Correos

BOB is an acronym for Back Of the Book. It's a term used by those who like to use the Scott catalog.

The editorial practice of the Scott catalog is to list all the definitive/commemorative issues together. All subsequent special mail category issues are then assigned catalog numbers with a letter prefix and put in sections AFTER the definitive/commemoratives. These are what are referred to as BOB stamps.

Examples of some prefixes include B=semi-postal, C=airmail, E=special delivery...

Please note that some collectors do not consider airmails as BOBs.

Also, for some countries, Scott has begun listing some BOB issues together with the normal stamps when they are part of a set. This is a break from previous editorial listing policies. One thing about Scott -- they are notorious for being consistently inconsistent!

An overprint is when the post office applies an additional print to an already existing stamp before it is sold to the general public. An example of an overprint is shown below. When the overprint also changes the value/denomination of the stamp (as in the example below), it is also referred to as a surcharged stamp.

i have alot of those also lots on china stamps and german stamps,why did or do that?

im lost on the bob thing maybe cause I dont use the scott books I only have 1 and it a 2003 not that that matters I also need to learn how to read that book

You see a lot of surcharges on German and Chinese stamps between the 2 world wars because of the high inflation during that time. Rather than reprint the stamps, it was easier to overprint/surcharge existing stamp stocks to the new higher price. In particular, for some of the German issues during 1923, the rates changed on a week by week basis. I think the highest surcharged value at that time topped out at a 10 billion mark on 100 million mark stamp! The highest printed stamp at that time I think was a 50 billion mark stamp! What's really funny is that one of those 50 billion mark stamp catalogs at the minimum Scott catalog price of 20c for an unused copy!

What volume Scott is your 2003 edition?

Yes, but check it's value used on cover
Inflation back then was so bad, that people burned their paper money in the oven, because the money burned longer than the firewood you could buy for it.



Bavaria had an airmail stamp showing a winged lion in 1912.

Tina, here is a useful site, that will help you identify countries, with all those foreign words on them.
http://www.shoeboxstamps.com/stampid.htm#p

Steve

Triggersmob, thanks for sharing that link. I have some stamps that I couldn't find anywhere, I was about ready to go through my Scotts page by page,lol! I'd been using another web site, but it's not as good as this one.

I need one for cryllic, Greek, and Chinese characters. I find a few here and there, but I would love to find a comprehensive site. The back of Scott's has some indentification, but not many. Do you know of one for these?

The first nation to have an airplane on it is the 1913 US Parcel Post stamp, Q8. The first air mail stamp was the Bufflo Ballon Postage of 1877 with flew from Gallatin, TN to Harrodsburg, KY. The first stamp with an airplane was Roders Aerial Post "Vin Fiz Flyer" for it's flight from New York to California in 1911. The flight took almost 3 months with several crashes along the way.

Nice tidbits! I didn't include those in my list because they either private post issues, semi-official, or not categorized as airmail stamps.

k

Drudenfus, I do not see this stamp in the Scott catalog. I was not aware of this airmail stamp. Do you have either the Scott catalog or Michel catalog number for this stamp? Thanks!

k

khj hello I have volume 6 of 2003 thats SO-Z not a whole lot yugoslavia is them country I've used it for not quite sure how to look them up yet I've just looked to see if the picture matches and I know thats not the way to do it because there is alot to a stamp besides a picture this I do now know

Tina, the Scott catalog takes a little getting used to if you have not used it before. But it looks like you are off to a good start! I noticed in the other thread that you were able to ID the Siberian stamps. Many collectors can't ID those stamps.

[EDIT: Sorry, disregard everything after the first sentence! I got you and another member mixed up!)

Well, it shouldn't be too difficult to find in the Michel catalog, as it is the only stamp in the whole category
Bavaria airmail Number F I.

The stamp was "half-official". It was issued by the Bavarian Aeroclub. They had a contract with the German state post, which allowed them to issue their own stamps. These stamps had to be bought at the post office, mail had to be sent at the post office, but then was given to the Aeroclub and delivered by them.
Besides this stamp the letter had to have the "normal" stamps on it as well, so this was an additional service you had to pay for.

The Bavarian Airmail he is refering to were issued and used in 1912. There were 4 denominations, (10/20/30pf &1M) for mail to be handle on the Zeppelin "Schwaben" & the airplane "Gelber Hund" in June of that year. One Mark denomination was a surcharged overprint on the 10pf including the airplanes name, sometimes found mispelled (Huna) or inverted.
The first German stamp/air mail with an airplane was the "Flugpost Gotha", a 10pf, for a flight from Gotha to Erfurt on July, 25, 1912.
Also there are 3 stamps for the "Rogensburger Flyings Days", used Oct. 12-14, 1912 with airplanes depicted on the stamp.
The catalog I used for airmails is Sanabria's with includes many none Scott issues, they are all out-of-print but copies can be found on ebay and used philatelic book stores.