helena (named after Saint Helena of Constantinople by the Portuguese in 1502) is located in the South Atlantic Ocean, and is 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) from Angola on the western coast of Africa. If you like remote, this 10 mile by 5 mile size island is for you. ;-)

Even today, the only way to visit the volcanic island is via the ship RMS Saint Helena from Cape Town, South Africa. (A commercial airport strip is in the works for 2016.)

Location of St. Helena and Ascension in the South Atlantic Ocean

Colonization began under charter by the English East India Company in 1659, and the island became an important port of call for ships sailing between Europe and Asia and South America.

Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled there from 1815 until his death in 1821- residing in the Longwood House. (Of interest, the Longwood House has been under French government administration since 1858.)

St. Helena became a crown colony in 1834- and remained so until 1981.

The capital is Jamestown, and the population was 3,995 (1931).

Saint Helena

New Zealand flax, no longer a viable commercial product, now covers the countryside. This is a result of the crop being introduced in 1907 for production of rope and string.

A cup of coffee from St. Helena - promoted approvingly by Napoleon himself- is said to be the most expensive in the world.

Coat of Arms

The endemic Saint Helena Plover (Wirebird) - shown on the Coat of Arms and the flag- is an important bird species.

Ascension Island was made a dependency in 1921, and Tristan da Cunha was added in 1938.

Now, the islands are part of the British Overseas Territories.

And stamps? Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha, and Saint Helena all produce their own today- which is said to be a significant portion of their income.

1934 Scott 101 1/2p dark violet & black "Lot and Lot's Wife"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for St. Helena 1856-1949, 143 major number descriptions. Of those, 31 are CV <$1-$1+, or 22%. St. Helena, being a popular island British colony, is expensive for the earlier issues, and moderately expensive for the later issues.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
12 Pence = 1 Shilling
20 Shillings = 1 Pound

1884 Scott 33 1/2p on 6p green "Queen Victoria"

The first stamp for St. Helena was an engraved six pence denomination in 1856. By 1894, 40 major number stamps had been issued, but all on the basic six pence denomination. How did they do that?

Between 1856 and 1889, the six pence denomination was issued under seven Scott catalogue numbers that differ by color, watermark and imperf/various perfs.

Then between 1863 and 1894, thirty-three more descriptive numbers are found surcharged. These stamps also differ in color, watermark , imperf/various perfs, and length of the surcharged word. And the bar under the surcharge can also differ in length.

1/2p on 6p green

1884 Scott 33: Words 17 mm; 1894 Scott 34: Words 15mm

Shown here are two 1/2p on 6p green stamps where the surcharge word differs in length.

Suffice it to say it is all rather interesting, but one must pay attention to detail. I leave it to you to sort this out using the Scott catalogue information.

Also, many of the stamps are rather expensive. But I found six stamps (CV $3+-$9) that are in the range of a WW classical collector with a modest budget.

1896 Scott 46 10p brown "Queen Victoria"

Diamonds in purple ink is a 1905 Remainder cancellation

A keyplate typographed seven stamp "Queen Victoria" issue was released between 1890-97.

I chose this stamp to illustrate the "remainder" cancellation.

From Scott...

"In 1905, remainders of Nos 34-47 were sold by postal officials. They were cancelled with bars, arranged in the shape of diamonds, in purple ink."

The "remainder" cancellation reduces the CV considerably.

1893 Scott 47 2 1/2p on 6p blue 

Type of 1856 Surcharged

In 1893, a 6p blue was surcharged as shown in numbers rather than words. This has a modest CV of $3+.

Wmk 1: "Crown and C C"

Wmk 2: "Crown and C A"

Wmk 3: "Multiple Crown and C A"

Wmk 4: "Multiple Crown and Script C A"

This might be a good time to review the four British Colonial watermarks; all of which are found on the stamps of St. Helena. 

Wmk 6 "Star"- Example from Grenada

In addition, there is a "Star" watermark (Wmk 6) for the 1856-63 era "Queen Victoria" six pence, found on three stamps. These are expensive (CV $160- $325), and I don't have an copy, but I can show an example of the watermark on a Grenada stamp.

1903 Scott 51 1p carmine & black "The Wharf"

In 1903, a rather nice large format bi-color six stamp issue with wmk 1 was produced. The stamps had a small upper central vignette of King Edward VII, and either "The Wharf" or "Government House" pictorial.

1911 Scott 57 4p black & red/yellow "King Edward VII"

In 1908, a four stamp "Edward VII" design, familiar to British Commonwealth collectors, was issued. These can be found in Wmk 3 ( 2 1/2p, 4p, 6p) and Wmk 2 (10sh).

1912 Scott 63 1 1/2p orange & black "The Wharf"

The George VI era was marked with this 10 stamp 1912-16 issue. Similar in design to the "Edward VII" large format pictorials, they are found on Wmk 3 paper.

1912 Scott 72 6p dull violet & red violet "George VI"

1913 Scott 74 6p dull violet & red violet

A two stamp "George VI" issue with 4p and 6p denominations was produced in 1912, and again in 1913. The 1912 issue was on chalky paper, while the 1913 issue was on ordinary paper.

And as one can clearly see, the issues differed in frame design.

1922 Scott 77 3p ultramarine "Government House"

In 1922, three of the large format pictorials were issued in a "mono" color. The issue has Wmk 4.

1922-27 Scott 84 5p red & green/emerald

"Badge of the Colony"; Wmk 4

Between 1922-27,a sixteen stamp wmk 4 large format bi-color issue was produced with a "Badge of the Colony" pictorial. The "Badge of the Colony" image is also found on the coat of arms.

The scene shows a three-masted sailing ship and the mountainous St. Helena. The Flag of England ( St. George's Cross) is flying from the ship.

1922-27 Scott 95 4p black/yellow, Wmk 3

In addition, five stamps on chalky paper and wmk 3 were also issued in 1922-27.

The "Badge of the Colony" issue, in total, has both inexpensive CV stamps ( seven stamps- $2-$4+), and expensive stamps ( up to $1,000+ !).

1934 Scott 103 1 1/2p red & black "Map of the Colony"

The centenary engraved bi-color pictorial ten stamp issue of 1934  is lovely indeed, and the highlight (for me) of the St. Helena classical stamp era.

There are ten pictorial scenes, and some of the stamps also depict Queen Victoria and Kings William IV, Edward VII, and George VI. I show three more of the designs/scenes from this issue heading the subsections of this post. CV is <$1-$8 for seven stamps.

1938 Scott 122 3p ultramarine "Badge of the Colony"

The 1938-40 fourteen stamp set illustrates the "Badge of the Colony" in monocolor. Of interest, the 3p ultramarine has an outlying CV of $55/$18 for unused/used. Does a reader know the reason?

War Tax Stamps

1916 Scott MR1 1p + 1p scarlet & black

1919 Scott MR2 1p + 1p carmine & black

Two stamps were issued for "war tax"; one in 1916, and the other in 1919.

Some collectors may not be aware that the United States also had a "war tax" during WWI. The usual rate for posting an ordinary letter was raised from 2c to 3c, and then reduced again to 2c after the war, ;-)

Deep Blue

1922-27 Wmk 4 Issue in Deep Blue

In Deep Blue (Steiner), St. Helena has 13 pages, and has a space for all the Scott major numbers. Because of expense of the earlier issues, I don't have stamps in my album until the third page.

1934 Scott 104 2p orange & black "Quay, Jamestown"

Big Blue
Big Blue '69, on two pages (sharing one line with St. Christopher), has 45 spaces. Coverage is 31%. Considering the somewhat expensive nature of St. Helena stamps, the coverage is reasonable for a "representational" album, if a trifle sparse.

The coverage is located after "Saar". The coverage is the same for the 1940s editions.

Although there can be expensive stamps for St. Helena, BB has a good inexpensive selection, as none reach the "Most Expensive" threshold ($35), and only three have a CV of $10+-$20+.

I have elected to give Scott 12 or 25 or 29 or 35 as choices for the 1863-94 surcharged one penny on 6 pence stamp space. But Scott 12 (CV $20+)  is the strict choice, as Type surcharge b is illustrated in BB.  But, if one wishes to admit Type surcharge a because they fall under the date specifications, then 25 or 29 or 35 is available. Scott 35 has a CV of $4+.

Checklist

1863-94

33 or 34, 12* or 25 or 29 or 35,

1890-96

40,41,42,48,

1912

73*,

1903

50,51,

1912-22

61,62,75,63,

1912-22

76,64,65,

1922-27

79,80,81,

82,83,84,85,86,(87),

Next Page

1934

101,102,103,104,

1934

105,

1937

115,116,117,

1938-40

118,119,119A,120,

121,122A,122,122B,

123,123A,124,

War Tax

1916

MR1,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):

1871 Scott 12 1p on 6p brown red ($20+- this is a strict choice- see comment B).

1922 Scott 76 1 1/2p rose red ($10+)

1938 Scott 122 3p ultramarine ($10+)

B) * 12  is Type surcharge b, which is illustrated in BB (CV $21), and is the strict choice. If one wishes to admit Type surcharge a, because they fall under the date specifications, then 25 or 29 or 35 is available. Scott 35 has a CV of $4+.

C) *73- but not Scott 71, which has a different frame design from the one in BB.

D) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

1934 Scott 105 3p blue & black "View of James Valley"

Out of the Blue
I like the stamps of St. Helena, and would like to acquire more. But the downside, for a WW classical collector such as myself, is the expense! So I will probably be looking elsewhere. ;-)

Note: Longwood House and Coat of Arms image, and maps appear to be in the public domain. Attribution to Oona Raisanen (Mysid) for the St. Helena map.

Have a comment?

Longwood House - site of Napoleon's exile

St. Kitts-Nevis

July 3, 2015, 4:45 pm

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1905 Scott 15a 2p brown & violet 

"Columbus Looking for Land"

Quick History
St. Kitts-Nevis are two islands in the West Indies separated by 2 miles ("The Narrows"). St. Kitts- a common nickname for Saint Christopher in the 17th century- and Nevis (Original Spanish "Nuestra Senora de las Nieves"- "Our lady of the Snows") were both Presidencies in the British Leeward Islands Colony.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Nevis issued their own stamps from 1861-1890. These were replaced by stamps of the Leeward Islands from 1890 to 1903. From 1903 to 1956, Stamps of St. Kitts-Nevis and Leeward Islands were issued concurrently.

St. Christopher (Kitts) issued their own stamps from 1870-1890. Stamps of the Leeward islands were then used exclusively from 1890 until 1903. Likewise, from 1903 to 1956, Stamps of St. Kitts-Nevis and Leeward Islands were issued concurrently.

As I have published blog posts already on....

Nevis

St. Christopher

Leeward Islands

Consult them for more background history and maps, and their stamp issues.

When St. Kits-Nevis were brought together as an administrative (Presidency) - and philatelic entity- in 1903, as they were only two miles apart, that had to be a logical and happy union, right? 

Wrong. ;-)

They each had their own history with their own specific identities, and they had to be, more or less, forcibly united.

The capital was Basseterre on St. Kitts (Nevis was not pleased), and the population was 34,000 in 1921.

The Presidency included the island of Anguilla.

Sugar export from extensive sugar plantations dominated the economy well past the 1940s.

People of African descent (75%) are the largest demographic portion.

Saint Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla became internally autonomous in 1967 (Saint Christopher-Nevis Anguilla).

Anguilla separated from the others between 1971 and 1980 (Yes, it took that long).

In 1980, Anguilla became a separate British Crown colony ( Now a British overseas territory).

In 1980, separate postal administrations were developed for St. Kitts and Nevis, respectively, and different issues were produced; although they remained one nation.

St. Kitts and Nevis became independent in 1983, the smallest sovereign state in terms of population and land size in the Americas.They are a member of the British Commonwealth.

Old resentments continue to smolder. In 1998, a referendum in Nevis to separate from St. Kitts did not receive the required two-thirds majority vote.

1924 Scott 47 6p red violet & dull violet

"Columbus Looking for Land"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for St. Kitts-Nevis 1903-1952, 111 major number descriptions. Of those, 52 are CV <$1-$1+, or 47%. The percentage is skewed high somewhat by the larger number of 1935-52 stamps (47). The earlier issues are moderately expensive, as one would expect for a popular British island colony.

As usual for a British colony, the British colonial watermarks are important for identification. The previous post for St. Helena has pics of the watermarks if one needs a refresher.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
12 Pence = 1 Shilling
20 Shillings = 1 Pound
100 Cents = 1 Dollar (1951)

1916 Scott 12a 1/2p dull blue green , Wmk 3

"Columbus looking for Land"
Apparently using a telescope that was not developed for another 115 years!

The 1903 ten stamp issue is wmk 2 "Crown and C A", and shows two designs: "Columbus looking for Land", to honor St. Kitts and the Columbus discovery during his second voyage, and "Medicinal Spring", to honor Nevis. I happen to not have any of the 1903 issue, even though two stamps are CV <$1.

The 1905-18 eleven stamp issue has the same two designs, and is wmk 3 "Multiple Crown and C A".
CV is <$1 for four stamps.

An example of the "Columbus looking for Land" design on a 1916 1/2p dull blue green is shown here.

St. Kitts was known initially as San Cristobal by the 17th century, as it is thought that is the name that Columbus gave the island in 1493. (There is now debate about that.) San Cristobal is the patron saint of Christopher Columbus, and also the patron saint of traveling. When the island was settled by English colonists in 1623, naturally the island was called Saint Christopher (and Saint Christophe for the French colony established in 1625).

1905 Scott 18 3p orange & green, chalky paper

Wmk 3, "Medicinal Spring"

The second design has a "Medicinal Spring" theme.

In 1778, the Bath Hotel was built to take advantage of the hot springs on Nevis. This, interestingly, was the first attempt at "tourism" in the Caribbean. 

The "Medicinal Spring" theme was also featured on the first issues of Nevis 1861-1876, some 19 stamps. 

1920 Scott 26 1 1/2p orange "King George V"

Wmk 3 "Multiple Crown and C A"

The George V issues began with the 1920-22 thirteen stamp wmk 3 set. They either show "Columbus Looking for Land" or "Medicinal Spring" designs in the right vignette. CV is $1+-$4+ for eight stamps.

Take a close look Columbus. Is he looking through a telescope? Well, he can't be, because Galileo "developed" the refracting telescope in 1609.  It can't be a sextant, either, as that came into use around 1730. ;-)

Columbus used "Dead Reckoning" navigation, as did other sailors of the era. That involved using a magnetic compass, speed calculation, and time.

1922 Scott 45 3p ultramarine , Wmk 4

"Medicinal Spring"

The 1921-29 sixteen stamp issue is similar in design to the preceding 1920-22 issue, but on wmk 4 " Multiple Crown and Script C A" paper. CV is <$1-$2+ for ten stamps.

1923 Scott 56 2 1/2p brown & black 

"Caravel in Old Road Bay"

St. Kitts (St. Christopher) was settled by the English sea captain, Sir Thomas Warner in 1623 and 1624 ( two voyages), and he established the colony of Saint Christopher with seventeen people. (His initial colony on the Guiana coast was a failure.) The colony established a port settlement ( now called  Old Road Town).

They initially were on good terms with the Carib natives (Kalinago), and developed a tobacco crop.

He permitted French settlers in 1625 to establish their own colony on the island.

Relationships with the Kalinago soured, and 2,000 Kalinago men were massacred at Bloody Point and Stone Fort River or "Bloody River" (so named because of the blood running down the river from the dead bodies) in 1626.

Tobacco was the crop of choice.  But when the colony of Virginia began to dominate tobacco production, sugar cane was planted in 1640. That necessitated importing African slaves for the high labor requirements.

The 1923 thirteen stamp issue celebrated the tercentenary of the founding of St. Kitts. There was one design for the set as shown here. CV ranges from $1+-$6+ for six stamps.

1938-48 Scott 81 1 1/2p orange "George VI"

The 1938-48 "George VI" issue of twelve stamps has four stamps with the above illustrated design.

1938-48 Scott 87 2sh6p carmine & gray black

"George VI"& "Medicinal Spring"

Six of the stamps in the 1938-48 issue have the familiar two images seen from the earlier 1920-29 "George V" issues. CV for the 1938-48 issue ranges from<$1-$1+ for seven stamps.

I should mention that the 1938-48 issue has 13 1/2 X 14 perf for the major numbers. But there are also six stamps, issued August, 1938, with minor number 13 X 11 1/2 perf.

1950 Scott 99 1p carmine

Types of 1938 Overprinted

Anguilla was first colonized by settlers from St. Kitts in 1650. The island is east of Puerto Rico and north of St. Marten.

Anguilla in relation to St. Kitts-Nevis

It had been joined with St. Kitts-Nevis (very reluctantly) in a subordinate position since 1824.

For the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Anguilla, a six stamp issue was released in 1950, using overprinted 1938 St. Kitts-Nevis stamps. CV is <$1.

Desiring to be free of the St. Kitts-Nevis yoke, Anguilla became a separate British Crown colony in 1980 ( Now a British overseas territory).

1952 Scott 107 1c ocher & deep green

"Bath House and Spa, Nevis"

In 1952, a twelve stamp issue with various pictorial scenes of the islands was released.

Stamps of the 1952 issue are labeled "Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla".

CV is <$1-$2+ for ten stamps.

1918 Scott MR2 1 1/2p orange

Type of 1905-18 Issue Overprinted

Two war stamps were released in 1916 and 1918 using overprinted Scott 12 1/2p green and 1905-18 Issue Type 1 1/2p orange respectively. CV is <$1.

Deep Blue

1921-29 Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has eleven pages for 1903-1952 St. Kitts-Nevis. All the major numbers have a space. There are some earlier minor numbers ( I counted nine) in the Scott catalogue that are listed because of a change in color (carmine to scarlet), paper ( chalky or ordinary), or later year of issue. These do not have a space in Steiner. The minor number 1938 issue Perf 13 X 11 1/2 is given spaces, however.

1923 Scott 57 3p ultramarine & black

"Caravel in Old Road Bay"

Big Blue
Big Blue '69, on two pages, has 43 spaces for the stamps of St. Kitts-Nevis. Coverage is 52%. ( I eliminated the post 1940 28 stamps listed in the Scott 1840-1940 catalogue from consideration.)

Observations....
* Only one stamp crosses the $10 CV threshold.
* Spaces available in BB are reasonable, with the limitation that stamps with different watermarks, as usual, are only given one space.

Checklist

1903-06*

1 or 11,2 or 13,3 or 15,5 or 18,

1907-10

12,14,17,(20),

1920-29*

24 or 37,25 or 38,39,26,40,

41,27 or 42,28 or 43a,44,29 or 46,

45,30 or 47,31 or 48,

1923

52,53,

1923

55,

1937

76,77,78,

1935

72,73,74,75,

Next Page

1938-43

79,80,81,83,

82,84,85,86,

87,88,

War Tax

MR1,MR2,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):

1938 Scott 88 5sh carmine & dull green ($10+)

B) *1903-06- choices are wmk 2 vs wmk 3

C) *1920-29- choices are wmk 3 vs wmk 4

D) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

1938-48 Scott 85 6p rose lilac & dull green

"Columbus Looking for Land"

Out of the Blue
The philatelic attractions of the British Leeward Islands colony countries are indisputable.

Note:St. Kitts pic and maps appear to under the public domain.

Comments appreciated!

View of Nevis from St. Kitts

St. Lucia

July 10, 2015, 12:44 pm

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1936 Scott 97 1 1/2p carmine "Ventine Falls"

Quick History
Named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse by the French who settled there first in 1660, the 240 square mile island is one of the Windward Islands, and is northeast of Saint Vincent.

St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles

In 1814, the British assumed control for good from the French (after much back and forth). In 1836, slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire, but left a legacy of African descent majority on the island. The original Carib Amerindian natives now comprise less than 1% of the population.

St. Lucia

The capital is Castries, and the population was 51,000 in 1921.

English is the official language, but Creole French (Patois) is understood by 95% of the population.

St. Lucia was a member of the West Indies Federation (1958-1962), but the Federation dissolved due to political bickering.

St. Lucia gained internal self government in 1967, and full independence in 1979.

St. Lucia remains a member of the British Commonwealth.

1936 Scott 101 4p brown "Port Castries"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for St. Lucia 1860-1951, 167 major number descriptions. Of those, 71 are CV <$1-$1+, or 42%. The more affordable stamps are skewed to 1936 issues and later, as the earlier issues (1860-1898, 49 stamps) are rather expensive for the WW classical collector.

Fortunately, the nicest issue in my view, the 1936 bi-color pictorials, are inexpensive ( CV <$1-$1+,  9 out of 12 stamps).

A closer look at the stamps and issues
12 Pence = 1 Shilling
100 Cents = 1 Dollar (1949)

1898 Scott 30 2p ultramarine & brown orange 

"Queen Victoria"; Die B

A Queen Victoria design was issued in 1860, and continued until 1885 (26 stamps), some surcharged. The stamps are rather expensive (CV $10+-$1,500), and I don't have any. Be aware that there are Spiro forgeries of the first Queen Victoria design.

The second design, a keyplate, was issued from 1883-1898. Ten stamps show Die A, and ten stamps are Die B. ( See Cyprus for a review of Die A/Die B, or check the front pages of the Scott Classic catalogue. ) CV is <$1-$2+ for six stamps.

1902-03 Scott 44 1p violet & carmine rose

"Edward VII"; Wmk 2

A five stamp issue with the new king "Edward VII" was produced 1902-03 with wmk 2. (If you need a refresher on British colonial watermarks, see Gibraltar. )

1904 Scott 52 2 1/2p violet & ultramarine

"Edward VII"; Wmk 3

A similar and expanded seven stamp issue was released 1904-05, but with wmk 3. CV is <$1-$3+ for four stamps in this issue.

1907 Scott 59 2 1/2p ultramarine "Edward VII"

Finally, a seven stamp issue in different colors was produced between 1907-10. CV is <$1-$2 for the first three stamps in the series.

1912 Scott 65 1p scarlet "George VI": Wmk 2, Die I

A new "George V" nine stamp issue was released between 1912-19 with wmk 2. As is usual for the "Edward VII" and "George V" keyplate issues, the lower denominations are on ordinary paper, while the higher denominations are on chalky paper. This issue is Die I, where the crown sinks below the upper horizontal vignette border. (Die I/Die II differences are further explained in the Gold Coast post.)

1922 Scott 78 1p dark brown "George V";Wmk 3, Die II

Similarly, a 14 stamp issue of "George V" was released between 1921-24 with wmk 3. Ten of the stamps have this design- Die II, where the crown does not sink into the upper horizontal vignette border.

1924 Scott 85 4p scarlet & black /yellow "George VI"

Two stamps from the 1921-24 issue have the design illustrated here. CV for the 1921-24 issue is <$1-$3 for eight stamps.

1935 Scott 94 1sh bright violet & indigo

Silver Jubilee Issue

I usually don't show common design issues for the British colonies- as I've said before, what's the point?  But the 1sh bright violet shown here is one of two stamp spaces in Big Blue that require a CV $10+ valuation, and it is a pretty stamp, so why not? ;-)

1936 Scott 96 1p dark brown 

"Columbus Square, Castries"

The best issue for St. Lucia in the classical era, in my opinion, is the 1936 engraved "George V" twelve stamp pictorial definitive issue. They are nicely bi-colored, and show scenes around St. Lucia. And they are quite inexpensive: CV <$1-$1+ for nine stamps.

I've managed to scatter four examples of this issue throughout the blog post. Enjoy!

1943 Scott 117 3p red orange "George VI"

Between 1938-48, there was a seventeen stamp definitive issue, twelve of which have this design featuring "George VI".

One might want to pay attention to perforations.
The 14 1/2 x 14; 13 1/2 perfs (minor numbers in Scott) were issued in 1938.
The 12; 12 1/2  perfs (major numbers in Scott) were issued between 1943-48, although some of the higher denomination stamps were also issued in 1938.

1948 Scott 121 1sh light brown

"Government House"

Four stamps of the 1938-48 issue are pictorials, two pictorials of which are "new" ("The Pitons", "Loading Bananas"). The other two pictorials repeat scenes found for the George V 1936 issue.

1949 Scott 138 4c gray "George VI"

Valued in Cents and Dollars

In 1949 the currency was converted from pence/shilling to dollars/cents. Hence, a new fourteen stamp issue was produced using "Types of 1938". CV is <$1-$1+ for nine stamps.

1931 Scott J1 1p black/grey blue; Typeset

One of the most primitive stamps I've seen in the classical era is the first two postage due stamps produced for St. Lucia in 1931. In fact, when I saw this specimen in one of my feeder albums, I thought it was a label or a cinderella. ;-)

The stamp is typeset, and the serial number is handstamped. The "No." script is found normal  and wide font. There are plenty of other variations as well- consult the SG 1840-1970 catalogue.

1933 Scott J4 2p black 

A four stamp postage due set was produced between 1933-47 in "pence" denomination, and another four stamp set was released in 1949 in "cents" denomination.

1916 Scott MR2 1p scarlet, overprinted

Two stamps were released in 1916, overprinted for "war tax", using the 1912 Scott 65 1p scarlet. This example (MR2) is only CV <$1, while the other larger font overprint (MR1) has a CV of $10+.

Deep Blue

1936 Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 12 pages for the stamps of St. Lucia (1860-1951), and includes a space for all major numbers. Very nice, although I have no stamps on the rather expensive first page (1860-1885).

1936 Scott 103 1sh light blue 

"Fort Rodney, Pigeon Island"

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on two pages (minus one line for Ste. Marie de Madagascar), has 56 spaces. Coverage is 45%.  (As BB only covers to 1940, I removed the 44 stamps in the Scott Classic catalogue issued after 1940 to make this calculation.)

Observations

* BB avoids the more expensive issues by beginning coverage in 1883.

* There are only two stamps with CV $10+ needed to fill the spaces.

* As is usual for BB, the Edward VII and George VI keyplate issues are offered just one space, if there are two watermark choices.

* The "1938" issue was re-issued in different perfs ( and occasionally different color shades- see SG) between 1943-48. The minor numbers listed in Scott for the 1938-48 issue are the stamps issued in 1938. (Your choice if you want to be obsessive about this.)

Checklist

1883-98

27,29,30,31,

1902-06

43 or 50,44 or 51,(52),(53),

1907-10

57,58,59,60,(62),

1912-26

64 or 76,65,78,79,80,67a or 81,83,

68 or 84,86,(70),(87),

(Choice not taken earlier-68 or 84),

(Choice not taken earlier 67a or 81),(85),

1913-14

66,73 or 75,

Next Page

1935

91,92,93,94,

97,95,96,98,100,

99,101,102,103,

1937

107,108,109,

1938*

110,111,113,114,115,117,119,

1938*

121,

War Tax

1916

MR2,

Postage Due

J3,J4,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):

1935 Scott 94 1sh bright violet & indigo ($10+)

1933 Scott J4 2p black ($10+)

B) *1938- If you want to be a stickler, pay attention to perf (and sometimes color shade) to obtain "1938" issued stamps- as there were other perfs ( and sometimes color shades) issued in 1943-48. Scott appears to give the "1938" year issues minor numbers. For a thorough breakdown of possibilities, consult the 1840-1970 SG Commonwealth and British Empire catalogue.

1938 Scott 122 2sh red violet & slate blue "The Pitons"

Out of the Blue

I don't know about you, but reviewing the stamps of the Caribbean island countries makes me want to take a trip to those languid shores. ;-)

Note: Maps appear to be in the public domain. Pic of St. Lucia is by Jim G. 

Comments welcomed!

Feel the windward breeze? 

Ste. Marie de Madagascar

July 17, 2015, 1:32 pm

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1894 Scott 7 20c red/green "Navigation and Commerce"

Quick History
Sainte Marie de Madagascar (Sainte Marie Island, St. Mary's Island, Nosy Boraha (Malagasy)) is in the Indian Ocean just 5 miles (8 km) off the northeast coast of Madagascar.

Ste. Marie de Madagascar

The island is 37 miles (60 km) long, and had a population of ~8,000. It was reported that there were less than 50 literate people on the island in 1890.

It became a French colony in 1894. (The other French colonies in the area were Diego Suarez (1892), Nossi-Be (1894), Mayotte (1892), Anjouan (1892), Grand Comoro (1897), Moheli (1906).)

In 1896, Ste. Marie de Madagascar was attached to the colony of Madagascar, and the island's own stamp production ceased. (By 1911, all of the above named French colonies were part of Madagascar & Dependencies.)

Ste. Marie de Madagascar was bounced around the French administrative sphere throughout the 19th century.

France initially took possession in 1750, but then ignored the island from 1754-1818. It was attached to Reunion in 1818, then Mayotte in 1843. 

It was used, at least in part, as a penal colony during this period.

It was a separate French colony between 1853-1876.

It was then attached to Reunion in 1876, then Diego Suarez in 1888.

In 1894, it again became a separate French colony.

What Ste. Marie de Madagascar is "famous" for these days is the past history (17th & 18th century) as a haven for English, Portuguese, French, and American pirates, which would prey on the silk trade ships passing nearby.

There is still evidence of pirate history on the island (see below).

Pirate Cemetery on the Island

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Ste. Marie de Madagascar 1894, thirteen major descriptive numbers. The stamps consist entirely of the French Colony 1894 "Navigation and Commerce" issue. Of those, three are CV $1+-$5, with four more @ CV $10+.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
100 Centimes = 1 Franc

1894 Scott 2 2c brown/buff "Navigation and Commerce"

Name of Colony in Blue or Carmine

A thirteen stamp issue of the "Navigation and Commerce" was produced in 1894. CV ranges from $1+-$70+.

Perforations are 14 X 13 1/2 (Forgeries have 13 1/2 X 14).

Ste. Marie de Madagascar Postmark

Using the retroReveal website, that is hosted by the University of Utah, I extracted the postmark on this 2c stamp. 

It should be noted that the stamps, if used, might have postmarks from Madagascar, as they were also valid there.

25c black/rose "Navigation and Commerce"

 Cut Square

My internet research revealed that, in 1892, definitives were prepared for all French colonies for postal stationary. This apparently is an example for Ste. Marie de Madagascar. The Scott catalogue makes no mention of postal stationary for the French colonies.

Deep Blue

1894 Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has one page for the 1894 stamps of Ste. Marie de Madagascar, and all the major numbers have a space.

Ste. Marie de Madagascar in Big Blue

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on one line of one page (shared with St. Lucia), has six spaces for the stamps of Ste. Marie de Madagascar. Coverage is 46%.

The stamps are entirely from the 1894 "Navigation and Commerce" issue, the common design of the era for French colonies.

Coverage is certainly reasonable for a "representative" album.

There are three stamps with CV $10+.

Checklist

1894

1,2,3,4,5,(9),

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold)

1894 Scott 4 5c green/greenish ($10+)

1894 Scott 5 10c black/lavender ($10+)

1894 (Scott 9) 30c brown/bister ($10+

B) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

1894 Scott 1 1c black/lilac blue

Out of the Blue

If one was not a classical era WW stamp collector, I suspect there would be little chance one would be aware of this little island. ;-)

Note: Map and "pirate cemetery" and "church" pic appear to be in the common domain.

Have a comment?

First Church built by the French in 1899

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St. Pierre and Miquelon

July 23, 2015, 11:17 am

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1892 Scott 46 1c on 5c green/greenish

French Colonies 1881-86 Stamps Surcharged in Black

Quick History
St. Pierre and Miquelon, two small islands (93 square miles) in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean sixteen  miles (25 km) from the southern coast of Newfoundland, Canada, were declared a French possession in 1536 By Jacques Cartier for the King of France.

New France 1750

 It is the last of the colonial empire New France remaining under French authority, and today is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The islands were occasionally visited by Basque and Breton fisherman, (Miquelon is a Basque name  for "Big Michael"), but the islands were not settled until 1670, when four inhabitants were counted. The islands then went back and forth between Britain and France, when they were again resettled in 1816 by Basques, Bretons and Normans. Cod fishing was certainly the mainstay for this little French outpost.

The islands are rocky and barren, except for a thin layer of peat soil, and some juniper shrubs.

Rain and snow fall 146 days per year on average, and fog banks occur 100 days per year.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Stamps of the French Colonies cancelled "SPM" in lozenge of dots can be found from 1859.

Handstamped surcharged stamps for St. Pierre and Miquelon proper were first issued in 1885. The St. Pierre and Miquelon issues continue to the present day (except between 1978-1986, when French stamps were used).

The population was 4,300 in 1931, and the capital is St. Pierre.

St. Pierre 1921

During the early 20th century, fishing became unprofitable at times. (Cod fishing, the traditional occupation of the inhabitants, is now essentially gone, with the severe depletion of fish stock.)

But the 1920s prohibition in the United States created a smuggling opportunity for the little islands. Almost 2 million gallons of Canadian whisky were "imported". Then, by 1933, the islands were again in an economic depression with the end of prohibition.

During WW II, the islands sided with the Free French (France Libre) of General Charles de Gaulle.

In 1958, when a new constitution was approved in France, St. Pierre and Miquelon were given the option of becoming part of France, becoming a state of the French Community, or remaining an overseas territory. The islands decided to remain a French overseas territory.

(Of interest, at that time, the Comoro Islands, French Polynesia, French Somaliland, and New Caledonia also agreed to remain overseas territories. Chad, French Dahomey, French Sudan, Ivory Coast,Madagascar, Mauritania, Middle Congo, Niger, Senegal, Ubangi-Shari, and Upper Volta elected to become states of the French Community. It is all very complicated, of course, and many of these countries again changed status after 1958- see French Community Wikipedia article.)

The inhabitants of St. Pierre and Miquelon speak the French language, naturally, but not Canadian French,  Their customs and traditions are closer to those of France, and the spoken language is closer to Standard French.

1892 Scott 43 4c on 25c black/rose

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for St. Pierre and Miquelon 1885-1940, 260 major stamp descriptions. Of those, 88 are CV <$1-$1+, or 34%.

Although a collection can be put together by the WW collector, the facts are one is competing with North American and French sphere collectors for these stamps. The surcharged 1885-1892 issues (59 stamps) are rather expensive to expensive. If one is a specialist, than the 1859-1886 stamps of the French Colonies general issues postmarked in St. Pierre and Miquelon (59 "A" prefix numbers in Scott) might also be of interest, but they also are expensive.

If one raises the CV bar to $5, then 49 more stamps are available, bringing the total to 137 (53%).

Still, for some examples of the surcharged earlier issue stamps, one will need to pay in the CV $10+ range.

But St. Pierre and Miquelon have three long pictorial issues (1909-30: 32 stamps; 1932-33: 24 stamps, 1938-40: 33 stamps), and each offer many inexpensive stamps- so go for it. ;-)

A closer look at the stamps and issues
100 Centimes = 1 Franc

1891 Scott 39 2c on 10c black/lavender

Surcharged in Black

The 1891-92 ten stamp issue, using stamps of the French colonies, was surcharged in black, as this example illustrates. Altogether, there were 44 stamps overprinted/surcharged on French Colony stamps between 1891-92. There were an additional fourteen French Colony stamps handstamped surcharged between 1885-1886.

As mentioned, many of the earlier handstamped/surcharged issues are fairly expensive. But I did find 19 stamps available with a fairly modest CV $10+.

1892 Scott 61 2c brown/buff "Navigation and Commerce"

The familiar "Navigation and Commerce" design  was issued on nineteen stamps between 1892-1908. CV is $1+-$3+ for six stamps.

1909 Scott 87 20c bister brown & violet brown

"Fisherman"

A wonderful 32 stamp pictorial issue with three designs was released between 1909-30. The lower 10 denominations have a "Fisherman" motif.

1922 Scott 89 25c olive brown & blue green

"Fulmar Petrel"

The middle 15 denominations show a Fulmar Petrel on the stamp. Fulmars look like gulls, but have a tube nose and fly with stiff wings.

1909 Scott 104 1fr olive green & deep blue

"Fishing Schooner"

The six highest denominations show a "Fishing Schooner", with the frame illustrating cod. The motifs are appropriate, considering the inhabitants heavily relied on fishing for their livelihood. CV for the 32 stamps issue is <$1-$3+ for 26 stamps.

1912 Scott 120 10c on 1fr bronze green/straw

The eleven stamp 1912 issue has the "Navigation and Commerce" 1892-1906 stamps surcharged in carmine or black. As is found for other French colonies, the spacing between the figures can vary. The wider spacing (2.25mm 5c, 2.75mm 10c) have minor numbers and a much higher CV.

CV for the regular spacing set is $1+ $3+ for  10 stamps.

1925 Scott 124 65c on 45c violet & olive green

"Fulmar Petrel"

Between 1924-27, stamps and types of 1909-17 were surcharged in black, blue, or red. The eleven stamp set has a CV of <$1-$3+ for seven stamps.

1931 Scott 135 1.50fr dull blue "Colonial Commerce"

Colonial Exposition Issue; Common Design Type

The Colonial Exposition four stamp Issue of 1931, a common design type across many French colonies, is shown here for St. Pierre and Miquelon.

1932 Scott 143 25c light violet & light green

"Map and Fishermen"

Another large 23 stamp issue was released between 1932-33 with three designs. The first design is lovely indeed, depicting a map of the islands, and surrounded by a frame of fisherman holding nets.

1932 Scott 146 45c vermilion & deep green

"Lighthouse and Fish"

There are, in fact, five lighthouses on St. Pierre and Miquelon, and so a stamp showing a lighthouse is appropriate indeed.  (And considering the 100+ days with fog banks....necessary!)

1933 Scott 154 1.75fr black & dark brown

"Fishing Steamer and Sea Gulls"

The last design depicts a fishing steamer and sea gulls, both a large part of island living. CV is <$1-$3+ for 19 stamps in the issue.

1938 Scott 178 20c blue violet "Dog Team"

The last long set was released between 1938-40, and have 33 stamps. These stamps, with four designs, were produced in photogravure. The first design shows a dog team in the snow.

1938 Scott 184 50c carmine rose

"Port St. Pierre"

Fisherman on the docks with their catch laid out at St. Pierre port is illustrated with this wonderful second design. I hope there is a nice fire awaiting them.

1940 Scott 192 1fr pale olive green

"Tortue Lighthouse"

A lighthouse is depicted, but what catches my eye are the men out in the snow. What are they doing?

1938 Scott 203 10fr dark blue/bluish

"Soldiers' Bay at Langlade"

The last design shows a rocky headland and  a stone pillar. I'm not sure if this scene still exists, as there is a reference made that many of these stone pillars off the islands eroded away and disappeared in the 1970s.

The 33 stamps issue has a CV of <$1-$2+ for 29 stamps.

1917 Scott B2 15c & 5c dull violet & rose 

Regular Issue of 1917 Surcharged in Red

A few semi-postal stamps were produced (eight stamps) for St. Pierre and Miquelon, and this one appears to be a red cross charity.

1925 Scott J10 5c blue

Postage Due Stamps of France, 1893-1924, Overprinted

Between 1925-27, nine postage due stamps of 1893-1924 France were overprinted, as shown. CV is <$1-$3+ for eight stamps.

1932 Scott J21 5c dark blue & black 

"Newfoundland Dog"

An eleven stamp postage due set showing the "Newfoundland Dog" was issued in 1932. I like it!. Some stamps are rather expensive, but six are CV $1+-$5+.

1938 Scott J37 50c dark blue green

"Codfish"

A 1938 ten stamp postage due set was illustrated with the "codfish". CV is <$1-$4+.

1925 Scott Q4 20c bister brown & violet brown, 

Overprinted

Two stamps (1917, 1925) were overprinted for parcel post use. Scott does not mention, but clearly the overprint was in blue. CV for the two stamps are $3+-$4+.

Deep Blue

1912 & 1924-27 Issues in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 17 pages for the stamps of St. Pierre and Miquelon, and all the major Scott numbers have a space.

1912 Scott 112 5c on 15c blue 

Carmine Surcharge

Big Blue
Big Blue '69, on six pages, has 97 spaces for the stamps of St. Pierre and Miquelon. Coverage is 37%.

Observations...
*There are 19 stamps over CV $10+,  but only one (1932 Scott J31 3fr dark brown & black ($45) ) is in the "Most Expensive Stamp ( >$35) category. Thirteen of the CV $10+ stamps are for the early French colony overprinted and surcharged stamps.

* For the long issues ( 1909-30, 1932-33, 1938-40, - 89 possible stamps), BB has 79 spaces. BB only misses five stamps with CV $1+-$3+.

Checklist

1891

19 or 20*,21 or 22*,30,(23),36,(38),

1892

49,50,51,(41*),46,47,48,

1892-1908

60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,

1912

111,112,113,114,115,117,118,

1909-17

79,80,81,82,

84,86A,87,88,

94,95,96,(90),

Next Page

1922-30

83,85,86,

89,91,92,93,

98,99,100,101,

103,106,108,(105),

1924-27

121,122,123,124,

125,126,127,128,

1931

132,133,134,135,

Next Page

1932-33

137,136,142,143,138,

139,140,141,

144,145,146,147,

149,150,148,152,153,

151,154,155,156,

Semi-Postal

1915-17

B1,B2,

1938

B3,

Next Page

(Regular issues)

1934

161,162,160,

1937

165,168,

1937

166,167,169,170,

1938

172,173,174,175,

176,177,178,179,

180,181,184,185,

187,189,191,195,

Next Page

1938-40

182,183,186,188,

190,192,193,

194,196,197,198,

199,200,201,202,

1939

205,206,

Next Page

Postage Due

1925

J10,J11,J12,J13,J14,J15,J16,J17,

1932

J21,J22,J23,J24,

J25,J26,J27,J28,

J29,J30,J31,

1938

J32,J33,J34,J35,J36,J37,J38,J39,

J40,J41,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold);

1891 Scott 19 1c black/lilac blue ($10+)

1891 Scott 21 2c brown/buff ($10+)

1891 Scott 30 25c black/rose ($20+)

1891 (Scott 23) 4c claret/lavender ($10+)

1891 Scott 36 1c on 5c green/greenish ($10+)

1892 (Scott 38) 1c on 25c black/rose ($10+)

1892 Scott 49 1c on 25c black/rose ($10+)

1892 Scott 50 2c on 25c black/rose ($10+)

1892 Scott 51 4c on 25c black/rose ($10+)

1892 (Scott 41) 2c on 25c black/rose ($10+)

1892 Scott 46 1c on 5c green/greenish ($10+)

1892 Scott 47 2c on 5c green/greenish ($10+)

1892 Scott 48 4c on 5c green/greenish ($10+)

1932 Scott 155 2fr blue black & prussian blue ($10+)

1932 Scott 156 3fr deep green & dark brown ($10+)

1932 Scott J28 60c bright rose & black ($10+)

1932 Scott J29 1fr yellow brown & black ($20+)

1932 Scott J30 2fr deep violet & black ($30+)

1932 Scott J31 3fr dark brown & black ($45)

B) (   ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

C) 19 or 20*, 21 or 22*- choice between black or red overprint.

D) *41- The blank space does not have a logical sequence for the 1892 Scott 49-51 stamps. I substituted an 1892 (Complies with BB's "1892" requirement), Scott 41.

1926 Scott 127 1.25fr on 1fr dark blue & ultramarine 

Red Surcharge

Out of the Blue
I would like to visit St. Pierre and Miquelon some day- (In the summer ;-). I'm not the only one, as tourism is now a large part of the economy.

Note: Two pics of St. Pierre and the three maps appear all to be in the public domain.

Comments Appreciated!

St. Pierre

St. Thomas and Prince Islands

July 29, 2015, 3:26 pm

≫ Next: St. Vincent and a look at runaway stamp production

≪ Previous: St. Pierre and Miquelon

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1869 Scott 4 25r rose "Portuguese Crown"

Quick History
St. Thomas and Prince Islands (Sao Tome and Principe) are located about 190 miles (300 kilometers) off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa in the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean, and about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from each other. They are volcanic, and about 30 miles long by 20 miles wide (50 X 30 km), and 20 miles long by 4 miles wide (30 X 6 km), respectively.

The climate is hot and humid, and the temperature varies little monthly. The rainy season is October through May.

 Sao Tome and Principe in the Atlantic Ocean

The islands have been under Portuguese control since 1470. Sugar cultivation, using the labor of slaves from Africa, was prominent in the 16th century. By the 17th century, Sao Tome became a transit point for the slave trade. In the 19th century, cocoa was the major export, and remains so today.

Although Portugal abolished slavery in 1876, forced labor practices continued throughout the 19th century and the early 20th century.

Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome (the main settlement) is the capital on Sao Tome island, and the population was 60,000 in 1940. ( Most of the population is found on Sao Tome island.)

Stamps were introduced in 1869. The subsequent issues follow the Portuguese colonial issue model.

The Nationalist movement grew after the 1953 Batepa massacre, when hundreds of native creoles were killed in a clash with the Portuguese landowners.

Independence was achieved in 1975.

The culture remains a mixture of African and Portuguese influences.

Today, Sao Tome and Principe is the second smallest African country (Seychelles is smaller), and is the smallest (in population) of the  Portuguese speaking countries.

1887 Scott 15 5r black "King Luiz"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for St. Thomas and Prince Islands 1869-1939, 423 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 229 are CV <$1-$1+, or 54%. Clearly, the colony is affordable for the WW classical collector.

A closer look at the stamps ans issues
1000 Reis = 1 Milreis
100 Centavos = 1 Escudo (1913)

1869 Scott 1 5r black "Portuguese Crown"

Type I

The "Portuguese Crown" design of 1869-75 (nine stamps) and 1881-85 (five stamps) lead off the issues for the colony.

Of interest, the "5" numeral can be found upright (Type I) or slanting (Type II). The 5, 25, and 50 reis stamps have these "5" types. The 5r black illustrated above, and the 50r dark blue shown below are type I. Type II is illustrated for the 25r rose header above the "Quick History" section. (I'm not sure what to make of it, but Scott only lists Type I for the 25r rose, yet this is clearly a type II. ;-)

There really isn't any difference in CV, whether the "5" numerals are upright or slanting.

A similar "types" situation exists for the "1" of the 10 reis, and the "4" of the 40 reis.

1881 Scott 14 50r dark blue, Type I

CV for the 1869-75 and 1881-85 issues (14 stamps total) is $1+-$3+ for seven stamps.

1887 Scott 20 50r blue "King Luiz"

A typographed  issue (nine stamps) with the embossed head of King Luiz was released in 1887.

1895 Scott 31 25r green "King Carlos"

In 1895, the first "King Carlos" issue of 12 stamps was produced. CV is <$1-$3+ for eight stamps.

1903 Scott 48 50r brown "King Carlos"

The second "King Carlos" issue was released between 1898-1903, and had 23 stamps. These designs, as well as the preceding designs, are shared by essentially all the Portuguese colonies.

1902 Scott 88 50r blue

Stamps of 1898 Overprinted

Four stamps of the 1898 issue were overprinted as shown in 1902. Portugal at the time was going through another bankruptcy.

1911 Scott 102 200r red lilac/pinkish

Stamps of 1898-1903 Overprinted in Carmine or Green

The October 5, 1910 revolution in Portugal, which did away with the regime and created a republic, is reflected in the many overprinted issues of this era. This 15 stamp OP issue was produced in 1911.

1912 Scott 113 100r brown/light green "King Manuel II"

Overprinted in Carmine or Green

This 1910 Portuguese design was overprinted "republica"in 1912 for the colonies. Since Manuel II of Portugal was overthrown so quickly, non-overprinted stamps of this design for the colonies were never issued.

1913 Scott 142 5r orange

On Stamps of 1898-1903 Overprinted in Black

In 1913, a virtual torrent of stamps (55 of them) were overprinted and issued: all OP in black, but with two different OP scripts.

The issue shown above was overprinted on the "King Carlos" 1898-1903 issue, and is found on 12 stamps.

1913 Scott 180 1c on 10c red violet "Embarking at Rastello"

Common Design Type: Vasco da Gama Issue

On Stamps of Portuguese Africa

The 1898 Vasco da Gama issue was also overprinted for the colony, using the previous issues of Macao (eight stamps), Portuguese Africa (eight stamps), and Timor (eight stamps).

The new Republican government was definitely emptying out the stamp vaults. ;-)

1926 Scott 216 24c ultramarine "Ceres"

A 40 stamp "Ceres" issue was released for the colony between 1914-26. Meanwhile, in 1926, there was a political change in Portugal, which lead to a National Dictatorship (Ditadura Nacional).

1934 Scott 299 5e apple green "Ceres"

The "Ceres" motif was used again in 1934 on a nineteen stamp issue.

But let's return to history...

The right wing dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar (Estado Novo) began in 1933. Portugal remained neutral in WW II. The Estado Novo regime persisted until 1974, when it was overthrown by the Carnation Revolution. The new shaky democracy pledged to end the colonial hegemony, and cooperate with the independence movements.

 Portuguese Colonies in Africa during the Estado Novo Regime (1933-1974)

Portugal then withdrew from the African colonies and East Timor (East Timor was subsequently invaded by Indonesia). Portuguese Guinea became independent in 1974 as Guinea-Bissau. In 1975, independence was declared for Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and yes, Sao Tome and Principe.

It was not necessarily a happy outcome for the newly independent states, partially because Portugal left so abruptly.   Both Angola and Mozambique entered into a prolonged and deadly civil war.

Several hundred thousand Portuguese citizens, who not uncommonly had roots in the colonies for generations, left (or escaped), and returned to Portugal (retornados).

Happily,  Sao Tome and Principe mostly avoided turmoil after independence.

1938 Scott 306 20c slate "Vasco da Gama"

Common Design Type; Inscribed "S. Tome"

But we are still in the colonial era with these stamps. ;-) The 1938 "common design type" eighteen stamp issue was inscribed "S. Tome".

1939 Scott 324 5c orange brown

Inscribed "S. Tome e Principe"

In contrast, the 1939 eighteen stamp issue is inscribed "S. Tome e Principe". The two issues are rather inexpensive CV wise, with 29 stamps @ <$1-$1+.

1939 Scott C18 10e magenta "Plane over Globe"

Common Design Type

Inscribed "S. Tome e Principe"

Similarly, the 1938 and 1939 air post "common design" issues are inscribed "S. Tome" and "S. Tome e Principe" respectively.

1911 Scott J14 30r orange

Overprinted in Carmine or Green

The 1904 postage due issue (ten stamps) was overprinted in 1911, with the change in government.

1921 Scott J47 6c light brown

If you like hunting for the "rare" stamp, this 1921 ten stamp set has possibilities. ;-)  In each sheet, one stamp is inscribed "S. Thome" rather than "S. Tome".  Check your stock. (I don't have any.) Actually, the ten stamp set with "S. Thome" inscriptions is valued @ $60, while the normal set is $2.60.

1893 Scott P12 2 1/2r brown

Newspaper Stamp

This 1893 Newspaper stamp design is common for many Portuguese colonies.

1925 Scott RA2 15c orange & black 

"Planning Reconstruction of Lisbon, 1755"

Pombal Postal Tax Issue

The 1925 postal tax issue of three stamps is found in several colors, depending on the colony (Here, orange & black). 

1925 Scott RAJ1 30c orange & black

"Marquis de Pombal"

Postal Tax Due Pombal Issue

CV for the "common design type" Pombal issue for the postal tax/postal tax due stamps is <$1.

On the whole, I found the St. Thomas and Prince Islands Portuguese issues to be less than inspiring, but the history and geography made up for it. ;-)

Deep Blue

1911 Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 25 pages for the classic era stamps of St. Thomas and Prince Islands. The pages follow the Scott catalogue, and all major numbers have a space. Because Scott has been recently revising their 1914-26 "Ceres Issue" (parsing new spaces and giving new numbers for perf 12 X 11 1/2 and perf  15 X 14, among other changes), the Steiner pages may be out of date in a few years. (Steiner has, in the past, revised his pages with a change in catalogue numbers, so perhaps that will happen here also.)

1895 Scott 27 5c yellow "King Carlos"

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on four pages, has 140 spaces for the stamps of this colony. Coverage is 33%.

No surprises in the coverage, and there are no stamps that cross the CV $10 threshold.

The 1913 Vasco da Gama common design type eight stamp spaces overprinted for the colony have three choices: Those of overprinted Macao, overprinted Portuguese Africa, and overprinted Timor. Macao and Timor OP stamps might be preferable, because the denomination shown is theirs in the spaces, but Portuguese Africa OP is included in the explanatory script by BB.

Checklist

1869-85

1,3,4,(5),11,12,14,

1887

15,16,20,

1895

27,28,31,32,

1898

39,40,41,42,44,45,47,

1902

86,87,88,

1903

43,46,(51),

1911

91,92,93,94,95,96,97,

1912

106,107,108,109,110,111,(112),

1913*

170 or 178 or  186,171 or 179 or  187,172 or 180 or 188,176 or 184 or 192,177 or 185 or 193,

Next Page

1913*

173 or 181 or  189,174 or 182 or  190,175 or 183 or  191,

1914

194,195,196,198,199,201,205,

209,210,211,213,215,218,220,

1922

197,202,203,204,206,207,208,212,

214,219,224,226,

1923

268,269,270,

1926

200,216,217,223,225,229,

Next Page

1934

283,284,285,286,287,288,

289,290,291,292,293,294,

295,296,297,298,(299),

1938-39

302 or 323,303 or 324,304 or 325,305 or 326,306 or 327,

307 or 328,308 or 329,309 or 330,310 or 331,311 or 332,

312 or 333,313 or 334,(335),(336),

Next Page

Air Post

1938-39*

C1 or C10,C2 or C11,C3 or C12,C4 or C13,C5 or C14,C6 or C15,

Postal Tax

1925

RA1,RA2,RA3,

Postal Tax Due

RAJ1,RAJ2,RAJ3,

Newspaper

1893

P12,

Postage Due

1904

J1,J2,J3,J4,J5,

1921

J42,J43,J44,J45,J46,J47,J48,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):None

B) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

C) *1913- Macao and Timor OP stamps might be preferable, because the denomination shown is theirs, but Portuguese Africa OP is included in the explanatory script by BB.

D) *Air Post 1938-39*- choices are "S. Tome" vs "S. Tome e Principe" script.

1898 Scott 44 20r gray violet "King Carlos"

Out of the Blue

What interested me about Sao Tome and Principe was, not so much the stamps themselves, (which are, on the whole common to all Portuguese colonies), but the interesting geographic location and the history of this little country.

Note: I should mention that somewhere along the way, Sao Thome and Principe turned to the "dark side", in terms of runaway stamp production. St. Vincent, which will be the next blog post, also became a victim of the malady. We will explore this phenomena a little further with the next post.

Note: Pic of Pico Cao Grande and the maps appear to be in the public domain.

Comments Appreciated!

Pico Cao Grande on Sao Tome

St. Vincent and a look at runaway stamp production

August 4, 2015, 3:09 pm

≫ Next: El Salvador

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1885 Scott 43 1p rose red "Victoria"

Quick History
Saint Vincent, well known for black sand beaches, is an 18 mile by 11 mile mountainous island in the Caribbean Windward Islands 100 miles west of Barbados, and dominated by the active volcano La Soufriere (1812, 1902, 1979 eruptions). It became a British possession in 1763, and a crown colony in 1887. Previously, the French occupied St. Vincent, and the island received it's name from the patron saint of Portugal, Vincent of Saragossa, since it was supposedly discovered by Christopher Columbus on the Saint's feast day, January 22.

Caribbean and St. Vincent

Stamps were introduced for St. Vincent in 1861.

The Capital is Kingstown, and the population was 47,000 in 1931.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the south

Of interest, the native Nigerian ruler Jaja of Opobo ended up exiled to St. Vincent in 1887, as he dominated the palm oil trade, and would ship directly to Liverpool without going through the British National African Company.

British administration continued until 1979, when St. Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence.

Stamps were printed just for St. Vincent, then St. Vincent Grenadines was added in 1974.

In 1988, the country became a client of one of the big printing firm corporations, and anything and everything became fair game for a stamp issue: to wit- Cricket players, Disney, Hall of Fame baseball players, Flintstones, World Cup, Star Wars, Star Trek and Pokemon.

Here's an interesting comparison....

In the 2010 Scott Catalogue, St. Vincent, St. Vincent Grenadines, Grenada, Grenada Grenadines, take up 145 pages.

All stamps ever issued for France take up 119 pages.

O.K., I'm going to digress here..... ;-)

In August, 2013,  I did a study of total stamp issues 1980-2012 normalized for one million population for the "top" 51 issuing countries. I submitted the evaluation to several stamp forums at the time. The relevancy here is Grenada Grenadines, Grenadines of St. Vincent, Grenada, and St. Vincent were #1, #2, #6, and #7 on the list.

Here is the study....

Which countries are the major stamp producers during the modern era?
Which countries, based on population, have high rates of stamp production?

There was an interesting presentation of data and a discussion on a stamp forum board (Located in the southern hemisphere  ) about the absolute number of stamps produced for the "Top 51 countries".

A fellow named Stewie1980 (An acknowlegement, and thanks for the initial data Stewie1980!) came up with a list of the total number of stamps produced by each country in the Scott catalogue for 1980-2012, and put together a list of the Top 51.

If one wishes to look at the list, I refer you to the southern hemisphere board.  

But I then took the data, and factored in the population of each country as reported in the 2010 Scott catalogue. (The Scott data is estimated population for 1991-2004, with most of the population estimates from 1995-97, so most of the population estimates will be a bit low today.)

Why factor in population for stamp production for a country?

The problem with looking at absolute numbers of stamps issued by countries is it gives a country with large literate population- who may very well be able to support a larger stamp issue output- a seemingly bad name, as they appear to be in the same league as a Grenada Grenadines with 8,000 people- at most.

I took the liberty of taking Stewie1980's data- that is the absolute number of stamps issued by country for 1980-2012 (Thanks Stewie1980!), - and dividing the number by the population (in millions) as reported in the 2010 Scott Standard Catalogue.

I think many will find the results quite interesting, and presents a picture both horrifying- and for some countries- reassuring. Yes- both  and  ) 

The Top 51
(Total Stamp issues 1980-2012 normalized for one million population )

1. Grenada Grenadines – 4410/.008* = 551,250
2. Grenadines of St Vincent – 3153/.009* = 350,333
3. Nevis – 2753/.009 = 305,888
4. Palau – 3256/.019 = 171,368
5. Antigua & Barbuda – 4423/.064 = 69,109
6. Grenada – 5528/.1 = 55,280
7. St Vincent – 6586/.121 = 54,429
8. Dominica – 3467/.065 = 53,338
9. Marshall Islands – 3056/.066 = 46,303
10. St Thomas & Prince – 4363/.155 = 28,148 

11. Micronesia – 2408/.13 = 18,523.
12. Maldives – 4011/.3 = 13,370
13. Guyana – 7606/.7 = 10,865
14. Gambia – 6293/1.1 = 5,720
15. Guinea-Bissau – 5855/1.2 = 4,879
16. Comoros – 2535/.6 = 4,225
17. Liberia – 4990/2.6 = 1,919
18. Guinea – 8750/7.5 = 1,166
19. Mongolia – 2591/2.6 = 996.5
20. Sierra Leone – 5204/5.3 = 982

21. Central Afr. Rep. – 3205/3.4 =942.6
22. Togo – 3202/4.3 =744.6
23. New Zealand – 2178/3.7 = 588.6
24. Nicaragua – 2430/4.4 = 552.3
25. Libya – 2259/5.0 = 451.8
26. Mozambique – 5569/16.5 = 337
27. Cuba – 3189/11.1 = 287.3
28. Portugal – 2330/9.9 = 235.4
29. Belgium – 2283/10.4 = 219.5
30. Hungary – 2197/10.2 = 215.4

31. Ghana -3372/18.1 = 186.3
32. North Korea – 4128/22.2 = 186
33. Cambodia – 2110/11.6 = 181.9
34. Australia – 3188/17.9 = 178.1
35. Tanzania – 4806/31.3 = 154
36. Romania – 2992/22.6 = 132.4
37. Uganda – 2742/21.6 = 126.9
38. Taiwan – 2442/22.1 = 110.5
39. Venezuela – 2175/23.3 = 93.3
40. Spain – 2297/39.2 = 58.6

41. France – 3080/59.0 = 52.2
42. Bulgaria – 2213/42.9 = 51.6
43. Philippines – 3481/68.6 = 50.7
44. Great Britain – 2741/59.1 = 46.4
45. Japan – 4870/126.2 = 38.6
46. Thailand 2305/60.6 = 38.1
47. Vietnam – 2567/77.3 = 33.2
48. USSR/Russia – 3030/147.1* = 20.6
49. Brazil – 2296/157.1 = 14.6
50. United States – 3518/281.4 = 12.5

51. China – 2915/1,246.9 = 2.4

* Grenada Grenadines- Scott does not give a figure for population, but the inhabited island dependencies Carriacou and Petite Martinque have 8,000 population (Wikipedia)

* Grenadines of St. Vincent- Scott does not give a figure for population, but the inhabited island dependencies Bequia, Mustique,Canouan, Mayreau, and Union Island have 9,000 population.

*USSR/Russia- no doubt the population was larger in the USSR days

It would be nice to have a discussion about the "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of stamp production by many countries. Is it killing modern collecting? Or do collectors, many with topical interests, welcome the issues?

I will return later with a few thoughts......  

1888 Scott 54 5sh carmine lake "Seal of Colony"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for St. Vincent 1861-1952, 191 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 75 are CV <$1-$1+, or 39%. Many of the less expensive stamps are from the 1937-52 period. The earlier 1861-1884 Victoria stamps (39 major numbers)  tend to be in the tens-hundreds expense category.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
12 Pence = 1 Shilling
20 Shillings = 1 Pound
100 Cents = 1 Dollar (1949)

1863 Scott 5 1p rose "Queen Victoria"

Two stamps were issued in 1861 with Perf 14 to 16, and three stamps were added between 1862-66 with rough Perf 14 to 16. What one notes for the earlier issues of St. Vincent, is how important the various perfs are for catalogue identification.

The 1863-69 seven stamp issue is perf 11-13. The above example is perf 11 1/2 X 11 1/2.

The Queen Victoria portrait viewed here is found for St. Vincent stamps from 1861-1897 ( 58 major descriptive numbers).

The 1861-1869 issues were unwatermarked.

1871 Scott 13 1p black, Wmk 5 "Small Star"

Rough Perf 14-16

The 1871-78 thirteen stamps issue is found with watermark 5 "Small Star", but various perforations (Rough and clean cut perfs 14-16, 11 to 13, 11 to 13 X 14 to 16). Since the CV varies wildly, depending on perforation, a careful evaluation is necessary. I admit I find the importance of various perfs a bit intimidating.

Wmk 5 "Small Star"

Here is a pic of the "Small Star" watermark. 

1878 Scott 15 6p pale yellow green

This 6p pale yellow green definitely has the "Small Star" watermark. It was sold to me as a Scott 15 with clean cut perf 14-16. But the perfs don't look very clean cut to me. ;-) I measured the perfs as being in the 15 ballpark. This probably eliminates the other possibilities, Scott 21 with perf 11 to 13 X 14 to 16, or 1880 Scott 28 perf 11 to 13. What a mess with I.D.- I don't like it.

1881 Scott 24 1/2p orange

Perf 11 to 13

The 1880-81 seven stamp issue with perf 11 to 13 has this new design for the 1/2p denomination.

1/

1891 Scott 53 1sh orange vermilion

 Perf 14, Wmk 2

The 1883-97 fourteen stamp issue are found perf 14, and colonial watermark 2. (If you need a refresher on colonial watermarks, see Gibraltar.) CV for these stamps ranges from <$1-$3+ for eight stamps. (The 1sh above appears to have a revenue cancellation.)

1897 Scott 60 3p on 1p lilac

Surcharged in Black

Between 1880-1897, some eleven stamps are found surcharged (including two bisected stamps). Some are in the CV hundreds range, but this 1897 3p on 1p specimen is only CV $6.

1898 Scott 62 1/2p lilac & green "Victoria"

A Victoria keyplate nine stamp set was issued in 1898. CV is $1+-$5+ for five stamps.

1902 Scott 74 2 1/2p violet & ultramarine 

"Edward VII", Wmk 2

The "Edward VII" nine stamp issue with wmk 2 was released in 1902. The wmk 3 eight stamp set was issued between 1904-11.

1907 Scott 94 3p dark violet

"Peace and Justice"

Using the "Seal of the Colony" image, a five stamp set was issued in 1907. Note the "Pax et Justica" tablets around the lower vignette, while the "Postage & Revenue" script is in the lower tablet.

1909 Scott 95 1p carmine

Without Dot under "d"

A three stamp issue was released in 1909 with the "Pax et Justica" and "Postage & Revenue" scripts in opposite tablets (compared to the 1907 issue), and there is no dot under the "d".

1909 Scott 103 6p red violet

With Dot under "d"

The 1909-11 six stamp issue does have a dot under the "d".

1913 Scott 111 6p claret

"George V", Wmk 3

King George V appeared with a thirteen stamp 1913-14 issue with wmk 3. CV is <$1-$3+ for nine stamps.

1927 Scott 128 1sh ochre, Wmk 4

Between 1921-32, another "George V" fourteen stamp issue, this time with wmk 4, was released. CV ranges from <$1-$2+ for ten stamps.

1947 Scott 145A 2 1/2p chocolate & green

"Victoria Park, Kingstown"

A twelve stamp bi-colored "George VI" pictorial set was issued in 1938, with an additional three stamps released in 1947.  The denomination is Pence/Shilling/Pound. CV is <$1-$4 for fourteen stamps.

1949 Scott 159 4c gray black & green

 "Seal of the Colony", Types of 1938

The denomination was changed to Cents/Dollars for a fourteen stamp issue in 1949. An additional five stamps with new color combinations or denomination was issued in 1952.

1916 Scott MR1 1p carmine, Type III

There were two overprint "war stamps" issued in 1916. The first overprint, illustrated here, is found in three types. Measuring how far the words are apart, one can find type I (2 to 2 1/2mm apart), type II ( 1 1/2mm apart), and type III ( 3 1/2mm apart). Be aware type II is CV $250!

Deep Blue

1913-14 & 1921-32 Issues in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 14 pages for the stamps of St. Vincent 1861-1952. All of the major Scott numbers have a space.

1915 Scott 117 1p on 1sh black/green

Surcharged in Carmine

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on 1 1/3 page, has 44 spaces for the 1883-1938 stamps of St. Vincent. Subtracting the 35 stamps in the Scott Classic catalogue which were issued after 1940 leaves 156 major numbers. Coverage, then, for BB is 28%.

The first page in the '69 BB shares space with Schleswig, and Senegambia and Niger.

The 40s editions BBs have St. Thomas and Prince Islands sharing the first page. Coverage for the 40s editions is identical to the '69 edition.

Big Blue has no stamp spaces for St. Vincent that requires a CV $10+ or higher stamp.

Checklist

1883-97

35 or 41, 42 or 43 or 44, 49,52,

1898

62,63,(64),

1902-11

71 or 82, 72 or 83, (73),(74),

1907

90,91,(92),

Next Page

1909-11

98,95,100,101,

1913-32*

104 or 118, 105a* or 105,120,

1913-32

121,107 or 122,108 or 124,109 or 125,110 or 126,111 or 127,113 or 128a or 128,

1935

134,135,136,137,

1937

138,139,140,

1938*

141,144,146,147,

1938

142,143,145,148,

War Tax

1916

MR2,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):None

B) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

C) *1913-32- Wmk 3 vs Wmk 4 choices

D) *105a is 1p rose red, a minor number, and specified by BB. However, the major number 1p Scott 105 1p carmine may also be put in.

E) *1938- be aware that there were three additional stamps issued in the "1938" series in 1947. Then there is the 1949 fourteen stamp issue which is denominated in cents/dollars. Finally, there is a 1952 "Type of 1938-47" five stamp issue.

1938 Scott 150 5sh dark green & carmine

"Seal of Colony"

Out of the Blue

St. Vincent does have lovely British Colonial stamps, but I am nonplussed by the emphasis on all the early issues perforations variations.

Now, what about the modern day stamp output by St. Vincent (and Grenada)?

I don't collect modern stamps, so I don't have a dog in the fight.

Bur, perhaps readers have opinions about this. ;-)

Note: Maps and Kingstown pic appear to be in the public domain.

Have a comment?

Kingstown, St. Vincent, 1890s

El Salvador

August 10, 2015, 4:11 pm

≫ Next: Most Expensive Stamps Lebanon to Quelimane

≪ Previous: St. Vincent and a look at runaway stamp production

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1867 Scott 4 4r bister "Volcano San Miguel"

Quick History
El Salvador ("The Savior") was part of the Spanish Empire (New Spain) until 1821, when it became autonomous as part of the Federal Republic of Central America. That union dissolved in 1841, and Salvador became a sovereign nation. Briefly, Salvador was part of the Greater Republic of Central America, along with Honduras and Nicaragua, from 1895 to 1898. (This is reflected in the inscriptions of some of the stamp issues of the time.)

El Salvador and Central America

The capital is San Salvador, and the population was 1,900,000 in 1943.

The population currently is 87% Mestizo, 12% White, and 1% Native American (Pipils and Lencas). The small percentage of indigenous peoples is due, in part, to the tens of thousands of largely indigenous natives killed in the 1932 Salvadoran peasant massacre (La Matanza).

"Map of Central America"

1932 Scott 525 10c orange 

Stamps of 1924-25 Issue Overprinted

Initially indigo was the cash crop, but that was supplanted by coffee. An oligarchy of a few families eventually controlled the coffee trade.

Stamps were introduced in 1867.

Salvador was one of the Central American nations that gave a contract to Nicholas Seebeck for stamp issues between 1890-1899. One can still find most of the issues, and their reprints, in unused condition for close to minimum catalogue value.

Economic inequality, civil unrest, coups, and revolts have been a large part of Salvadorian history.

Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, and a strong advocate for social justice, was assassinated in 1980.

Economic reforms since the early 1990s have improved social conditions, and exports have diversified from the coffee monoculture. Crime continues to be a major problem.

1879 Scott 17 20c violet "Coat of Arms"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for El Salvador 1867-1940, 1166 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 671 are CV <$1-$1+, or 57.4%. The low CV price for Salvador stamps is helped by the numerous 1890-1899 Seebeck issues: many, of which, remain at minimum or close to minimum catalogue value. This doesn't explain entirely the low CV for stamps outside the Seebeck era, though. I suspect supply/demand is working here- mainly through very low demand. (The reality is "supply" for many modestly valued Salvador stamps isn't great either.) For WW classical collectors, this affords an opportunity to get them before they are "discovered". ;-)

The truth is the Seebeck debacle hangs over much of Central America philately even today.

But low prices don't hold entirely. Some of the overprinted stamps (especially hand stamped overprinted) are expensive by WW collector standards.

Now, by any measure, there were a lot of stamps produced for Salvador during the classical 1867-1940 era. I have a quite large accumulation of stamps, so how do I present the philatelic history?

First, I've decided to pretty much ignore the Seebeck era for Salvador. Yes, there are plenty of stamps, but they are "a dime a dozen", and they really don't interest me. (I've given a bit of history about Nicholas Seebeck in other blog posts- see Honduras and  Nicaragua.)

Rather, I leafed through the Deep Blue (Steiner) album, and picked out stamps that appear to have a story to tell. Hope you enjoy it!

A closer look at the stamps and issues
8 Reales = 100 Centavos = 1 Peso
100 Centavos = 1 Colon

1894 Scott 102 5p carmine lake 

"Columbus Protecting Indian Hostages"

Columbus's report to the Court of Madrid included this comment about "The Indians"....

"The Indians are so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone...." 

He, in fact, did bring back to Spain 500 Arawaks, 200 of which died during the voyage back. They were sold as slaves.

For an interesting take on "Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress", read on-line "History is a Weapon- A People's History of the United States", by Howard Zinn.

1895 Scott 109 10c orange & brown overprint "Coat of Arms" 

Without Overprint: 1895 Type "Scott 109" 10c orange "Gen. Antonio Ezeta"

Before General Antonio Ezeta's portrait on a stamp issue could be published in 1895 (His brother was the president, Carlos Ezeta), the regime was overthrown. Hence the twelve stamp issue was released with the General's face obliterated by the National Coat of Arms. The 3c, 10c, and 30c can be found without the overprint.

1895 Scott 120 5c blue "Coat of Arms"- on thinner paper

1895 Scott 120 5c blue reprint - on thicker paper

Seebeck Era

Reprints abound during the 1890-1899 Seebeck era. The reprints for this 1895 12 stamp issue are on thicker paper, and many of the shades were different. CV of reprints is 25c each, while the originals have a CV <$1-$10. Unused CV for originals is as high as $30. My advice for nonspecialized WW classical collectors is to not pay much for the Seebeck era. Reprints are fine. ;-) Even if you have originals, dealers (most of which do not have the specialized knowledge needed for the Seebeck era- and the Seebeck era is a "can of worms" anyway-) will only give you the "reprint" CV price.

1897 Scott 175 1c blue, gold, rose, & green -Original

1897 "Scott 175" - Reprint

Coat of Arms of "Republic of Central America"

Here is the Coat of Arms for the short lived "Republic of Central America" that also encompassed Honduras and Nicaragua.

The reprint (which is found commonly in collections) has the mountains only outlined in red, while the original has the mountains outlined in red and blue. ( Click on and enlarge image if necessary.)

1906 Scott 336 1c green & black "Pres. Pedro Jose Escalon", Perf 11 1/2

1906 "Scott 336" - Reprint-, Perf 11.8

The 1906 twelve stamp issue with the portrait of President Escalon is also commonly found in collections harboring reprints. The originals are on thicker paper, the portrait is blacker, and the perforations are 11 1/2.  The reprints are on less thick whiter paper, the vignette tends to be gray, and the perforations are 11.8.

Pedro Jose Escalon, serving as president from 1903-07, was the first peaceful presidential succession for many years, and it marked the beginning of a an era of political stability until 1931.

1912 Scott 402 1c deep blue & black

 "Jose Matias Delgado"

Jose Matias Delgado y Leon was a priest known as "The Father of the Salvadorian Fatherland". He was a leader of the independence movement from the Spanish Empire in 1821. I find it interesting that the Church and State often have a close relationship in Latin America, but the clergy have also served as a rallying force at times for social justice and change.

1921 Scott O345 6c carmine rose, Overprinted

"Delgado Addressing Crowd'

Delgado was learned (He had earned a doctorate in law and theology at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala), and also deeply involved in pastoral work. He was among the first to issue a Cry for Independence in Central America on November 5, 1811 in San Salvador, having rung the bells of the Church of La Merced in support of liberty.

"Primer Grito de Independencia"

The first printing press in El Salvador and the first newspaper published in 1824 were results of his efforts. He passed away in 1832, and the National Assembly declared him Benemerito de la Patria.

1917 Scott 449 50c violet "National Palace"

Regular issue of 1915 Overprinted "Oficial"

And Re-Overprinted in Red

Latin America in general, and Salvador in particular means lots of overprint issues.

Lets count the ways here....
* In 1908 "National Palace" Official stamps were issued.
* In 1915, a type (with colored dots on the paper) of 1908 Official stamps were issued with two overprints: "1915", and "Oficial".
* In 1917, a regular issue was produced by blocking out (in red) the "oficial" overprint, and adding a "corriente" overprint in red.

This is certainly one of the fascinating aspects of Latin American philately.

1923 Scott 486 5c blue

"Jose Simeon Canas y Villacorta"

This stamp was issued for the Centenary of the Abolition of Slavery, and that piqued my interest.

Jose Simeon Canas y Villacorta was born in Zacatecoluca, El Salvador.

He was educated, though, in Guatemala, as was typical for those from the wealthy class.

He became a priest, as well as having a doctorate in theology. He became Rector of the Royal and Pontifical University of San Carlos in Guatemala. On December 21, 1823, he was instrumental in having  the National Constituent Assembly of the United Provinces of Central America abolish slavery.

He eventually gave away the wealth inherited from his parents to the needy.

1924 Scott 497 3c chocolate "Atlacatl"

Atlacatl , captured and executed in 1528, was the last legendary ruler of the Pipils in Cuzcatlan in present day El Salvador during the time of the Spanish conquest. (Another legend has him jumping into a volcano to remain unconquered.) The Pipils themselves had arrived and conquered the native city states circa 900.

Pedro de Alvarado, sent by Herman Cortez to conquer the native city states south of the Aztec Empire, had a few hundred soldiers under his command. After several fierce battles, he arrived in Cuzcatlan on June 17, 1524. As the Salvadorian folklore goes, Atlacatl, leader of the Cuzcatlan, put up a brave defense, but eventually succumbed. (In actuality, there is debate among historians about Atlactl's exploits, and even his very existence.)

San Salvador became the Spanish base in 1526, where Spanish forces continued to fight the remnant Pipil warriors.

1924 Scott 498 5c olive black

"Conspiracy of 1811"

The "Conspiracy of 1811", of course, had to do with the fledgling independence movement from the Spanish Empire. If one looks carefully, one will see the figure of Jose Matias Delgado. The success of the American and French revolutions, and the reduction in might of the Spanish Crown because of the Napoleonic Wars, all were contributing factors in the push for independence. And the local elite ruling class wished to conduct the country's affairs without Spanish interference.

1929 Scott C4 25c on 35c scarlet & green

"Senorita Tulla Sera"

I love the portrait of "Tulla Sera". Who was she? And she is still a mystery after an internet search.  Readers?

1934-35 Scott 535 2c brown Type I

 Scott 535a 2c gray brown Type II

"Police Barracks"

The 1934-35 2c "Police Barracks" stamp is found with two types. In Type I, the clouds have shading lines; in Type II, there are no cloud shading lines. (Obviously, the "2" numerals differ also. )

1935 Scott 559 1c deep violet "Volcano of Izalco"

When I visited Guatemala in 2012, Volcano Fuego was erupting. Volcanoes and their activity is a way of life in Central America. Six of the twenty-two volcanoes in Salvador are considered active, including Izalco. It erupted almost continuously between 1770 and 1958. In fact, it is known as the "Lighthouse of the Pacific" ("El Faro del Pacifico").

1938 Scott 570 8c on 15c dark olive bistre

Stamps of 1935 charged with new Value in Black

"Coffee at Pier"

Coffee exports have been the economic lifeblood of Salvador during the classical stamp historical era. Here, this stamp brags that Salvadorian coffee is "universally consumed".

1939 Scott 581 50c dull black

"Maquilishuat in Bloom"

This engraved stamp by the American Bank Note Company in slate is stunning in its beauty. It depicts the Maquilishuat tree, a pink flowered balsa, and the national tree of El Salvador.

1931 Scott C19 1col green & violet 

Derived from a 1925 Scott 504, Overprinted in Red

I'm a sucker for plane image overprints. This stamp was overprinted issued on June 28, 1931. 

1939 Scott C68 40c dark blue & black

"Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay"

Wright Bank Note Co., Philadelphia

Besides the fact I cross the Golden Gate Bridge several times a year to visit my daughter who lives in San Francisco, what attracted me to this stamp was that it was printed by "Wright Bank Note Co., Philadelphia". Most of the images on the internet for the Wright Co. show paper money or stock certificates. There are stamps from Indonesia and Nicaragua shown also. The firm was absorbed by the Security Bank Note Company of Philadelphia in 1951.

1914 Scott O316 10c red 

Background in Green, Shield and "Provisional" in Black

Finally, this 1914 Official stamp that appears primitive in design, yet is full of markings. What's not to like? ;-)

Deep Blue

1910 & 1911 Official Issues in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 87 pages for the 1876-1940 stamps of Salvador. All the major Scott numbers have a space. And, you know what? The pages essentially only cost me the price of paper and ink... ( and a modest subscription.) We need to thank Bill Steiner for his contribution to WW stamp collecting!

1889 Scott 29 1c green, black handstamp

On 1889 Scott 23, which has heavy bar overprint

"Allegorical Figure of El Salvador"

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, has 18 pages for the stamps of Salvador, and there are 582 spaces. The only countries with more spaces in BB are Germany (762), Austria (755), France (752), U.S.* (644), Hungary (620), Russia (617), and Italy (617). (*U.S.- the number is actually higher, but I don't collect cut squares.)

The Seebeck era is well represented, as many of them are at, or close to, minimum CV.

There are 10 stamps with CV $10+-$30+, and one stamp, forced by a blank space choice, @ $125!

But that is just half of the story (and there may be a workaround for the $125 stamp).

1900 Scott O231 26c yellow brown

Type of Regular Issue of 1900; Overprinted Type a in Black

The 1899 "Ceres" (Actually 1900) six spaces Official stamps is a mess! The cut shows an 1899 "estado" inscribed stamp (A61), but there are no stamps in the catalogue that match the descriptions. Rather, the 1900 "Ceres""republica" (A63) Scott 223-226 + two blank spaces match (See above). The problem is these stamps are currently CV $10+-$30+! I notice in the 1947 catalogue that they were considerably cheaper (15c-30c), so that might explain why they were included.

Then there is the Registration stamp 1897 Scott (F1) 10c dark blue- wmked 117 ( $125!)- forced by a blank space.. But there is a workaround.  Get originals for F3 and F4, and then an original F2 and/or thick unwatermarked reprints to put in the two blank spaces!

Finally, there are 1890-1899 Seebeck "expensive stamps" for originals during this era. But I have not listed them under the "expensive stamps" of the comments section. That is because a thick reprint may be put in for minimum catalogue value! 

1900 Scott 259 13c yellow brown

Inscribed "Republica de El Salvador"

Handstamped in violet or black

Also, BB has a wrong cut for the 1900 seven space regular issue. Scott 1900 "Ceres""Republica" inscribed 253-259 should be put in there. BB shows the earlier 1899 "Estado" inscription stamp as the illustrated cut. The "Republica' inscribed stamps were not regularly issued without the shield handstamp. Make sure one has the correct handstamp for these spaces (See Scott), as there are other handstamp issues.

Checklist

1867

1,2,3,4,

1879

13,14,

1887

18,19,

1879

15,16,

1888-89

20,21,22,23,24, 25c* or 25,

1890 (Beginning of Seebeck era)

38,39,40,41,42,43,

44,45,46,

Next Page

1891

47,48,49,50,51,52,53,

54,55,56,57,58,

1892

60,61,62,63,64,65,66,

67,68,69,70,72,73,74,

1893

76,77,78,79,80,81,82,

83,84,85,86,87,88,

Next Page

1893

89,

1894

91,92,93,94,95,

96,97,98,99,100,104,

101,102,103,

1895

105,106,107,108,109,110,111,

112,113,114,115,116,

117,118,119,120,121,122,123,

124,125,126,129,130,131,132,

Next Page

1896*

134,135,136,137,138,139,140,

141,142,143,144,145,

146 or 157B,147 or 157C,148 or 157D,149 or 157E,150 or 157F,151 or 157G,152 or 157I,

1896*

153 or 157J,154 or 157K,155 or 157M,156 or 157N,157 or 157O,

1897*

159 or 170A,160 or 170B,

1897

161 or 170C,162 or 170D,163 or 170E,164 or 170F,166 or 170H,167 or 170I,168 or 170J,

1897

175*,176*

,177,178,179,180,181,

1898

182,183,184,185,186,187,188,

Next Page

1899

199,200,201,202,203,204,205,

206,207,208,209,

1900

224,

1899

211 or 213,214,215,212 or 216,212A or 217,218,

242,244,245,246,247,252,

1900

253*,254,255,256,257,258,(259),

283,284,285,286,287,288,289,

Next Page

1903

290,291,292,293,

1905-06

306,(307),313,

1905-06

314,321,324,325,

1906

336,337,338,

339,340,341,342,343,344,345,346,

1907

349,350,351,352,352D,353,

355,356,357,358,359,360,361,

1907

362,363,364,365,366,

1908

367,

Next Page

1910

378,379,380,381,382,383,

384,385,386,387,388,389,390,

1911

391 or 394,392 or 395,393 or 396,397,399,(400),

1912

402,403,404,405,406,407,408,

1912

409,410,411,

1914

412,413,

1915

414,415,416,417,418,419,

Next Page

1916

431,432,433,434,435,(436),

1920

468,469,(470),(471),

1921

474,475,

1921

476,477,478,479,480,481,

1923-24

486,

1924

487,488,(489),491,493,

1924

492,

1924-25

495,496,497,501,502,

1924-25

498,499,500,503,

1928

511,

Next Page

1929

512,513,514,515,

1932

520,521,522,526,527,

1932

523,524,525,

1934

530,531,

1934

532,533,534,535*,536,537,

1935

538,(539),(540),543,

544,545,546,547,

Next Page

1935-40

548,549,550,551,552,553,

554,555,556,557,558,

559,560,562,563,565,

561,564,572,566,567,

574,575,586,576,577,

578,579,580,581,

Next Page

Postage Due

1895

J1,J2,J3,J4,J5,J6,J7,J8,

1896*

J9 or J17,J10 or J18,J11 or J19,J12 or J20,J13 or J21,J14 or J22,J15 or J23,J16 or J24,

1897

J25,J26,J27,J28,J29,J30,J31,J32,

1898

J33,J34,J35,J36,J38,J39,

1899*

J41 or J49,J42 or J50,J43 or J51,J44 or J52,J45 or J53,J46 or J54,J47 or J55,J48 or J56,

1903

J65,J66,J67,J68,J69,J70,

1910

J81,J82,J83,J84,J85,J86,J87,

Next Page

Air Post

1930

C11,C12,C13,C14,

1932

C24,C25,C26,C27,

1933

C28,C29,C30,C31,C32,

1934

C33,C34,C35,

1935

C36,

1935

C41,C42,C43,(C45),

Next Page

(Air Post)

1935

C46,C47,C48,C49,C50,C51,

1937

C54,C55,C56,C57,

1938

C61,C62,C63,C64,

1939

C66,C67,C68,

1940

C73,C74,C75,C76,C77,

Next Page

(Air Post)

1940

C69,C70,

C71,C72,

Next Page

Parcel Post

1895

Q1,Q2,Q3,

Q4,Q5,

Registration Stamps

F3,F4,(F1*),(F2),

Acknowledgement of Receipt Stamps

H1,(H2),

Next Page

Official Stamps

1896

O1,O2,O4,O5,O6,O7,O9,

1896*

O13 or O25,O14 or O26,O15 or O27,O16 or O28,O17 or O29,O18 or O30,O19 or O31,

O20 or O32,O21 or O33,O22 or O34,O23 or O35,O24 or O36,

1897*

O79 or O91,O80 or O92,O81 or O93,

1897*

O127 or O128,

1898

O129,O130,O132,

1898

O133,O135,O136,O137,O138,O139,O140,

1899

O149,O150,O151 or O158,O152,O153,O159,

O153,O160,O155,O156,O157,

Next Page

1899 (actually 1900)*

O223,O224,O225,O226,(O230),(O231),

1903

O243,O244,O246,(O247),(O248),(O250),

1906

O263,O264,O265,O266,O267,O268,

1908

O273,O274,O275,O276,O277,O278,

1910

O293,O294,O295,O296,O297,O298,O299,

O300,O301,O302,O303,O304,

Next Page

(Official Stamps)

1911

O305,O306,O307,O308,O309,O310,O311,

1914

O313,O314,O315,O316,O317,O318,

1914

O321,O322,

1915

O323,O324,O325,

1916

O332,O333,O334,O335,O336,(O338),

1921

O342,O343,O344,O345,

1927-32

O352,O353,O354,O355,O356,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):

1867 Scott 4 4r bistre ($10)

1890-1899 Seebeck era- there are "expensive stamps" for originals during this era. But a thick reprint may be put in for minimum catalogue value. 

1935 Scott (C45) 1col black ($10+)

1940 Scott C70 80c orange red & black ($10+)

*1897 Scott (F1) 10c dark blue- wmked 117 ( $125!)- there is a workaround- Get originals for F3 and F4, and then an original F2 and/or thick unwmd reprints to put in the two blank spaces!

1900 Scott O223 1c light green ($20+)- See H) for discussion of Scott O223- O231

1900 Scott O224 2c rose ($20+)

1900 Scott O225 3c gray black ($10+)

1900 Scott O226 5c blue ($10+)

1900 Scott (O230) 24c gray black ($30+)

1900 Scott (O231) 26c yellow brown ($30)

B) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

C) *25c or 25- BB illustrates Scott 25c Type I surcharge, But, since it is a minor number, Scott 25 may also be put in.

D) *1896, *1897 regular issues; *1896,*1899 postage due; *1896, *1897 Officials: - Watermarked (Wmk 117 "Liberty Cap") vs unwatermarked.

E) *175,*176- be aware of reprints ( See images in "A closer look at the stamps and issues").

F) *253- wrong cut in BB- shows the earlier 1899 "Estado" inscription. Should have the 1900 "Republica" inscription. In addition, the "Republica' inscribed stamps were not regularly issued without the shield handstamp. Also, make sure one has the correct handstamp for these spaces (See Scott), as there are other handstamp issues that should not be put in here.

G) *535- either Type I or II (535a).

H) *1899 (Actually 1900)- six spaces-- a mess! Shows an 1899 "Ceres""estado" inscribed cut (A61), but there are no stamps in the catalogue that match the descriptions. Rather, the 1900 "Ceres""republica" (A63) Scott 223-226 + two blank spaces match. The problem is these stamps are currently CV $10+-$30+! I notice in the 1947 catalogue that they were considerably cheaper (15c-30c), so that might explain why they were included.

1903 Scott J68 5c dark blue "Morazan Monument"

Out of the Blue

Central American stamps do not have much objective demand from collectors. And, that is where the opportunity lies. ;-)

Note: Map and pic of coffee beans appear to be in the public domain.

Have a comment?

Coffee Beans

Most Expensive Stamps Lebanon to Quelimane

April 3, 2015, 5:57 pm

≫ Next: The Big Blue Checklist is Three Quarters Completed!

≪ Previous: El Salvador

$

0

0

1860 Scott 10 12 1/2c blue

"Steam and Sailing Ship"

Big Blue Picture
Another milestone- the end of the Part IB1 "Lebanon-Quelimane" checklist segment for Big Blue, and it is time to summarize the "Most expensive stamps" that cross the $35 threshold in the album.

Some overall perspective- 

Consider there are ~ 7937 spaces in the `69 BB (and later editions) for Part IB1- “Lebanon-Quelimane”.  How many are “Expensive” (CV $10-$34+) or “Most Expensive” (CV >$35)?

“Expensive”: 357 spaces ( 4.5%)

“Most Expensive”: 80 spaces ( 1%)

The corollary is that 94.5% of the stamp spaces in BB for this section are CV <$1- <$10. That should be quite encouraging for WW classical collectors if one’s goal is to fill the album for a not large expense.

Ten most expensive stamps Lebanon - Quelimane

1)      Nepal 1881 Scott 5 2a purple Imperf ($150)

2)      Mauritius 1891 Scott 85 2c on 17c rose ($125!)

3)      Libya 1929 Scott B22 5 l + 1 l purple & black ($125) !

4)      Libya 1934-35 Scott C18 25 l + 3 l orange brown ($125)

5)      Newfoundland 1857 Scott 1 1p brown violet ($120)

6)      Libya 1932 Scott B47 10 l + 2 l brown violet ($105) !

7)      Libya 1932 Scott C7 5 l + 2 l carmine ($105)

8)      Libya 1934-35 Scott C16 5 l + 1 l deep green ($105)

9)      Libya 1934-35 Scott C17 10 l + 2 l dull violet ($105)

10)   Malaya Trengganu 1937 Scott J4 10c light brown ($92+) !

     

Comments-

·          The 1881 Nepel Scott 5 2a purple (Imperf) @ $125 is the most expensive stamp for the Lebanon-Quelimane section. But If one elects to ignore BB's color specification, then Scott 8 violet ($10) & 14 gray violet ($10) & 19 gray violet ($12) are available. If one further ignores date criteria, then four more stamps (1917 Scott 15,16,20,21) are available for $10 or less.

·          Big Blue, as I mentioned before, gives more than generous coverage to Italian colonies, including quite expensive stamps. And Libya has 6 stamps on the top ten list here! Wow!

 Countries that placed NO stamps on the "Most Expensive" list, AND also had no stamps valued between $10-$34+:

Leeward islands

Lourenco Marques

Malta

Mayotte

Memel

Mesopotamia

Moheli

Montenegro

Mozambique

Mozambique Co.

New Hebrides

Niger Coast Protectorate

Nigeria

Northern Nigeria

Nossi Be

Nyassa

Panama

Ponta Delgada

Port. Africa

Port. Congo

Quelimane 

Countries that have stamps valued at $10-$34+, but no stamps placed on the "Most Expensive" list:

Lebanon (1)

Liberia (1)

Liechtenstein (20)

Lithuania (2)

Macao (4)

Madagascar (1)

Madeira (2)

Maldives Is (2)

Mariana islands (3)

Marienwerder (2)

Marshall Islands (1)

Martinique (2)

Mauritania (1)

Middle Congo (2)

Mongolia (5)

Montserrat (1)

Nauru (2)

Netherlands Antilles (2)

Nevis (2)

New Caledonia (2)

New Guinea (6)

Niger (1)

Niue (1)

North Borneo (2)

North Ingermanland (1)

North West Pacific Islands (5)

Northern Rhodesia (2)

Nova Scotia (5)

Nyasaland Protectorate (1)

Obock (3)

Orange R. Colony (1)

Palestine (3)

Papua (5)

Paraguay (5) 

Penrhyn Island (4)

Port. India (1)

Prince Edward Is (3)

Prussia (2)

Queensland (3)

Recall, any stamp valued  >$10 is listed in the individual country posts.

Note that Paraguay, with 357 spaces, only has 5 spaces on the list.

Prussia actually has a $250 stamp space, except the Scott 14a 1865 3p "red violet" color, specified by BB, is now a minor number! We have a general understanding for the checklist that, if BB asks for a minor number in a space, the major number is also permitted: which here is the Scott 14 3pf red lilac ($20+).

Countries with >$35 valuation spaces in BB
(spaces with >$35; spaces with $10-$34+)

Libya (11,32) ($125)

Luxembourg (1,15) ($35)

Malaya (9,12) ($92)

Manchukuo (1,3) ($50+)

Mauritius (1,3) ($125)

Mexico (1,12) ($50)

Monaco (5,14) ($40)

Natal (2,0) ($35)

Nepal (1,1) ($150)

Netherlands (1,21) ($77+)

New Brunswick (4,2) ($77+)

Newfoundland (10,29) ($120)

New South Wales (3,15) ($50)

New Zealand (4,26) ($70)

Nicaragua (1,2) (~$50) 

Norway (6,27) ($85)

Nova Scotia (1,4) ($37+)

Oltre Giuba (3,0) ($80)

Peru (1,0) 314 spaces ($37+)

Philippine Is (3,7) ($40)

Poland (8,3) ($70)

Portugal (3,20) ($52.50)

Puerto Rico (1,1) ($60)

Note the listing here gives the number of "Most Expensive" stamps (>$35), then the number of expensive stamps ($10-$34+) for each country respectively. The highest price stamp space for the country is also listed.

Comments-

·         Libya leads the way with 11 stamps >$35, and 32 more stamps @ $10-$34+. !!!

·         Newfoundland (not surprising, considering the popularity) has 10 “Most Expensive”stamps, with 29 more @ $10-$34+.

·         Perhaps surprising, Mexico only has one stamps valued @ >$35.

·         Luxembourg and the Netherlands likewise have only one stamp @ >$35.

·         Want to fill a lot of spaces inexpensively? Consider Peru with 314 spaces with only one stamp >$35, or Nicaragua with 569 spaces, and just one stamp that is “Most Expensive”. !!

The "Most Expensive (>$35) List

This time, the list is ordered alphabetically by country . For each country, a stamp scan heads the grouping. The stamp scan for a country might be from the "Most Expensive" list, or the "Expensive" list. If I have none of the above, I will simply choose a stamp from my collection. ;-)

Note the listing here gives the number of "Most Expensive" stamps (>$35), then the number of expensive stamps ($10-$34+) for each country respectively. The highest price stamp space for the country is also listed.

1912-22 Scott 3 5c green "Victor Emmanuel III"

Stamps of Italy, Overprinted in black

Libya (11,32) ($125)

1934 Scott 64G 1.25 l blue ($50)

1929 Scott B22 5 l + 1 l purple & black ($125) !

1931 Scott B37 10 l + 2 l brown ($42+)

1932 Scott B47 10 l + 2 l brown violet ($105) !

1933 Scott B52 1.25 l dark blue ($40)

1933 Scott B54 10 l + 2.50 l carmine ($80)

1933 Scott B53 5 l + 1 l olive brown ($80)

1932 Scott C7 5 l + 2 l carmine ($105)

1934-35 Scott C16 5 l + 1 l deep green ($105)

1934-35 Scott C17 10 l + 2 l dull violet ($105)

1934-35 Scott C18 25 l + 3 l orange brown ($125)

1891-93 Scott 63 25c blue 

"Grand Duke Adolphe"

Luxembourg (1,15) ($35)

1875-79 Scott 30 2c black ($35)

1922-32 Scott 73a $1 green & blue green 

"Elephants And Howdah"

Federated Malay States

Malaya (9,12) ($92)

Federated Malay States 1900 Scott 2 2c lilac & brown ($35 mint)

Johore 1938 Scott J2 4c green ($40)

Johore 1938 Scott J3 8c dull yellow ($42+)

Johore 1938 Scott J4 10c bister brown ($42+)

Johore 1938 Scott J5 12c rose violet ($62+)

Kelantan 1911-15 Scott (9) $1 green & emerald ($55)

Selangor 1895-99 Scott (33) 25c green & carmine rose ($60)

Trengganu 1937 Scott J3 8c lemon ($47+)

Trengganu 1937 Scott J4 10c light brown ($92+) !

1933 Scott 21 4f light red

"Flags, Map and Wreath"

Manchukuo (1,3) ($50+)

1933 Scott 22 10f deep blue ($50+)

1863 Scott 33 2p blue "Victoria"

Overprinted "cancelled", sold as remainders

Mauritius (1,3) ($125)

1891 Scott 85 2c on 17c rose ($125!)

1856 Scott 2 1r yellow

"Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla"

Mexico (1,12) ($50)

1872 Scott 98 100c gray lilac ($50)

1885 Scott 3 5c blue "Prince Charles III"

Monaco (5,14) ($40)

1885 (Scott 3) 5c blue ($35)

1919 (Scott B5) 50c + 50c brown/buff ($39)

1920 (Scott B11*) 2c + 3c on B6 ($40)

1920 Scott B9 2c + 3c on B4 ($40)

1920 (Scott B10) 2c on 3c  on B5 ($40)

1864 Scott 16 6p violet "Victoria"

Wmk 1

Natal (2,0) ($35)

1863 Scott 10 1p red ($35)

1864 (Scott 16 6p violet ($35)

1886 Scott 9 4a green

"Sripech and Crossed Khukris"

Nepal (1,1) ($150)

1881 Scott 5 2a purple Imperf ($150)

1852 Scott 1 5c blue "King William III"

Wmk 158 - "Posthorn", Imperforate

Netherlands (1,21) ($77+)

1891 Scott 50 1g gray violet ($77+)

860 Scott 11 17c black

"Edward VII as Prince of Wales"

New Brunswick (4,2) ($77+)

1860 Scott 6 1c red liac ($37+)

1860 Scott 9 10c vermilion ($47+)

1860 Scott 10 12 1/2c blue ($77+)

1860 Scott 11 17c black ($47+)

1861 Scott 19 5p reddish brown

"Crown of Great Britain and Heraldic Flowers of the United Kingdom"

Newfoundland (10,29) ($120)

1857 Scott 1 1p brown violet ($120)

1861 Scott 19 5p reddish brown ($62+)

1860 Scott 11A 3p green ($77+)

1861 Scott 18 4p rose ($35)

1861 Scott 23 1sh rose ($37+)

1873 Scott 34 3c blue ($75)

1879 Scott 38 2c green ($52+)

1887 Scott 59 10c black ($67+)

1894 Scott 29 12c brown/white ($45)

1931 Scott C8 $1 blue ($55)

1882-91 Scott 66 6p lilac

New South Wales (3,15) ($50)

1854 Scott 23 1p orange ($50)

1903 Scott 107 2sh6p blue green ($37+)

1891 Scott J7 8p green ($37+)

1864 Scott 32 2p blue "Victoria"

Perf 12 1/2, Wmk 6 "Large Star"

New Zealand (4,26) ($70)

1874 Scott 53 3p brown ($70)

1882 Scott 66 8p blue ($60)

1902 Scott 119 2sh blue green ($50)

1926 Scott 182 2sh blue ($35)

1894 Scott "65B" 25c yellow green (Type A9)

Nicaragua (1,2) (~$50) 

1894 Scott "65B" 25c yellow green (Type A9) (~ $50)

1856 Scott 5 8s dull lake "King Oscar I"

Norway (6,27) ($85)

1856 Scott 5 8s dull lake ($55)

1868 Scott 11 1s black ($65)

1867 (Scott 15) 8s carmine rose ($60)

1873 (Scott 21) 7s red brown ($50)

1877 Scott 23 3o orange ($35)

1930 Scott B3 30o + 25o ultramarine ($85)

1925 Scott 6 20c brown orange, Overprinted

"Victor Emmanuel III"

Oltre Giuba (3,0) ($80)

1925 Scott 18 75c dark red & rose ($40)

1925 Scott 19 1.25 l blue & ultramarine ($57+)

1925 Scott 20 2.50 l dark green & orange ($80)

1871 Scott 19 5c scarlet 

"Locomotive and Arms"

Peru (1,0) 314 spaces ($37+)

1863 (Scott 13) 1p brown ($37+)

1863 Scott 14 5c vermilion "Queen Isabella II"

Colon after CORREOS

Philippine Is (3,7) ($40)

1890 Scott 173 20c salmon ($40)

1899 Scott 219 50c orange ($37+)

1903 Scott 236 50c orange ($35)

1919 Scott 78 10pf on 7 1/2pf, Green Surcharge

Poland (8,3) ($70)

1919 Scott 2K1....(2K7) - seven stamps, each ( $70) !

1921 Scott B14 20m + 30m gray green ($37+)

1879 Scott 43 50r blue "King Luiz"

Perf 12 1/2; plain paper

Portugal (3,20) ($52.50)

1870 Scott 42 50r pale green ($40)

1925 Scott 372 3e lake/blue ($40)

1931 Scott 539 4.50e chocolate & light green ($52.50)

899 Scott 211 2c reddish carmine Type IV

United States Scott 279Bf overprinted at 36 degree angle

Puerto Rico (1,1) ($60)

1899 Scott J3 10c deep claret ($60)

End of "List".

Appendix

1) “The Rules”

A) The Country has to be on the roster of the "69" or "97 Big Blue. Those countries that are found in the '47/'41 editions, but not in the '69/'97 editions are not included on the list.

B) The stamp will need to be actually the least expensive choice that works for the space provided by Big Blue. Yes there are quite expensive stamps that can be put in Big Blue, but if a cheaper stamp definitely works within the "intentions" of the space, the more expensive stamp doesn't count.

C) In some case a "most expensive stamp" choice is forced by a blank space. The "least expensive" one is chosen that fits the criteria of the space.

2) Previous “Most Expensive” lists….

Haiti to Latvia

http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2013/06/most-expensive-stamps-haiti-to-latvia.html

Falkland Islands to Guinea

http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2012/08/most-expensive-stamps-falkland-islands.html

Aden to Ethiopia

http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2011/11/most-expensive-stamps-part-ia1-aden.html

Canada

http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2011/08/most-expensive-stamps-in-big-blue-aden.html

3) Countries found in the 40s BB editions, but dropped in later editions. 

The “Most Expensive” stamps for these countries are not included in the formal list, but are noted here for interest.

(Lubeck) (0,5)

(Meckln. Schwerin) (2,0) ($45)

1856 Scott 2 3s yellow ($45)

1864 Scott 5 Four 1/4s red ($42+)

 (Meckln. Strelitz) (2,1) ($125)

1864 Scott 4 1 sg rose ($125)

1864 Scott 5 2sg ultramarine ($35)

(Modena) (1,3) ($80)

1852 Scott PR2 9c black/violet (Type II) ($80)

(Oldenburg) (0,1)

(Parma) (0,2)

4) Countries not covered here

Pakistan (In Part II BB)

Persia (Covered under “Iran”)

Portuguese Guinea (Covered under “Guinea”)

1887 Scott 59 10c black "Schooner"

Out of the Blue
I'm a bit conflicted about expensive stamps. Of course, I like to have them, but this is a hobby for me, not part of a wealth portfolio.

I know from viewing tens of thousands of classical era stamps, that there is no relationship between value and a stamp's intrinsic beauty.

Readers- what do you think?

Comments always appreciated!

The Big Blue Checklist is Three Quarters Completed!

April 7, 2015, 7:37 am

≫ Next: Is the Minkus Supreme the "Goldilocks" Album for WW Classical Collectors?

≪ Previous: Most Expensive Stamps Lebanon to Quelimane

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Mascot stamp: Austria Offices in the Turkish Empire

1908 Scott 49 1 Piaster deep blue/blue "Franz Josef I"

The Big Blue Picture

On February 12, 2011, "Aden", the first country blog post and checklist, was published. Now, four years and 300 country posts and checklists later, another Big Blue milestone has been reached: the checklist is three- quarters completed. 

Part IA1 Aden to Ethiopia Checklist

Part IA2 Falkland Islands to Latvia Checklist

Part IB1 Lebanon to Quelimane Checklist

Next week, the Part IB2 Reunion to Zululand Checklist, the final one, will become a work in progress with the publication of the Reunion blog post.

This might be a good time to download a copy of the checklist(s) for your personal use.

Comments....

* The general checklist is stripped of all comments and valuations. Comments and observations regarding the checklist are found in the "Big Blue" section of each country post. And all valuations $10 or greater are noted.

* Recall the checklist almost always follows the actual '69 edition BB exactly. So some Scott numbers do not appear sequential, if in fact that is how the spaces are presented on the page. The advantage is the album page and the checklist should have a 1:1 correlation- very easy to check what you have or don't have.

*  The later BB editions also follow the checklist without problems, except the edition may start a new page for a category. The '41/'43/'47 editions follow about 90% of the time - But the first page and the end of category sections may be different.

*  This is not a spreadsheet,  but a checklist with spatial clues. ;-)

* For further information on the checklists see:

The Big Blue Checklist is back!

Big Blue Checklist- How it is Done

More observations....

* I'm more convinced than ever that continuing with the BB checklist, even after I decided to use the Steiner (Deep Blue) for my collection, was a good idea. It gives me a tangible and reachable goal for a country, and I feel better about leaving expensive spaces empty in Steiner. 

* How long will it take to complete the checklist? I estimate 100 blog posts, and about two years. Truth be told, although we as stamp collectors think most about the end result, the real fun is in the journey.

* This blog receives a lot of "hit" traffic ~ 23,000/month; 700-1000+/day. I'm gratified that this can't help but promote classical era collecting.

*  And it very much feels like a community with the comments engendered.  Thanks to the blog and website authors listed along the left column, - I learn a lot from them. And thanks specifically to Bob of "Filling Spaces" blog fame, who gave me the Big Blue checklist idea,.... and I ran with it. ;-)

Jim

Is the Minkus Supreme the "Goldilocks" Album for WW Classical Collectors?

April 10, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Reunion

≪ Previous: The Big Blue Checklist is Three Quarters Completed!

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Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Into the Supremes

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks.  She went for a walk in the forest.  Pretty soon, she came upon a house.  She knocked and, when no one answered, she walked right in.

At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge.  Goldilocks was hungry.  She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.

"This porridge is too hot!" she exclaimed.

So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.

"This porridge is too cold," she said

So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.

"Ahhh, this porridge is just right," she said happily and she ate it all up."

And to stretch the metaphor, is the Minkus Global Supreme Album the "Goldilocks" solution for world wide classical era collectors.... not too hot, not too cold, but just about right?

In my opinion....

Yes....

....with lots of ifs, ands, or buts, so read on. ;-)

Minkus Logo

Background

The Minkus brand was the brainchild of Jacques Minkus (1901-1966),  an immigrant from Poland (1929), and stamp dealer who established his stamp counter at Gimbells Department store in Manhattan in 1931. Eventually, there were 28 counters within Gimbells stores throughout the United States. (Gimbells closed in 1987, but Macys- its rival on 34th street- is still around.)

Minkus published their own world wide stamp catalog, and country and regional albums.

And, important to WW collectors, they published the Supreme Global Stamp Album in two volumes in 1954 covering the world 1840-1952+ with 76,000 spaces. (Do not confuse the Supreme with the Master Global Album, which offers significantly less earlier coverage of WW issues. OTOH, the supplements for the two albums eventually merged- exactly when, is still unclear to me. See discussion by James in the Comments section for more information.)

The credit for the good attributes of the Supreme has to go to George A. Tlasma, Editor in Chief of the Minkus New World-Wide Postage Stamp Catalog (which rivals the Scott catalogue in depth and quality), and editor of the Minkus Country and Regional albums. His stamp acumen and knowledge is apparent on every page of the Supreme.

But the Minkus brands always played second fiddle to Scott in the United States, and today the Minkus catalog numbers are essentially dead.

And no doubt that was the intent of Amos/Scott in 2004, when they acquired the Minkus/Krause holdings.

Fortunately, Amos saw the wisdom of returning the Supreme to print, or "print on demand".

Supreme Global Pages- 1840-1952

"Goldilocks" Evaluation

The problem we WW collectors have is, how, in a reasonable way, are we to house our collection?

Putting stamps into stockbooks is popular in Europe, and with some U.S. collectors.

But, leaving aside that choice (and it may be the right choice for many!), let's look at the realistic possibilities for WW coverage using manufactured album pages.

(Yes, I know, one can do wonders with digital albums, and there are amazing examples out there, but that is another topic.)

I see these major choices, at least for the Scott-centric stamp world.

Scott Specialty Albums

Many great collections have been housed in the Scott Specialty pages. Not all parts of the world and countries are currently available. Generally, will take a considerable shelf volume, and newly manufactured pages are expensive. If one's aim is to have a WW collection of such scope that it will eventually be handled by one of the major auction firms, then this might be the right choice.

Steiner WW pages   "Too Hot"?

Available for little initial outlay- as one generally prints one's own pages, the Steiner will provide all the major Scott numbers with a space. For 1840-1940 plus British Commonwealth to 1952, 6,500 pages are available. For the world up to the present, some 80,000 pages are available as PDF files. I presently house my own collection in Steiner pages. (The more expensive Palo album pages are, not uncommonly, an enhancement of Steiner pages, with color stamp images in the spaces, and on very nice paper. May be worth it for some collectors.)

But, for many WW collectors, the comprehensive coverage may be too much. Too many empty spaces, unless one already has a substantial collection for a country. I think, unless one's collection for the classical era is already 20,000 stamps or greater, the pages will overwhelm the collection. I have 40,000+ stamps mounted for 83,000+ spaces; yet many pages show a few stamps swimming in a sea of empty spaces. Not a good look. And what about expense? This is a hobby for me, not a wealth portfolio. Then there is the space requirements. Plan on some 8-10 feet for the 44 1 1/2" binders.

Some of the same arguments can be made for the Scott/Vintage 1840-1940  six volume "Big Brown" albums. They also offer a space for every stamp issued. Comprehensive is not necessarily good, unless one already has a lot of stamps, and a healthy budget. In addition, the stamp space identifications are frozen in time to reflect the Scott catalogue of that era. But, because of greater density of stamps per page, space requirements should be less than the Steiner. And, this choice is still quite popular among WW classical era collectors.

Big Blue "Too Cold"?

Do not rule out Big Blue 1840-1940- the sum is greater than the parts! Filling 35,000 spaces is not an easy task, accomplished by few. And there is a checklist available. ;-) 

If one doesn't mind collecting to the album - as there are probably 10,000 more stamps that could have been included- and watermarks and perforation differences are not that important, then Big Blue is the one!

OTOH, if the above restrictions and simplifications annoy you, then look elsewhere.

Minkus Supreme "Just Right"?

And that brings us to the Supreme. 

Well, you might ask, why is the BB blog looking at the Supreme now- doesn't Jim already have 40,000+ stamps mounted in Deep Blue (Steiner)?

Yes, quite true. 

But curiosity got the better of me, and perhaps a whiff of fresh grass from the "grass is always greener elsewhere" tendency that I am sometimes susceptible to, so I ordered a new set of Minkus Supreme 1840-1952 pages from Amos last month.

Before the discussion goes further, I need to acknowledge Bob Skinner of "Filling Spaces" blog fame, who has done some incredible spade work with a number of blog posts about the Supreme. In particular his "Revisiting the Supremes" blog post got my attention. (Also, comments by wgrady and James, who own Supremes, offered valuable insights.) 

Consistently, the larger countries all had 20% or greater coverage than BB's comparable coverage. (True, some smaller countries and colonies had the same coverage, or sometimes even less than BB.)

Could the Supreme indeed be the "Goldilocks" album for WW classical era collectors?

As a bonus, the Supreme covers all countries to 1952 (actually 1953-54 in some cases). Since I recently have become interested in expanding the collection to include WW II and aftermath, that particular feature was attractive. 

The Thick and the Thin of It

I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised, but the entire 1,068 double sided pages (2,136 face pages) fit into eight 1 1/2" binders without difficulty. And since the pages are punched for two posts or three rings, and are not too large, I used the binders I already had. (Note: as the pages are double-sided, one will also need to make room for interleaving.)

O.K., but how to evaluate?

For starters, why not use the very first country page in the Minkus Supreme - which happens to be for the USA? One should be able to learn a lot about the characteristics of album philosophy by looking at how Steiner, BB, and the Supreme handle the USA 1847-1969 issues. (Believe me, it is not to show off the USA collection, which is rather meager. ;-)

So I took my early USA, put them in the respective albums, and scanned the results.

Deep Blue (Steiner)

Steiner USA Page 1

Note how Steiner includes the seven major Scott numbers (types) for the 1851-56 1c blue "Franklin" imperforate, and the four major Scott numbers (types) for the 10c green "Washington" imperforate? That coverage would be perfectly acceptable for a comprehensive or specialized collection of early USA, but for a general WW classical collection by collectors of ordinary means? 

Overkill, in my view..."Too Hot".

(And just to demonstrate the Steiner isn't "perfect", even for a comprehensive collection, note that Scott 11A 3c dull red type II "Washington" isn't given a space. ;-)

Steiner USA Page 2

Page two has seven spaces for 1c blue "Franklin" types, six spaces for 5c brown "Jefferson" types, and five spaces for 10c green "Washington" types. 

Great for USA specialty collectors. ;-)

Steiner USA Page 3

The third Steiner page looks reasonably appropriate for WW classical era collectors, although the 1861 Scott 62B 10c dark green may take awhile to fill @ CV $1,600. ;-)

Steiner USA Page 4

Here Steiner offers a space for the 1867 Scott 85A "Z" grill 1c blue "Franklin" @ $3,000,000. Perfectly appropriate if the collection belongs to Bill Gross. ;-)

Steiner USA Page 5

The coverage of the "F" grills look O.K., but the 1875 "Re-issues of  1861-66" stamp space coverage (CV $Thousands), is probably not for the WW generalist.

Note how lonely the stamps seem to be, swimming in a sea of blank spaces? 

Steiner USA Page 6

The coverage looks generous for the WW classical collector, but possible. Note Steiner here offers relatively few spaces for the page- a general characteristic of Steiner pages. Nothing wrong with that, except it will require more pages, and more volume (bulk) to cover the classical era.

Conclusion

For many WW classical era collectors, and certainly for my USA collection, the Steiner coverage is....

...too hot. 

Now, I know that an early USA collection is particularly difficult, even for USA specialists. But, truth be told, it is not a good look.

Is there a better way to show off the USA collection?

Big Blue (Scott International Part I 1840-1940)

As Big Blue started out as a "Junior" album, the question, compared to the Steiner, is entirely different: will it offer appropriate spaces and enough spaces to satisfy most WW classical collectors for USA coverage?

Let's take a look....

Big Blue Page 1

Doesn't that look better?

It looks like I have an actual early USA stamp collection- but aren't looks deceiving, as we just reviewed how the collection looked in the Steiner? ;-)

Still, I definitely prefer this presentation as a WW generalist.

But let's look at the particulars..

* One could argue that the 1847 10c black @ CV $1000 is overkill for BB, but I have an admiration for this stamp, and would like to think that maybe someday......

* Only three spaces for the 1851-56 imperforates? One could argue it should be more.

* Only three spaces for the 1857-60 perforates? I wouldn't mind more.

USA Scott 71 30c orange "Franklin"

*The 1861-67 line is completely full with stamps in BB.  But clearly, BB doesn't provide enough spaces, as even my meager collection has the 30c orange "Franklin" without a space.

The next line (seven spaces) is for grilled stamps. I think the coverage is actually too generous. And why would BB specify a grilled version of the 1867 Scott 98 15c black "Lincoln" @ $300, rather than the ungrilled 1866 Scott 77 15c black "Lincoln" @ $180? 

*1869- coverage is appropriate, if not generous.

Conclusion

I'm thinking of the rest of the USA pages also (In particular, the poor overall coverage of the Washington/Franklin issues), as well as the above analysis, when I conclude that (for me)  BB's coverage for the USA is....

...a bit too cold.

(May be a moot point for many BB collectors, who also have a USA collection housed in another album.)

Minkus Supreme 1840-1952

What does the Supreme have in store for us?

Supreme Page 1

I like it! But before we consider specifics, lets glean some general impressions.

*Paper is white tint, thick, and has the feel of lighter card stock. Even if stamps are in mounts on both page sides, the paper should be adequate.

* Lots of stamp images. In fact, the Supreme is quite generous with stamp images, which certainly makes it easier to locate the right space.

* Lots of stamp spaces on a page. That is certainly the "secret" to Minkus providing 76,000 spaces for the Supreme in such a comparatively small volume. (The corollary is that there often is not much room to add an extra stamp to a page- so obtaining blank and/or quadrilled pages for additional stamps is a good idea.)

And one of my concerns was if the Supreme has room for mounts (for the more expensive stamps) within the stamp spaces that are provided? So far, it appears so, although I try to use the smallest mm high mount that fits the stamp, and trim the sides close to the stamp when using the Scott (Prinz) mounts (split-backs). Someone recommended Hawid mounts (open top), which can be trimmed on three sides, although I have no personal experience with them.

* And note that, for the same 1847-1869 USA coverage, the Supreme has 40 spaces, compared to BB's 29 spaces. Multiply that increase across pages and A-Z countries, and the Supreme might very well be the "Goldilocks" album many WW collectors are looking for to house their classical era collection.

* I will expand a bit on the previous statement. Consider that there are ~25,000 stamps issued WW between 1940-49. (Information obtained from Keijo's superb Stamp Collecting Blog.)  Add ~5,000 stamps to 1952, and the Supreme might offer 30,000 spaces for the 1940-1952 era. ( Probably less, as the Supreme wouldn't offer a space for every major number stamp during this period. Of note, The Scott International Part II 1940-1949 states it has 18,000 spaces.) That would leave the Supreme with ~45,000 spaces for the 1840-1940 era. Contrast that estimate with the ~35,000 spaces in BB. In other words, the Supreme might offer 10,000 more spaces for the 1840-1940 era. (Since the specific evaluation has not been done, this is, of course, just reasonable speculation at this time.)

Now, let's look at the Supreme USA page....

* Note the spaces for an issue are expanded- two more spaces for the 1851-57 imperforate issue, four more spaces for the 1861-66 without grill issue, and four more spaces for the 1869 issue, compared to BB. Also note that the 1861-66 without grill issue and the 1869 issue are essentially complete to the highest denomination- in other words, a complete set. That is another general characteristic of the Supreme that applies to all countries: offering more coverage of sets, even to the point of completeness. 

That is good news and bad news for the WW collector. The good news is obvious, but the bad news is often the higher denomination stamps are expensive. BB, in general, tends to keep expensive stamps out of the album- but at the price of not including all of the spaces for a set. The Supreme, though, does seem to have expensive stamp spaces- yes, it is a Big Boy and Big Girl  album. ;-)

So what about those 10,000 more stamp spaces that the Supreme might have, compared to Big Blue for the 1840-1940 era ? Some (half?) certainly are the watermark varieties and perforation varieties that are major numbers, and other inexpensive stamps and categories that Big Blue ignores. Others, though, might be the more expensive stamps that one finds for the higher denomination values for an issue.

* What about the quality of the stamp image itself on the Supreme pages that Amos now sells? Unfortunately, they often appear to be a "Xerox of a Xerox"- P-O-O-R !. I noticed that some 1960+ published era Supreme pages I have for a feeder collection have a clearer stamp image than the ones now on the pages Amos distributes.

And the image is important, because as most are aware, Minkus mixes and matches regular, air mail, special delivery, semi-postal etc categories on the same page.

But, truth be told, I have been able to eventually identify (by Scott number) any stamp image in the Supreme that I have attempted. So, although the image may be poor, it is not impossible.

Minkus WW Catalog

One will need to obtain Volume One and Volume Two

* And note those numbers in the stamp spaces for the USA? Those are not Scott numbers (ignore the Scott numbers I have written in pencil), but Minkus numbers! Previous 1960+ era edition Supremes had the Minkus numbers in the spaces for all countries, but the version Amos now sells does not. Unfortunately, Minkus numbers are now "deader than a door nail" in terms of buying/selling with dealers or other collectors. 

If one obtains a Minkus Supreme, I recommend scouting out a page, and identifying all the stamp spaces by Scott numbers. This will require some flipping back and forth in the Scott catalogue, because regular and BOB are mixed together on a Minkus page. Actually, what Minkus does is the catalogue norm in much of the world, as Michel does this also.

Now this (using a Scott catalogue) should solve 95-100% of the stamp space identifications. For the rest, though, it is nice to have a Minkus catalog handy to solve any conundrums.

I have a 1975-76 Minkus WW Volume One, which covers the Americas, the British Commonwealth, and the Free States of Africa and Asia. My 1974-75 WW Volume Two covers Europe and Colonies.

I don't want to minimize the Scott/Minkus hassle that one will need to deal with if one is truly interested in using the Supreme. It is a hassle. But the Supreme may be "worth it", in my opinion.

So what is the verdict on the Supreme?

I think many WW classical era collectors would be ultimately pleased with the Supreme, provided one can get over the Minkus/Scott catalogue translation.

Goldilocks is in for a surprise

Conclusion

For myself, I've come to a few preliminary conclusions. But I've only been pondering about this for a month or so, and I may change my opinion.

It appears to me that the Supreme is the best compact solution for the intermediate WW classical era collector who would like to house their collection in an album, provided that collector is interested in watermark/perforation varieties.

I think of the Supreme as a "Super Big Blue".  And let's be realistic- the same problems with not enough or adequate spaces for a country will also be found with the Supreme: I believe, though, less than Big Blue.

Big Blue might still be the best choice for "face only" collectors, those that would like to collect to an album with the goal of mostly filling the album, and those that don't like spaces that are expensive.

I have already hinged (Dennison!) stamps for the 1940-1952 period into the Supreme album for several countries. (If you are like me, you have passively accumulated collections/feeder albums with plenty of stamps available for the 1940++ period, even if the intent was to collect 1840-1940.)

I may even expand to the Supreme Part 2 1953-1963 pages someday, ;-)

As far as using the Supreme for my 1840-1940 collection, I already have 40,000+ mounted stamps in Deep Blue (Steiner), and, for the most part, I still like the Steiner.

There is a possibility that I could move some of my less developed countries into the Supreme from the Steiner. 

Then there are countries (I'm still discovering them) where the complications (Argentina-watermarks) are too great for the Supreme, and the Steiner is a much better choice.

I would be happy to hear your experiences with using the Supreme, or answer questions, if I can, about the Supreme version that is available from Amos.

Note: "Goldilocks" Fairy tale story images appear to be in the public domain. The Goldilocks story quote is from the dltk-teach.com web site.

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Reunion

April 16, 2015, 1:37 pm

≫ Next: Part 1B2 Checklist for Reunion - Zululand

≪ Previous: Is the Minkus Supreme the "Goldilocks" Album for WW Classical Collectors?

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1891 Scott 19 4c claret/lavender 

Stamps of French Colonies Overprinted

Quick History
Reunion (more properly Réunion) is presently an overseas department of France, but has been in the French realm since 1642. The island, located 120 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, was an important stopover on the East Indies trade route, but less so after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.

Location of Reunion in the Indian Ocean

The capital is St. Denis, and the population was 173,000 in 1897.

Interestingly, there were no indigenous people on the island during historical times, so the population was a melting pot of immigrant African, European, Malagasy, Indian, and Chinese groups.

Map of Reunion

In 1852, the first Reunion stamp issue was typographed, and had a 15c black/blue and a 30c black/blue denomination. They are in the $20,000+ CV range, although the reprints are considerably less.

Overprinted or surcharged stamps of the French Colonies were issued in 1885, 1891, and 1893.

The familiar "Navigation and Commerce" colony stamps were issued between 1892-1905.

Let's take a closer look....

1900 Scott 42 15c gray "Navigation and Commerce"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2011 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Reunion 1852-1940, 217 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 110 are CV <$1-$1+, or 51%. The earlier values ( 1852-1901- 51 major numbers) are fairly expensive, but the later values are quite affordable.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
100 Centimes = 1 Franc

1891 Scott 20 5c green/greenish "Commerce"

Stamps of French Colonies, Overprinted

A twelve stamp issue was released in 1891, overprinting the stamps of the French Colonies. Of interest, the "Reunion" overprint can be found misspelled different ways. Scott lists 83 minor numbers for these spelling variations.

1891 2c on 20c red/green "Commerce", Overprinted

 Additional 2c Surcharge Type d (Scott 131) and Type e (Scott 132)

Also a four stamp "2c" surcharged issue was released in 1891. The "2c" surcharge is found as type c,d,e, and f. Illustrated here are two types.

1892 Scott 47 40c red/straw "Navigation and Commerce"

The familiar, for French colonies, "Navigation and Commerce" stamps were issued between 1892-1905. Nineteen stamps were released, and nine stamps are CV $1+-$3+.

1892 Scott 47 40c "Navigation and Commerce"

Postmark emphasized with segmented Image

Have you, at times, wished to enhance the postmark on a stamp, perhaps for clarification? I took the preceding Scott 47 40c, and submitted it to retroreveal.org, a website from the University of Utah that helps recover "hidden content" from manuscripts and  documents - and in this case, a stamp,- by segmenting the RGB image.

1907 Scott 65 10c carmine & green 

"Map of Reunion"

Between 1907-1930, a thirty-nine stamp bi-colored issue with three designs was produced.

Note the somewhat indistinct postmark?

1907 Scott 65

Postmark image enhanced

Clearly, the retroveal.org site gives a segmented image that makes it easier to see the postmark. Nice.

1907 Scott 91 1fr olive green & blue

"View of St. Pierre"

CV for the 1907-30 issue is <$1-$1+ for 31 stamps.

1912 Scott 105 10c on 50c brown/azure

Carmine Surcharge

Eight stamps from the 1892-1900 issue were surcharged in black or carmine, and issued in 1912. Many French colonies also have this surcharged issue. Recall that a wider spacing between the figures of the surcharge are catalogued as minor numbers, and have a higher CV.

1933 Scott 110 50c on 65c violet & light blue

Stamps and types of 1907-30 were surcharged in black or red between 1922-30. Of the nine stamps, eight are CV <$1-$2+. Of interest, the 1933 Scott 109A 50c on 45c violet & red orange has a CV of $270+!

1927 Scott 118 1.50fr on 1fr indigo & ultramarine/bluish

Between 1924-27, six stamps were surcharged with new value and bars in black or red. Four stamps are CV <$1-$3.

1933 Scott 141 50c red 

"Waterfowl Lake & Anchain Park"

Another long issue ( 41 stamps!) was released between 1933-40 with three designs.

The CV is <$1-$1+ for 31 stamps.

1933 Scott 153 1.25fr orange brown

"Leon Dierx Museum, St. Denis"

Leon Dierx (1838-1912) was a Reunion painter and poet. The Museum, housed in a 1845 bishop's palace, also has paintings from Picasso, Renoir, Gauguin, and Matisse.

1916 Scott B3 10c + 5c carmine & green

Scott 65 Surcharged in Red

Three surcharged stamps between 1915-16 were issued as semipostals for the benefit of the Red Cross.

1938 Scott C2 3.65fr slate blue & carmine

"Airplane & Landscape"

In 1938, a four engraved stamp issue with the illustrated design was produced. CV is a very modest <$1-$1+.

1892 Scott J5 30c black (bluish-white paper)

Type-set, Imperforate, Without Gum

A rather primitive type-set five stamp issue for postage due was released between 1889-92. Yellowish paper for the 5c,10c,20c, and 30c was used in 1889. Bluish white paper for the 5c,10c.15c, and 30c was used in 1892. There are ten varieties of each value, but Scott gives no further information.

1907 Scott J6 5c carmine/yellow 

An eight stamp set was released in 1907. CV is <$1-$2+.

1933 Scott J23 1fr light violet "Arms of Reunion"

Finally, a ten stamp engraved set for postage due was issued in 1933. CV is <$1-$1.

Deep Blue

1892-1905 Navigation and Commerce Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 17 pages for Reunion, and includes a space for all the major Scott numbers.

The 1891 "Reunion" overprinted issue has many misspellings of "Reunion" that are noted as minor numbers (83 of them!) in the Scott catalogue. The Steiner does not provide spaces for these minor numbers, so one would need (a) quadrilled pages(s) for these - though, admittedly, this is more specialist territory.

1907-30 Scott 88 75c red & carmine rose 

"Coat of Arms and View of St. Denis"

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on five pages, has 135 spaces for Reunion, or 62% of total coverage. I can't fault BB's coverage much, and there are only four stamps with CV $10+-$20.

Of the two long run issues ( 1907-30: 39 stamps; 1933-40: 41 stamps), BB has 30 and 37 spaces respectively. Nitpick: Six stamps CV <$1-$1+ of the two long issues were left out of BB.

Checklist

1891

17,18,19,20,21,

1891-93

31,29,

1892

34,35,36,37,39,41,44,(43),

1900

38,40,42,

1901

56,57,58,59,

1907-17

60,61,62,63,

65,68,71,(74),

1912

99,100,104,

1922

64,66,

1922

73,74,84,

1917

107,

Next Page

1922

108,111,

1924

116,

1925

112,113,114,

1925-26

67,69,76,79,

81,85,86,92,

1926-27

117,115,118,119,

1928

70,77,82,87,

89,93,94,

Next Page

1930

90,95,

1933

109,110,

1933

126,127,129,130*,131,132,133*,

134,135,137,139,141,

144,146,148,150,

153,156,158,160,

1938

136,142,147,151,

Next Page

1937-38

159,167,170,168,169,

1937

171,172,

1939

174,175,

1939-40

128,138,140,143,

145,149,152,154,

155,157,161,162,

Next Page

Air Post

1938

C2,C3,C4,C5,

Postage Due

1907

J6,J7,J8,J9,J10,J11,J12,J13,

1933

J16,J17,J18,J19,J20,J21,J22,

Semi-Postal

1915

B1 or B2,

1916

B3,

1938

B4,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):

1891 Scott 29 2c on 20c red/green ($10+)

1901 Scott 58 15c on 75c violet/orange ($20)

1901 Scott 59 15c on 1fr bronze green/straw ($10+)

1938 Scott B4 1.75fr + 50c bright ultramarine ($10+)

B) *130 in BB is "red", while the Scott has "red orange"

C) *133 in BB is "dark blue", while Scott has "indigo".

D) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

1933 Scott 132 15c black

"Cascade of Salazie"

Out of the Blue

Of interest, Overseas Departments of France consist of Guadeloupe (1946), French Guiana (1946), Martinique (1946), Reunion (1946), and Mayotte (2011). Saint Pierre and Miquelon, OTOH, is an "Overseas Collectivity". I'm a little unclear about the difference. 

Note: Maps appear to be in the public domain. Thanks to retroveal.org website (University of Utah) for the two segmented images of my stamps.

Have a comment?

Part 1B2 Checklist for Reunion - Zululand

April 22, 2015, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Rhodesia (British South Africa Company)

≪ Previous: Reunion

$

0

0

Saar 1927 Scott 135 5fr deep brown "Burbach Steelworks"

One of the stamps in the Big Blue checklist

Reunion-Zululand Checklist

The Big Blue checklist is updated regularly here. This is a work in progress as country checklists are added. This particular checklist will be complete when Zululand is reached: In fact, we will have completed the entire checklist! It includes not only all the countries found in Big Blue now, but those political entities/stamps that were dropped in the '69 edition.

The column down the left side of the blog has an alphabetical linked list of countries that have been published. This should facilitate finding a particular country post quickly, although the country posts are also linked in the Blog Archive section. Also, non-country general posts will remain in the Blog Archive section.

Here is the checklist for Aden-Ethiopia.

Here is the checklist for Falkland Islands-Latvia.

And here is the checklist for Lebanon-Quelimane.

If printed out, keep in mind the list is long. I've seen two column formats that work quite well. A three column format does squeeze the notes, but is do-able.

Remember, the checklist is included with each countries post. And comments, caveats and cautions about the checklist are fully discussed in the specific country blog.

Moreover, all the stamps in Big Blue with catalogue value $10+ are listed after the checklist in the country blog.

Now a reminder about the format and uses of the checklist.....

Note: You will need to consult a Scott catalogue for specific pricing. I only give a "rough" valuation, and rarely the actual catalogue value.

Note: Some Scott numbers appear out of sequence. That is because I usually follow the layout of the page. 

Note: Blank spaces are sometimes limited by which stamp will fit. And a blank space choice is chosen based generally on next sequence stamp, or least expensive stamp. You are, of course, free to make your own choice for a blank space.

More about the checklists...

The Big Blue Checklist is Back!

The Big Blue Checklist-How it is done

Excerpts may be freely used (non-commercially) as long as credited to:

http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/

All other uses require written permission of the owner.

The Part 1B2 checklist for Reunion-Zululand

Reunion

1891

17,18,19,20,21,

1891-93

31,29,

1892

34,35,36,37,39,41,44,(43),

1900

38,40,42,

1901

56,57,58,59,

1907-17

60,61,62,63,

65,68,71,(74),

1912

99,100,104,

1922

64,66,

1922

73,74,84,

1917

107,

Next Page

1922

108,111,

1924

116,

1925

112,113,114,

1925-26

67,69,76,79,

81,85,86,92,

1926-27

117,115,118,119,

1928

70,77,82,87,

89,93,94,

Next Page

1930

90,95,

1933

109,110,

1933

126,127,129,130*,131,132,133*,

134,135,137,139,141,

144,146,148,150,

153,156,158,160,

1938

136,142,147,151,

Next Page

1937-38

159,167,170,168,169,

1937

171,172,

1939

174,175,

1939-40

128,138,140,143,

145,149,152,154,

155,157,161,162,

Next Page

Air Post

1938

C2,C3,C4,C5,

Postage Due

1907

J6,J7,J8,J9,J10,J11,J12,J13,

1933

J16,J17,J18,J19,J20,J21,J22,

Semi-Postal

1915

B1 or B2,

1916

B3,

1938

B4,

Rhodesia (British South Africa Company)

1891-95

1,2,3,4,(5),

1896

26,27,28,29,30,31,

1897

50,51,52,53,54,55,

1898-1908

59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,

1905

76,77,(78),

1909

82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,

Next Page

1910

101,102,103,104,

105,106,(107),(108),

1913-19

119,120,121,122,124,

125,126,(123),(127),

Rio de Oro

1909

46,47,48,49,

1912

71,72,73,74,

1914

84,85,86,87,

1919

114,115,116,117,

1920

127,128,129,130,

1921

140,141,142,143,

Romania

1862-63 (Actually- 1864)

20+,21+,

1865

22 or 26,23 or 27,24 or 25,

1866

29,32*,

1872-78

53 or 60,61,56,64,58,59,

1879

66,67,68,69,70,71,72,

1880

73,74,

1885-89

75 or 88,76 or 81 or 89,83,77or 90,91,78 or 92,79,87,

1890-94

94 or 101,95 or 102a or 102,96 or 103,

97,98,99 or 106 or 115,100 or 107 or 116,

Next Page

1894-1901 (actually 1893-)*

117 or 132 or 148, 118,119 or 135 or 149, 120,122,124,126,

128 or 142 or 154,129 or 143 or 155,130 or 144 or 156,131 or 146 or 157,

121 or 136 or 150,123 or 137 or 151,125 or 138 or 152,127,

1901-02

133,139,

1903*

158,159,

1903-05

134,140,145,

1906

176,177,178,179,180,

181,182,183,184,185,

Next Page

1906

186,187,188,189,190,191,

192,193,194,195,

196,197,198,200,

1908

207,208,209,210,211,213,215,216,

1908-18

217,218,219,220,222,223,212*,

Next Page

1913

230,232,233,234,231,

1918

241,242,

1919

245,246,247,248,249,

1919

250,251,252,254,255,256,258,

1920-25

261,262,264,266,267,268,269,

270,271,272,274,277,279,281,

1922

283,284,285,286,288,287,

Next Page

1926

291,292,293,294,295,296,

1927

308,309,311,312,

313,316,318,319,

1927

310,314,

1928

320,322,

1928-29*

321,323,324,325,326,327,328,

1928

329,330,331,332,

Next Page

1928

336,337,338,340,

1928

341,

           

1929

347, 352,

348,349,350,351,

1930*

359 or 368,360,361,363,364,365,362,

366 or 368A,362A,380,381,382,383,

369 or 405,370,371 or 407,372 or 408,373 or 409,374 or 410,375 or 411,

Next Page

1930

376 or 412,377 or 413,378,379 or 414,

1931

384,386,

1931

385,387,388,389,390,

391,394,395,392,393,400,

1931

396,397,398,399,415,

1931

403,

1932

417,418,419,

1932

421,422,423,424,425,426,427,

Next Page

1933-34

429,430,431,432,

433,434,435,436,

437,438,439,440,441,

1935-40

442,443,444,445,

446,447,448,449 or 449A,450,450A,

451,452,453,454,455,456,

Next Page

1935-40

457,458,459,460,

1937

467,468,

1937-39

463,464,465,466,

473,474,472,470,471,

477,479,480,481,482,

483,484,485,486,488,

Next Page

1939-40

489,490,493,494,

495,496,497,498,

491,492,504,505,

506,507,508,509,510,511,512,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1906

B1,B2,B5,B6,B7,

B13,B14,B15,B16,B9,

1906

B10,

1927

B21,B22,B23,B24,B25,

1907

B17,B18,B19,B20,

1931

B26,B28,B27,B29,B30,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1931

B31,B32,B33,B34,B35,B36,

1934

B44,B45,B46,B47,B48,B49,

1932

B37,B39,B38,

1934

B41,B43,

1934

B42,

1935-36

B52,B54,B50,B51,

1935-36

B53,B56,B57,B61,B58,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1936

B59,B62,B60,B63,B64,B65,

B66,B67,B68,B55,

1937

B69,B70,B71,B72,B75,

B73,B74,B76,B77,B78,

1937

B79,B80,B81,

1938

B94,B97,B98,

Next Page

SemiPostal

1938

B95,B96,B83,B84,B85,

B86,B87,B88,B89,B90,B91,

1938

B92,B93,B82,

1939

B99,B100,

1939

B101,B102,B103,B104,B105,B106,

B107,B108,B109,

1940

B113,B114,B116,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1940

B115,B117,B118,B119,B120,B121,

B122,B123,B124,B125,B126,

B145,B127,B129,B130,

B128,B131,B132,B133,B134,

B138,B139,B140,B141,B142,B143,B144,

Next Page

Occupation Stamps

1917

1N1,1N2,1N3,1N4,1N5,1N6,

1918

1N18,1N19,1N20,1N21,1N22,1N23,

1N24,1N25,1N26,1N27,1N28,1N29,

1N30,1N31,1N32,1N33,1N34,

1916

2N1,2N2,2N3,2N4,

1918

3N8,3N9,3N10,

1918

3N11,3N12,

Offices in the Turkish Empire

7,8,9,

Next Page

Air Post

1928

C1 or C4,C2 or C5,C3 or C6,

1930

C13,C14,C15,C16,

1931

C17,C18,C19,C20,

Semi-Postal Air Post

1940

CB1,

Next Page

Postal Tax

1916

RA3,RA5,

1921-24

RA13,(RA14 or RA15),

1931

RA16,RA17,RA18,

1932

RA19,RA20,RA21,

1937

RA22,RA23,RA24,

Next Page

Postal Tax Due

1915

RAJ1,RAJ2,

1916

RAJ3,RAJ4,

1922

RAJ12,RAJ13,

Postage Due

1881-1911

2 Bani: J1 or J9 or J14 or J18 or J24 or J30 or J36

Four blank spaces: (J1-J40 except for postage due number used for 2 Bani)

1911*

J41,J42,J43,J44,J45,J46,J47,

1932-37

J83,J84,J85,J86,

Parcel Post

1895-1911

Q1 or Q3 or Q6,Q2 or Q4 or Q5,

Official Stamps

1929

O1,O2,O3,(O4),(O5),(O6),(O7),

1931-32

O25 or O29,O26,O27 or O31,O28 or O32,O33,

Ile Rouad

1916

4, 5b* or 5, 6,7,8,9,10.(11),

Ruanda-Urundi

1924-25

6,7,8,9,11,

13,14,16,15,18,

1931-38

38,39,40,42,

1931-38

37,41,43,44,46,

1934

55,

1937

47,49,

Semi-Postal

1936

B12,B13,B14,

Postage Due

1924

J1,J2,J3,J4,J5,J7,

Russia

1865-71 (Actually to 1875)

12 or 19, 26, 13 or 20, 14 or 22, 15 or 23,

1875-79

27,28,29,30,

1883

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,

1889-1905* (Actually to 1909)

46 or 55,47 or 56,48 or 57,41 or 57C,49 or 58,50 or 59,42 or 60,

51 or 61 or 80,62 or 81,43 or 63 or 82,64 or 83,65 or 84,44 or 66 or 85,67 or 86,

45 or 68 or 87,53 or 69,54 or 70,71,72,

Next Page

1909-12

73,74,75,76,77,78,79,

1913

88,89,90,91,92,93,

94,95,96,97,98,99,

1916

110,111,

1917

117,118,

1918

149,150,

1917-18 (Imperf)

119,120,121,122,123,124,125,126,

127,128,129,130,131,132,133,

Next Page

1917-19

134,135,112,113,139,140,

1919* (Army of the North)

1,2,3,4,5,

1921

177,178,

1921*

179,181,182,183,184,185,

186,187,188,189,190,

1922

206, (203),211,212,213,

1922-23*

230 or 234,231 or 235,232 or 236,233 or 237,

1923 

238,239,240,(241),

Next Page

1923* (-1927)

250 or 276 or 304,251 or 277 or 305,252 or 273 or 278 or 306,253 or 261 or 274 or 279 or 307,

254 or 280 or 308,255 or 281 or 309,256 or 262 or 275 or 285 or 313, 257 or 288 or 317,

242,243,245,244,

1924*

265 or 269,266 or 270,267 or 271,268 or 272,

1925*

294 or 298,295 or 299,

1925*

326,327,328,329,

330 or 333,331 or 334,332 or 335,336 or 339,338 or 341,337 or 340,

1927

376,377,379,380,

Next Page

1927

375,378,373 or 374,

1926

342,347,348,

1927-28

382,383,385,386,388,389,391,

1927-28

393,395,396,

1929

411,412,

1928

402,403,404,405,

1929-31*

413 or 456,414 or 457,

415 or 458,416 or 459,417 or 460,418,419 or 462,420,422,

423,424,425,426,

Next Page

1929-30

427,428,429,430,

1932

470,

1930

431,432,433,434,

435,436 or 469,438 or 452,439 or 453,440 or 454,

1932-33

472,473,474,475,476,

480,481,482,485,

514,515,516,477,

Next Page

1933

489,491,492,495,490,

493,494,499,496,497,

498,507,508,509,

500,501,502,

504,505,506,

503,518,519,520,521,

Next Page

1933

522,523,

1934

524,525,

1934

526,527,528,529,

530,531,532,536,539,

537,538,544,545,

540,541,542,543,551,552,

553,554,

Next Page

1934

546,547,548,549,550,

559,560,

561,

562,563,

Next Page

1935

564,565,

566,

567,568,

569,570,571,572,

Next Page

1935

573,574,575,576,577,578,

579,580,581,582,

1936-37

583,584,585,586,

587,588,589,

1937

590,591,592,593,594,595,

Next Page

1937-38

597,598,599,

600,601,602,

603,604,

606,607,608,609,610,612,

625,626,627,628,611,613,

629,630,631,632,633,

Next Page

1938

634,640,641,642,635,

636,637,638,639,

659,661,662,663,

664,660,665,

643,645,646,644,

Next Page

1938

647,648,649,650,651,652,

653,654,655,656,657,

658,678,679,

683,680,681,682,686,

684,685,687,688,689,

690,691,692,

Next Page

1938-39

666,667,668,

669,671,673,675,

670,672,674,

676,677,693,694,

695,697,696,714,715,

Next Page

1938-39

698,699,700,701,702,703,

704,705,706,707,

708,709,710,

711,712,724,728,

725,726,727,

Next Page

1939-40

729,730,731,732,733,

718,719,720,721,722,723,

745,746,747,748,757,758,

759,760,761,762,763,764,

765,766,734,735,713,736,738,

Next Page

1939-40

749,750,751,752,

753,754,755,756,

767,768,769,770,

771,772,773,774,

775,776,777,778,

779,789,790,791,792,793,

Next Page

1940

780,781,782,783,

794,795,796,797,

798,799,800,801,802,

803,804,805,806,807,

808,809,810,784,786,

Next Page

1940

785,787,788,

811,812,813,816,

814,815,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1914

B5 or B9,B6 or B10,B7 or B11,B8 or B12,

B14,B15,

1922

B34,B35,B36,B37,

1926-27

B48 or B50,B49 or B51,

1928

B54 or B55,B56 or B57,

Postage Due*

J11 or J18,J12 or J19,J13 or J20,J14 or J21,J15 or J22,J16 or J23,

Next Page

Special Delivery

1922

E1,E2,E3,

Air Post

1931

C2,C4 or C7,C8,C5 or C9,

1927

C10,C11,

1930

C12,C13,

1931

C15 or C20,C16 or C21 or C25,C17 or C22,C18 or C23,

Next Page

Air Post

1931

C26 or C30,C27 or C31,(C28),

1933-34

C40 or C45,C41 or C46,C42 or C47,C43 or C48,

C44 or C49,C50,C51,C52,

C37,C38,C39,C56,

C53,C54,C55,

Next Page

Air Post

1934-35

C57,C58,C59,

C60,C61,C62,C63,

C69,C70,C71,

C72,C73,

C74,C75,

Next Page

Offices in China

1899

1,2,3,4,5,6,

1904-08

9,

1910-16*

24 or 25,26 or 27,28 or 29,30 or 31,32,33,34 or 35,36,

50,51,52,53,54,55,56,(57),

Offices in the Turkish Empire

1868-72*

8 or 12,10 or 14,11 or 15b,

1884

23,24,25,26,

1900-03

27 or 28,29 or 31,32,30 or 33,

1909

40,41,42,43,

1910

200,201,202,203,204,

1912

208,209,210,

1913

213,214,215,216,217,218,

Saar

1920

4,5,6,7,8,11,12,

13,14,15,21,23,24,26,

41,43,45,46,48,50,52,

53,54,55,56,57,

42,44,47,49,51,

1921

68,69,70,71,72,

73,74,75,76,77,

Next Page

1921

78,79,85,86,87,

88,89,90,91,92,

1922

99,101,100,102,104,

108,109,110,113,115,

1923

103,105,107,112,

1925

118,

120,121,122,124,

Next Page

1927-32

123,125,126,127,

128,129,130,131,

132,133,134,135,

1934

140,141,142,144,

145,139,143,146,

147,148,149,(150),

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1926

B1,B2,

1931

B23,B24,B25,B26,

1929

B16,B17,B18,

1931

B30,(B31),(B32),

1934

B47,B48,B49,B54,B55,(B57),

Air Post

1928

C1,C2,

1932

C3,(C4),

1934

C5,C6,(C7),

Next Page

Official Stamps

1922-23

O1,O2,O3,

O4,O5,O6,O7,

O8,O10,O11,O12,

O14,O15,

St. Christopher

1870-1890*

8,9,12,14,(7)

St. Helena

1863-94

33 or 34, 12* or 25 or 29 or 35,

1890-96

40,41,42,48,

1912

73*,

1903

50,51,

1912-22

61,62,75,63,

1912-22

76,64,65,

1922-27

79,80,81,

82,83,84,85,86,(87),

Next Page

1934

101,102,103,104,

1934

105,

1937

115,116,117,

1938-40

118,119,119A,120,

121,122A,122,122B,

123,123A,124,

War Tax

1916

MR1,

St. Kitts-Nevis

1903-06*

1 or 11,2 or 13,3 or 15,5 or 18,

1907-10

12,14,17,(20),

1920-29*

24 or 37,25 or 38,39,26,40,

41,27 or 42,28 or 43a,44,29 or 46,

45,30 or 47,31 or 48,

1923

52,53,

1923

55,

1937

76,77,78,

1935

72,73,74,75,

Next Page

1938-43

79,80,81,83,

82,84,85,86,

87,88,

War Tax

MR1,MR2,

St. Lucia

1883-98

27,29,30,31,

1902-06

43 or 50,44 or 51,(52),(53),

1907-10

57,58,59,60,(62),

1912-26

64 or 76,65,78,79,80,67a or 81,83,

68 or 84,86,(70),(87),

(Choice not taken earlier-68 or 84),

(Choice not taken earlier 67a or 81),(85),

1913-14

66,73 or 75,

Next Page

1935

91,92,93,94,

97,95,96,98,100,

99,101,102,103,

1937

107,108,109,

1938*

110,111,113,114,115,117,119,

1938*

121,

War Tax

1916

MR2,

Postage Due

J3,J4,

Ste. Marie de Madagascar

1894

1,2,3,4,5,(9),

St. Pierre and Miquelon

1891

19 or 20*,21 or 22*,30,(23),36,(38),

1892

49,50,51,(41*),46,47,48,

1892-1908

60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,

1912

111,112,113,114,115,117,118,

1909-17

79,80,81,82,

84,86A,87,88,

94,95,96,(90),

Next Page

1922-30

83,85,86,

89,91,92,93,

98,99,100,101,

103,106,108,(105),

1924-27

121,122,123,124,

125,126,127,128,

1931

132,133,134,135,

Next Page

1932-33

137,136,142,143,138,

139,140,141,

144,145,146,147,

149,150,148,152,153,

151,154,155,156,

Semi-Postal

1915-17

B1,B2,

1938

B3,

Next Page

(Regular issues)

1934

161,162,160,

1937

165,168,

1937

166,167,169,170,

1938

172,173,174,175,

176,177,178,179,

180,181,184,185,

187,189,191,195,

Next Page

1938-40

182,183,186,188,

190,192,193,

194,196,197,198,

199,200,201,202,

1939

205,206,

Next Page

Postage Due

1925

J10,J11,J12,J13,J14,J15,J16,J17,

1932

J21,J22,J23,J24,

J25,J26,J27,J28,

J29,J30,J31,

1938

J32,J33,J34,J35,J36,J37,J38,J39,

J40,J41,

St. Thomas and Prince Islands

1869-85

1,3,4,(5),11,12,14,

1887

15,16,20,

1895

27,28,31,32,

1898

39,40,41,42,44,45,47,

1902

86,87,88,

1903

43,46,(51),

1911

91,92,93,94,95,96,97,

1912

106,107,108,109,110,111,(112),

1913*

170 or 178 or  186,171 or 179 or  187,172 or 180 or 188,176 or 184 or 192,177 or 185 or 193,

Next Page

1913*

173 or 181 or  189,174 or 182 or  190,175 or 183 or  191,

1914

194,195,196,198,199,201,205,

209,210,211,213,215,218,220,

1922

197,202,203,204,206,207,208,212,

214,219,224,226,

1923

268,269,270,

1926

200,216,217,223,225,229,

Next Page

1934

283,284,285,286,287,288,

289,290,291,292,293,294,

295,296,297,298,(299),

1938-39

302 or 323,303 or 324,304 or 325,305 or 326,306 or 327,

307 or 328,308 or 329,309 or 330,310 or 331,311 or 332,

312 or 333,313 or 334,(335),(336),

Next Page

Air Post

1938-39*

C1 or C10,C2 or C11,C3 or C12,C4 or C13,C5 or C14,C6 or C15,

Postal Tax

1925

RA1,RA2,RA3,

Postal Tax Due

RAJ1,RAJ2,RAJ3,

Newspaper

1893

P12,

Postage Due

1904

J1,J2,J3,J4,J5,

1921

J42,J43,J44,J45,J46,J47,J48,

St. Vincent

1883-97

35 or 41, 42 or 43 or 44, 49,52,

1898

62,63,(64),

1902-11

71 or 82, 72 or 83, (73),(74),

1907

90,91,(92),

Next Page

1909-11

98,95,100,101,

1913-32*

104 or 118, 105a* or 105,120,

1913-32

121,107 or 122,108 or 124,109 or 125,110 or 126,111 or 127,113 or 128a or 128,

1935

134,135,136,137,

1937

138,139,140,

1938*

141,144,146,147,

1938

142,143,145,148,

War Tax

1916

MR2,

El Salvador

1867

1,2,3,4,

1879

13,14,

1887

18,19,

1879

15,16,

1888-89

20,21,22,23,24, 25c* or 25,

1890 (Beginning of Seebeck era)

38,39,40,41,42,43,

44,45,46,

Next Page

1891

47,48,49,50,51,52,53,

54,55,56,57,58,

1892

60,61,62,63,64,65,66,

67,68,69,70,72,73,74,

1893

76,77,78,79,80,81,82,

83,84,85,86,87,88,

Next Page

1893

89,

1894

91,92,93,94,95,

96,97,98,99,100,104,

101,102,103,

1895

105,106,107,108,109,110,111,

112,113,114,115,116,

117,118,119,120,121,122,123,

124,125,126,129,130,131,132,

Next Page

1896*

134,135,136,137,138,139,140,

141,142,143,144,145,

146 or 157B,147 or 157C,148 or 157D,149 or 157E,150 or 157F,151 or 157G,152 or 157I,

1896*

153 or 157J,154 or 157K,155 or 157M,156 or 157N,157 or 157O,

1897*

159 or 170A,160 or 170B,

1897

161 or 170C,162 or 170D,163 or 170E,164 or 170F,166 or 170H,167 or 170I,168 or 170J,

1897

175*,176*

,177,178,179,180,181,

1898

182,183,184,185,186,187,188,

Next Page

1899

199,200,201,202,203,204,205,

206,207,208,209,

1900

224,

1899

211 or 213,214,215,212 or 216,212A or 217,218,

242,244,245,246,247,252,

1900

253*,254,255,256,257,258,(259),

283,284,285,286,287,288,289,

Next Page

1903

290,291,292,293,

1905-06

306,(307),313,

1905-06

314,321,324,325,

1906

336,337,338,

339,340,341,342,343,344,345,346,

1907

349,350,351,352,352D,353,

355,356,357,358,359,360,361,

1907

362,363,364,365,366,

1908

367,

Next Page

1910

378,379,380,381,382,383,

384,385,386,387,388,389,390,

1911

391 or 394,392 or 395,393 or 396,397,399,(400),

1912

402,403,404,405,406,407,408,

1912

409,410,411,

1914

412,413,

1915

414,415,416,417,418,419,

Next Page

1916

431,432,433,434,435,(436),

1920

468,469,(470),(471),

1921

474,475,

1921

476,477,478,479,480,481,

1923-24

486,

1924

487,488,(489),491,493,

1924

492,

1924-25

495,496,497,501,502,

1924-25

498,499,500,503,

1928

511,

Next Page

1929

512,513,514,515,

1932

520,521,522,526,527,

1932

523,524,525,

1934

530,531,

1934

532,533,534,535*,536,537,

1935

538,(539),(540),543,

544,545,546,547,

Next Page

1935-40

548,549,550,551,552,553,

554,555,556,557,558,

559,560,562,563,565,

561,564,572,566,567,

574,575,586,576,577,

578,579,580,581,

Next Page

Postage Due

1895

J1,J2,J3,J4,J5,J6,J7,J8,

1896*

J9 or J17,J10 or J18,J11 or J19,J12 or J20,J13 or J21,J14 or J22,J15 or J23,J16 or J24,

1897

J25,J26,J27,J28,J29,J30,J31,J32,

1898

J33,J34,J35,J36,J38,J39,

1899*

J41 or J49,J42 or J50,J43 or J51,J44 or J52,J45 or J53,J46 or J54,J47 or J55,J48 or J56,

1903

J65,J66,J67,J68,J69,J70,

1910

J81,J82,J83,J84,J85,J86,J87,

Next Page

Air Post

1930

C11,C12,C13,C14,

1932

C24,C25,C26,C27,

1933

C28,C29,C30,C31,C32,

1934

C33,C34,C35,

1935

C36,

1935

C41,C42,C43,(C45),

Next Page

(Air Post)

1935

C46,C47,C48,C49,C50,C51,

1937

C54,C55,C56,C57,

1938

C61,C62,C63,C64,

1939

C66,C67,C68,

1940

C73,C74,C75,C76,C77,

Next Page

(Air Post)

1940

C69,C70,

C71,C72,

Next Page

Parcel Post

1895

Q1,Q2,Q3,

Q4,Q5,

Registration Stamps

F3,F4,(F1*),(F2),

Acknowledgement of Receipt Stamps

H1,(H2),

Next Page

Official Stamps

1896

O1,O2,O4,O5,O6,O7,O9,

1896*

O13 or O25,O14 or O26,O15 or O27,O16 or O28,O17 or O29,O18 or O30,O19 or O31,

O20 or O32,O21 or O33,O22 or O34,O23 or O35,O24 or O36,

1897*

O79 or O91,O80 or O92,O81 or O93,

1897*

O127 or O128,

1898

O129,O130,O132,

1898

O133,O135,O136,O137,O138,O139,O140,

1899

O149,O150,O151 or O158,O152,O153,O159,

O153,O160,O155,O156,O157,

Next Page

1899 (actually 1900)*

O223,O224,O225,O226,(O230),(O231),

1903

O243,O244,O246,(O247),(O248),(O250),

1906

O263,O264,O265,O266,O267,O268,

1908

O273,O274,O275,O276,O277,O278,

1910

O293,O294,O295,O296,O297,O298,O299,

O300,O301,O302,O303,O304,

Next Page

(Official Stamps)

1911

O305,O306,O307,O308,O309,O310,O311,

1914

O313,O314,O315,O316,O317,O318,

1914

O321,O322,

1915

O323,O324,O325,

1916

O332,O333,O334,O335,O336,(O338),

1921

O342,O343,O344,O345,

1927-32

O352,O353,O354,O355,O356,

Samoa

1887 (-1900)

9,11,13,16,17,18,

1892

14,

1894

23,

1895

24,25,

1896

15,

1898-1900

26,28,29,(27),

1899

10,12,

1899

31,32,33,34,36,37,

Issued under German Dominion

1900-15

57 or 70,58 or 71,59 or 72,60,61,62,63,

64,65,66,

Next Page

Issued under British Dominion

1914

114,115,116,117,

1916-19

127,128,129,130,132,131,(134),

1920

136,137,138,139,

1921

142,143,144,145,146,147,148,

1921

149,(150),(151),

1940

185,

1935-40

166,169,

167,168,170,171,172,

181,182,183,184,

Rhodesia (British South Africa Company)

April 22, 2015, 1:55 pm

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1891 Scott 5 4p red brown & black "Coat of Arms"

Quick History
"Rhodesia", commonly called by the white settlers in the 1890s after Cecil Rhodes, the founder of the British South Africa Company (BSAC), were lands in southern Africa bisected by the Zambezi River. The Company, which governed and administered the lands by Royal Charter from 1889-1923, named the territory north of the Zambezi "Northern Rhodesia", and the lands south of the Zambezi "Southern Rhodesia".

1911 Encylopaedia Britannia Map of Rhodesia

The Zambezi River bisects the lands into

 Northern Rhodesia (North Western & North Eastern) & Southern Rhodesia

The capital was Salisbury, and the population was 1,700,000 in 1921.

The stamps issued throughout 1890-1923 are all inscribed "British South Africa Company". Beginning in 1909, the stamps are also either overprinted or inscribed "Rhodesia".

Cecil Rhodes as Colossus striding Africa from Cairo to the Cape

The BSAC were expecting that the gold fields of Mashonaland would provide the investor return, but that didn't pan out (pun intended ;-). But the BSAC did build railroads ( Beira, Mashonaland, Rhodesia lines), and actually retained mineral rights until 1964 in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).

In 1923, the BSAC no longer administered the territories, and Southern Rhodesia (1924-1964) became a crown colony. (To confuse things, it was known as "Rhodesia" from 1965-1979.) With independence in 1980, it became Zimbabwe.

Northern Rhodesia became a British Protectorate from 1924-1964. With independence in 1964, the name was changed to Zambia.

(My blog post for Northern Rhodesia has more maps and explanation of these turbulent times. )

1896 Scott 37 4sh red & blue/green "Coat of Arms"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2011 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Rhodesia 1890-1923, 143 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 12 or 8% are CV <$1-$1+. Raising the bar to CV $4+ yields 44 or 31% coverage. Clearly, the CV for this British colony is a bit high, but a representative selection is available for a modest budget increase.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
12  Pence = 1 Shilling
20 Shillings = 1 Pound

1890 Scott 2 1p black "Coat of Arms"

Sporting the British South Africa Company Coat of Arms, with "commerce" as one of their tenets, The initial 1890-94 issue had 19 stamps, The eight higher denomination values (3sh - 10 pounds) have a CV of $50+-$800. But with a revenue cancellation, they are significantly cheaper ($1-$70+).

1896 Scott 30 4p blue & red lilac 

(A4 design)

The 1896 engraved issue (denomination portion is typographed) has 14 major descriptive numbers, and has the above illustrated "A4" design. CV ranges from <$1-$10+ for 11 stamps.

Notice the nice CTO cancellation?  Scott has a note that all issues from 1897-1910 were available as remainders. (Actually, I believe the remainders were available with the 1896 issue, as most of my examples definitely have CTO cancellations.)

1896 Scott 27a 1p scarlet & emerald

A4 Design: Die I

The 1896 A4 design comes in two flavors: Die I and Die II. Die I has a dot to the right of the springbok supporter tail next to "M" of "COMPANY". And the body of the lion is only partially shaded.

1896 Scott 27 1p scarlet & emerald

A4 Design: Die II

Die II has no dot  by the springbok tail, and the lion is fully shaded.

1897 Scott 53 3p red brown & gray brown

(A7 Design)

A nine stamp 1897 issue was produced with some changes in the design (A7).  CV is <$1-$4+ for eight stamps.

1896 Scott 32 8p  deep green & violet/buff (A4 design)

1897 Scott 56 8p deep green & violet/buff (A7 design)

What are the design differences between the 1896 and 1897 issue? The ends of the scrolls pass behind the one leg of each springbok supporter in the 1896 issue, while the ends of the scrolls are between the legs of the springboks in the 1897 issue. (Click and enlarge image if necessary.)

1908 Scott 71 10sh bluish green 

The 1898-1908 engraved issue, again with the Coat of Arms design, has 19 major descriptive numbers. CV ranges from <$1- $3+ for 11 stamps.

This would prove to be the last issue with no "Rhodesia" overprint or inscription.

1909 Scott 89 6p lilac; 1909 Scott 70 7 1/2p on 2sh6p bluish gray

Stamps of 1898-1908 Overprinted or Surcharged

Although the BSAC officially adopted "Rhodesia" as the name of the territories in 1895, and the British government followed suit in 1898, "Rhodesia" did not appear on BSAC stamps until 1909.

The 1909 overprinted/surcharged issue had 20 stamp denominations, and the CV is <$1-$8+ for 12 stamps.

1910 Scott 108 6p claret & brown

"Queen Mary and King George"

The 1910 engraved 18 stamp "Queen Mary and King George" issue is found in various perforations (14, 15 X 14, 14 X 14, 15, 13 1/2) with Scott major and minor numbers.

The issue is also rather expensive, with seven stamps having a CV of $100-$600+. On the modest end, seven stamps are CV $2-$20+.

1913-23 Issue Scott 125 4p orange red & black

"King George V"

The 1913-23 "Admiral" issue, as it is known, has a portrait of King George. Four stamps were printed from single plates, while fifteen stamps were printed from double plates (bi-colored). CV ranges from $2+-$10+ for twelve stamps.

1917 Scott 121 1 1/2p bister brown; 1917 Scott 121g 1 1/2p drab brown

The issue has many minor number color variations, and one is illustrated here.

1917 Scott 120 b 1p bright rose & Scott 122a 2p gray & black, Die III

Be aware that the head and cap region can vary in appearance.Note the king's left ear is unshaded in the 1p bright rose, but has shading lines in the 2p gray and black. In fact, the double plate stamps (bi-colored) are found with Die I, Die II, and Die III variations. Scott has a note about this; but better, the Stanley Gibbons 1840-1970 Commonwealth & British Stamps catalogue has drawing illustrations of the differences.

Deep Blue

1896 Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has seven pages for classic Rhodesia, and includes a space for all the major Scott numbers. If one wishes to parse out the 1896 "Coat of Arms" issue (shown above) or the 1913-19 "King George V" issue into minor number types, an extra quadrilled page or two may be required.

1898 Scott 66 1sh bister "Coat of Arms"

Big Blue

BB '69, on two pages, has 53 spaces. Coverage is 37%.

The 1910 "Queen Mary and King George" issue spaces yields two "Most Expensive" stamps @ $42+ and $37+. There are five more BB spaces with CV of $10+-$20+.

Checklist

1891-95

1,2,3,4,(5),

1896

26,27,28,29,30,31,

1897

50,51,52,53,54,55,

1898-1908

59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,

1905

76,77,(78),

1909

82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,

Next Page

1910

101,102,103,104,

105,106,(107),(108),

1913-19

119,120,121,122,124,

125,126,(123),(127),

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):
1905 (Scott 78) 5p magenta ($20+)
1910 Scott 103 2p gray & black ($10+)
1910 Scott 105 3p olive yellow & violet ($42+)
1910 Scott 106 4p orange & black ($20+)
1910 (Scott 107) 5p olive green & brown ($37+)
1910 (Scott 108) 6p claret & brown ($20)
1913 Scott 125 4p orange red & black ($10+)
B) BB specifies Scott 104a  2 1/2p "light blue", now a minor number @ CV $20. But major number Scott 104 2 1/2p "ultramarine" (CV $8+) could be substituted.

C) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

1922 Scott 130 1sh turquoise blue & black 

"King George V"

Out of the Blue

My goodness, I like these stamps! Maybe I should drop everything, and specialize in the African British colonial issues?.....

But then, I like Latin America, Europe, and Asia offerings, to name a few geographical stamp issuing areas. And the French colonials are attractive as well.

I guess it is WW classical era collecting for me. ;-)

Note: The 1911 Encylopaedia Britannia Map of Rhodesia, and the Cecil Rhodes drawing appear to be in the public domain.

Have a comment?

Rio de Oro

April 28, 2015, 2:18 pm

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1907 Scott 21 4c red "King Alfonso XIII"

Quick History
Rio de Oro, geographically along the Atlantic ocean in the southern portion of Spanish (Western) Sahara in northwest Africa, became a Spanish protectorate in 1884 (Berlin Conference).

Rio de Oro

The capital was Villa Cisnernos, and the population was reported to be 24,000.

The reality is there is no gold there (despite the name), and the landscape is bleak indeed, with essentially no precipitation, although fog is found along the coast.

The small port town of Villa Cisnernos (now Al-Dakhla) had to import drinking water.

Rio de Oro became part of  Spanish (Western) Sahara in 1924

Between 1901-04, Spanish stamps were cancelled "Rio de Oro". Major colonial stamp issues for Rio de Oro proper were released in 1905, 1909, 1919, 1920, and 1922: all with the visage of King Alfonso XIII. Surcharged or overprinted issues can be found for 1907, 1908, 1910, 1911-13, and 1917. I suspect, of the total 149 stamps issued, very few were actually genuinely used.

 The landscape of Rio de Oro

Rio de Oro became part of Spanish (Western) Sahara, along with Saguia el-Hamra, in 1924.

Spain actually held on to the territory until 1975, when it was then split between  Morocco and Mauritania influence. Eventually, Morocco assumed administrative control of most of the territory.

The dispute continues. The United Nations considers the lands to be a "non self-governing territory", and has urged a referendum on independence for the Sahrawi population.

1908 Scott 39 15c on 25c deep green

Issue surcharged in Red, Violet, or Green 

(Color here should be red, but looks maroon to me) 

Into the Deep Blue
The 2011 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Rio de Oro 1905-1922, 149 major numbers. Of those, 69 are CV <$1-$1+, or 46%. Raising the bar to CV $3+ adds 27 more stamps for a total of 96 or 64%. Clearly, Rio de Oro has many inexpensive stamps. And, of interest, Scott values unused higher than used for all stamps, although I suspect genuine used are actually not that common.

As I have found for a number of other Spanish colonies, WW collections, at least in North America, tend to not have many stamps from Rio de Oro. Unpopularity, unavailability, or "Out of sight, out of mind"? I suspect all are factors. If one wishes more "Rio de Oro" stamps, despite their cheap CV prices, one will need to hunt for them.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
100 Centimos = 1 Peseta

1907 1c claret "King Alfonso XIII"

In 1905, a 16 stamp Spanish colonial issue, and in 1907, another 16 Spanish colonial stamp issue (illustrated above) was produced with the visage of King Alfonso XIII. (Actually, all the stamps for Rio de Oro have an Alfonso XIII portrait.)

I notice the issues are identical in denomination and general design with the same issued stamps of 1905 and 1907 Spanish colonial  Fernando Po, except for a change in color. 

Thirteen of the 1907 Rio de Oro issued stamps are CV $2+.

1908 Scott 38 10c on 50c black violet

Handstamp Surcharge in Red

Two stamps in 1907, and again in 1908, were handstamped surcharged as shown.

1908 Scott 41 15c on 1p orange

"Surcharged in Violet"

(Color looks blue to me)

Also, five stamps were handstamped surcharged in 1908  as above in red, violet or green.

These handstamped surcharged stamps all have a higher CV ($20+-$40+ unused) than the 1907 original stamps (CV $9-$16 unused). And my examples don't quite have the right handstamp color listed in Scott. Although my examples may be genuine, the specimens would be easy to create with a fake handstamp. 

And that brings up a general caution about overprinted/surcharged stamps, most especially handstamped ones...

It is quite difficult as a WW generalist to develop the expertise to tell genuine from fake overprinted stamps. (Sure, one may be able to do it for a certain country, but then there is the next country, and the next country....get the point? ;-)

Caveat Emptor

For myself, I don't mind picking up a "representative" collection of overprinted stamps provided I didn't pay much for them. Yes, some could be fake, but many (most) are not worth getting certified because of the modest CV. 

And some WW collectors have chosen to avoid overprinted/surcharged stamps entirely if the overprinted variety have a higher CV than the originals- there are plenty of non overprinted  to collect. 

Back of 1908 Scott 40 15c on 75c orange brown

Control Numbers in Blue

This might be a good time to remind ourselves that Spanish colonial stamps frequently have control numbers printed on the back.  All of the Rio de Oro stamps are in this category.

1909 Scott 49 10c orange red

"Alfonso XIII"

The 1909 issue, shown here, had 13 stamps, and a CV of <$1 for 10 stamps. The same design was used for Spanish Guinea in 1909, and probably reflects the landscape there more than arid Rio de Oro.

1912 Scott 82 4p claret "Alfonso XIII"

The 1912 issue had 13 stamps, and has a general design, seen also with Spanish Guinea. Remarkably, 11 stamps are close to minimum CV.

1914 Scott 90 25c dark blue "Alfonso XIII"

The 1914 issue has 13 stamps with a CV of <$1 for 10 stamps. Not that common in WW collections, though.

1919 Scott 121 30c green "Alfonso XIII"

A 13 stamps issue was released in 1919 with the above design, shared with other colonies. CV is <$1 for 10 stamps. 

1922 Scott 147 30c deep rose "Alfonso XIII"

As Rio de Oro was nearing the end of autonomy as a separate stamp issuing colony, a 13 stamp issue was released in 1922 with "Western Sahara" included on the identification tablet. CV is <$1-$1+ for 11 stamps.

In 1924, the colony was absorbed into Spanish Western Sahara, and Rio de Oro's stamp production ceased.

Deep Blue

1922 Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has seven pages for Rio de Oro, and has a space for all the major Scott numbers.

1909 Scott 51 20c dark violet

"King Alfonso XIII"

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on three lines of one page (shared with Quelimane), has 24 spaces for Rio De Oro. Total coverage is only 16%. 

All of the spaces in the BB album for Rio de Oro can be filled with CV <$1 stamps. But BB leaves out another 31 stamps which also have a CV of <$1. This might reflect the unpopularity- or perhaps unavailability- of the obscure Spanish colonies for Scott's (primarily) North American collectors.

The coverage in the 40s editions are the same.

But perhaps we should be grateful for any coverage at all. ;-)

Why?

Because the Index, or Table of Contents for Countries in the '69 BB ( and also my '92 BB edition) does NOT include a listing for Rio de Oro, although, as said, one will find the coverage on the same page as Quelimane.

Checklist

1909

46,47,48,49,

1912

71,72,73,74,

1914

84,85,86,87,

1919

114,115,116,117,

1920

127,128,129,130,

1921

140,141,142,143,

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold): None

1919 Scott 123 50c brown

"King Alfonso XIII"

Out of the Blue

A paradox.

Prices are cheap- which implies "common", yet not many examples are found in collections.

Note: Maps and pic appear to be in the public domain.

Comments appreciated!

Romania 1858-1880

May 4, 2015, 10:27 am

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1867 Scott 29 2pa black/yellow "Prince Carol"

Quick History
The Principalities of Moldavia and Walachia became effectively united in 1859 through the election of the same Prince or Domnitor, Alexandru loan Cuza. He was a patriot during the 1848 Moldavia and Wallachia revolutionary efforts and "national awakening", and strongly advocated for the union of the two principalities.

The United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia 1859-62

Romanian United Principalities 1862-66

Romania 1866-81

Romania remained a de jure vassal of the Ottoman Empire from 1859-77. But following the 1877-78 war of independence, Ottoman rule, such as it was, ended.

In 1866, Cuza was deposed, and Prussian Prince Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was elected- supported by Prussia.

The capital was Jassy (lasi) and Bucharest (1859-62), and then Bucharest (1862-1881).

The population was 5,300,000 in 1880.

A hereditary constitutional monarchy was established in 1866. In 1881, Romania's parliament declared the country a kingdom, and Prince Carol I became King Carol I.

To be continued .....

1868 Scott 36 18b scarlet "Prince Carol"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2011 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Romania 1858-1942, 931 major number descriptions. Of those, 545 are CV <$1-$1+, or 59%. The earlier Romania, though, is fairly expensive through 1880 (74 major numbers). The more modern Romania is quite inexpensive.

Romanian stamps are fascinating, but unfortunately, most of the earlier issues have been counterfeited, some extensively. Varro Tyler, in his book "Focus on Forgeries- c2000", devotes 10 pages to the forgeries of Romania!

If you wish to delve further into the attractive issues of this country, there is a wonderful web site resource.

http://www.romaniastamps.com/

I plan to publish three blog posts for Romania. This post will examine the 1858-1880 issues. The next submission will cover the 1885-1926 stamps. And finally, I will review some specific forgeries.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
40 Parale = 1 Piaster
100 Bani = 1 Leu (plural "Lei") (1868)

1864 Scott 21 30pa deep blue 

Moldavia-Walachia "Coat of Arms"

The first issues for the region were the handstamped "Bulls" stamps for Moldavia in 1858 and 1858-59 respectively. The design has a small star over a bull head above a posthorn, The ten Scott major numbers are expensive ($100+-$25,000), forgeries need to be ruled out, and I don't have any. ;-)

The Moldavia-Walachia issues (11 stamps) were produced in 1862 (Printed by hand from single dies) and 1864 (Typographed). I show a copy of the typographed 1864 three stamp issue here. CV ranges from $10+-$60 for the 1864 issue.

Moldavia Coat of Arms

The Moldavia-Walachia issues combine the "Coat of Arms" of the two principalities. Moldavia featured a "Bull".

Walachia Coat of Arms

Walachia has had a raptor (eagle) on it's seal since at least 1390.

1864 5pa "Prince Alexandru loan Cuza"

Never placed in use

The first  issue, with "Romana" inscribed, was this design on three stamps produced in 1864- but never placed in use, according to Scott. CV (set) $9. It has, appropriately, Prince Cuza's vignette, the man most responsible for uniting the two principalities.

1865 Scott 23 5pa blue "Prince Alexandru loan Cuza"

A three denomination lithographed set was issued in 1865. CV ranges from $35 - $70.

Counterfeits can be found- refer to http://www.romaniastamps.com/forg/forgeframe.htm for specifics.

(In fact, all the early Romanian stamps were counterfeited. Caveat Emptor. )

1865 Scott 24 & Scott 25 20pa red

Type I & Type II

The 20pa red is found in two types. In Type I, the central oval does not touch the frame below, and the "I" of DECI is elongated. In Type II, the central oval touches the frame below, and the "I" of DECI is the same length as the other letters.

1867 Scott 31 20pa black/rose "Prince Carol I"
Type I

When Prince Cuza was forced to relinquish his post- apparently he pleased neither the liberals or conservatives- Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was elected on April 20, 1866- backed significantly by Prussia. He was Prince (Domnitor), then King (1881) until 1914.

A four stamp set was issued for Prince Carol in 1866-67. Thick paper (minor numbers) was used in 1866, thin paper in 1867.

CV is $30-$60.

Of interest, the 20pa black/rose can be either found as Type I (Border at upper right goes from right to left), or Type II (Border at upper right goes from left to right).

Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 

When the Ottoman Empire was defeated in 1878 (Russo-Turkish War), Prince Carol declared the country independent- they had been under nominal control of the Ottoman Empire until then.

He became King of Romania in 1881, and his Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen lineage ruled until 1947.

He apparently was a rather meticulous and cold person, and liked to wear his crown to bed.

He never produced a male heir (a daughter died at age three),  His brother Leopold was next in line for the throne. But Leopold relinquished his right in 1880 to his son William, who, in turn, surrendered his right in 1886 to his younger brother, Ferdinand. Ferdinand eventually became King from 1914-1927.

1870 Scott 34 3b violet "Prince Carol"

A four stamp set was issued between 1868-70 with the illustrated design. CV $30-$47+.

1869 Scott 41 25b orange & blue

A different design for the frame resulted in a five stamp issue in 1869. The two higher denominations are bicolored. CV is $20+-$50+.

1871-72 Scott 46 15b red "Prince Carol"

Still imperforate, a five stamp issue was released in 1871-72. CV ranges from $35 to a hefty $200+.

1872 Scott 51 & 51a 10b "Prince Carol"

Blue & Ultramarine Colors

The first perforated issue ( Perf 12 1/2) of three stamps was released in 1872. The design is the same as the earlier 1871-72 issue.

I'm showing here two colors for the 10b denomination- blue and ultramarine (minor number).

1872 Scott 59 50b rose/pale rose "Prince Carol"

Paris Print, Fine Impression; Perf 14 X 13 1/2

Resembling French stamps- no doubt because they were designed and printed in Paris- a new 1872 typographed seven stamp issue was developed. This release is on tinted paper, has fine impressions, and is found Perf 14 X 13 1/2. CV is $4+-$40+.

1876 Scott 61 5b bister/yellowish

Bucharest print, Rough Impression; Perf 11

The plates then were brought to Bucharest, where "rougher" impression stamps were produced. The 1876-79 issue had five stamps, and, importantly, are found with perforations 11, 11 1/2, 13 1/2, and compound. It is fairly easy to differentiate the Paris and Bucharest printings on perforations alone.

1879 Scott 72 50b bister/yellowish

More Bucharest "rougher impression" stamps were released in 1879 with the same perforations as the 1876-79 issue. There are seven stamps, and the colors for the same denomination are different from the 1876-79 issue.

1880 Scott 74 25b blue "King Carol I"

Finally, a two stamp issue was produced in 1880 on the cusp of Romania becoming a kingdom and Carol trading in his "prince' title for "king".

You may have noticed that, for the early perforated issues for Romania, the perforations often cut into the design. For this issue, the Scott's CV ($2+-3+) is for the grade of "fine".

Deep Blue

Romania 1868-70 Issue in Deep Blue

The Deep Blue (Steiner) album has 76 pages for the stamps of Romania, and has a space for all the major Scott numbers.

1869 Scott 42 50b blue & red "Prince Carol"

Big Blue

Big Blue '69, on 19 pages, has 530 spaces for the stamps of Romania. Coverage is 57%.

Observations....

* There are 18 stamps with CV over $10, with six @ CV $35- $60 (Most Expensive Stamps category).

* Of interest, BB specifies (through image cut), Scott 32 20pa black/rose-Type II- "The Greek border at the upper right goes from left to right", rather than Scott 31 Type I "The Greek border at the upper right goes from right to left". Both have the same CV ($20+), but I have five copies of Type I in my collection, and none of Type II. :-(

* There are some curious omissions. The 1930 Scott 353-357 "Michael Type of 1928" issue is left out. And the Postage Dues have spaces for the 1911 issue, but not the 1919,1920,1920-26, and 1923-24 issues consisting of 24 stamps, all of them close to minimum CV.

* Semipostals are generously represented. Of the 150 semipostals in the catalogue, BB has 139!

Checklist

1862-63 (Actually- 1864)

20+,21+,

1865

22 or 26,23 or 27,24 or 25,

1866

29,32*,

1872-78

53 or 60,61,56,64,58,59,

1879

66,67,68,69,70,71,72,

1880

73,74,

1885-89

75 or 88,76 or 81 or 89,83,77or 90,91,78 or 92,79,87,

1890-94

94 or 101,95 or 102a or 102,96 or 103,

97,98,99 or 106 or 115,100 or 107 or 116,

Next Page

1894-1901 (actually 1893-)*

117 or 132 or 148, 118,119 or 135 or 149, 120,122,124,126,

128 or 142 or 154,129 or 143 or 155,130 or 144 or 156,131 or 146 or 157,

121 or 136 or 150,123 or 137 or 151,125 or 138 or 152,127,

1901-02

133,139,

1903*

158,159,

1903-05

134,140,145,

1906

176,177,178,179,180,

181,182,183,184,185,

Next Page

1906

186,187,188,189,190,191,

192,193,194,195,

196,197,198,200,

1908

207,208,209,210,211,213,215,216,

1908-18

217,218,219,220,222,223,212*,

Next Page

1913

230,232,233,234,231,

1918

241,242,

1919

245,246,247,248,249,

1919

250,251,252,254,255,256,258,

1920-25

261,262,264,266,267,268,269,

270,271,272,274,277,279,281,

1922

283,284,285,286,288,287,

Next Page

1926

291,292,293,294,295,296,

1927

308,309,311,312,

313,316,318,319,

1927

310,314,

1928

320,322,

1928-29*

321,323,324,325,326,327,328,

1928

329,330,331,332,

Next Page

1928

336,337,338,340,

1928

341,

           

1929

347, 352,

348,349,350,351,

1930*

359 or 368,360,361,363,364,365,362,

366 or 368A,362A,380,381,382,383,

369 or 405,370,371 or 407,372 or 408,373 or 409,374 or 410,375 or 411,

Next Page

1930

376 or 412,377 or 413,378,379 or 414,

1931

384,386,

1931

385,387,388,389,390,

391,394,395,392,393,400,

1931

396,397,398,399,415,

1931

403,

1932

417,418,419,

1932

421,422,423,424,425,426,427,

Next Page

1933-34

429,430,431,432,

433,434,435,436,

437,438,439,440,441,

1935-40

442,443,444,445,

446,447,448,449 or 449A,450,450A,

451,452,453,454,455,456,

Next Page

1935-40

457,458,459,460,

1937

467,468,

1937-39

463,464,465,466,

473,474,472,470,471,

477,479,480,481,482,

483,484,485,486,488,

Next Page

1939-40

489,490,493,494,

495,496,497,498,

491,492,504,505,

506,507,508,509,510,511,512,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1906

B1,B2,B5,B6,B7,

B13,B14,B15,B16,B9,

1906

B10,

1927

B21,B22,B23,B24,B25,

1907

B17,B18,B19,B20,

1931

B26,B28,B27,B29,B30,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1931

B31,B32,B33,B34,B35,B36,

1934

B44,B45,B46,B47,B48,B49,

1932

B37,B39,B38,

1934

B41,B43,

1934

B42,

1935-36

B52,B54,B50,B51,

1935-36

B53,B56,B57,B61,B58,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1936

B59,B62,B60,B63,B64,B65,

B66,B67,B68,B55,

1937

B69,B70,B71,B72,B75,

B73,B74,B76,B77,B78,

1937

B79,B80,B81,

1938

B94,B97,B98,

Next Page

SemiPostal

1938

B95,B96,B83,B84,B85,

B86,B87,B88,B89,B90,B91,

1938

B92,B93,B82,

1939

B99,B100,

1939

B101,B102,B103,B104,B105,B106,

B107,B108,B109,

1940

B113,B114,B116,

Next Page

Semi-Postal

1940

B115,B117,B118,B119,B120,B121,

B122,B123,B124,B125,B126,

B145,B127,B129,B130,

B128,B131,B132,B133,B134,

B138,B139,B140,B141,B142,B143,B144,

Next Page

Occupation Stamps

1917

1N1,1N2,1N3,1N4,1N5,1N6,

1918

1N18,1N19,1N20,1N21,1N22,1N23,

1N24,1N25,1N26,1N27,1N28,1N29,

1N30,1N31,1N32,1N33,1N34,

1916

2N1,2N2,2N3,2N4,

1918

3N8,3N9,3N10,

1918

3N11,3N12,

Offices in the Turkish Empire

7,8,9,

Next Page

Air Post

1928

C1 or C4,C2 or C5,C3 or C6,

1930

C13,C14,C15,C16,

1931

C17,C18,C19,C20,

Semi-Postal Air Post

1940

CB1,

Next Page

Postal Tax

1916

RA3,RA5,

1921-24

RA13,(RA14 or RA15),

1931

RA16,RA17,RA18,

1932

RA19,RA20,RA21,

1937

RA22,RA23,RA24,

Next Page

Postal Tax Due

1915

RAJ1,RAJ2,

1916

RAJ3,RAJ4,

1922

RAJ12,RAJ13,

Postage Due

1881-1911

2 Bani: J1 or J9 or J14 or J18 or J24 or J30 or J36

Four blank spaces: (J1-J40 except for postage due number used for 2 Bani)

1911*

J41,J42,J43,J44,J45,J46,J47,

1932-37

J83,J84,J85,J86,

Parcel Post

1895-1911

Q1 or Q3 or Q6,Q2 or Q4 or Q5,

Official Stamps

1929

O1,O2,O3,(O4),(O5),(O6),(O7),

1931-32

O25 or O29,O26,O27 or O31,O28 or O32,O33,

End

Comments

A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):

1864 Scott 20+ 6pa deep rose ($20+- (there are several other much more expensive choices also)

1864 Scott 21+ 30pa blue ($10+ - (there are several other much more expensive choices also)

1865 Scott 26 2pa orange ($60)

1865 Scott 23 5pa blue ($45)

1865 Scott 64 (TI) or Scott 65(TII) 20pa red ($35)

1866 Scott 29 2pa black/yellow ($35)

1866 Scott 32 20pa black/rose ($20+)

1872 Scott 58 25b orange/pale buff ($10+)

1872 Scott 59 50b rose/pale rose ($42+)

1879 Scott 67 3b olive green/bluish ($10+)

1879 Scott 70 15b rose red/yellowish ($10+)

1879 Scott 71 25b blue/yellowish ($20+)

1879 Scott 72 50b bister/yellowish ($35) 

1885-89 Scott 87 50b bister/pale buff ($20+)

1891 Scott 107 50b orange ($10+)

1906 Scott B7 10b (+10b) carmine ($10+)

1932 Scott B36 6l + 6l black brown ($10+)

1934 Scott B49 6l + 6l black brown ($10+)

B) *32 BB's illustration cut specifies Scott 32 -Type II- "The Greek border at the upper right goes from left to right", rather than Scott 31 Type I. !!

C) *1894-1901 (actually 1893-)- Choices do not include 1911- 19 Scott 224-229 "Types of 1893-99".

D) *1903- counterfeits abound!

E) *212- an A44 design, while the rest of the row is an A46 design!

F) *1928-29- choices do not include smaller 1930 Scott 353-357 "Michael Type".

G) *1930 - Choices are because of different watermarks (wmk 225 vs wmk 230).

H) *1911- Postage due choices do not include the 1919,1920,1920-26, and 1923-24 issues!

I) (    ) around a number indicates a blank space choice.

1879 Scott 68 5b green/bluish "Prince Carol"

Out of the Blue

I really like the early stamps of Romania, and if I ever concentrated (specialized) my interests, Romania would be a prime candidate. ! Of course, one would need to become well acquainted with forgeries also. ;-)

Note: Map, image pics appear to be in the public domain.

Comments appreciated!