Ireland Post 1940 Stamps

Although there are a number of threads on Irish stamps, the 1980s Architecture stamps rarely pop up.

From 1982 until 1990, Éire issued its third series of definitive stamps. The stamps featured Irish architecture. There were nine designs. Stamps with face values up to 39p had a small format. Stamps with face values from 44p up to £5 had a larger format. The Hibernian Handbook published by Roy Hamilton-Bowen distinguishes three papers. Stamps issued from stamp books, often, are easily identified.


The lowest values (1p – 5p) feature the Curvilinear Range of glasshouses of the National Botanic Gardens (Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus) in the Glasnevin (Glas Naedhe) neighbourhood of Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath). The National Botanic Gardens were founded in 1795 by the Dublin Society. The greenhouses designed by Richard Turner were completed in 1848. They were extended in the late 1860s.


The next range of values (6p – 12p) features Dr Steevens' Hospital (Ospidéal an Dr Steevens) located in the Kilmainham (Cill Mhaighneann) suburb of Dublin. Dr Richard Steevens (1653-1710) bequeathed an income to his sister, Grizell Steevens, with which a hospital should be founded after her death. Grizell Steevens, however, founded the hospital in 1720, during her life. She did so on the condition she could life there until her death (1746). The design shows the hospital as it was in the 18th. century.


The values from 15p up to 22p feature Aughnanure Castle (Caisleán Achadh na nlubhar) in Oughterard (Uachtar Ard), County Galway. The tower house was built by the Ó Flaithbheartaigh family of the province of Chonnachta (Connaught), in the 16th. century. The family controlled the castle until 1572.


The stamps with a face value from 23p up to 26p, and 39p feature Cormac's Chapel at the Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig) site. The chapel was built by Cormac Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster (Mumhan) between 1127 and 1134.


Saint Sinach Macdara, patron saint of seafarers, is believed to have built a wooden church on the island (Cruach na Cara) that bears his name, in the sixth century. The wooden church was replaced by the present stone oratorium in the tenth century. The stamps with face values from 28p up to 37p feature the oratorium.


The 44p stamp features the Roman Catholic St. Mary's Cathedral (Ardeaglais Naomh Muire) in Killarney (Cill Airne). Construction of the neo-Gothic cathedral began in 1842. It was consecrated in 1855. The spire and nave were finished in 1907. From 1984, the design was used for the £1 stamp.


The stamps with a face value of 46p and £1 featured Cahir Castle (Caisleán na Cathrach). The design of the latter stamp was changed in 1984. The castle was built by Conchobhar Ó Briain, King of Thormond (Tuamhain) from 1142. The castle stands in the town of Cahir (Chathair) in County Tipperary. The present castle dates from the 13th. century and was remodelled several times. It was restored in the 1840s.


The Casino at Marino is a pleasure house in Italian neo-Classical style built from the late 1750s until 1775. The house was designed by William Chambers for James Caulfeild, the 1st Earl of Charlemont. The small house, casino in Italian, stands in what were the gardens of Marino House in Dublin. The design was used for the 50p and £2 stamps.


The final design, used for the £5 stamp, features the Busáras in Dublin. The name derives from `bus and áras (house). It is the Dublin central bus station from which Bus Éireann operates intercity and regional bus services. The building was constructed between 1945 and 1950.

Initially, the stamps were printed on fluorescent clay-coated paper with a bluish gum, denoted gC1 in the Hibernian Handbook. The £1 'Cahir Castle' stamp is the only stamp issued on all three papers distinguished in the handbook. The fluorescent clay-coated gC2 paper has a white gum.

Very informative!
Well done!

I hope you continue with the other Irish definitive issues. I dug myself into a Hibernian catalog hole with the three bird definitive series...

Question: isn't the Irish architecture series the sixth definitive issue?

Dan

@Dan,

I shall try. I have some more Irish definitives.

The problem with counting Irish definitives is what you count. From a collector's point of view, watermarks and decimal values are separate series. For the post office, those are operational changes. So, yes you could also consider these "sixth" as Roy does in his Handbook, but does not apply it to a change in printers.

The first series had two watermarks. If I am correct you posted them both on page 1 of your "pre-1940 overprints" thread.
The second series (or 3-5) are the Gerls (pre-decimal, decimal with and decimal without watermark).
The third series (or indeed sixth) would be this Architecture one.
Thereafter come the Irish Heritage and Treasures, a prelude to the birds.
Then came the birds, followed by the flowers.

The Hibernian Handbook (2009) distinguishes three types of paper:
gC1: a fluorescent clay-coated paper with a bluish gum;
gC2: a fluorescent clay-coated paper with a white gum;
gC3: a non-fluorescent clay-coated paper with an off-white to cream-coloured matt gum.

The only stamp in this series that the Hibernian lists on all three papers is the £1 Cahir Castle stamp. This also is the only stamp from the series listed on gC2-type paper. I cannot say whether the deeper colour of the stamp on gC1 paper (left) is typical for £1 Cahir Castle printings on that paper.


From left to right: gC1, gC2, and gC3 paper

The difference between the fluorescent and non-fluorescent papers is quite easy to detect with a long-wave uv-lamp. The ensuing picture shows the fluorescence under a Leuchtturm (Lighthouse) long-wave uv-lamp. The right stamp on gC3-paper shows no fluorescence.


From left to right: gC1, gC2, and gC3 paper

The clay-coating is soluble in water. A uv-lamp is required to distinguish the gC3-paper if the stamp has been soaked.

The paper type can be identified by the colour of the gum if the stamp is in mint condition.


From left to right: gC1, gC2, and gC3 paper

The 15p, 23p and 29p stamps of this series only exist on gC1 paper.
The 22p to 29p stamps of the "Gerl" definitives in lithography only exist on gC2 paper and can serve as reference.
The 37p and 39p stamps of this series only exist on gC3 paper. Although the Hibernian Handbook lists the £2 only on gC1 paper, my example shows no fluorescence. I think this is an error in the Hibernian Handbook.

The Booklet Panes are also worth looking for.
As they have unperforated sides.
There were six booklets issued.
1983...£1 ...7 stamps
1984...£2....12 stamps
1985...£1....6 stamps
1985...£2 ...12 stamps
1986 ..£2....12 stamps
1988...£2....12 stamps

As most booklets contain very low value stamps (2p, 4p, they were not often used.

I haven't finished posting the architecture stamps.

There also was a 1990 (prestige) booklet.

To come back to Dan's question:




Here is a scan of the front of An Post's presentation pack for the series.

Most stamps were also printed on non-fluorescent clay-coated paper. The Hibernian Handbook names this paper gC3.



Some issue dates for the paper varieties are unclear. They were used contemporaneously. This is evident from the £1 stamps. Both designs exist on both gC1 and gC3 papers. The presentation pack tells of 28 stamps having been issued of which one was withdrawn due to forgery. If my memory serves me, that was the £1 Cahir Castle stamp in brown and grey. It was issued in 1982 and exists on all three papers. In 1985, it was superseded by the Killarny Cathedral design in blue and grey. It first appeared on gC3 paper and in 1988 on gC1 paper.

This brings me back to the £2 stamp. My Hibernian Handbook dates from 2009 and Roy Hamilton-Bowen published two subsequent editions. I might be buying the 2024 edition. The 2009 edition lists the paper varieties on pages 183-186. For the £2 stamp, it only lists this stamp on gC1 paper. I have two examples. One comes from the set I ordered from An Post, in 1990. The other comes from the presentation pack I bought not long afterwards. The first picture shows (from left to right) the £2 stamp ordered from An Post, the £2 stamp from the presentation pack and the £5 stamp from the same presentation pack.



The £5 stamp clearly shows the fluorescence of the gC1 paper. Both £2 stamps lack that fluorescence. The following is a scan of the back of
the same three stamps and in the same order. The £5 stamp on the right has the bluish gum of gC1 paper. Both £2 stamps have the creamy gum of the gC3 paper.



So, is it a typo in the Hibernian Handbook and should it read gC3 instead of gC1 paper? Or does this stamp exist both on gC1 and gC3 paper?

Thank you for the clarification. I had not seen information from An Post before. I incorrectly assumed that they made the same differentiation that the Hibernian Catalog did.

I'm enjoying this thread. Keep 'em coming!

Dan

The first of the booklets that contained Architecture definitives was issued on 15 August 1983. When folded closed, the front cover of the booklet shows the "Four Courts" (Na Ceithre Cúirteanna) located on the bank of the river Liffey in Dublin. Below the illustration appear the words Stampaí/Postage stamps to indicate the cover holds postage stamps. At the top right appear the contents. The vending price of the booklet appears at the top left of the front cover.

The back cover of the closed booklet shows an advertisement for Irish postage stamps by the General Post Office (GPO) aimed at collectors. Below the advertisement appears the imprint of Irish Security Stamp Printing Ltd. (ISSP) that printed the booklet and its content. The inside of the cover is blank.



The Four Courts
Construction on the building after a design by Thomas Cooley took place from 1786 until 1796 with further work continuing until 1802. Its name derives from the four superior courts (Chancery, King's Bench, Exchequer and Common Pleas) it originally housed. During the civil war of 1922, the building suffered extensive damage. The rebuilt "Four Courts" was reopened in 1932.

The booklet contains a single pane of seven stamps (as FitzjamesHorse indicated in his list of stamp books) and a stamp-sized label with diagonal bars in the colour of the 4p stamp. All were printed by ISSP in lithography. The top row of the pane has the label in position one and three 4p stamps depicting the Curvilinear Range of glasshouses of the National Botanic Gardens (Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus) in Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath). The bottom row of the pane consists of four 22p stamps depicting Aughnanure Castle (Caisleán Achadh na nlubhar) in Oughterard (Uachtar Ard), County Galway. The top and bottom edge of the pane are imperforate.



Below picture shows the pane under a Leuchtturm (Lighthouse) long-wave uv-lamp, identifying it as fluorescent paper.



The stamps have white gum. Combined with the fluorescence, this would make the paper "Hibernian" type gC2. The combination of fluorescent paper and white gum appears unique to this booklet. The combination of fluorescent paper with and imperforate side also is.

Does anyone know of this booklet existing with stamps printed on non-fluorescent paper or with bluish gum?



I understand there exist seven subtypes of the paper used by ISSP. The Hibernian Handbook, however, limits itself to the three main types to prevent the listing to expand out of all proportions.

To start with a correction to my previous post. The paper shows no fluorescent reaction and is of type gC3.

The second booklet with "Architecture" definitives was issued on 9 July 1984 (Hibernian HB24). The outside cover shows the An Post logotype on the front when folded shut. At the bottom of the logotype appears the text "Bonus: one free stamp." Between the words "free" and "stamp" appears the image of the top part of the 26p black "Cormac Chapel" stamp. The back of the cover shows a yellow envelope from which appear greetings. Across the bottom of the envelope appear the words "P.S. Keep in touch."



On the inside of the front cover appear the postage rates effective June 1984. From this, it can be seen the 22p covered the postcard rate within Ireland or to the U.K. The 26p stamp covered the basic letter rate to the same and the postcard rate to non-European countries by airmail. The 4p could be used to in combination with the 22p or 26p stamp to meet a rate.

The inside of the back cover shows a box with a fountain pen writing the words "Write Now" in script letters.



The booklet contained three 4p, five 22p and four 26p stamps, totalling £2.26. Between the issue date of 9 July 1984 and 10 August 1984, the book was sold for £2; i.e., at a discount of 26p.



The stamps do not show a fluorescent reaction under a Leuchtturm (Lighthouse) long-wave uv-lamp.



On the back of the stamps, over the gum, are printed the words "Booklet Stamp" in green. The gum is off-white. Together with the lack of fluorescence, this classifies as gC3-paper.



The stamps are unique to this booklet, because of the underprint. Because it was applied over the gum, used stamps, typically, will not have the underprint. Since the stamps have an imperforate side, they are different from the stamps issued from counter sheets. The 4p stamp with the top imperforate and the 22p stamp (with imperforate left side) appeared in the 1983 'Four Courts" booklet without the underprint.

The next booklet An Post released on 27 June 1985. When folded shut, the front cover shows the Custom House in Dublin. Under the picture appears the word "STAMPAÍ" making clear the booklet contains stamps. The caption below the picture identifies it as Custom House in Dublin. At the top left appears the price of the booklet (£1) that is also the face value of the stamps it contains. At top right appears the logotype of An Post.

On the back cover appears an advertisement for An Post's "Express Mail" express courier service.



Customs House, Dublin
Construction of the neo-Classical building took place between 1781 and 1791. The architect was James Gandon, who had also been involved in the construction of the "Four Courts" after its architect, James Cooley, had died in 1784.

The building is located on one of the quays along the River Liffey. It was used to collect custom duties. When the port of Dublin moved further downriver, it became obsolete as custom house.

The building suffered considerable damage when the IRA set fire to it during the 1921 war of independence. It was later restored. The dome, originally constructed from Portland stone was rebuilt using Irish Ardbraccan limestone. The latter is a darker stone than the original. The building was decorated with ornamental sculptures representing Ireland's rivers.

The booklet contained a pane of six "Architecture" definitives: two each of 2p, 22p, and 26p. The stamp pane being imperforate at top and bottom means all six stamps were different. The 22p stamp with the left side imperforate already appeared in the 1983 "Four Courts" booklet. It also appeared in the 1984 discount booklet, together with the 26p stamp with the right side imperforate.



The stamps were printed on non-fluorescent paper as were those from earlier booklets.



On the inside of the front cover appears a table of postage rates, effective May 1985. On the inside of the back cover appears the GPO address for people interested in collecting Irish stamps.

On 27 June 1985, An Post also released a £2 booklet. When folded shut, the front cover shows the words "Keep in touch" in white against a green background over the An Post logotype. At the bottom of the cover appears the word "STAMPAÍ" and the price of the booklet (£2) that is also the face value of the stamps it contains.

On the back cover appears the same advertisement directed at stamp collectors that appears on the inside of the back cover of the £1-booklet.



As was the case for the £1-booklet issued on the same day, it contained the 2p, 22p, and 26p stamps from the Architecture definitives series. The £2-booklet, however contained four of each. The booklet also is higher to allow for a different orientation of the stamps. In this booklet, the 22p and 26p stamps appear upright and the 2p stamps appear sideways. Consequently, the former two are imperforate at top or bottom and the latter stamps are imperforate on the left or right side.



As is the case with the Architecture stamps from the other booklets, the stamps were printed on non-fluorescent paper.


The inside of the front cover has the table with current postage rates. The inside of the back cover advises to use P.O.P. size to save money. I think it refers to standardised measurements for mail items but have not found any information on what "P.O.P." stands for.

An post released a further £2-booklet on 8 September 1986. When folded shut, the front cover again shows the words "Keep in touch" in white against a green background over the An Post logotype. Above these appear the words "£2 STAMP BOOK" in yellow against a green background. At the lower left corner, a jolly green Irish pillar box greets everyone. The same cheerful pillar box also appears on the back cover. The back cover further carries an advertisement offering 36 photo prints for £4.50 through the post office's photo service.



The top row of the pane of stamp is made up of two 2p stamps and four 28p stamps. The bottom row is made up of three each of the 4p and 24p stamp. The pane is imperforate at top and bottom. The 2p and 4p stamps have the top and bottom imperforate, respectively. Such stamps appeared in earlier booklets. The 24 p with the right side imperforate and 28p with the top imperforate are new stamps.



As usual, the booklet stamps were printed on non-fluorescent clay-coated paper.



The inside of the front cover carries a rates table with the rates as they were effective from March 1986. The jolly pillar box makes its third appearance on the inside of the back cover. This advertises An Post's pre-paid stationery.