My Stamps Today : Andorra/ Coat Of Arms 17 May 2012

17 MAY 2012

ANDORRA /COAT OF ARMS

Andorra is one of the worlds smallest countries. It is situated on the borders of France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains. For over 700 years Andorra was ruled jointly by the leader of France and the Spanish Bishop of Urgel. In 1993 the first Andorran Constitution was passed, establishing a parlimentary co-prinicipality and declaring Andorra a Sovereign state.

Andorra does not have its own postal system but is supported by Spain and France. Spanish post boxes are painted red and French ones are yellow.
The design of the Coat of Arms has changed over the years but the "elements" have remained the same. Up until 1931 there were two different versions of the Coat of Arms. The French version included the crown while the Spanish version did not. The motto "Virtus Unita Fortior" stands for "Unity Provides Strength".

The following are stamps of the French versions of the Coat of arms from 1931-1949













09 May 2012

NATIONAL EMBLEM OF INDIA /THE LION CAPITAL

The following stamps show the National Emblem of India, which is an adapted version of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka who reigned in northern India in the 3rd century BC.He reigned over a massive kingdom that became India`s first great empire. The origins of many symbols in modern India can be traced to his reign. Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism and became a devout follower. His reforms included the earliest known bans on slavery and capital punishment.
The Lion capital consists of three visible lions and one hidden from view. The four lions represent power, courage, confidence and rest.The motto 'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means 'Truth Alone Triumphs'. The National emblem of India was adopted on January 26th 1950. It was chosen as India`s reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill.
The Lion Capital is visible on Indian currency as well as national passports. It is the official seal of the Central and State governments and can be seen on government buildings.






















02 MAY 2012



VIETNAM / PHAN BOI CHAU

The following stamps are of Phan Boi Chau who is considered as a pioneer of nationalism in Vietnam. He was an activist for the freedom of Vietnam from French Colonial rule.He was forced out of Vietnam and fled to Japan and then to China where he continued his political propaganda.He wrote several books and poetry among his notable works are Viet Nam vong quoc su (1906;"History of the Loss of Vietnam)
In 1925 he was arrested by French agents who convicted him of treason. Hundreds of Vietnamese protested his arrest and the French pardoned him. Chau spent the rest of his life in Hué under the watchful eye of the French.





The date on the stamp sheet says 10/10/1966, however other records state this stamp was issued in 1967.









27 April 2012

FREIBURG/BADEN 1949 FRENCH ZONE

Freiburg in Germany was heavily bombed during World War II.After the French army occupied it in 1949 these stamps were issued to make public the restoration work of historical buildings.
The stamps depict the Cornhouse, the tower of the Freiburg Cathedral, the Trumpeting Angel, and the Fish Pool.
As you can see they were issued both perforated and imperforate. Any idea why?









24 APRIL 2012

YEMEN/EXPO70

Here are some Puppet stamps issued by YEMEN for the EXPO 70 held in Japan.The theme of the Exposition was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind" It was the first time a World Expo was held in Japan. There were 77 countries in attendance.
Osaka is known for Bunraku which is a form of Traditional Puppet Theater founded in 1684.






23 APRIL 2012

ISRAEL Tabul Souvenir Sheet First Day Cover (Scott 16)

Israel`s first stamp exhibition TABUL was held in 1949,it issued this Souvenir sheet which has pictures of one of its first stamps. The 10 perutah stamp on the cover is that of an ancient Judean coin.Apparently from the period of the War of the Second temple.
The designer was Otte Wallish

Can any one translate the Hebrew Inscription on the sheet?









Can anyone decipher what is on the coin?




SEAHORSE from the Forum has given us the following information on these stamps. Thank You Sea Horse! Please also scroll to the end to view her Hebrew translations on the images.

The Tabul sheet commemorates the first rebellion coins. Specifically, it shows the lowest denomination of the coins struck by the rebels. The inscription on the coin is written in ancient Hebrew writing and says " Year Three".

Since the rebellion started on 66AD the coin must have been struck on 69AD, just a year before the temple in Jerusalem was destructed, and four years before the battle of Masada which completed the Roman reconquering of the Land of Israel.

The coin depicts an Amphora. In accordance with the second commandment Jewish ancient coins and art never used human figures or faces on coins or mosaics.
Modern Israel coins use motifs from ancient coins. The 1st rebellion Amphora was used on 1949 10 Prutah coin (10/1000 of the Israeli Lira). It can be seen here:

http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...&desc=Israel km11 10 Prutah (1949)&query=Israel

Jewish dating system records the years from Creation. Dates are written in letters rather than in numbers.







April 22 2012
BULGARIA Saint Clement of Ohrid

LITPHIL on this forum helped me identify this stamp. Thank you Litphil!

Saint Clement of Ohrid is known as the first bishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and patron of education and knowledge.
Interestingly the city of Ohrid is said to have had 365 churches, a church for every day of the year! Besides being a religious center for the region Ohrid was also known as a place of learning and knowledge.




Read More at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohrid





APRIL 20 2012
OTTOMAN EMPIRE --- TURKEY

The Ottoman Empire was one of the the largest and longest reigning Empires of the world that spanned from the late 13th century to the early 1900`s.
Here are some stamps of the Ottoman Empire. Some of these stamps are very fragile and badly damaged but I thought to share them on here.

Among the earliest Ottoman stamps were those that had the Toughra sign. The Toughra was the seal of the Sultan and it was also used on official documents. It was intricately designed by a calligrapher.


Here are some later issued stamps with the Toughra design :



Coat of Arms and Toughra Issue 1892




Crescent Stamps; 1876,1884,1888



Crescent & Star Stamps



The following two stamps intrigued me as they had four languages on them. Arabic, Greek, French and Russian. I am not sure when they were issued or for what purpose. I could find no information on these and would be happy for any input.




There are numerous aspects to consider when discussing stamps from the Ottoman Empire and we can benefit from those who have done in depth research and study on them. I enjoyed reading some of this at:
http://www.sariucak.com/articles/articles.html







APRIL 18 2012

RAILWAY PARCEL STAMPS AND RAILWAY STAMPS --BELGIUM

Railway Parcel stamps are stamps used for parcels which are larger than those the Post Office handles. The Railway company takes charge of picking up, transporting and delivering these parcels.
Here are some RAILWAY PARCEL STAMPS of Belgium that were issued between 1923-1940.The ones I have are postmarked 1935,1936 You can recognize these stamps especially by the following words 'Chemins de Fer - Spoorwegen" on the stamps.Railway parcel stamps are still in use in some countries.


Here is a pair of Belgium railway parcel stamps issued in 1902. Notice one is perforated the other is not.




RAILWAY STAMPS
These are Railway Stamps of Belguim (locomotives) issued in 1949. There were imperforated stamps as well as perforated ones.
There are several designs of Railway Parcel Stamps and Railway Stamps.






April 17 2012

POST HORN STAMPS

A Post Horn was an instrument that was used to announce the arrival or departure of mail carriers/coachmen in the 18th and early 19th century. In 1871, Norway introduced its first stamp with a posthorn design. It later found its way into the logos of many other postal services around the world.

Here are examples of Post Horn stamps from Norway and Austria












April 16 2012

Queen Elizabeth definitive stamps 1952-67

I had many Queen Elizabeth Stamps unsorted and spent hours pouring over them. There seems much to be learned here and I have but scratched the surface.
These stamps were produced from a photographic portrait of the Queen taken by Dorothy Wilding and are popularly known as the Wilding series. The borders were designed by 5 other designers.
Some of these stamps were issued with "Phosphor Bands".These bands helped with the sorting process. Some can be seen by the naked eye while others require ultra violet light. Phosphor bands may appear on the left, center or right depending on the issue.

I chose to group them according to the different designers.Some of my sets photographed here are incomplete.


Designer ENID MARX


Designer M FARRAR-BELL


Designers G KNIPE ; MARY ADSHEAD ; E DULAC





April 14 2012


Some of these New Caledonian stamps were issued in 1942.There are others which have surcharges issued at a later date.
New Calcedonia is an island in the South Pacific. The bird on the stamp is the endangered Kagu bird. The stamps were printed by a recess printing process called photogravure. Apparently there are dots of color that form the design which can be seen with a magnifying glass.
This facinating process can be read at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photogravure






April 13 2012

QUEEN VICTORIA STAMPS

I was looking at these three Queen Victoria stamps and couldn't help but wonder at the differences in the image of the Queen. This led me to question who designed the stamps. I learned over the years there were modifications to design and colors.
I learned the names of two designers Bell & Naish. Who were the other designers of Queen Victoria stamps?

My conclusions:
1) the pale mauve stamp of two pence is probably the Naish design of 1887.
2)the pale rose one penny stamp is a Commonwealth issue of 1902 also a Naish design.
3)not sure about the one penny stamp of Queensland.

Please correct me if I am wrong!

Any information on the designers Bell & Naish or of these three stamps are very welcome!
Thanks!





April 12 2012

EPIRUS

These stamps were of particular interest to me as they were in Greek. I had fun brushing up my Greek in trying to figure out what they read. My discovery was that these are stamps of EPIRUS also known as the "Moschopolis Issue" There is a wealth of information on Epirus on Wikipedia for those who want to know more.
I read that these were unissued does that mean they were not used? I am including a photo of one of these stamps that has been postmarked.Can someone clarify?

I am also posting a set of flags. They are also from Epirus. Does anyone have any information on those. Thanks !












April 11 2012




I like to learn something everyday from my stamps. I thought it would be nice to share it on here in case someone else can benefit from it. I will try and post a few lines here as often as I can. Enjoy!

PERFINS i.e. PERFORATED IN[/b]TIALS
These are small holes that are found in a certain pattern on stamps which served as a security against theft.
The following are three stamps I found in my sorting that show George Washington stamps with the perfins GT.

It is nice to learn something everyday. Keep up with your daily posts, you will be passing information to someone who can learn from you.
Great post. Keep up the good work

Anyone know who the user was of the perfin "GT"?

The "GT" perfin was used by the Guaranty Trust Company in the Seine area of Paris from 1926 to 1934

Then why is the perfin on US stamps?

k

[EDIT: I do agree, that the perfin is Guaranty Trust Company. However, I believe the GT perfin used on French stamps during that time period are different in appearance.]

Good questions and feedback from everyone! Keep it coming!.
"GT" could well stand for Guarantee Trust. I learned also that there was/is a company called "The Guarantee Trust and Safe Deposit Company" of Shamokin, Pa.USA founded in January 01, 1895.It is probably the one whose initials are seen on the stamp.

No, I believe that is a different company.

This GT perfin belongs to Guaranty Trust Company, founded in 1864 and later merged in 1959 with JP Morgan and became Morgan Guaranty Trust. Today, I believe it is still a division of JP Morgan.

This GT perfin is different from the one used in France. Note the bar of the G has no center hole. I wasn't sure at first, which is why I posed the question.

The perfin used in France has been discuss on SCF before. Below is the link to the thread, and a picture of the GT perfin used in France.




k

Yep - k you nailed it. Definitely Guaranty Trust Co. of New York.

There are 2 types, thinner diameter holes and thicker diameter. These look like the thicker diameter type.
(and there's also a few "GT Co" types)

Kurt

Excellent information! Thanks for clarifying things khj and klange!
Ann

Regarding the Epirus stamps...



They were not regularly issued, so some of them did see postal use.

Nigel knows this material well, hopefully he (or someone else) will chime in and fill the details.

See, that Australian Board isn't too bad after all.

Thank You khj! I look forward to responses from Nigel and others on the Epirus Stamps. Any input on the Flags would be great.

Nigel may have missed this thread because of the title. I will email him and ask him to check it out.

Thanks khj! I was also wondering how to alter the title but I think it allows me to write only a certain number of characters.

Hi Ann and Kim

Here's a link to a discussion we had here on Epirus stamps last year:

https://goscf.com/t/14134

According to the 2009 Stanley Gibbons catalogue the Moschopolis stamps "were privately produced, probably in early 1914, and are believed to have been printed in France. Following the seizure by Epirots of Moschopolis (Voskopojë) in June 1914, the commander of the local forces was persuaded to issue the stamps."

"The majority of known covers are dated October or November 1914, are addressed to various stamp dealers and contained offers or shipments of stamps. There is little evidence that the stamps were actually available to the general public for postal purposes. After the occupation of Epirus by Greek troops the remaining stock was sent to Athens where it was destroyed in 1931 (Price for set of 15: £40 unused, £75 c.t.o.)."

In the discussion linked above you can see a cover to the French dealer Maury that Rodney posted.

You can also see the overprinted Moschopolis set which SG ignores.

Most catalaogues also ignore the flags set but it is listed in Vlastos. According to that catalogue these were an "unofficial military issue" made in Erseka. This is now a small town, Ersekë, in Albania, very close to the Greek border.

stamp4life
I cannot answer your questions about The New Caledonian stamps but I will say this. WOW!! The stamps are beautiful. Although I don't collect anything but U.S. Stamps. They would surely adorn any collection. Thanks for sharing the scan.