Collecting By Engraver

Anthony, thanks again for that great job on the indexing.

Here is the low value from a set of Czechoslovakian folk costumes
and tales issued in 1975.

Designed by Karel Svolinsky and engraved by Jindra Schmidt

Print process : multicolour engraving

Scott 1996







Here is an example of the method used for colour registration which
was mentioned by Florian.
Notice how the coloured crosses, black,yellow, green and red
all match up almost perfectly.

nethryk - greetings - I collect stamps along much the same lines as you do, picking and choosing just what I like, not worrying about completion as regards any set of stamps that does not interest me as a whole or the output of any stamp creator whose extensive work appeals to me or any period of any country of issue. I've always been trying to avoid having too much of any good thing, in the end resulting in excessive vastness of the collection, but treasuring items for their artistic, cultural or historic value, no matter how small their monetary value, not collecting stamps for investment but cherishing them for the rich panorama of all sorts of vivid memories I've had them associated with in the course of time and which are brought back once the stamps meet my eye.

I took an interest in stamps at the age of 5, originally attracted by the striking complementary colours of a well-matched typographed pair arriving on an envelope when told by Mum there were people called philatelists who collected them. So I began collecting stamps and I've not given up the hobby ever since.

Like yours, my immagination was captured by the Denmark 1953-1956 millennial stamps announced in philatelic press and appearing in instalments and my very first pen-friend abroad was an Aarhus student I started to swap stamps with in the early autumn of 1953 as soon as I had learnt some English. Those were the great stamp-collecting days with some of the yet more impressive post-war achievements in stamp production still to come.

Having concentrated on used stamps for over two decades I definitely shifted focus to flawless mints for aesthetic reasons in the late 1960s, acquiring most of them through exchanges as far as I could afford them.

However, I've kept the cream of my earlier collection, including such gems of my boyhood days as C. Josso's French Morocco 1939-1947 pictorials engraved by Pierre Gandon, Pierre Gandon's French Equatorial Africa 1947 pictorials, René Cottet's French West Africa 1953 200 F air (with a pulled perf) depicting baobab trees, or some of the French Oceanic Settlements 1948-1955 pictorials, which remind me of the Czech settlers there who had fled tormented Europe in the interwar years in search of peaceful life on the distant islands.

So much for my stamp collecting history and credo. - florian

lithograving - Glad to hear from you. I'll be back with my answers to your questions on Tuesday and Thursday.

AnthonyUK - Thank you for your welcome.

Perf14 - I'm looking forward to your images re-appearing.

Greetings to all! - Florian

florian - Yes, it seems as though our collecting interests are similar in several ways. I would encourage you to jump in to comment upon any of the stamp images I post here, and/or to offer corrections to any mistakes that I may make in my descriptions of them.

For the benefit of those who may be interested, here are images of six examples of the above-mentioned French Morocco stamps designed by French artist and illustrator Camille Paul Josso (1902-1986), and engraved by Pierre Gandon.

- nethryk

From the 1939-42 definitive stamps series:

Horseman and cedar trees, Scott No. 154, SG No. 219.


Goatherd, Scott No. 157, SG No. 222.


Ramparts at Salé, Scott No. 164, SG No. 232.


From the 1947-48 definitive stamps series:

The Terraces, Scott No. 221, SG No. 318.


Marrakesh, Scott No. 229, SG No. 327.


Ouarzazate District (Barracks), Scott No. 241, SG No. 332a.

@Anthony

There appears to be a typo on the last engraver's name.

It should be Rudolf Zenziger.

Thanks, you're doing a fantastic job.

Updated Litho.
Thanks for checking.

Well somebody has to keep you on your toes Anthony.


Here is the 1958 Czechoslovakian mushroom set previously mentioned by Florian.

Designer : Karel Svolinsky

Engraver : Ladislav Jirka

Print process : 3 colour engraving, 2 colour engraving for the 40h value.


Scott 882 - 886

This 1959 bird set was another one of the early Czech multicolour engraved stamps.

In my opinion these are some of the best representations of birds
on stamps ever done.

I remember when I first saw the set at one of the downtown
Toronto stamp shops, I was struck by their beauty and just
had to have them even though I only had a small allowance.

Keep in mind multicoloured stamps were still a rarity
in those days.

At the time I really wasn't interested in the fact they were engraved
since many (most) stamps were. I just liked the colours.



Designer : Karel Svolinsky

Engraver : Ladislav Jirka

Print Process : multicolour engraving


Scott 942 - 948

One more set from Czechoslovakia this time showing Town Halls
from Prague, Bratislava & Brno issued in 1970.

Designed & Engraved by Jiri Svengsbir as is indicated in the bottom

frame by the DEL.SC. meaning delineavit -Latin .

he drew (this) and sculpsit (from Latin) = carved, or engraved by...



Print Process : 1 colour (black) engraved & multicolour photogravure.

Scott 1698 - 1703

lithograving - Beautiful images of your Czechoslovakia stamps, especially of the mushrooms and birds.

André Frères (1902-1977) was a French engraver who learned his trade by making illustrations for periodicals and books. Frères only began engraving postage stamps in 1951. Over his career, he produced many fine stamps, both in typography and intaglio, for France, Monaco, Saarland, French colonies and former colonies. Here are images of six examples of Frères's engraving work.

- nethryk

Garden of Oudaya, Rabat, designed by Alexandre Delpy, and issued for use in French Morocco on August 25, 1955, Scott No. 327, SG No. 464.


Pottery of Nabeul, designed by Tunisian artist Hatem El Mekki (1918-2003), and issued by Tunisia on October 24, 1959, Scott No. 359, SG No. 499.


Human Rights, also designed by Hatem El Mekki, and issued by Tunisia on December 10, 1963, Scott No. 439, SG No. 593.


Corn, farm implements and tools, designed by Jacques Combet,and issued by Congo (People's Republic) on April 24, 1964 to promote manual labor, Scott No. 113.


Cathedral of Bourges, designed by André Spitz, and issued by France on June 8, 1965, Scott No. 1125, Y&T No. 1453.


Palace, 19th century, designed by Raoul Serres, and issued by Monaco on February 1, 1966, Scott No. 622.

Litho: am I not seeing the "kcs" on the 1.40 mushroom stamp?

I think that is normal. Michel shows it without and lists the value as 1.40 (kcs) where I think the parentheses indicate no value shown.

Wow cynical, like I said before you sure have an eagle eye.

Nethryk, that 75f French Moroccan Rabat stamp was one of the first
Moroccan stamps I ever saw. I traded for it and some others
with a kid in school who had just recently arrived in Canada
having fled from Morocco.
That was just about fifty years ago.


Engraver : CP Dufresne

French Morocco

Scott 322




Engraver : Raoul Serres (1881 - 1971)

Scott 325





Scott C53