Sunday 22 April 2012

British North America (Canada, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, etc.)

Edited excerpt from The stamp collector : a guide to the world's postage stamps (1920) by Stanley Johnson.

A favourite group and one we can recommend from every point of view is afforded by the issues
of British North America. The items coming under this head are usually fine specimens of the printer's art; they are sufficiently numerous to sustain interest; many of them are rare enough to introduce the sporting element when searching for copies, and as an investment they are generally unsurpassed.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Bulgaria



1879 5c stamp
 Source
Bulgaria released its first stamps on 1st May 1879, featuring a crowned lion, Bulgaria’s national symbol. The same design in slightly differing varieties was then used for most of the country’s 19th century stamps. 

Bulgaria’s premier issue was printed in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 10-centime and 1-franc values had the lowest printings of only 100,000 copies each. Half a million 25-centime stamps were printed. This was the rate for ordinary letters and obviously the most needed value. The design of the stamps shows strong similarities with contemporary Russian stamps.

Sudan

Source
The first stamps of the Sudan were created by overprinting Egyptian stamps in 1897 for use at the Camp Post Office at Wadi Haifa, and at points south thereof, the overprint reading "SOUDAN" and repeated in Arabic characters.

Egypt

At the termination of the suzerainty of Turkey over Egypt, it was placed under British 'protection'. 



China

China's troubles during the Boxer rebellion were reflected in the stamp album by the "C.E.F." stamps of India and by the use of the stamps of several of the Powers co-operating in the defence of the Legations.

Japan



The rapid rise of Japan to power at the turn of the century is marked by many stamps of a military nature - but often with a uniquely Japanese twist.
Japan's successful war against China (1894-95) was commemorated by an issue of four stamps in 1896. These are of two denominations, each of which is in two varieties, a style that was later repeated by the Republic of China. The Japanese stamps in question portray two heroes of the war; the denominations were 2 sen and 5 sen, but that there should be no suggestion of any inequality in their admiration for the two heroes, the Japanese postal authorities had two stamps of each denomination prepared so that each warrior figured on a 2 sen and also a 5 sen stamp. Thus neither could be regarded as being valued higher than the other, and neither could be said to be given greater prominence.

Monday 2 April 2012

Turkey





Tughra issue (1863) with red control band

On January 1, 1863, Turkey issued its first adhesive postage stamps. It was the second independent country in Asia to issue adhesive stamps, preceded only by Russia in 1858.


Turkey's stamps came less than two years after its neighbor and former territory, Greece (independent 1832), issued its first stamps.


Montenegro (Cherno Gore)



Tsar Nicholas of Montenegro figures in a number of 'warrior King' portraits, at various stages in his career on the stamps issued in 1910 for his Jubilee.

Austrian Offices Overseas

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, having post offices abroad was often considered one of the hallmarks of a great power. Austria established its post offices in Turkey (Levant) and in Crete.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

The military occupation of Bosnia-Herzegovina by Austria under the treaty of Berlin, 1878, was followed thirty years later by the coup of October 5, 1908, by which the Emperor-King proclaimed his sovereignty over the two provinces.

Serbia

222Revolutionary disturbances led to changes of the stamps of Serbia. Michael Obrenovich III., who figures on the issue of 1866, was assassinated on June 10th, 1868, by the friends of the abdicated prince, Alexander Karageorgevich.

South Africa (Transvaal, Natal, Orange River)



The wars between the British Empire and the South African Boers produced many interesting postal oddities.


Denmark


Source
The first postage stamps were introduced on 1 April 1851, a four (Fire) rigsbankskilling stamp printed in brown, a square design with a crown, sword, and sceptre in the centre.

Source

This was followed on 1 May by a 2rbs value in blue using the denomination as the design.

Both stamps were typographed, watermarked (with a crown), and imperforate, and distinctive for having a yellow-brown burelage printed on top of the design. The 2rbs prepaid the local postage rate in Kobenhavn, while the 4rbs was the national rate.

The design and first printings were made by M. W. Ferslew, but he died and the subsequent printing was by H. H. Thiele, whose firm printed Denmark's stamps for the next 80 years.

Four rbs stamps were introduced on 1st May 1851 for use in the Duchy of Slesvig.