Earliest Use Of Burelage (Security Underprinting) In Non-Us Stamps

Hello!

I have a great interest in experiments and patents related to reuse-prevention in US postage and revenue stamps, but I've only recently become aware of the use of security underprints (burelage) in foreign stamps. I'd like to know which country was the first to issue postage or revenue stamps incorporating burelage or similar security devices, and when.

Thanks!


*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

The first two countries that come to mind is Venezuela and Danzig , Venezuela had Bluish Winchester Security paper ,Danzig had it in the 1920 issue with both violet and gray burelage .

Denmark issued the first postage stamps with burelage in 1851 followed by Hannover in 1855.

World War I British Honduras. Not the earliest, but some of the prettiest.

Hannover,1856,Michel # 10/12

1 Thaler = 30 Silbergroschen

So much ,for calling it Secrurity Printing even the forgers know how to do it

Know you asked for oldest, but can't resist showing the Mexico Exporta series with their attractive burelage pattern. Even with varieties based on differences in the pattern.

Sc 1135a, 1987



Also from 1987, Sc 1136a, CV $125, (the regular Sc 1136 @ CV $3.60) as the burelage lines arch differently.

Burelage can change the shade of a stamp ,so a collector has to decide how it effects their collection . Here are the shade changes done on Venezuela air post stamps .

Above I mention Venezuela and Danzig only because I worked on then during the past two years

Russia's Consular Air Post stamps of 1922 are some of my favorites. The one below is CO8. These are heavily faked so beware. The base Consular Service Fee stamps are minimum value so adding the overprints is attractive to unethical people. Great burelage!

Thanks to everyone who posted images, info, and links. Great stuff, very interesting!

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I appreciate seeing the images of the more modern stamps as well. The burelage/moire thread is a real eye-opener as well (thanks @rod222).

@floortrader, re what you said about working on those stamps for the past two years, were you putting together an exhibit of burelage stamps?

Denmark 1851 used burelage on both the issues. You actually differentiate the two printers by the type of burelage used. They might be the first...

ESSAY-PROOF ----- No I don't exhibit at National Stamp Shows , Those scans are part of my worldwide collection . I prefer to spend my free time and money on building that decent size worldwide collection

A "better late than never" update and a request...

Back in February, I attended the San Diego stamp show armed to the teeth with printouts of this and other burelage-related threads here on SC, and purchased a nice selection of the stamps. For a whopping $35 I now have a nice group of these stamps from Venezuela, British Honduras, Mexico, Hannover, Estonia, and Yugoslavia. I've only ever purchased US stamps before, so this was a first.

Denmark 1 and 2 eluded me. Of the few examples I saw at the show with margins large enough to easily see the burelage, they were scrappy and priced at $1000 or more. Ouch. So now for the request...

I would like to get a scan of a copy of Denmark 1 or 2 for an article I'm writing for The Chronicle (the third in a series) on the (US) 1869 safety paper essays. For those unfamiliar with these items, they're die essays of unadopted designs for the 1869 contract printed in conjunction with various kinds of safety patterns (i.e., burelage).

Part 3 begins with a (very) brief history of the use of burelage in stamp production, and I'd like to include an illustration of one of the stamps from Denmark, either 1 or 2. My request is for a "donation" of a 600 dpi scan of an example which clearly shows the burelage, for which you will receive proper accreditation in the article. Please contact me offline if interested and willing. Thank you!

Oh, and thanks to all the members of this forum for answering my burelage question from a few months ago and for making the information about them available in the various threads. This forum has been a great burelage resource!