(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.
The story of worldwide early postage stamps and postal history, organised by country, including a summary of related web resources.
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Sunday, 22 April 2012
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Bulgaria
1879 5c stamp Source |
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 |
Egypt
China
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
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)
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
Serbia
South Africa (Transvaal, Natal, Orange River)
The wars between the British Empire and the South African Boers produced many interesting postal oddities.
Denmark
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.
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.
Source |
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.