A Stamp For Every Country Collection

Fezzan is a good example how to explain ASFE collecting and comparison with worldwide collecting.

ASFE beginner needs any Fezzan = 20 cents

ASFE intermediate collector needs 3 stamps - Fezzan territory, Fezzan military territory and Fezzan-Ghadames = 1.60 USD

ASFE advanced collector needs also 1 overprinted stamp = 100 USD

Top ASFE collector needs one more overprint - one on Italy, the other on Libia =200 USD.

Top WW collector needs all Fezzan = over 100.000 USD. Hence 500 times more.

Naturally, with entities with 1 stamp the rate is only 1:1, but with large entities as USA, UK or France the rate is 1 : millions.

This explains why I know many advancead and a few top ASFE collectors, but no top WW collector and only 1 advanced - floortader.

That is also why ASFE collectng is so popular, not just fun.

Thanks VALDPETE for the nice comment . I think of myself as having a decent worldwide collection . I like what you are doing with the ASFE thing and going to put my attention toward your interest of getting material from as many places as I can . This will include revenues only if they never issued postage stamps .
Let me see what I can show from the stuff that I run across or pick up over the next few months . I will try to pick up a Fezzan collection because that's one area I never paid attention too, neck come to think about it there are a lot of areas that I just never gave attention.

For me the starting point is if the territory is listed in Scott and has a unique name (China notwithstanding). Next I would include territories listed in SG but not in Scott. Same for Yvert, Michel, (in most cases), and Facit. I categorically exclude Minkus listings as a determinant of "status" for territories. The decision on listing territories is for minds greater than mine and more versed in the how and why of listing postal entities.

So for example even though most Australian Antarctic Territory stamps are used in Australia or sold to agents, and Ross Dependency stamps are are mainly used in New Zealand or sold to agents, I would consider these both "stamp issuing entities."

Locals are tricky. I don't think any major catalog lists Herm or Lundy (I may be wrong). People live on these islands permanently and they are not man-made, however stamps from these territories are known used and tolerated on international mails under certain circumstances. I like these stamps and may eventually collect the definitives if I run out of other items to collect. Catalogs are inconsistent about listing locals based on politics or convention.

I don't think any two collectors would ever agree to a complete list of countries . It is for each person to set their own guidelines .
I agree with Shermae that the four major catalogs listings is a good start and a goal all collectors can shoot for.

sheramae


Can you explain why, please ?

Minkus had always listed numerous stamp issuing entities and cinderellas known to not be valid for pre-payment of postage either internationally or locally. To me it seems that Minkus listed any "country" they could sell at a Gimbel's stamp counter. Hardly authoritative.

sheramae - thanks for explanation. I liked Minkus as they had much more detailed description of stamps than other catalogs, but for ASFE I used also Galvez. And old Zumstein (before 1960) used to be good for Europe, too.

Generally, the older catalog the better for ASFE. Later editions are always more and more simplified.....

Valdpete ----Just added a new purchase last night from a stamp auction . I picked up revenue stamps from a Indian Princely State of Gondal. Should have them in a week or two thru the mails . I will make up a page and scan it here .

Hi Valdpete.

First of all, I love these sorts of lists, and everyone is different. I have begun to go through your ASFE list, and to be honest, find it very inconsistent. First of all, the country list seems to be alphabetical, under the different regions, but it's not.

My real question is - Do you use any guidelines and rules in determining what is a Stamp Issuing Entity, and what falls under a "sub-listing"?

Another question is: are you listing true Stamp Issuing entities, or just names on a stamp.

Here are a couple of examples:

You list Autonomous Western Thrace as an entity (which it is, but historically was a very short uprising by the local population resisting Greek occupation after the Balkan wars), and then you include entirely different entities as sub-listings.

Also you separate Iran and Persia, when both are exactly the same stamp issuing entity. In 1935, the country just decided to use the Farsi word rather than the French word for Persia (Persanes). Maybe one should be a sub-listing of the other.

I can provide you with many others if you are interested.

Michael

Hi Michael, I felt the same when I looked at the list.

The example that I raised earlier was (to me) the artificial distinction between stamps of autonomous Crete and the autonomous Crete stamps with ELLAS overprints.

These were produced by the same state which was not part of Greece.

However, I suspect we would all have our own preferred lists and I wouldn't get too excited about any particular one.

I'm not interested any completion when it comes to collecting and I would happily add new stamps whether they were in a list or not.

Thanks Nigel
As you are talking about Crete -- I have a question

There were four occupying forces in Crete during this time period (Britain, Russia, Italy and France).

Scott Lists the British and Russian stamps under Crete, while France and Italy are listed as Offices in Crete under the respective countries. (not sure why the differences)

How does Stanley Gibbons list the stamps of the Occupying forces?

Hi Michael,

In the SG Balkans catalogue the Crete section is structured as follows:

- I British Administration, Candia Province

- II Russian Administration, Rethymnon Province

- III Provisional Government of Crete

- IV Revolutionary Assembly

- French Post Offices

- Italian Post Offices

I believe the difference in approach for the British/Russian and French/Italian postal services is appropriate.

The French, Italian and Austrian post offices on the island were typical "post offices abroad", providing postal services to and from the island for traders and others.

However, the British and Russian postal services were very much more local in nature (and more philatelic).

For example, mail for overseas from the British post offices was forwarded via the Austrian post office.

I don't like the way Scott and Michel still use the old terminology of "Austrian Post Offices in Crete" when referring to the French currency stamps.

SG lists all the Austro-Hungarian Post Office together under Austro-Hungarian Post Offices in the Turkish Empire whether they have Lombardy-Venetian, Turkish or French currency.

I also collect stamps (postmarks) of the Greek and Turkish post offices in Crete.

The Greek stamps are regular large Hermes heads used without overprints while the island was still Turkish and the Turkish post offices used the regular Ottoman stamps of the time.

The Ottoman Empire, Britain, Russia and autonomous Crete all issued their own revenue stamps for use on the island.

Thanks Nigel. That was very helpful. I also don't like the way Scott titles Austrian offices, although they make it clear through a note.

By the way, I do have Stanley Gibbons Part 10, Russia, and it includes Russian Post Offices in Crete.

DCStamps - good questions, Michael.

The list is based on 780 entities as numbered in the original Philatelic Atlas, which is in Czech language. Hence the alphabetic order is different from English (and Slovak, too). You can see a picture of the original book on the top of the list. The other 2 are just translations to English. In the book there are set certain criteria, therefor 780. Just more entities match those criteria therefor my update.

There are no subcatagories in the updated list. There are just added missing and/or new entities, but they are equal to the first one in each number.

Yes, change of name on stamp means new entity. Hence both Iran and Persia. There are many more tricky cases. My favorite is British Columbia and Vancouver Island.

And nigelc is right. Everybody is free to create his own list. Just it is good to have one common list. And as 780 ASFE is from 1971 and a few generations of ASFE collectors have been using it, I chose it as a basic list. Regardless different abc.

Hi Michael,

Yes, SG often repeats listings like this.

There are British P.O's in Crete listings in both SG "Part 1" and SG Cyprus, Gibraltar & Malta.

The French P.O.s are also in SG French Colonies.

The Italian P.O.s are also in SG Part 8, Italy & Switzerland.

My old 2008 SG Part 10 contains some interesting items that I've not yet seen outside the catalogue such as postmarks of the Russian P.O.s in both Egypt and Iran, and the stamps of the Russian Occupation of North Korea.