Collecting By Engraver

Spain - 1935

Iglesias expedition to the Amazon
Printed by FNMT

Engraved by José Luis López Sánchez-Toda

Spain - Sept.1929

Pegasus
Express/Special Delivery stamp

Printed by Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre

Engraved by Camilo Delhom Rodríguez (1894-1970)

I've been working on Greece today. Hubert Woyty-Wimmer was a superb engraver who is credited with three of the Greek Royal Family stamps from 1956 while working at De La Rue. This is one of them:



Although obviously not the same engraving, it bears a strong similarity to the portrait of King Paul and Queen Frederika in the 5D stamp. The 5D has a slightly larger space to work with and has allowed the engraver to get a little more detail into the engraving. I think the 5D is an improvement on the 10D.



Similarly, the larger portrait on the 20l of Crown Prince Constantine seems more sympathetic to me. He looks a bit sulky on the 10D.



I have to say that my favourite of the set is the 4D portrait of Queen Frederika on her own. This also has no listed engraver.



My reason for showing these, apart from wanting to share some fine stamps (which have been shown before) is to ask, "Who else was working at De La Rue in 1956 who could engrave as well or better than Hubert Woyty Wimmer, or did he actually engrave more than he was given credit for?

And here's today's mystery.

We all know of Pierre Bequet, of course, but according to my catalogues there was a mysterious F. Bequet who designed stamps in the late nineteen-forties for Belgium. This may be one of them as it has F.B. in the lower left corner where the designer usually sits.





Unfortunately, I have been able to find nothing about this artist. If it wasn't for the FB on the stamp, I would have thought it might be one of SG's typos. Do other catalogues offer any clues?

Edit: Well, I finally tracked him down - or a name at least, Frans Bequet. Now to dig further.

That's Frans Bequet, and this is a link to some (all?) of his stamps:

http://www.catawiki.be/catalogus/po...ecquet-frans

I don't see yours among them and I checked the OBP (official Belgian catalogue) but they remain silent on the subject.

Thanks Adrian. He did a few around that time and that definitely has an FB at the bottom. I don't have anyone else in my lists that fit but for some reason, that set has no details. Catawiki also confirms the spelling as my old SG has it with and without the 'c'.
Perhaps that's why I couldn't find him and kept getting Pierre or Hubert.

Haiti - 1887

President Louis Etienne Salomon

Printed by Charles Skipper & East - London

Engraved by Herbert Bourne (1825-1907)

Spain - 1950

100th Anniversary of Spanish Stamp

Printed by FNMT

Engraved by Germán Martin Orbe (1892-1975)

50cts. violet
75cts. ultramarine
10Pts. blackish green
15Pta. vermilion



Airmail :
1Pta. brownish violet
2,5Pta. yellowish brown
20Pta. blackish blue
25Pta. dark green

Austria - 1933
Poster Stamp
St.Stephens Cathedral

Wien Philatelic Exhibition - WIPA-33

Printed by the Austrian Government Printing Works

Designed by Ludwig Hesshaimer
Engraved by Arthur Schuricht (1882-1945)



Stamps were printed in 10 diff. colors (Brown orange - Dark red - Dark blue - Green - Dark brown - Slate gray - Blackish blue - Ultramarine - Reddish brown - Violet) and 3 languages (German, English and French) = 30 different stamps.

Japan - 1908
Empress Jingo

Printed by Japanese Government Printing

Engraved by Sukeichi Oyama (Japan, 1858-1922)



In 1885 Sukeichi Oyama came to the United States and joined the BEP. In 1891 he was hired by American Bank Note Co. and worked there until 1900 when he returned to Japan.
He joined the Japanese Government Printing as Chief engraver and soon became Superintendent of Engraving Department.

This is some of his work for American Bank Note Co. :

Engraved in 1893
Used in 1897-Bank of Nova Scotia $20 banknote (Canada)
1898 - Banco Concepción $20 banknote (Chile)
1898 - Banco Coahuila $100 banknote (Mexico)
1900 - Brazil 2mil Reis banknote



Engraved in 1894:
Used in 1895 - New Orleans & Western Terminal Bond
1897 Bank of Coahuila $500 banknote (Mexico)



Engraved in 1894:
Used in 1901 Newport News & Old Point Rwy & Elect. Stock Certificate
1903 Merchants Bank of Canada $3 banknote
1906 City of Cincinnati Stock Certificate/Bond
1926 Brazil 100mil Reis banknote



Engraved in 1895:
Used in 1895 Hawaii $5 banknote
1899 Costa Rica $20 banknote
1900 Merchants Bank of Canada $5 banknote

Those banknote engravings are some of the finest portraits I've seen. I had no idea he was so high in the Japanese postal hierarchy as I have only found one other Japanese stamp that was attributed to him, the 1915 Enthronement Hall stamp.



This was before many other countries, such as France and Australia, took up engraving stamps. The Japanese achieved a very high quality in their engraving (and still do) but unfortunately did not engrave as many as I would like to have seen. (Ditto everywhere else)

I got inspired enough by jorgesurcl's posts above to attack my Spanish stamps and as a result have added Pablos Sampedro Molero to my list of favourite engravers. This stamp, from the Leyre Monastery set of 1974 reminds me just why I collect engraved stamps.


The crypt at Leyre Monastery. SG 2285, Scott 1864. Engraved by Sampedro Molero. Designer unlisted. Printed by Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (FNMT)

Another by Pablos Sampedro Molero. St James of Compostela is the Patron Saint of Spain and the Holy Year of Compostela set of 1971 illustrates the travels of pilgrims in the Middle Ages. This later stamp from 1976 is also dedicated to that event and illustrates the Virgin of Pontevedra who is said to have appeared to a sister there.


Virgin of Pontevedra. SG 2351, Scott 1931

Here is a more recent stamp by Sampedro Molero. This was a stamp I admired long before I knew anything about its producers. I still don't know the designer. Perhaps it was also designed by Sampedro Molero.


Helen Keller birth centenary. SG 2620, Scott 2214

I'm trying to understand my Spanish stamps.

I need to clarify the details on this stamp.



Recent discussions had me noting this in my catalogue as being engraved by J.L.Sanchez Toda. Gibbons is fairly vague and lists details for the complete list of twelve designs as designed by J.Sanchez Toda, A. Gisbert and D. Puebla and engraved by J.S-T and Camilo Delhom.

Looking at the stamp, I would have thought this is showing designer as J.S-T and engraver as Delhom.

To add to that, the previous stamp in the set seems to have the same engraving of Columbus (the portraits seem the same size on the actual stamps) and I have this as designed by J.S-T and engraved by Delhom.



Can anyone confirm who did what?

I think it's time I took a break and just went mad for a little while.