Stamps With Tabs Attached

Hello everyone.

I was wondering about the importance of tabs on a stamp.
I know that some stamps from Israel increase in value if the tab is present, but I don't know of any other example.

I'd love to read your thoughts?

The Belgian stamps with "do not deliver on sunday" tabs.

Keeping it closer to home: Netherlands (1981), NVPH # 1201.

The catalogue states "stamps without tabs are worth less."
That implies worth less than the huge amount of € 0.50.

Germany has had a few, notably DDR and Bohemia and Moravia. Here is one from the latter:

Tatry Mountains,Czechoslovakia

1000's of them !

mazdoc, most countries have stamps with tabs but Israel, as you mentioned, is unique because all stamps, from the first one issued in 1948 until today issued with tabs.

The idea to attach tabs was by Otte Wallisch, the designer of the first stamps of Israel. The first stamps show old Hebrew coins from the period of the Kingdom of Judea. The stamps had no place to write the coin description, so Wallisch, who was a Czechoslovakian Jew, recommended to attach tabs with description like several Czechoslovakian stamps he knew from his former home. Since then, printing stamps with tabs became a tradition in Israel.

Stamps of Israel from 1948-1952, with or without tabs, have a big difference in their catalogue value, sometimes, thousands of dollars.

The Belgian stamps that NSK has alluded to are a study in themselves!

Almost all Israel stamps have tabs. The first coins series, perhaps the most well known high value set from Israel has tabs often in 3 parts. If the small bottom section is removed the value drops exponentially.
A lot of early collectors removed the tabs before it was realised that to have a mint complete stamp was the best. Many of the stamp albums were preprinted without space for the tabs , so early collections often can be found with no or partial tabs. It is the desire for complete stamps with tabs that drives the value in the 1948-53 issues. The 1948 postage due issue did not have a design on the tabs so are known as "blank"tabs. [Bale Catalogue]. The 10m and 50mil Doar Ivri can be found with errors on the tabs, so are highly sort after. Later issues were collected in abundance with tabs and are easily found, although there are a few issues or individual stamps which are less common. For example the 1965/67 Town Emblems set has a few issues with blank tabs where the description has not been printed.

Here is an example of Israeli stamps with tabs, mentioned by mazdoc and Triangle. This airmail set was issued in 1950, a period that the tabs were issued with small bottom section:

MNH tamps with tabs are ten times expensive than MNH stamps without tabs. Stamps without the bottom section ("short tab") are cheaper than the full tab stamps..

When tabs are discussed, I always think of the advertising stamps of Italy and France.

When tabs are discussed, I always think of cigarettes, although I doubt that slang extended to the US.

Rod:

Interesting to seetheDouglas tab - I'm assuming that this is the motorcycle. I used to ride a Douglas Dragonfly, Douglas's swan song and the poor man's BMW. The British motorcycle community was gobsmacked when they gave up real motorcycles to make Vespasinder licence.

Hi Frank,
not familiar with the Douglas,
I'll have to do some Googling.

to make Vespasinder licence.

I was a Kawasaki 900 man,
rode it Perth to Adelaide, one Christmas,
Sounds romantic, but it was hell

I think you'll find that's Vespas under licence.

Ah! I see

The old Vespas, I guess they have a place,
fun to ride, but not in modern traffic.

I was watching recently the fanaticism in India,
with the "Royal Enfield"