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1932–41 £3.25
Recess-printed December 2008
DECEMBER 2008

ABORIGINAL ART:
On Stamps Stamps ISSN 0954-8084
12

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INSIDE WIPA ’08 ● 16-page Catalogue Supplement 9 770954 808120

9770954808120-03

Croydon Philatelic Society
A feature of the Society is its
friendly sociable spirit typified by
the annual dinner, held again this
year at the Fairfield Halls in central
Croydon. Nearly 50 members and
guests enjoyed an excellent meal
in convivial company.
Meetings, on the second and
fourth Tuesday in the month, are
informal, with 12 -14 members
attending to display and to see
visiting displays which this year
has included John Lea (‘The Nile
Valley’, Mrs Enid Banks ‘Marine
Invertebrates’ and displays from
the Royal Tunbridge Wells Society.
Further information can be
obtained from Frank Simpson on
02086 603 595.
Dundee and District PS
The new session opened with the
traditional President’s evening
during which the new president,
David Hogarth, presented the
outgoing president, Robert
Duguid, with an ASPS tie.
The President then displayed
part of his French collection,
concentrating on stamps and
postal history from 1934 to 1946.
The Society’s website at www.
dundeephilatelic.org, gives details
of meetings and other information.
Contact can also be made via the
Secretary on 01382 534 884.
Egypt Study Circle
The last meeting was at
Stampex and a good attendance
congratulated nine members
whose exhibits had been awarded
medals at shows in the Czech
Republic and the USA.
A proposed visit to Egypt
was discussed and the 2009
programme approved.
The first meeting of 2009 will
be on 10 January at the Victory
Services Club, Marble Arch,
London W2, at 2.00 p.m. when
Edmund Hall will present ‘Military
Matters 1882-1982’.
Gibraltar Study Circle
The Circle recently held its annual
competition weekend at the Hinton
Firs Hotel, Bournemouth. After
an introduction by the Chairman
David Stirrups, the members
observed one minute’s silence in
memory of member John Daynes
who sadly passed away in July.
The competition entries were
judging by Colin Mount. The
overall winner was Tom Moore for
his entry ‘GB Used in Gibraltar’
and he was presented with
22
NEWSDESK
Society News
the Wally Jackson Trophy by
Margaret, Colin’s wife. She also
presented all the other winners
with their respective awards. The
Saturday afternoon presentation
was by David Stirrups who in
the first part gave a display of
‘Gibraltar - Spanish Connections
1845-1875’. As a complete
contrast, his second part showed
QEII items. The weekend closed
with an auction.
The next meeting will be a half
day event at the Union Jack Club,
Waterloo, London, on 17 January
2009. For information please
contact Eric Holmes on 01189
696206 or ericholmes@talktalk.net
Guildford & District PS
The Society meets twice each
month in the Friends Meeting
House, Guildford, at 7.30 p.m.
New members and visitors are
always welcome.
The next meeting is on 26
November when Mr J Lea will
display ‘I Cover the World’ and
there will be an informal meeting
on 10 December.
Italy and Colonies Study
Circle
The next meeting is on Saturday
13 December 2008 at the Victory
Services Club, Marble Arch,
London W2, at 2.00 p.m. The
meeting will include an auction.
The first meeting of the New
Year will be on Saturday 28 March
at the same venue.
Details from Mr R Harlow, 7
Duncombe House, 8 Manor Road,
Teddington, Middlesex TW11 8BE,
email: harlowl@gmail.com
Joint Issues Society
The Society has recently decided
to share all its information on a
free basis and to become a ‘virtual’
society.
Further pages of information on
joint stamp Issues will be added
in the course of the next weeks
and months. By joining the free
members’ list collectors will get
regular information (two or three
times a year) when larger updates
are made to the site. Further
information is available on http://
www.jointstampissues.net
Leamington and Warwick
Philatelic Society
At the 1 October 2008 meeting
Dr Max Johnson presented a talk
on the development of Pakistan
as reflected by its stamps. The
display took a journey from the
patchwork of official and local
overprints during the three turmoils
of independence, the secession of
Bangladesh, and decimalisation, to
the changes of place names from
their colonial forms to names more
acceptable to a newly independent
Muslim state.
The Society meets on alternate
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the
Oddfellows Hall, Clarence Terrace,
Warwick Road, Leamington Spa.
Further information from Nick
Bridgwater on 01926 423 685.
Mablethorpe and Sutton PS
On Wednesday 1 October 2008
members descended on the
Spalding and District Society for
the annual ‘SADMAS’ Trophy
competition.
Members from each Society
show exhibits in three categories
with six exhibits (three per society)
per category. In the past the
‘home’ team have usually won
the trophy, but this year, it was
an ‘away’ win for Mablethorpe. A
really enjoyable afternoon, thanks
to Spalding. The photograph
above shows Pam Peplow
receiving the trophy from Tony
Boyer of Spalding & District.
Membership enquiries to Pam
Peplow on 01507 473 453.
Petersfield Philatelic Society
The Society has experienced a
year of mixed emotions with the
passing of two members and, in
contrast, a range of interesting
talks and displays.
The Society’s March auction has
been organised for many years
by George ‘Jock’ Turner, but his
passing gave the committee a
huge void to fill. Willing volunteer
Ron Wood is arranging the auction
next March.
A former chairman of the club,
John Hagenbuch, also passed
away in the summer after a long
illness. He was well known for his
collection of German South West
Africa and he was also a member
of the German and Colonies Society.
Club meetings have been
enlivened with visiting displays and
visits from the Farnham, Fleet and
North Hants societies.
Visitors to the monthly meeting
on the first Monday each month at
Petersfield Community Centre, will
be very welcome.
Solihull Philatelic Society
The Society meets every Tuesday
evening from September to the
end of April at the Solihull Cricket
and Tennis Club, Marsh Lane,
Solihull.
The clubhouse provides a
comfortable environment for
members to enjoy a wide range
of talks and displays, informal
gatherings and competition
evenings.
The Society’s excellent library,
club packets and auctions
provide members with support for
their collecting interests. New
members and visitors are always
welcome. For further details visit
www.solihullphilatelicsociety.org.
uk or contact Paul Woodness on
01564 776 879.
Southampton and District PS
The Society has have enjoyed a
succession of quality presentations
in recent months. These have
included ‘Line-engraved GB’,
‘Haiti’, ‘GB Printed Matter 1840-
1880’ and a thematic display on
the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
In September a group of 15
members and supporters travelled
to Prague to attend the Prague
International Stamp Exhibition.
October was also a busy month
with three scheduled meetings, a
Saturday auction, plus the Society
dinner. In addition, many members
supported Hampex.
For information contact Stuart
Gaiger on 02380 784 761.
Stratford upon Avon PS
On 24 September 2008 the Society
celebrated its 20th anniversary with
two displays covering Stratford
postal history and Stratford
postcards. The Deputy Mayor of
Stratford, Councillor Mrs Jenny
Fradgley was a most welcome
guest, standing in for the Mayor
who is the Patron of the Society.
There was a bumper turnout of 26,
which included five members who
had been present at the inaugural
meeting in 1988. Bryan Jones
(who was also one of the very first
guest speakers in 1988) gave a
display of postcards covering early
aerial photos, post offices, and the
authoress, Marie Correlli.
Alan Godfrey displayed a range
of maps of the earliest postal
routes, mileage charges, local
penny posts and railway stamps.
The Society meets on alternate
Wednesdays at Stratford High
School Community Sports
Centre, and its programme may
be found at http://leamphil.users.
btopenworld.com.
For membership details contact
Colin Fountain on 01789 841 606.
Sudan Study Group
The Study Group recently held its
autumn meeting, in London, where
the display topic was ‘Recent
Acquisitions’ and much interesting
material was shown.
The next meeting will be held
near Stratford upon Avon in April
2009 and will be a full weekend
event. The main discussion topic
will be ‘Forgeries’.
Further information can be found
at; www.sudanphiletly.co.uk
West Africa Study Circle
The summer meeting was held
in Salisbury and a large turnout
appreciated the quality and variety
of material on show. The subjects
this year were ‘ Military Mail’ and
‘Revenues’ and 13 members
contributed 22 displays.
Jeremy Martin, who had decided
to stand down after organising this
meeting for 35 years, was given a
vote of thanks and applause which
could be heard in Devizes!
Membership details are available
from Peter Duggan, 75 Alexandra
Road, Reading RG1 5PS,
telephone 01189 663 220.
G.S.M. December 2008
 FAIRS DIARY DATES
Readers are advised to check (telephone numbers are given, where known) that venues 13 Derby, Brackens Hotel, Bracken’s Lane, (01226 360 190) 9-4
and times are correct. Every care is taken in the compilation of this listing but we regret Alvaston
that GSM cannot be held responsible for omissions or errors. 13 Dover, Biggin Hall, Biggin Street, by the (01304 829 827) 10-4
Town Hall
NOVEMBER 13 Liverpool, St Columba Church Hall, Hillfoot (01226 765 069) 10-3.30
25 Stockport, Masonic Guildhall, Wellington (01283 820 151) 9.30-3.30 Road, Hunts Cross
Road South 13 Preston, Barton Village Hall, J1 M55 (A6) (01282 866 562) 9.30-4.30
27 Plymouth, Guildhall, Armada Way (01749 813 324) 10-4 13 Reading, St Barnabas Hall, Grove Road, (01895 637 283) 10-5
29 Barkingside, IRSDA Hall, Craven Gardens, (07736 527 716) 10-4 Emmer Green
opposite Library 13 Salfords, Village Hall, Honeycrock Lane, (01795 478 175) 10-4
29 Chester, Hoole United Reformed Church, (01226 765 069) 10-3.30 Salfords, Redhill
Hoole Road 13 Staines, Christchurch Hall, Kingston Road (07851 198 488) 9.30-3
29 Ealing, Polygon Complex, Ealing Parish (07851 198 488) 9.30-3 13 Stockton-on-Tees, Norton Methodist Church (01670 787 442) 9.30-2.30
Church, St Mary’s Road Hall
29 Fareham, Holy Trinity Church, West Street (01489 582 673) 10-4 13 Sutton, Methodist Church Hall, Green Lane, (02086 401 404) 10-5
29 Morley, St Mary’s Church Hall, Commercial (01909 563 394) 9.30-4 off Rose Hill roundabout almost opposite
Street, near Leeds Thomas Wall Park
29 Northampton, Abbey Centre, East (01733 203 121) 10-4 14 Altrincham, Quality Hotel, Langham Road, (01785 259 350) 10-4
Hunsbury Bowdon
29 St Albans, Jubilee Centre, Catherine (07736 527 716) 10-4 14 Chelmsford, Old Chelmsfordians Club, (01245 440 936) 10-4
Street Roxwell Road
29 Twickenham, Methodist Church Hall, (01903 244 875) 10-4 14 Hertford, Sele School, Welyn Road (07736 527 716) 10-4
Percy Road, Whitton 14 Kings Lynn, Gaywood Comunity Centre, (01733 203 121) 10-4
30 Ascot, British Red Cross Centre, Heatherwood (07851 198 488) 9-3.30 Gayton Road
Hospital, Entrance 3, King’s Ride 14 Nottingham, Novotel, Bostock Lane, Long (01484 866 777) 10-4
30 Doncaster, Park Social Club, Eden Grove (01909 563 394) 9.30-4 Eaton (J25 M1)
Road, Edenthorpe 14 North Shields, King Edward’s Primary (01670 787 442) 9.30-1
30 Harrogate, Masonic Hall, Station Road, near (01282 866 5620 9.30-4.30 School, Preston Avenue
Police Station 14 Wokingham, St Crispin’s Leisure Centre, (01923 674 999) 10-4
30 Lowestoft, Wherry Hotel, Bridge Road, Oulton (01502 563 759) 10-4 London Road
Broad 20 Addlestone, Community Centre, Garfield (01895 637 283) 10-5
30 Ormskirk, Guide Headquarters, Moorgate (01514 862 610) 10-3 Road
30 Prestwick, RAFA Club, Ardayre Road, A77/ (01387 710 451) 10-4 20 Bilsborrow, Village Hall, 6 miles north of (01226 765 069) 10-3.30
A79 Preston on A6
30 Maidstone, Royal British Legion Hall, Royal (01903 244 875) 10-4 20 Brighton, Good Shepherd Hall, 272 Dyke (01903 244 875) 10-4
British Legion Village, Hall Road, Aylesford Road
30 Southport, Royal Clifton Hotel, The (01484 866 777) 10-4 20 Durham, Framwellagate Moor Community (01670 787 442) 10-4
Promenade Centre
30 Stamford, Lady Anne’s Hotel, High Street, St (01733 203 121) 10-4 20 Guildford, Onslow Village Hall, Wilderness (01795 478 175) 10-4
Martins Without Road, Onslow Village
30 Stevenage, Novotel, Knebworth Park (J7 (07736 527 716) 10-4 20 Hull, St Stephen’s Church Hall, Freehold (01909 563 394) 9.30-4
A1M) Street, off Spring Bank
20 Thatcham, Memorial Hall, Bath Road (A40) (01256 415 699) 10-4
DECEMBER 21 Altrincham, Cresta Court Hotel, Church (01484 866 777) 10-4
3 Neath, Town Hall (01446 741 026) 10-5 Street, Town centre
3 Stowmarket, Football Club, Bury Road (01328 855 251) 10-3.30 21 Amersham, Jubilee Scout Hall, Rectory Hill (01895 637 283) 10-5
4 Cardiff, Methodist Church, Nottingham Street (01446 741 026) 10-3.30 21 Dronfield, Coal Aston Village Hall, near (01909 563 394) 9.30-4
5 Exeter, Clyst St George and Ebford Parish (01179 623 203 10-4 Sheffield
Hall, A376/B3179 21 Knowle, Village Hall, St John’s Close (07765 792 998) 10-4
6 Deal, Landmark Centre, 129 High Street (01304 829 827) 9-1 27 Crawley, St Paul’s Church Hall, Woodfield (01903 244 875) 10-4
6 Hove, St Leonard’s Church Hall, Glebe Villas (01273 514 733) 10-4 Road, Northgate
6 Huddersfield, St Thomas’ Church Hall, (01484 681 559) 9.30-4 27 Ealing, Polygon Complex, Ealing Parish (07851 198 488) 9.30-3
Manchester Road, Longroyd Bridge Church, St Mary’s Road
6 Leicester, Blackfriars Hall, Holycross Centre, (01522 530123) 9.30-3.30 27 Formby, Methodist Church Hall, Elbow Street, (01226 765 069) 10-3.30
Wellington Street off Duke Street
6 Lichfield, Boley Park, Community Hall, (01785 259 350) 10-4 27 Loughborough, Charnwood Bowls Club, rear (01785 259 350) 10-4
Ryknild Street of the Leisure Centre, Browns Lane
6 Lincoln, Reepham Village Hall, Hawthorn (01522 526 901) 9-4 27 Morley, St Mary’s Church Hall, Commercial (01909 563 394) 9.30-4
Road, Reepham Street near Leeds
6 Middlewich, Community Centre, Civic Way, (01226 765 069) 10-3.30 27 St Albans, United Reformed Church, (01895 637 283) 10-5
off Leadsmithy Street Homewood Road
6 Purley, Christ Church Hall, Brighton Road (01903 244 875) 10-4 27 St Albans, Jubilee Centre, Catherine Street (07736 527 716) 10-4
6 Rawreth, Parish Hall, Church Lane (01702 323 682) 10-4 27 Sittingbourne, Carmel Hall, Ufton Lane, off (01795 478 175) 10-4
6 Ruislip, Methodist Church Hall, Ickenham (01895 637 283) 10-5 West Street
Road, off High Street 28 Ascot, British Red Cross Centre, Heatherwood (07851 198 488) 9-3
6 Swindon, Western Community Centre, (01793 528 664) 9.30-4.30 Hospital, Entrance 3, King’s Ride
Somerset Road, Rodbourne Cheney 28 Hatfield, Ramada Hatfield (formally The (07736 527 716) 10-4
7 Altrincham, Cresta Court Hotel, Church (01484 866 777) 10-4 Comet), St Albans Road West (A1M)
Street, Town Centre 28 Lechlade, New Memorial Hall, Oak Street (01489 582 673) 10-4.30
7 Cheltenham, Regency Hotel, Gloucester (01179 623 203) 10-4 28 Maidstone, Royal British Legion Hall, Royal (01903 244 875) 10-4
Road, on the road to Staverton off the A40 British Legion Village, Hall Road, Aylesford
7 Fakenham, Community Centre, Oak Street (01328 855 251) 10-3 28 Southport, Royal Clifton Hotel, The (01484 866 777) 10-4
7 Potters Bar, Mount Grase School, Church (01303 238 807) 10-4 Promemade
Road 28 Stamford, Lady Anne’s Hotel, High Street, St (01733 351 210) 10-4
7 Scunthorpe, Ashby Community Centre (01469 531 348) 10-4 Martins Without
7 Taplow, Taplow and Hitcham W.I. Hall, (01895 637 283) 10-5 28 Wing, Cottesloe School, Aylesbury Road (01895 637 283) 10-5
Institute Road 29 Aylesbury, Holiday Inn, Aston Clinton Road (07736 527 716) 10-4
7 Tonbridge, Angel Centre, Angel Lane, off (01795 478 175) 10-4 29 Beverley, Norwood Methodist Church Hall, (01909 563 394) 9.30-4
Vale Road Norwood
7 Wolverhampton, Church Road, Bradmore (01384 74279) 10-4 29 Portsmouth, St Luke’s Sports Centre, (01489 582 673) 10-4
10 Colchester, Stanway Football Club, New (01328 855 251) 10-3.30 Greetham Street
Farm Road, Stanway 29 Twickenham, Methodist Church Hall, Percy (01903 244 875) 10-5
10 London, Royal National Hotel, 1-8 Russell (02072 787 871) 9-4 Road, Whitton
Square, Bloomsbury
13 Bexhill, St Martha’s Church Hall, Cooden (01903 244 4875) 10-4 JANUARY 2009 JANUARY 2009
Beach Road, Little Common 1 East Grinstead, Parish Halls, De La Warr (01795 478 175) 10-4
13 Bournemouth, Pelhams Park, Millhams (01202 303 053) 10-4 Road, off College Road
Road, Kinson 3 Huddersfield, St Thomas’ Church Community (01484 681 559) 10-4
13 Birmingham, Collingwood Centre, (07765 792 998) 10-4 Centre, Manchester Road
Collingwood Drive, Pheasey, Great Barr 3 Rawreth, Parish Hall, Church Road (01702 323 682) 10-4

26 G.S.M December 2008

 Around the Houses
News of recent and forthcoming sales at auction Notice bearing a vertical pair
of Blacks from plate 1a, which
houses around the world sold for £35,000. An attractive
Recent Auctions Needless to say, there was 1841 cover to Berlin, with eight
also plenty to interest collectors 1840 Two Pence Blues achieved
Mowbrays Australia
of ‘Penny Reds’, with an £24,000, while the marginal plate
Mint multiples of Australia
unwatermarked rough paper 1d. 5 imprimatur featured in this
kangaroos seemed to be high on
carmine (47k, catalogue price column in October was knocked
collectors’ shopping lists at the 12
£1500), selling for A$8000 and an down at £15,000. Outside the
July sale in Melbourne.
unmounted 1914 1d. in the rose- line-engraved, an unused 10s.
A no-monogram corner strip of
red shade making A$6250. greenish grey, watermark Maltese
three of the 1913 4d. orange made
Scarce inverted watermarks on cross, sold for £16,000 (illustrated
A$7500, a ‘JBC’ monogram corner
Kangaroos also continue to fetch left).
strip of three of the 9d. violet went
high prices – when offered. original gum, which made £50,000, All prices quoted exclude
for A$7000 and a similar ‘JBC’
One of the ‘stars’ in this field followed by a Postmaster’s premium.
monogram corner strip of the 1s.
appeared in the 13 September
blue-green realised A$8750.
sale; a very nice-looking example
The back cover of the sale
of the 2s. maroon redrawn die, Forthcoming Auctions
catalogue featured a colourful Cavendish
lightly cancelled to leave the ‘Roo’
array of the The 26 and 27 November sale in Derby features ‘Worldwide and
clear of postmark.
‘Arms’ New Great Britain on the 26th, with ‘named’ collections including the Barry
Unfortunately the stamp
Zealand Hobbs Mediterranean Steam Packet Mail, the ‘Thorston’ Bermuda high
suffered from
postal values, the Peter Bottrill collection of Heligoland and the DHE Garrett
a few pulled
fiscals, New Zealand, as well as a range of collections and accumulations
perforations
some of and an interesting GB section including the second earliest registered
which
which Penny Black cover recorded (estimate £2000).
had been
went for Main interest, however, will centre on the extraordinary ‘Pinkus’
‘enhanced’
very high collection of line-engraved Great Britain, which goes under the
and was
prices. We hammer on the 27th. This includes some fine individual stamps but is
estimated
note, for notable for a remarkable number of complete plate reconstructions,
accordingly
example, comprising stamps in ‘above average’ condition. The 1858-79 Penny
at A$10,000.
a 1931-5 35s. orange-yellow, Red plate reconstructions (plates 71 to 224) are offered as a single lot
Repaired or
lightly mounted (161) which made from which only 127 stamps are missing out of a
not, its visual
A$5200 on an estimate of A$3000 total of 36,240. This remarkable lot is the result
appeal was such that it achieved
(illustrated above). of more than one lifetime’s work, the collection
a final hammer price of A$18,000
Kangaroos also starred at the having been started by the vendor’s grandfather
(illustrated above).
10 September sale in Sydney, in the 1880s; it is estimated at £10,000.
Modern Australian errors are
which included a good selection of Ken Baker, in his introduction to the sale,
also strongly competed over, with
fine high values. highlights lot 1355 as his favourite; the plate 40 KB
a complete right-hand pane of 50
In the Third watermarks a fine re-entry state 1b with Maltese cross, ‘a true rarity’
of the 1974 Golf—‘Non-Olympic
£1 chestnut and blue estimated at with his own initials! (illustrated left).
Sports’—stamp with three columns
A$5000 sold for A$9800, while the
(15 stamps) completely missing
following lot, a marginal £2 black County Philatelic Auctions
black selling for A$16,750, more
and rose, well centred and lightly County’s next postal sale closes on 21 November and comprises over
than three times pre-sale estimate.
mounted on the margin only, 6800 lots (including nearly 2700 lots of Great Britain, with everything
Prices quoted exclude
described by the auctioneers as from Victorian imprimaturs and postal history to modern errors and
premium.
the finest they had seen for many essays). Estimates start at less than £2, up to £4750—for a 1966 Birds
years, went for A$12,000—50 per phosphor, marginal unmounted block of four with greenish yellow
cent over estimate.
Spink
Two important sales were held omitted, one of only six known and currently catalogued at £6800.
Prices quoted exclude
in London during September;
premium. Grosvenor
Stamps and Covers of Asia on the
10th and Great Britain Stamps and The sale on 20 and 21 November comprises over 1800 lots and
Prestige Philately includes the second part of Malcolm Barton’s Falkland Islands,
Postal History on the 22nd.
The catalogue for the 16 August Dependencies and Antarctica as well as Polar exploration items from
Asia included the R A Gooch
sale, featuring the ‘Anglo-Saxon’ the collection of Trevor R Cornford.
collection of China, the William
collection of the ever-popular King Egypt includes selections from the fine collections formed by
CY Kwan Japanese occupation
George V ‘Heads’ of Australia, will Dennis Clarke and the specialised study of the first King Fuad issue by
of Hong Kong and the Bob
long provide a useful reference John Sears. Other highlights are the late Tom Clapham’s Nyasaland
Nuttall India. China, particularly
work for collectors of these issues. and Rhodesias collection and the Southern
the People’s Republic period,
Watermark varieties continue Africa collection of J P McDonaugh.
continues to be very popular,
to fetch extraordinary prices Much interest will centre on the award-
demonstrated by lot 195, a
compared with those prevailing winning collection of Madame Joseph
substantial collection of the period,
only a few years ago, reflecting the cancellations formed by Brian Cartwright,
estimated at £14,000-18,000,
undoubted rarity of some of them author of the book Madame Joseph
which sold for £27,000.
and providing collectors with the Revisited, published by the Royal Philatelic
Top lot in the Japanese
hope of making significant ‘finds’ Society in 2005. Many of the items on
occupation of Hong Kong was
among apparently common and offer are actually illustrated in the book.
a marginal block of 28 of the
even damaged stamps. Interestingly, such is the interest in these
5y. on 5a. claret, believed to be
To take a few examples from cancellations that many lots are expected to
the largest known, which made
this sale, the top realisation of realise higher prices than they would have
£13,500. India continues to gain
A$16,000 was for a Small Multiple done with fine genuine cancellations.
in popularity with a number of lots
watermark 4d. olive, perf 13½×
achieving close to, or in excess of,
12½ (102w), with an ‘ironed-out Prestige Philately
full catalogue price. One notable
corner crease and associated On 29 November, Gary Watson and his team will be offering an
item was the only known example
tiny tear’, apparently one of five extensive array of Kangaroos, with 22 £1 values and 19 £2 stamps.
of the 2as. official overprinted on
recorded, while a Multiple ‘C of A’ Collectors of King Geoge V ‘Heads’ however, will
the ‘Foreign Bill’ stamp (SG O16)
watermarked 5d. brown (103w) be more interested in the Don Landers collection
without ‘Foreign’ and ‘Bill’ panels
with ‘a small concealed tear’, one of varieties, many of them in unmounted positional
cut away. In spite of being in very
of 11 known sold for A$9500 and blocks.
scruffy condition, this was knocked
a 1s.4d. greenish blue, (131w) one Good sections of Australian postage dues
down for £8300.
of eight, used, went for A$9000. and states (notably New South Wales) are
Great Britain on the 22nd
Also selling for $9000 was a followed by the ‘Rest of the World section, which
was very strong in line-engraved
single-line perf ½d. pale emerald includes a fine collection of Mauritius from an
with a good selection of unused,
with ‘OS’ perfin (38a), currently early impression ‘POST PAID’ estimated at $2500
including multiples, and ‘May
catalogued at £1700. It achieved (illustrated left), a hand-painted essay for the
date’ covers. Top item was a
the price in spite of being ‘a little 1895-99 ‘Arms’ design (est $10,000), King George
horizontal strip of five from plate
soiled’. VI varieties and modern errors.
4 with full margins and large part

30 G.S.M. December 2008

BRITISH STAMPS
A Gibbons Stamp Monthly Supplement No 333 December 2008

Robert Burns Early release

GSM readers have reported the 2nd class
Christmas stamp (Ugly Sisters) postmarked

A miniature sheet to be released on 22 January marks the 250th

anniversary of Scotland’s national poet’s birth.
The sheet, designed by Tayburn design Also available will
at London South in mid October, and the
1st class Genie postmarked at Peterbor-
ough on 3 November; the stamps’ release
group of Edinburgh and printed in gra- be an illustrated date was 4 November.
vure by Enschedé, costs £2.66 and contains presentation pack
the four current Scotland country stamps (£3.20) telling the Security Machins
together with two new 1st class stamps, the life story of Burns, first 1st and 2nd class Machins (standard and
first featuring a copper plate engraving day cover envelope (30p), Large) are to be issued (probably 17 Febru-
by James Sargent Storer of Burns plough- stamp cards (set of three £1.20) and a press ary) with security features to prevent them
ing and the line ‘A Man’s a Man for a’ sheet (£75.41) containing 21 miniature being removed from envelopes and reused,
that’, while the second depicts the Alex- sheets; there will also be a joint Royal something that costs Royal Mail a considera-
ander Nasmyth portrait of Burns. The Mint/Royal Mail coin cover. Illustrated first ble amount each year. They will be available
background to the sheet shows an engrav- day cancellations will be in use at Tallents in all formats, including booklets, business
ing by James Sargent Storer of the poet’s House, Edinburgh (haggis), and Alloway, sheets and coils. A first day cover and pres-
birthplace in Alloway. Ayr (‘O my luve is like a red, red rose’). entation pack will also go on sale.

Design Classics
The prestige booklet to be issued along-
side these stamps on 13 January (see last
month’s GSM) will contain the following
panes: 1. pane of eight – four 16p and four
50p Machins with a central label featuring
a crown from a Gilbert Scott telephone
box; 2. pane of four – two Routemaster bus
stamps, one Spitfire and one Mini stamp; 3.
pane of six – one each Underground Map,
Telephone kiosk, Penguin book, Anglepoise
lamp, Polypropylene chair and Mini skirt
stamps; 4. pane of four – two Concorde
stamps and two Concorde stamps of 2002.
The booklet has been designed by HGV and
printed by Cartor Security Printers.
A generic sheet to be issued on 13 Janu-
ary will contain 20 1st class Mini stamps
alongside labels showing aspects of the car’s
production and use. A second generic sheet
containing 20 1st class Concorde stamps
alongside labels recalling the aircraft’s his-
tory is to be released on 2 March. Both
sheets will cost £7.75 and have been printed
by Cartor Security Printers.
The 75th Anniversary of the GPO Film Unit
September 2008 marked the 75th anniversary of the General Post Office Film Unit. Coin-
cidentally it was also the British Film Institute’s 75th Anniversary. To mark this The British
Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA), in partnership with BFI, Royal Mail and BT Heritage,
presented a series of events and screenings at BFI Southbank in September, followed by
nationwide cinema screenings and the release of the first of three double-disc box sets
containing all the key GPO Film Unit films on DVD for the first time. This project has
entailed producing new prints of many titles by the BFI National Archive from its unpar-
alleled collections. The BPMA will also present Sir Derek Jacobi in a unique archive inter-
active guide (http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tours/jacobi).
The GPO Film Unit is perhaps best known for its production of Night
Mail (1936) one of the most enduring films of the British documentary
movement. But there are many more lesser-known films which helped
to extend the language of film. They are not only important docu-
ments of social history but also hugely entertaining.
Under John Grierson the GPO Film Unit was a hotbed of daring
and innovative film-making. Ostensibly created to inform the nation
of how to use the Post Office’s services, the Unit included some of the
greatest film-makers and artists of the day, from the likes of Alberto
Cavalcanti, Len Lye and Norman McLaren to W H Auden and Ben-
jamin Britten.
Box set cover illustration copyright Royal Mail Group Ltd 2008
by kind permission of The British Postal Museum & Archive

G.S.M. December 2008 33

BRITISH STAMPS
Posted in Advance for Delivery
on Christmas Day
The 1902 experiment at Rochdale is examined by Pat Campbell

B etween 1902 and 1909 an experiment was carried out through a variety of post offices
in Great Britain in an attempt to reduce the pressure placed on the service over the
Christmas period. The essence of the scheme was to persuade the public to hand in their
proceeded with as the opportunity offers
prior to the 23rd.
11. The bags to be finally opened
Christmas cards and letters into designated main offices around 17 to 22 December, which Christmas morning and the contents sent
would allow for their early sorting. A special cachet was used to confirm acceptance by out promptly at 7 o’clock and in advance of
the sender that, by the very nature of the scheme, there would be a delay in delivering the correspondence dealt with in the usual way.
item. Against this the Post Office promoted the idea that it would be a real bonus for the It is the experience here, and I believe
senders’ loved ones to be guaranteed receipt on Christmas Day. at most provincial offices, that half the
Counter of the Head Office or any Town correspondence sent out for delivery
Sub-office and where several are tendered Christmas Day is posted locally, while only
together the sender to tie them in a bundle a comparatively small proportion of local
with the addresses arranged in the same matter falls on the 24th. The public desire
direction. delivery Christmas morning and post
4. Postage stamps on cards posted at the their greetings with that object in view.
Head Office to be at once cancelled by This being so the proposed arrangement
the Counter Clerk using red stamping would be attended with no risk of unduly
composition with a special metal stamp increasing the number of missives when
showing the number of the Office but no pressure in delivery is at its height, and as
date. temporary postmen would be employed
Fig 1 John 5. The cards after being stamped to be this year as hitherto for the purpose of
Philips, bundled and enclosed in sealed bags making a preliminary delivery in any
Surveyor at
labelled “Christmas Cards”. case, no additional expense would be
Manchester
1900–1906
6. Should pressure render stamping and incurred—on the contrary expenditure
bagging off inconvenient at the Counter would probably be lessened by reducing
Trial at Rochdale the missives to be conveyed to the Sorting prolonged attendances.
In 1902 a trial was carried out in Rochdale, Office for the purpose, care being taken As requested I have made personal
a main post office within the Manchester to keep them quite separate from ordinary enquiry as to whether the scheme would
District, under the auspices of the Surveyor, correspondence. receive public support and so far as can
John Philips (Fig 1). He had suggested the 7. Cards posted at the Town Sub-offices to be now ascertained there appears to be no
scheme to the Secretary of the Postmaster be enclosed in a bag, lying in a convenient doubt that it would be much appreciated.
General on 13 September 1902 and permis- position, but out of reach of the public, The practice of using private cards at
sion was given on 13 November. as received and at the close of business Christmas is becoming more general—
It was originally planned to restrict the each day the bag to be tied, sealed and stationers have already executed extensive
scheme to towns where a high percentage of labelled at the neck “Christmas Cards” and orders and the senders being supplied in
the Christmas mail was delivered locally and despatched to the Head Office by the last good time would it is believed take full
Rochdale was selected as an office within the collecting Postman. advantage of posting in advance.
District that fitted this requirement. Mr W I 8. The bag on arrival at the Head Office It would be necessary to give the scheme
Jones, Postmaster for Rochdale, was whole- to be opened on a separate table—at the early publicity and this could be done by
heartedly behind the scheme as can be seen Counter if practicable—and the contents the exhibition of notices at all offices and
from a letter of his dated 11 November 1902 to receive similar treatment to the cards through the medium of the local press. I
to Mr Philips: posted at Head Office. (Note in margin: have satisfied myself that the Editors would
‘The Surveyor, There is a suitable fitting at the Counter be only too pleased to take the matter
With reference to the proposal to invite here and in dealing with the cards they up as it would be of considerable public
the public to post in advance of the 24 should if possible be all kept together.) interest. Tradesmen dealing in Christmas
Dec. local Christmas correspondence 9. On the 20th Dec. the Cards to be sorted Cards would advise their customers to
intended for delivery on the 25 Dec., I beg to walks, “set in” for delivery and tied in avail themselves of the opportunity offered
to state that I have carefully considered the labelled bundles and again enclosed in while Counter Clerks and Postmen would
arrangement in all its bearings and I am sealed bags to wait delivery Christmas endeavour to furnish the public with every
prepared to carry it out at this office next morning. information that may be required on the
Christmas if it be decided to allow me to try 10. If found expedient the sorting to subject.
it as an experiment. I feel assured that time walks, but not setting for delivery, to be W T Jones’
and labour would be saved Christmas Day.
The scheme, it is thought, should work on
the following lines:
1. Only Christmas cards posted in the Town
Area but for delivery in both the Town and
The Post Office promoted the idea that
Rural areas to be dealt with.
2. Posting to commence on the 17th
it would be a real bonus for the senders’
December and terminate at noon on the
22nd December.
loved ones to be guaranteed receipt on
3. The cards to be handed over the Christmas Day
34 G.S.M. December 2008

Implementation
From 8.00 a.m. on the 17th until noon on
22 December it was possible to hand over
the counter of the Head Office or any Town
sub-office in the Rochdale area, prepaid
Christmas cards or letters, the latter being
an extension to Mr Jones’s proposal above.
So cards and letters, sealed and unsealed,
were included at the prevailing postage rate
of ½d. or 1d. A further request was made
that, where several items were tendered
together, the sender tied them in a bundle
with the addresses arranged in the same
direction. Here an oval cachet measuring
29mm×20 mm was applied containing the
words ‘POSTED IN ADVANCE FOR DE-
LIVERY ON CHRISTMAS DAY 1902.’ (Figs
2 and 3). Different coloured inks were ap-
plied; red on the ½d. green adhesive and
black on the corresponding 1d. red.
This was the only time during the life of
the ‘Posted in Advance’ experiment that
two different coloured inks were used de-
pendent on the value of the adhesive. (Figs
4 and 5).
From hereon the mail was dealt with in
essentially the manner as recommended in
Mr Jones’s letter as detailed above. Mail from
the Town sub-offices was enclosed in a bag
kept out of reach of the public and at the
end of business each day, sealed and labelled
‘Christmas Cards’ and despatched to the
Head Office by the last collecting postman.
On arrival at the Head Office, the bag
was opened on a separate table and the
contents received similar treatment to the
cards posted at Head Office. On 20 Decem-
ber 1902 all of this material was sorted into
walks, ‘set in’ for delivery and tied into la-
belled bundles and again enclosed in sealed
bags to await delivery on Christmas morn-
ing. These bags were finally opened on the
25th and the contents sent out promptly at
7 o’clock, largely using temporary staff, in
G.S.M. December 2008
BRITISH STAMPS
advance of normal correspondence dealt
with in the usual way.
Mr Jones asked for advertising material
such as Post Office notices and use of the
local press, where he had contacted local
Editors calling for their support of the
scheme, which he reports was readily given.
A preliminary search of the relevant Roch-
dale newspapers has been made at the Brit-
ish Library Newspapers, Colindale, for such
support items but none has been found to
date. What has come to light is an article in
the Manchester Guardian set out below.
Notification
The following article appeared in the Man-
chester Guardian dated 20 December 1902:
‘An interesting experiment is to be made
at Rochdale next week in connection with
the Christmas postal deliveries. The Post-
office authorities find that their repeated
injunctions to the public at successive
Christmastides to “post early” fall for the
most part upon unheeding ears. People
will not despatch their seasonable greetings
well in advance of Christmas-day, as the
distracted postmen would wish them to
do. Christmas cards are mostly still posted
on Christmas-eve, and thus the Post-office
staff, though largely augmented, are as a
rule unable to finish their labours until
Christmas-day has passed. The difficulty is
not so much promptly to deliver the letters
as to get them sorted in time for delivery
on Christmas-day. The plan which is to be
tried at Rochdale will, it is believed, render
this possible. The public are asked to take
their Christmas letters and cards to the
counter of any post-office in the Rochdale
district not later than noon on Monday.
Trial strikes in red for use with the ½d.
green (Fig 2) and black for use with the
1d. red (Fig 3)
All Christmas correspondence for town
delivery so handed in will be retained
by the postal authorities until Christmas
morning, and will then be sent out by an
early special delivery. In the meantime they
will sorted and prepared by the ordinary
post-office staff, and each envelope on
being received will have these words
stamped upon it—“Posted in advance for
delivery on Christmas-day, 1902”. Those
who adopt this plan of dealing with their
Christmas letters may be assured, therefore,
that their correspondence will not reach its
destination too soon. On the other hand,
they will have the satisfaction of knowing
that their Christmas greetings are certain
to be delivered on Thursday morning, and
cannot be delayed until they have become
no longer appropriate. It is absolutely
necessary, of course, that “advance” letters
and cards should be handed to the clerk
behind the counter. If posted in the
ordinary way they will have to take their
chance of being delivered some time or
other in Christmas week. The Post-office
authorities believe that if this arrangement
is generally taken advantage of they will be
in a better position to meet the excessive
pressure which is always experienced
during the Christmas season. So the staff at
the Post-office will benefit, and at the same
time the convenience of the public will be
served. The experiment will be watched
with great interest. Mr J Philips, the
Manchester postmaster, who is responsible
for this happy idea of “advance posting,”
considers that Rochdale is the most suitable
place in the Manchester district (of which
he is the Surveyor) for the trial of the
experiment. If, however, the plan should
35
BRITISH STAMPS
Life after Death—Unforeseen
Philatelic Outcomes
Tom Slemons takes a look at Mulreadys, especially those containing
advertisements—a revised listing of which appears in the new Stanley
Gibbons Great Britain Specialised Catalogue

T he creation of the Uniform Penny Post that began on 10 January 1840 was assured,
following the success of the Uniform Fourpenny rate period of 5 December 1839 to
The government became a competitor in
the market place with stationers, by selling
9 January 1840. Rowland Hill’s plan for the Uniform Penny Post included the world’s first Mulready letter sheets, which were, effect-
postal stationery, letter sheets and envelopes, and what we call today, postage stamps. ively, writing paper. Stationers, printers,
The letter sheets and envelopes, now known as Mulreadys, were named after the artist and booksellers immediately seized upon
and designer William Mulready. The postage stamps were the Penny Black and the Two the idea of printing advertisements on the
Pence Blue. The stationery and 1d. stamps went on sale 1 May 1840 and became valid to inside of the letter sheets. This provided a
pay postage on 6 May 1840. new source of income and at the same time
Rowland Hill envisioned the public shows that letter sheets were used twice as reduced the government competition in
using the Mulready letter sheets as the often as envelopes, in keeping with Hill’s the sale of writing paper. The public could
primary means of correspondence and the concept. Simultaneously, an unforeseen not write on the inside of letter sheets
envelopes as secondary. Hill’s opinion, and application for the letter sheets came into since printing covered them. Blank writ-
the opinion of others instrumental in the being; their use as an advertising medium. ing paper had to be purchased. The first
creation of stamps, prior to May 1840, were unforeseen result of the Mulready was the
that stamps would be a nice adjunct to the A new source of income birth of ‘junk mail’.
Mulreadys but would only play a minor Prior to May 1840, advertising by mail was An advertisement by an individual busi-
role in post office operations. Comments far too expensive, considering the high ness, Rippon & Burton (Fig 1), prepared
were made to the effect that the post of- cost of postage. Advertisements could be for distribution as early as 1 June 1840, is
fice would enjoy the use of the stamp pur- placed in newspapers much as they are a new discovery provided by Dr Alan Hug-
chaser’s money while the stamps resided in today with prices based on the size of the gins. It will be included in the forthcom-
desk drawers unused. advertisement. Some stationers, printers, ing Great Britain Queen Victoria Specialised
and booksellers prepared and circulated Catalogue, 15th Edition (MA468a). The
‘Piece of buffoonery’ pamphlets containing advertisements for advertising letter sheet by William Gilling
Reaction to the Mulreadys was immediate. their own goods and services as well as (MA12a) (Figs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) con-
The public did not like them! These few advertising space sold to other businesses. tains advertisements for a broad range of
comments of the time illustrate this: ‘Is it
possible that the (Mulready) is not a joke?’; Fig 1 Recently discovered Rippon & Burton advertisement
‘Inform us whether this piece of buffoon-
ery is really genuine’; and ‘I am sorry you
had to pay for so ugly an envelope!’. There
was also some dislike of the stamps, but
comments were mild in comparison. Hill’s
vision proved to be a gross mistake. An
examination of what happened following
May 1840 provides the following interest-
ing picture.
The Mulready envelopes, a new concept
at the time, were issued in sheets of 12 and
could only be sold by the post office and
authorised vendors in complete sheets.
The sheets cost 1s.3d.; a shilling for postage
and three pence for the paper. At the time,
this was a significant sum to the average
person. The letter sheets were also printed
in sheets of 12, but the post office and au-
thorised vendors could cut the sheets and
sell individual letter sheets for a 1¼d. An
analysis of their use by the general public

Hill’s vision proved

to be a great
mistake
38
 BRITISH STAMPS

Figs 2 to 7 William Gilling (left)

and J M Burton (bottom left)
advertising letter sheets and
advertisements for the Orwell

S.M. December 2008

BRITISH STAMPS
businesses and offers to sell the letter sheets
at a discount below Post Office prices. At
least one of the advertisements, ‘Steam to
Ipswich THE ORWELL’, appeared in the
advertising circulars and letter sheets of
J M Burton (MA6) of Ipswich and later in
the letter sheets of Henry Shalders (MA24)
of Ipswich.
The biggest users
The general use of the Mulready for cor-
respondence had a short life of about six
months. After the end of October 1840,
their use began to decrease dramatically.
From then on, Mulready letter sheets and
rarely envelopes, with printed contents,
are the ones most often seen. Banks and
tax offices discovered uses for them, and
insurance companies became the biggest
users. The Clerical, Medical, and General
Life Assurance Society sent Mulready let-
ter sheets with its advertisement (Figs 8
and 9) to agents throughout the country
40
Recalled for destruction
Post offices and vendors of Mulreadys
and stamps placed monthly orders
and paid for what had been sold the
previous month. The dislike for the
Mulreadys meant they simply were
not selling to the general public and
the stocks on hand were not replen-
ished. Even before the Mulreadys’
‘death’ in late 1840, some vendors
wanted to return the unsold stocks
and remove the liability from their
books. It was allowed in some cases,
but generally resisted. It was de-
cided the public should be allowed
to purchase them if they so wished
until a replacement was available.
All users of letter sheets for adver-
tising purposes were able to order
directly from the Stamp Office or
from stamp distributors who held
bulk stocks. In November 1842 the
Stamp Office finally decided to
recall all Mulreadys for eventual
destruction.
in December 1840. Agents were of-
fered the opportunity to have their
own particulars printed in addition
to the insurance ad, to publicize
their businesses. Additionally, the
company offered to sell letter sheets
to the agents at 10d. per dozen,
a large discount from the actual
cost. This is a wonderful example
of a large company subsidising its
business and agents through dis-
counted postage.
Many agents accepted the offer.
At least one agent, Mr S B Chap-
man (MA109f) of Ipswich, used
the advertising letter sheets (Figs
10 and 11) to order leeches for his
chemist’s shop, not to advertise his
business to potential clients. Messrs
Friedlander & Co were dealers in
leeches. His request to send them
‘per mail’ must have presented an
interesting challenge.
 BRITISH STAMPS
Left and below:
Figs 8 and 9 Letter
and advertisement
sent to Clerical,
Medical, and
General Life
Assurance Society
agents offering
discounted letter
sheets

Right: Figs 10 and

11 Discounted
advertising letter
sheet used not
for its intended
purpose, but to
order leeches for a
chemist’s shop

The dislike of the Mulreadys left the In the past few years there has been a
public with two other choices to pay for strong revival in the interest in the Mul-
postage. They could pre-pay in cash, as ready, particularly in the incredible array
had been the earlier practice, or use the of advertisements. Reports from collectors,
postage stamp. While there were early dealers, and auction houses have come in
criticisms of the Penny Black, they quickly a steady stream over the past three years.
passed. The second unforeseen outcome These documentations have been incor-
of Rowland Hill’s great reform was to have porated into the listing in the forthcoming
the public embrace the Penny Black and to edition of the catalogue. It contains a great
use stamps to pre-pay postage. The replace- number of new discoveries and additions
ment for the Mulreadys was the Penny Pink and the new numbers have been used in
envelopes, but they were not introduced this article. These descriptions help col-
until February 1841 and initially restricted lectors identify the advertisements they
in their distribution. have or may discover. Good hunting!
Although the Mulready died, its de-
scendents live today. Throughout the years
since 1840 there have been many repro-
ductions of the Mulready, proving it to be
of enduring interest to many generations
In the past few
of the philatelic community. There are
now postage paid envelopes and aero-
years there has
grammes available for purchase in addi-
tion to stamps. Postage paid postal cards
been a strong
arrive with printed advertisements in our
mailboxes along with an unending flow of
revival of interest in
junk mail. the Mulready
The author, who provided a substantially revised listing of Mulready advertisements
for the 14th edition of the Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Specialised Catalogue,
Volume 1, Queen Victoria, has continued to encourage the reporting of new
discoveries—with such success that the new 15th edition, published 30 October
2008, price £39.95, features numerous revisions to the listings.

41
 BRITISH STAMPS
The Prince Consort Essay
Yesterday and Today
Timothy Bryan Burgess reviews the background to this interesting essay
which is currently enjoying significant resurgence in interest

Fig 1 Proof block of 36 in black from the Reginald Phillips Collection

T he Prince Consort essay was produced in 1850, by Henry Archer, the inventor of the
world’s first postage stamp perforating machine, with the assistance of a business
partner, Robert Branston, and Samuel Reynolds, both well-known engravers at the time.
The British Postal Museum &
Archive
The earliest mention of the essay appears to be in a letter dated 12 September 1850 ad- A sheet of 240 (arranged in 20 rows of 12)
dressed by Archer to the Postmaster General, The Marquis Clanricarde, in which he indic- was practical for perforating the Prince
ates he has enclosed ‘proofs of the specimen sheets’. Consort Essays since this was identical to
The Prince Consort essay was not an The Prince Consort essay was produced the format of the British postage stamps of
essay in the normal sense. It was never from a die engraved by Samuel Reynolds. the period for which Archer’s perforating
intended as a design for an actual postage It has been suggested that the die was machine had been designed. The reason
stamp. Rather, its purpose was to demon- engraved by Joubert de la Ferté, based for the sheet configuration of 240 postage
strate the feasibility of Henry Archer’s offer upon the fact that the check letters used stamps was simply that each sheet of 1d.
to the British Government to engrave, in the two bottom corners of the design stamps would equal a total amount of £1.
print, gum and perforate postage stamps, are ‘F’ and ‘J’. However there is no evid- Henry Archer was a brilliant promoter,
and moreover to do so in a manner bet- ence of Joubert’s involvement. The only and realised that a very close imitation of
ter suited to perforation than the line- check letters which appear on the Prince the then current One Penny postage stamp
engraved printing process currently in use. Consort essay are ‘FJ’, which were hand- would make for a very convincing subject
The essay demonstrates Henry Archer’s engraved (not punched) into the check for comparison for his model of a modern
visionary recommendation that postage letter squares of the master cliché of 12 surface-printed and perforated postage
stamps should be printed in the more ef- and not directly on the die. The master stamp. Therefore, he initially produced an
ficient and cost-effective surface-printed cliché was further multiplied using the essay similar to the current 1d. postage stamp
method. electrotype process in order to produce a featuring the portrait of Queen Victoria.
This postage stamp printing method, al- full sheet configuration. The essays were However, Edwin Hill, brother of Row-
ready in use in France, produced more du- produced imperforate in various formats land Hill, who served as Henry Archer’s
rable plates through the less costly process including sheets of 240 and 252 and were liaison with the Post Office during the
of electrotype plate production. However, perforated in sheets of 240. construction and testing of his perforating
despite Archer’s recommendation, the
British government stubbornly clung to the
line-engraved method of stamp production
because they believed that it was the most
secure deterrent to avoid counterfeiting of
postage stamps. This process would eventu-
The British government stubbornly clung
ally come into favour in Great Britain a few
years later through the influence of the
to the line-engraved method of stamp
postage stamp printer Thomas De La Rue
& Co and their talented engraver, Joubert
production because they believed that it
de la Ferté. was the most secure
G.S.M. December 2008 43
BRITISH STAMPS
Fig 2 (above) Imperforate block of 12
in brown. The British Postal Museum &
Archive
Fig 3 (left) The so-called unfinished
essay. The British Postal Museum &
Archive
machine, discovered Henry Archer’s inten-
tion to use the Queen’s portrait on the es-
says and advised against it. Archer therefore
destroyed all of the essays with the Queen’s
portrait. However, in order to stick with his
original scheme he retained the features
of the 1d. postage stamp and replaced the
Queen’s portrait with what he believed to
be the next best thing: a portrait of Albert,
the Prince Consort (Fig 1).
The Prince Consort essay was produced
in black, red-brown, brown and blue. The
Brown examples are always found in a
somewhat crude printing, often under-
inked or faint. There are no recorded
examples of the brown essay perforated or
gummed. The characteristics of the brown
essay can be seen in a block of 12 in the
Reginald Phillips Collection (Fig 2).
Trial phase
This leads me to the conclusion that they
were never intended to be finished ex-
amples of the essay but instead were only
the result of some trial phase of the print-
ing process. All of the colours mentioned
are known imperforate, with the exception
of the blue essays which only exist perfor-
ated. The only imperforate examples in
blue have an incomplete design giving
them the appearance of unfinished proofs
(Fig 3). However, upon close examination
all examples of this so-called unfinished
proof have slightly different features and
it does not seem possible to match their
characteristics with any of the positions
within the cliché of 12 utilised to produce
all of the finished essays.
44
The finished essay, gummed and per-
forated, exists in black, red-brown and
blue. At present a total of 31 well-centred
examples are recorded in black. Four ex-
amples are recorded in red-brown, and
three in blue. Although there is no direct
evidence, based upon an analysis of the sur-
viving quantities of each colour, I suggest
that Archer exercised the same caution he
did in respect to not using the head of the
Queen and also avoided presenting the
British Government with finished examples
of the essay in the currently used colours of
the 1d. and 2d. postage stamps, red-brown
and blue.
Furthermore, many of the essays in red-
brown and blue suffer from poor centring,
and the 31 perforated examples in black
are remarkably well centred, as if they had
been hand-picked for presentation pur-
poses. Perhaps the perforated red-brown
and blue essays were used for trials and only
the perforated black essays were presented
to the Postmaster General and Select Com-
mittee on Postage Label Stamps.
Archer’s distrust of Perkins, Bacon &
Petch was such that he requested that
subsequent trials of his perforating
machine should be carried out at
Somerset House
On 30 September 1850, Henry Archer
notified J M Leake of Her Majesty’s Treas-
ury that he and his partner Robert Edwin
Branston were prepared to enter a contract
to engrave, print, gum and perforate post-
age stamps. Archer proposed to gum the
stamps using what he felt was a superior
white gum. He advised that since he pos-
sessed the only means of perforating post-
age stamps, which no one else was capable
of reproducing, that there would no longer
be a justification for using the more ex-
pensive line-engraved printing method to
produce postage stamps. The price Archer
quoted offered an annual saving of £2000
compared with that specified in the Gov-
ernment’s existing contract with Perkins,
Bacon & Petch. Perkins, Bacon & Petch
had held the postage stamp printing con-
tract with the British government since the
invention of the postage stamp ten years
earlier in 1840.
Unsatisfactory offers
Archer was no longer interested in offer-
ing only his postage stamp perforating
machine; he was now making an offer
which entailed all aspects of postage
stamp production. Archer’s strategy was
partly motivated by his dissatisfaction with
the amount of compensation offered by
the Government for his perforating ma-
chine. He received offers beginning as
low as £200 and up to £500 at the time he
made this proposal. The Treasury made a
further unsatisfactory offer on 2 January
1851 in the amount of £700. Archer com-
plained that the compensation offered
would cover only a fraction of his expenses
incurred during the development of the
perforating machine. He had been de-
tained in London nearly three years, paid
patent fees and had paid a machinist and
mechanics the amount of £900. In January
of 1852 the amount of compensation of-
fered rose to £2000 but Archer remained
dissatisfied.
It so happened that during the time
Archer and the British Government were at
odds over the price to be paid for the perfor-
ating machine; Charles Dickens had visited
the premises of Perkins, Bacon & Petch. In
addition to a wonderfully detailed report
of the production of the ‘Queen’s Head’
postage stamps he noted the neglected
perforating machine and commented in an
1852 edition of House Hold Words: ‘Up to the
present moment, Mr Archer’s machinery—
good, bad, or indifferent—remains unused,
somewhere in limbo.’
G.S.M. December 2008

Obstruction
A second motive for his offer was what he
perceived to be the obstruction he had ex-
perienced during his dealings with Perkins,
Bacon. Archer’s perforation machine had
been given a trial run at the premises of
Perkins, Bacon & Petch with unsatisfactory
results. This was caused by the poor align-
ment of the line-engraved sheets of postage
stamps and the provision of sheets with
wet gum.
The alignment problem made it difficult
for his machine to accurately perforate the
gutters between the stamps and the wet
gum clogged the punches. He suspected
that sheets with wet gum had been provided
intentionally to hinder the outcome of the
test run. Archer was very upset to learn
late in the development of the machine
that the alignment problems were due to
irregularly laid down plate impressions
which were distorted by paper shrinkage.
Archer’s distrust of Perkins, Bacon & Petch
was such that he requested that subsequent
trials of his perforating machine should be
carried out at Somerset House.
Disappointed with the compensation of-
fered for his machine, Archer mobilised
Fig 6 It is most likely that the woodcut reproduction was made available to collectors in a rainbow of colours never utilised for
the original essay, which appeared only in black, red-brown, brown and blue (courtesy of Rene Paschke)
G.S.M. December 2008
BRITISH STAMPS
Figs 4 and 5 The
Prince Consort
essay made its
very first catalogue
appearance in
Stafford Smith &
Smith’s A Descriptive
Price Catalogue of
British, Colonial,
& Foreign Postage
Stamps, in the
form of a woodcut
reproduction in 1864
sufficient Parliamentary support to secure
the appointment of a Select Committee to
consider his case. Appointed on 16 March
1852, The Select Committee on Postage
Label Stamps conducted a detailed hear-
ing covering Henry Archer’s perforating
machine and his proposal to manufacture
postage stamps. Witnesses at the hearing
included eminent men concerned with
postage stamp production, including Row-
land Hill, Edwin Hill and Joshua Butters
Bacon.
It was at this hearing that Henry Archer
and his partner Robert Edwin Branston
provided the Select Committee on Postage
Label Stamps with the Prince Consort Essay
which served as a model of the engraving,
printing, gumming and perforation they
would supply under contract. Ultimately
Archer’s offer to manufacture postage
stamps was not accepted but instead it was
used as leverage to force Perkins, Bacon
& Petch to reduce their price. Eventu-
ally, Henry Archer received an astounding
£4000 for his perforation machine. Ironi-
cally, after Archer completed his perfora-
tion trials, the machine appears to have
never been used again. The 1d. postage
stamps were first made available to the
public on 24 February 1854 and were per-
forated on new machines built by Napier
& Son.
Editorial debate
The Prince Consort essay was then con-
signed to philatelic oblivion until its reap-
pearance in 1863 when it became a subject
for debate in the editorial section of The
Stamp-Collector’s Magazine between 1 Sep-
tember 1863 and 1 August 1864. J E Gray
of the British Museum declared the essay to
be a poorly conceived modern imitation. J
H Burn presented readers with detailed in-
formation from the Report from the Select
Committee on Postage Label Stamps, 1852,
recounting the role that the essays played
in Henry Archer’s scheme to acquire a
contract for the printing and perforation
of postage stamps for the Post Office. J H
Burn also produced an admirably detailed
account of the essay in Once A Month or the
Stamp Collector’s Advertiser, 1 August 1864,
Vol I, No 5, pages 99–101. Unfortunately,
however, despite Burn’s knowledgeable
account he misinformed readers that the
essay featured check letters ‘EJ’ instead of
the correct ‘FJ’.
In the 1 August 1864 issue of Stamp Col-
lector’s Magazine the essay was denigrated by
none other than Pearson Hill, nephew of
Rowland Hill, who exclaimed that ‘no one
out of Bedlam would care to give ten shil-
lings for a copy of one, which is the price,
demanded for the so-called “Albert essays”’.
The 15 April 1864 issue of The National Post-
age Stamp Express viewed the essay with cau-
tion, warning that they ‘cannot place the
same implicit faith in as a contemporary
(The Stamp Collector’s Magazine) does. If they
are genuine essays we cannot make out why
they were not discovered before.’ Despite
these doubts and Pearson Hill’s attack on
the essay, it experienced a great deal of
popularity during the 1860s. There were
even inquiries from the Continent seeking
information and copies of the essay.
Woodcut reproduction
The Prince Consort essay made its very first
catalogue appearance in Stafford Smith &
Smith’s A Descriptive Price Catalogue of Brit-
ish, Colonial, & Foreign Postage Stamps (Fig
4), in the form of a woodcut reproduction
in 1864 (Figs 5). The same woodcut repro-
duction later appeared in 1864 issues of
The Stamp Collector’s Magazine and Once A
Month or The Stamp Collector’s Advertiser. It is
most likely that at about this time that the
woodcut reproduction was made available
45
BRITISH STAMPS
The remarkable Prince Consort essay
embodied Henry Archer’s vision for
producing a modern postage stamp
using a less expensive and more efficient
printing process
to collectors in a rainbow of colours never
utilised for the original essay (Fig 6).
Although the Prince Consort essay was
rediscovered in 1863 we do not hear an-
ything about perforated examples until
some 30 years later. In Philbrick & Westo-
by’s The Postage and Telegraph Stamps of Great
Britain, published in 1881, the authors in-
dicate that the Prince Consort essays were
not perforated. However, in the London
Philatelist Vol III, No 28, page 97 (published
in 1894) we learn that Walter Morley pre-
sented the Tapling Collection with an ex-
ample of the Prince Consort Essay in black,
perforated 16.
Perhaps it was fitting that Morley made
this find, since he was a dealer with wide-
ranging interests who offered revenues,
telegraph and railway stamps as well as
postage stamps. Morley illustrated an im-
perforate example of the essay in Morley’s
Philatelic Journal in 1901, and offered a
perforated example for sale in the June
and July 1902 issues of the Journal at the
price of 50 shillings. This was ten shillings
more than he was then asking for a mint
Penny Black.
Interest revitalised
Within the last few years the Prince Consort
Essay has created quite a stir and has once
again come to the forefront of philatelic
interest. Perhaps interest was revitalised
by the sale of a newly discovered blue ex-
ample, perforated 16, which was sold in the
10 April 2005 APEX auction for a stunning
£38,080 (Fig 7). Another newly discovered
example of the essay, perforated 16, in
red-brown, turned up in the 7 December
2007 Spink auction. This, soiled and poorly
centred, sold for £7000 (Fig 8). In hind-
sight it is actually a considerable surprise
that it did not realise a significantly higher
price since there are only four recorded
examples in red-brown including this re-
cent find. It is nearly 30 years since the last
example in red-brown came to light.
Now, in 2008 we have another surprise:
Spink’s 12 June 2008 sale of an essay
perforated 16 in black from the Royal Phil-
atelic Collection, realised the full Stanley
Gibbons catalogue value of £9000 (Fig 9).
One has to go back five years to the 29
November 2003 Grosvenor sale for the last
sale of a Prince Consort essay perforated
16 in black, which realised £1300. Parallel
to the rising prices realised at auction, a
similar dramatic change took place in the
Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Specialised
Stamp Catalogue, Vol 1. In the 12th edition
46
essay ‘can be regarded as the forerunner
of later Victorian stamps’. This brochure
can be downloaded in its entirety in Adobe
Acrobat PDF format at:
http://postalheritage.org.uk/exhibitions/
victorianinnovation/index_html and the
comments about the Prince Consort essay
and an image of the so-called unfinished
proof can be viewed in ‘The Postage
Stamp’, section 4 of the brochure.
Special thanks to Ray Simpson for his
kind support.
the catalogue valued the essay perforated Bibliography
16 starting at £1500. The price increased Books
to £4500 in the 13th edition, and then Ray Simpson & Peter Sargent, Stamp
doubled to an amazing £9000 in the 14th Perforation: The Somerset House Years,
edition. It should be noted, however, that 1848–1880, The Royal Philatelic Society
the present catalogue makes no distinction London, 2006
between the price for the essay finished Report from The Select Committee on
in black and those in blue and red-brown Postage Stamp Label Stamps, House of
which are considerably rarer. (This has been Commons, 1852
rectified in the 15th edition. Ed.) Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Specialised
The remarkable Prince Consort essay Catalogue, Vol 1, Queen Victoria, 14th
embodied Henry Archer’s vision for pro- edition, 2006
ducing a modern postage stamp using a
Articles
less expensive and more efficient print-
Timothy Bryan Burgess, ‘The Prince
ing process called surface printing, which
Consort Essay Revisited Part I’, The GB
would also be better adapted to perfora-
Journal, Vol 44, No 3, pp 56–67, May/
tion. In contrast to the line-engraved
June 2006
stamps, the surface-printing method did
Timothy Bryan Burgess, ‘The Prince
not require the paper to be wetted so the
Consort Essay Revisited Part II’
sheets were not subject to uneven shrink-
(consisting of the image census), The
age. This, together with the greater pre-
GB Journal, Vol 44, No 4, pp 89–96,
cision with which the surface-printed plates
July/August 2006
could be manufactured, made it possible
Timothy Bryan Burgess, ‘The Prince
to perforate the stamps with a high degree
Consort Essay in Red-brown, Perforated
of accuracy.
16’, The GB Journal, Vol 45, No 1, p.9,
Perhaps nothing else could more elo-
January/February 2007
quently demonstrate the present under-
standing of the Prince Consort essay than
the comments of the British Postal Mu- Figs 1, 2 and 3 are from the R M Phillips
seum & Archive, in their brochure, Victor- Collection, courtesy of the British Postal
ian Innovation, 1837–1901 (published in Museum & Archive, copyright Royal Mail
2005), which states that the Prince Consort 2008
Fig 7 (far left) A newly discovered blue
example, perforated 16, which was
sold in the 10 April 2005 APEX auction
for a stunning £38,080
Fig 8 (left) Spink auction copy, soiled
and poorly centred, sold for £7000
Fig 9 Spink’s 12 June 2008
sale of an essay perforated
16 in black from the Royal
Philatelic Collection, realised
the full Stanley Gibbons
catalogue value of £9000
G.S.M. December 2008
BRITISH STAMPS
GBCATALOGUE
A supplement to Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Specialised Catalogue
Volume 4 (10th edition) and Volume 5 (3rd edition).
Great Britain Specialised Catalogue Volume 5 (3rd edition)
Add to Section XE Regional Pictorial Issues
A. ENGLAND
WHITE BORDERS (as type shown in June 2005 supplement)
Printed by ENSCHEDÉ in lithography
2007 (20 SEPTEMBER). PERF. 15×14(E). TWO BANDS (blue fluor). NFCP/
PVA
£7·66 British Army Uniforms pane XEP3 (20.9.07)
XEN13 (=S.G. EN18) XEN2 (1st) lake-brown and silver … … … … 4·25 4·25
A design as No. XEN13 but self-adhesive was issued on 23 April 2007 in sheets
of 20, each stamp accompanied by a se-tenant label showing an English scene. These
sheets were printed in lithography, perforated 15×14 without the elliptical holes, and
sold at £7·35 each. They were also available with personalised photographs on labels
at £14·95 from the Royal Mail in Edinburgh.
From £7·66 British Army Uniforms Prestige Stamp Booklet No. DX40
Printed by Enschedé in lithography
Fourth pane comprising one each of the (1st) from Wales, England, Northern
Ireland and Scotland two bands (blue fluor), on nonfluorescent coated paper and
all labels without bands. The labels showing cap badges of the Coldstream, Welsh,
Grenadier (centre label), Scots and Irish Guards.
XEP3
XEP3 (containing Nos. XW72, XEN13, XN71, XS83) (20.9.07) … … 17·00
There were no cylinder numbers or other marks on the issued panes.
B. NORTHERN IRELAND
WHITE BORDERS (as types shown in June 2004 supplement)
Printed by ENSCHEDÉ in lithography
2007 (20 SEPTEMBER). PERF. 15×14(E). TWO BANDS (blue fluor). NFCP/
PVA
£7·66 British Army Uniforms pane XEP3 (20.9.07)
XN71 XN60A (1st) black, new blue, and greenish yellow … … … … 80 75
On the DLR printing the bands are 7mm. apart but on No. XN71 the gap is
11mm.
A design as No. XN71 but self-adhesive was issued on 11 March 2008 in sheets of
20, each stamp accompanied by a se-tenant label showing a Northern Ireland scene.
These sheets were printed in lithography, perforated 15×14 without the elliptical
holes, and sold at £7·35 each. They were also available with personalised photographs
on the labels at £14·95 from the Royal Mail in Edinburgh.
Add the following and renumber Nos. XN68D and XN70A to XN73 and XN75 (see
July 2008 supplement).
Printed by DE LA RUE in gravure
2007 (20 SEPTEMBER). PERF. 15×14(E). NFCP/PVA
ONE 4mm. CENTRE BAND (BLUE FLUOR)
XN72 (=S.G. NI102) XN60 (2nd) bright magenta, greenish
XN72 (=S.G. NI102) XN60 (2nd) yellow, new blue and black … … … 70 60
The gravure printing shows the “2nd” very close to the base compared to the litho
printing.
TWO PHOSPHOR BANDS (BLUE FLUOR)
XN73 (=S.G. NI103) XN60A (1st) greenish yellow, new blue
XN73 (=S.G. NI103) XN60A (1st) and black … … … … … … … … 80 75
48
The phosphor bands are gradated to the vertical sides and differ from the sharp
straight edge of the litho printing.
Cylinder Numbers (Blocks of Six)
Perforation Type RE
Double pane cylinders
One 4mm. centre band No dot Dot
(2nd) D1(bright magenta)-D1(greenish yellow)-D1(new blue)-
(2nd) D1(phosphor) … … … … … … … … … … … … … 4·25 4·25
Two phosphor bands
(1st) D1(greenish yellow)-D1(new blue)-D1(black)-D1(phosphor) … 4·75 4·75
Dates of Printing
Spec. No. Date
XN72 26/07/07
XN73 21/06/07
C. SCOTLAND
WHITE BORDERS (as type shown in August 2000 supplement)
Printed by ENSCHEDÉ in lithography
2007 (20 SEPTEMBER). PERF. 15×14(E). TWO BANDS (blue fluor). NFCP/
PVA
£7·66 British Army Uniforms pane XEP3 (20.9.07)
XS83 (=S.G. S131) XS71 (1st) rose-red, greenish yellow, deep
XS83 (=S.G. S131) XS71 (1st) rose-red and silver … … … … … … 4·25 4·25
A design as No. XS83 but self-adhesive was issued on 30 November 2007 in sheets
of 20, each stamp accompanied by a se-tenant label showing a Scottish scene. These
sheets were printed in lithography, perforated 15×14 without the elliptical holes, and
sold at £7·35 each. They were also available with personalised photographs on the
labels at £14·95 from the Royal Mail in Edinburgh.
D. WALES
WHITE BORDERS (as type shown in September 2000 supplement)
Printed by ENSCHEDÉ in lithography
2007 (20 SEPTEMBER). PERF. 15×14(E). TWO BANDS (blue fluor). NFCP/
PVA
£7·66 British Army Uniforms pane XEP3 (20.9.07)
XW72 (=S.G. W120) XW57 (1st) blue-green, greenish yellow,
XW72 (=S.G. W120) XW57 (1st) silver and black … … … … … … 4·25 4·25
A design as No. XW72 but self-adhesive was issued on 1 March 2007 in sheets
of 20, each stamp accompanied by a se-tenant label showing a Welsh scene. These
sheets were printed in lithography, perforated 15×14 without the elliptical holes, and
sold at £6·55 each. They were also available with personalised photographs on the
labels at £14·95 from the Royal Mail in Edinburgh.
Add to Section UJ Self-adhesive No Value Indicated
Continued from November 2008 supplement
(1st) £2·04 Pane (£2·16 from 7.4.08). Barcode Booklet MB4f
Printed by Walsall
UJPW23
Pane of six (1st) class stamps (gold) with two phosphor bands from Barcode
Booklet No. MB4f. Self-adhesive with inside cover postcode addresses in English
and Welsh
Pane UJPW23. Gravure, self-adhesive
Die-cut perf.
UJPW23 (containing No. UJW8×6) (20.9.07) … … … … … … … … 4·25
Booklet Cylinder Numbers
Pane No. Cyl. No. Phos. No. Die-cut perf.
UJPW23 W4 W1 … … … … … 5·00
Withdrawn 19.9.08
G.S.M. December 2008

H. Self-adhesive Barcode Booklets containing No Value Indicated stamps
(2001–08)
Continued from November 2008 supplement
The following booklet was printed by WALSALL
Pane of 6 1st Class Stamps printed in gold
Add to No. MB4e
f. Inside cover with English and Welsh language postcode
f. text (20.9.07) … … … … … … … … … … … … … 4·25
No. MB4f was initially sold at £2·04, which was increased to £2·16 from 7.4.08.
Section W 2007. DIAMOND WEDDING
(1st) W1979 Leaving St. Paul’s Cathedral after Thanksgiving Service, 2006
(1st) W1980 Inspecting King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, Regents Park, 1997
54p. W1981 At Garter Ceremony, Windsor, 1980
54p. W1982 At Royal Ascot, 1969
78p. W1983 At Premiere of The Guns of Navarone, 1961
78p. W1984 At Clydebank, 1947
2007 (16 OCTOBER). DIAMOND WEDDING OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II
AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH
This issue marked the 60th wedding anniversary of HM The Queen and HRH The
Duke of Edinburgh, who were married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November, 1947.
Each value has a hidden “2007” printed in microtext and the year of the photograph
shown on the stamp is at bottom right. The stamps were issued in se-tenant pairs in sheet
sizes of 30 (6×5) and 60 containing 2 panes (6×5) with a horizontal gutter margin. The
stamps were designed by Studio David Hillman without the usual silhouette head as The
Queen is prominently featured. They were printed in lithography by Cartor Security Print
with an “all-over” phosphor screen on nonfluorescent coated paper with PVA gum.
In addition this issue includes the first self-adhesive miniature sheet issued by
Royal Mail.
Perf. 14½×14. Nonfluorescent coated paper/PVA gum. “All-over” phosphor (blue fluor)
Plate Nos.
W1979 (=S.G. 2780) (1st) C1(×2), (C1) phosphor
W1979a Horiz pair Nos. W1979/80
W1980 (=S.G. 2781) (1st) C1(×2), (C1) phosphor
W1981 (=S.G. 2782) 54p. C1(×2), (C1) phosphor
W1981a Horiz pair Nos. W1981/2
W1982 (=S.G. 2783) 54p. C1(×2), (C1) phosphor
W1983 (=S.G. 2784) 78p. C1(×2), (C1) phosphor
W1983a Horiz pair Nos. W1983/4
W1984 (=S.G. 2785) 78p. C1(×2), (C1) phosphor
Plate blocks of 8 (2×4) are needed to include the four squared box with the one
spot, indicating pane position
Withdrawn 15.10.08
Self-adhesive Miniature Sheet (sold at £2·15, £2·19 from 7.4.08)
WMS1985 Miniature Sheet
(Illustration reduced to half actual size)
(Miniature sheet des. David Hillman Studio. Gravure. Walsall Security Print)
2007 (16 OCTOBER). Diamond Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke
of Edinburgh
The (1st) value showing The Queen and Prince Philip was taken by Lord Snowdon
and was specially commissioned for the stamp issue. The date “2007” was reversed
out of the phosphor bands at bottom left. On the reverse of the sheet there are black
and white images of the celebrations in 1947.
G.S.M. December 2008
BRITISH STAMPS
Sheet size 115×89mm. self-adhesive and printed on nonfluorescent coated paper
with two gradated phosphor bands (blue fluor) with die-cut perforation 14½
WMS1985 (=S.G. MS2786) Type WMS1985, (1st) Royal Family, Balmoral, 1972;
(1st) Queen and Prince Philip, Buckingham Palace,
2007; 69p. Royal family, Windsor Castle, 1965; 78p.
Princess Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and
Princess Anne, Clarence House, 1951 (Sold at £2·15,
£2·19) (16.10.07)
Individual values from the miniature sheet will not be listed separately.
Withdrawn 15.10.08
Section W 2007. CHRISTMAS
(2nd) W1986 Madonna and Child (William Dyce), c 1827
(1st) W1987 The Madonna of Humility (Lippo di Dalmasio),
c 1390–1400
2007 (6 NOVEMBER). CHRISTMAS. MADONNA AND CHILD (1st issue)
The first issue was designed by Peter Willberg with the stamps self-adhesive and
printed in gravure by De La Rue. They were issued in sheets of 50 (2 panes 5×5)
with a horizontal gutter margin and surplus backing paper removed before issue.
They were printed on nonfluorescent coated paper. The (2nd) class stamps had a
centre 4·5mm. band and (1st) class two 9·5mm. phosphor bands (blue fluor). Die-cut
perf. 15×14(E)
A. Self-adhesive Sheet Stamps
Die-cut perf. 15×14(E). Self-adhesive
No dot cyl. nos.
W1986 (=S.G. 2787) (2nd) D1(×5), (D1) phosphor
W1987 (=S.G. 2788) (1st) D1(×5), (D1) phosphor
Cylinder blocks of 8 (2×4) are needed to include the six squared box containing a
spot indicating pane position.
Dates of Printing
Spec. No. Dates
W1986 (2nd) 29/06/07, 23/07/07, 24/07/07, 25/07/07
W1987 (1st) 01/05/07, 26/06/07, 27/06/07, 28/06/07
Section W 2007. CHRISTMAS (2nd issue)
(2nd) W1988 Angel playing Trumpet (“PEACE”)
(1st) W1989 Angel playing Lute (“GOODWILL”)
(2nd Large) W1990 Angel playing Trumpet (“PEACE”)
(1st Large) W1991 Angel playing Lute (“GOODWILL”)
78p. W1992 Angel playing Flute (“JOY”)
£1·24 W1993 Angel playing Tambourine (“GLORY”)
2007 (6 NOVEMBER). CHRISTMAS. ANGELS (2nd issue)
The second issue was designed by Marco Ventura and Rose Design. The two large
stamps were issued as part of “Pricing in Proportion” for larger letters, a scheme
introduced in 2006. The standard rates for 1st and 2nd class were 34p. and 24p. and
the large versions were sold at 48p. and 40p. The stamps, all self-adhesive, were
issued in sheets of 50 (2 panes 5×5) with a horizontal gutter margin and surplus
backing paper removed before issue. They were printed on nonfluorescent coated
paper. The (2nd) class stamps had a centre 4·5mm. band and (1st) class two 9·5mm.
phosphor bands (blue fluor). Die-cut perf. 15×14. There were no ellipses on the
second issue.
Die-cut perf. 15×14. Self-adhesive
No dot cyl. Nos.
W1988 (=S.G. 2789) (2nd) D1(×5), (D1) phosphor
W1989 (=S.G. 2790) (1st) D1(×5), (D1) phosphor
W1990 (=S.G. 2791) (2nd Large) D1(×6), (D1) phosphor
W1991 (=S.G. 2792) (1st Large) D1(×6), (D1) phosphor
W1992 (=S.G. 2793) 78p. D1(×5), (D1) phosphor
W1993 (=S.G. 2794) £1·24 D1(×5), (D1) phosphor
Cylinder blocks of 8 (2×4) are needed to include the six or four squared box
containing a spot indicating pane position.
Dates of Printing
Spec. No. Dates
W1988 (2nd) 25/04/07, 26/04/07, 27/04/07, 02/05/07, 03/05/07
W1989 (1st) 15/05/07, 16/05/07, 17/05/07, 18/05/07, 21/05/07 also with
surplus surround paper intact 21/05/07, 22/05/07
W1990 (2nd Large) 10/07/07, 11/07/07
W1991 (1st Large) 19/06/07, 22/06/07, 25/06/07
W1992 78p. 07/05/07, 09/05/07
W1993 £1·24 10/05/07
Printing dates confirmed by Jim Bond of Exeter, Devon.
49

Stamp Hunting
Nimrod suggests some stamps
worth looking for
Great Britain first day covers
First day covers have suffered something of an image problem
over the past 20 years or so, mainly as a result of the thousands
of generic collections of Post Office covers that have clogged
auctions up and down the country. However, a growing number
of collectors are turning again to first day cover collecting, in
particular those covers issued prior to 1980. Make no mistake,
virtually all post office covers with either a bureau or standard first
day of issue postmark are still relatively common and for the most
part are worth less than the original face value of the stamps. The
focus this time is on relevant c.d.s. postmarks and early sponsored
or special postmarks, many of which are far scarcer than catalogue
values might suggest. This month’s column will highlight just a few
covers that are worth hunting for.
The Dover Philatelic Society created a set of four illustrated
covers for the 1963 Paris Postal Conference Centenary issue. Each
was cancelled with the special Dover Packet Service postmark. In-
dividually they turn up from time to time, but putting together the
set of four could take some time.
Mostly these covers utilised the
non-phosphor 6d. stamp, but a
few bear the phosphor version Virtually all post
and are very rare. office covers with
1967 British Discovery and either a bureau or
Inventions stamps exist with
Heathrow Airport c.d.s. Today standard first day
this seems an obvious postmark of issue postmark
to use as both the 4d. Radar are still relatively
and 1s.6d. Jet Engine have obvi- common
ous connections to any airport.
However it would appear that
not too many collectors or deal-
ers realised the connection at the time and consequently this
postmark is very difficult to find. The best cover would have the
complete set of four stamps but even the covers bearing a single
4d. or 1s.6d. are worth looking out for.
The 1969 Concorde First Flight stamps with Heathrow Airport
c.d.s. is another fairly obvious connection, as Heathrow is where
Concorde was based. Don’t mistake the Heathrow Airport c.d.s.
with the Hounslow, Middlesex first day of issue postmark, which is
relatively easy to obtain.
Postage due labels are often neglected by traditional stamp col-
lectors and the same can be said of first day cover collectors. Any
first day cover bearing the 1970–75 postage due labels is worth
acquiring at the first possible opportunity. Their scarcity is a result
of post office policy in that it didn’t provide a first day of issue ser-
vice for postage due labels until 1994. Thus it was up to individual
collectors or dealers to persuade a friendly postmaster to first of
all provide the stamps and then cancel them. The 11p value is the
most common as it was the last to be issued in 1975, but it is still a
struggle to locate. This is one occasion when careful searching of
dealers’ cover boxes could really pay off as few recognise the true
rarity of such covers.
The 1979 Horse Racing set with any race course town c.d.s. is
worth having, but it is the Aintree c.d.s. postmark which seems to
be the scarcest. Don’t be tempted by covers with first day of issue
postmarks from Liverpool, Derby, Doncaster, etc as these are com-
mon; hold out for the regular operational c.d.s. postmark, which
was normally only available to collectors who registered their first
day covers. Individual covers with relevant postmarks are an attract-
ive alternative to complete sets.
Also worth looking for are the 1979 Christmas stamps with
Nasereth, Caernarfon c.d.s. No matter that the spelling is an Angli-
cised version of the original, as the childhood home of Jesus this
postmark is just as relevant as Bethlehem, albeit nowhere near as
well known. Nasareth is in north-west Wales and as such would
have been quite difficult to reach, with very few collectors willing
to make the journey.
50
5
Stamps of the World
Catalogues (2007
edition) to be won!
Just read through this month’s GSM and find
the answers to the ten questions printed below.
Write the answers (the source is not required)
on a postcard or sheet of paper, add your name
and address (in block letters) and post to: GSM
COMPETITION (December), Stanley Gibbons
Limited, 7 Parkside, RINGWOOD, Hants, BH24 3SH.
The sender of the first all-correct entry opened on
19 January will win a £50 SG voucher. The correct
answers will be published in March GSM.
REMEMBER: Include your name and address;
Do NOT include any correspondence or cash;
Post early.
COMPETITION QUESTIONS
1 In which city was a Catholic diocese established
in December 1925?
2 Who worked as a driver for he Department of
Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries for about 30
years?
3 What position did W I Jones hold?
4 This was discovered in 1833 and claimed in
1910.
5 Who wrote many stories at Hill Top, Sawrey?
6 Where was a Universal Electric cancelling
machine installed on 26 February 1955?
7 Who, along with is partner Robert Branston, was
prepared to enter a contract to engrave, print,
gum and perforate postage stamps?
8 This bird features in paintings by Raphael and
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
9 These small, mythological impish creatures
rarely venture out on windy days.
10 What translates as ‘cloud messenger’?
COMPETITION RESULT
The five winners of a 2009 Commonwealth
and British Empire Stamps catalogue in our
September competition were Alf Brooks, Canada;
B Fraser, South Africa; R G Mountcastle, Lincoln;
Donald Parnell, West Yorkshire; C M Parsons,
Swindon.
The correct answers were: (1) Mikael Agricola (With
Pen in Hand—Calligraphy on Postage Stamps);
(2) Zodiac (A Journey to Aldabra); (3) Salisbury
Philatelic Society; (4) Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace)
(New Collector); (5) Germany (The Life and Times
of Australia’s Favourite Stamp: The King George V
Penny Red); (6) Dominica (The Postmarks of the
British West Indies); (7) Heidsiek champagne
(Postal Stationery Matters); (8) Engelbert Dollfoss
(Anschluss—the Postal History of the German
Annexation of Austria, 1938); (9) PR China and Costa
Rica (Diplomatic Covers from China); (10) Claudia
Jones (British Stamps).
Employees of GSM or any company in the Stanley
Gibbons Group or their families are disqualified from
entry. No correspondence can be entered into. The
decision of the Editor is final and legally binding.
G.S.M. December 2008
 BRITISH STAMPS
Machin Watch
John M Deering reports on a tiny, but significant, change to Northern
Ireland stamps, booklet content errors and a recent sale of Machin
artefacts
Hello and welcome to Gibbons Stamp Monthly, and to Machin Watch’. 2008 seems to be
racing away, and it is the December edition already! The dark evenings are well and truly
upon us and we now enter what is considered by many to be the more traditional time of
year for philately; after all the garden is going to sleep, so why not dust off your albums
and consider filling a few gaps?
This month’s article is a very mixed bag; I return to the subject of regionals and specific­
ally to Northern Ireland, I bring you a report on a new find of an old retail booklet, and
discuss two miscut vending machine booklets. There are some new printing dates to report
and I take an opportunity to record the sale of some important Machin artefacts.

Missing microprinting With ‘©2001’ across the bottom of the

In the November ‘Machin Watch’ I brought
you a full report on the prestige booklet
‘The Regional Definitives: Heraldry and
Symbol’ which was issued on 29 September
2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the
regional issues. At the time I thought that
I had covered everything in terms of the
stamps, but alas I did overlook something
small that affects the 1st Northern Ireland
emblems. Small it may be, but neverthe­
less it is quite significant—and not some­
thing I have previously covered in ‘Machin
Watch’.
Northern Ireland emblem stamps were
first issued (without white borders) on 6
March 2001, and this initial issue was of
four denominations: 2nd, 1st, ‘E’ and 65p,
and surprisingly each denomination had
microprinted, actually inside one of the
value numerals (or in the case of the ‘E’
stamp, the letter) a 2001 copyright notice,
which is printed as ‘©2001’! To be printed
inside the value numeral or letter on a
stamp this feature is indeed very small, and
hence the term ‘microprinted’. As you
might imagine it can easily be missed whilst
studying a stamp, but if you know where to
look then with the use of a strong magni­
fier it can of course be seen—and being
deliberately included within the design
it should not be ignored (no matter how
small it may be). On some printings the
copyright notice appears a second time
because it is also included within the main
design.
Only the Northern Ireland emblem
stamps have the copyright notice. It is on
all the stamps without white borders and
nearly all of the traditionally gummed litho
Only the Northern
Ireland emblem
stamps have the
copyright notice
G.S.M. December 2008
printings with the white border. What does stem of the ‘1’, a D1b plate single from
all this have to do with the 50th anniversary the 2003 De La Rue litho sheet printing
prestige booklet? None of the Northern
Ireland 1st emblem stamps in pane 3 have
the micro printing, and they are therefore
completely new, as all the previously issued
traditionally gummed and litho printed 1st
emblems have the ‘©2001’!
Where can the ‘©2001’ be seen?
Firstly it is important to note that the micro­
printing seems to have been phased out
as neither of the self-adhesives (i.e. from
the two generic sheets) and none of the
gravure printings have the microprinting Without the copyright notice, a litho
anywhere. However it is on all the litho single from pane 3 of the prestige
printings (except for the 78p from the booklet ‘The Regional Definitives:
‘Lest We Forget’ [2007] miniature sheet, Heraldry and Symbol’ which was issued
and the 1st class stamp from the recently on 29 September 2008
issued 50th anniversary prestige booklet)
and appears as follows: On all the ‘E’ stamps: vertically upwards
On all 2nd class stamps: vertically up­ at the far right end of the lower horizontal
wards at the far right end of the hori­ of the ‘E’.
zontal of the figure ‘2’, and on Walsall and On 40p stamps: vertically upwards at the
­Enschedé versions it is also on the lower far right end of the horizontal of ‘4’.
edge of the stone where the Queen’s head On 42p stamps: vertically upwards at the
is placed. far right end of the horizontal of the figure
On all 1st class stamps: across the bottom ‘2’ (Walsall printing) or vertically upwards
of the stem of the ‘1’, and on those without at the far right end of the horizontal of ‘4’
the white border it is also at the base of the (De La Rue).
hedge which runs north west of the top of On 44p stamps: vertically upwards at the
the figure ‘1’ (about 5mm from the ‘1’). far right end of the horizontal of ‘4’.
The different white border 1st class stamps
In all there are six different printings of the white-bordered 1st class Northern
Ireland emblem stamps, as follows:
Litho, De La Rue, with ‘©2001’, from sheets, issued 14 October 2003 (SG NI95).
Litho, Enschedé, with ‘©2001’, from ‘British Army Uniforms’ prestige booklet,
issued 20 September 2007 (SG NI95).
Gravure, De La Rue, without ‘©2001’, from sheets, issued 20 September 2007 (SG
NI103).
Litho, De La Rue, without ‘©2001’, from ‘The Regional Definitives: Heraldry and
Symbol’ prestige booklet, issued 29 September 2008.
Litho, Cartor, and self-adhesive (no ellipses), without ‘©2001’, from ‘Glorious
Northern Ireland’ generic sheet, issued 11 March 2008.
Litho Cartor, and self-adhesive (with ellipses), without ‘©2001’, from ‘Glorious
United Kingdom’ generic sheet, issued 29 September 2008.
5
BRITISH STAMPS
On 65p stamps: vertically upwards at the
far right end of the horizontal of ‘5’.
On 68p stamps: vertically upwards in
the upper right loop of the ‘8’ and also
vertically downwards on the second strand
at the top left of the basket design on
stamps without the white border; and on
stamps with the white border it is vertically
upwards at far right of the top of the ‘6’
and also vertically downwards on the third
strand at the top left of the basket design.
On 72p stamps: vertically upwards at the
far left end of the horizontal of the ‘7’.
Copyright notice phased out?
As already indicated, the inclusion of
‘©2001’ appears to have been phased out
(or perhaps has just been overlooked by
De La Rue)—and its disappearance seems
to be coincidental with the change over to
printing Northern Ireland emblem stamps
in gravure. Until 9 November 2006 when
the ‘Lest We Forget’ miniature sheet (SG
MS2685), which is in gravure and con­
tains a 72p Northern Ireland emblem,
was issued, all previous Northern Ireland
emblem stamps had been in litho (and in­
cluded the copyright notice). The 72p was
the first to be printed in gravure and it did
not have the ‘©2001’ anywhere. In 2007
the Northern Ireland emblem sheet stamps
were reissued in gravure and none have
the copyright notice, and nor do any of
the subsequent new denominations. Litho
printing returned when the 2007 ‘Lest We
Forget’ miniature sheet (MS2796), con­
taining a 78p Northern Ireland emblem,
was issued; but, the ‘©2001’ was not to re­
turn. Interestingly, the litho 1st class North­
ern Ireland emblem stamp included in the
Enschedé-printed ‘British Army Uniforms’
prestige booklet (DX40; pane EN18a) from
20 September 2007 (see the November
2007 ‘Machin Watch’) has the copyright
notice and is the only Northern Ireland
1989 NVI retail booklet discovered with wrong contents!
Retail booklets with the wrong contents (i.e.
a pane of 4×19p stamps inside a booklet
advertising that it contains 4×14p stamps)
are not new in themselves, as since retail
(Window) booklets were first introduced
in 1987 there have been a few instances.
For example: in 1988 several Harrison 56p
(4×14p) booklets (SG GB1) were found
to contain panes of 4×19p stamps (which
5
It is always worth checking anything you
buy from the Post Office
emblem stamp issued since the 72p in 2006
to have it. As mentioned earlier, neither of
the 1st class self-adhesive stamps have the
notice either and they are Cartor printings.
So we have a situation where Enschedé felt
it necessary to continue to include it, and
De La Rue and Cartor didn’t (or forgot,
or where Cartor are concerned perhaps
didn’t even know to include it).
Summary
Enthusiasts who collect litho and grav­
ure stamps from each printer will—until
now—have in their collection by default
all the different versions, and providing
you add an example from the recently is­
sued prestige booklet you will remain com­
plete. However, if you don’t collect stamps
from different printers but have an interest
in (deliberate) visual changes then you
should look to see which of the two poss­
ible Northern Ireland 42p stamps you have;
you may have the Walsall version (NI98) or
the De La Rue (NI98a) which have their
micro printing in different places, but con­
veniently are separately catalogued owing
to their very different shades.
Microprinting is not unique to the
Northern Ireland emblem stamps as the
year of issue appears microprinted on
some commemoratives, and on others a
form of micro reverse cut out has been
used on some stamps’ phosphor bands.
But as far as I know, the Northern Ireland
emblem in the recent prestige booklet is
the first completely new stamp to be cre­
ated owing to the inclusion or omission of
the ‘©2001’!
should have been used in the 76p
GD1 booklets); another similar
example, also from 1988, is the
Harrison 76p (4×19p) GD3 which
are known with panes of 10×19p
stamps (which should have been
used in £1.90 GP3 booklets).
When they occur, wrong con­
tents booklets are usually pretty
rare (after all, they are a serious error and
could either give the purchaser a bonus or
leave him short changed) and they are usu­
ally reported into the philatelic community
at the time and written about soon after.
However, I have recently seen an example
of an affected issue from 1989 that had
stayed unreported for 18 years! It is amaz­
ing to think that there are important errors
and printings of some items still sitting
unreported in the collections of those that
came across them at the time—and it is not
until these collections come on to the mar­
ket that an old error becomes a new find
and is reported.
The retail booklet in question is a Harri­
son 10×2nd from 2 October 1989, and in
error it contains a pane of 10×1st stamps!
On 22 August 1989 both 10×2nd and 10×1st
formats were issued having been printed by
Harrison (SG HC1 and HD1 respectively);
on 2 October both booklets were reissued
with their inside back covers amended to
include a table of postal rates (HC1a and
HD1a) and it is the reissue that has been
discovered with the make-up error.
Apparently there are only four of these
particular make-up error booklets known;
three are plain and the fourth is a (unique)
cylinder B3 example.
1989 NVI retail booklet (HC1a) with
wrong contents; the outside cover
advertises 10 second class stamps and
shows image of bright blue 2nd class
stamp, whilst inside there is a pane of
ten black 1st class stamps. One of only
four known
G.S.M. December 2008

Miscut vending machine
booklets
The stamps in booklet panes are printed
in a quite deliberate arrangement so that
each finished booklet contains a pane of
a particular grouping of stamps of either
the same denomination or a mixture of
denominations, depending on the type of
booklet being made. The panes are printed
up in large (primary) sheets which contain
many individual panes, and during the
make-up process strips from these primary
sheets are attached to large uncut sheets of
booklet covers (which are then guillotined
down to ultimately produce individual
booklets). For correct booklets to be pro-
duced it is vitally important that both the
attaching of the strips of panes to the sheet
of uncut covers is in the correct place, and
that the final guillotining is accurate—but
sometimes this process goes wrong.
In the case of vending machine booklets
(which more often than not have se-tenant
panes), if a group of panes is attached to
the cover material so that the arrangement
is misplaced by one line of stamps, then
booklets with miscut panes are produced;
i.e. a pane where the stamps or labels which
were meant to appear at the left now ap-
pear at the right (or in a worst case scenario
from the time when we had booklets with
differing left and right arrangements, a fin-
ished booklet with the wrong face value).
In this month’s ‘Machin Watch’ I want to
tell you about two miscut vending machine
booklets; one I knew about but until now
had never seen, and the other is a com-
pletely new discovery.
£1 booklet with miscut pane
Revised £1 vending booklets (SG FH44a)
were issued on 17 April 2001 and each has
G.S.M. December 2008
BRITISH STAMPS
April 2001 (postcodes) until now, and I picture it here for you so
£1 NVI vending that you can see it also. The miscut of the
machine booklets revised version is very rare as there are only
showing normal at far three examples known to exist; two are
left and with miscut plain (and I have acquired one) and the
pane (2nd class stamp other is a cylinder Q2Q2 example.
at top right) left
£2 booklet with miscut pane
A miscut vending booklet that until very
a pane of eight (1664la) recently I did not know existed is of a £2
stamps and labels. There booklet from 1999 (FW11). In its normal
are four labels which make format the booklet contains a pane of eight
up the top half of the pane, stamps: 1×19p and 7×26p (Y1677l) with the
and four stamps (1×2nd 19p at the upper left of the pane. FW11 is
and 3×1st) making up the printed in gravure by the then Questa.
bottom half; the booklets In the miscut version the arrangement
are printed in gravure and is reversed so that the 19p is at the upper
came from the then Questa right of the pane! I am almost certain
stable. When viewed with that this particular miscut has remained
the labels and stamps in the unreported until now, and apparently it
upright position, the 2nd was only discovered by the lucky owner
class stamp is at the top when he noticed that the booklet in his
left of the group. (The four collection had a different arrangement to
labels urge consumers to that pictured in his newly obtained Stanley
use postcodes when sending Gibbons Great Britain Specialised Catalogue
mail; the two at the left read Volume 4 catalogue. Yet again we have a
‘Please use the postcode’, new discovery of an older issue, and this
while the upper right label just proves that it is always worth checking
has the following wording ‘Enquiries: www. anything you buy from the Post Office. So
postcodes.royalmail.co.uk’, and the lower far this particular miscut is unique, and
right label gives the postcode helpline one I would very much like to obtain. So,
number.) The website address no longer check your collection as you might have
works, but the postcode helpline is still one too—and if you do then you can get in
operative. touch with me at the usual address so that
Similar booklets had been issued about its existence can be recorded.
a year earlier, but then the upper right
label has the word ‘postcode’ in the website Printing dates
address and not ‘postcodes’ (i.e. without Where printing dates for Machin definitive
the ‘s’); booklet FH44 and pane 1664l. sheet printings are concerned, I have four
A small number of the 2000 issue (with new ones to report thanks to RP (all en-
‘postcode’) were found with the panes hanced engraving non-fluorescent paper/
miscut so that the 2nd class stamp is on cream PVA gum); they are as follows: 2p
the right of the pane rather than in its cor-
rect place, at the left.
A further consequence
of the miscutting is that
the labels have, so to
speak, been reversed.
On the affected panes
the ‘Please use the post-
code’ labels are now at
the right, with the web-
site and helpline labels
at the left. This particu-
lar miscut was reported
in ‘Machin Watch’ in
June 2001.
What has never been
reported in Machin
Watch though, is that
the revised (2001) ver-
sion (with ‘postcodes’)
is also known miscut!
Like many things, I knew
about its existence, but
had never seen one—
1999 £2 vending
booklets with standard
(19p at left) pane layout
(right) and miscut pane
(far right)
5
BRITISH STAMPS
29 March 2007, 2p 30 March 2007, 50p 05
March 2008 and 1st (large) PiP 26 Febru-
ary 2008. Details of other printing dates
were included in the June, August and
September ‘Machin Watch’ articles, and so
far nobody has been able to confirm any of
the unconfirmed dates that were listed in
August, and consequently these will now be
deleted and I will soon include here a new
table of confirmed dates.
Machin artefacts fetch
significant sums
In the October ‘Machin Watch’ I brought
to your attention that following the death
of Arnold Machin’s son, Francis, the family
home (Garmelow Manor) had been sold,
with some of the contents auctioned (by
Cuttlestones) in Staffordshire. I promised
to report here if there were any Machin
artefacts of philatelic importance sold at
the auction—there were, and it seems ap-
propriate to record them so readers know
of their existence.
There were really only three truly phil-
atelically important items; one being a
rectangular ceramic moulded relief panel
(in a wooden frame) some 32×22cm de-
picting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II;
it was described as being probably Royal
Worcester and it sold for £540. Whilst the
image depicts the Queen’s head and upper
shoulder (just as on a Machin stamp), it
was not exactly the same as the head used
on stamps. Another important item was an
original design sketch for a 2d. stamp (in
an 18×16cm gilt frame), and it too depicts
the Queen’s head—but very different to
the usual Machin image. It is clearly a
preliminary sketch of an alternative design.
De La Rue ‘ATN’ printing date blocks: No Dot sheet 2p (29/03/07); Dot sheets 50p (05/03/08) and 1st class Large (26/02/08)
5
The sketch is apparently signed ‘Arnold
Machin’ on the reverse. The auction cata-
logue suggests it is circa 1967 (although
probably earlier), and it fetched £1200.
The third, and, for the purist (with a deep
pocket), arguably the most important item,
was an original plaster rectangular relief
mould of the iconic Machin Head used on
the Machin stamps. It is some 47×41cm and
looks quite wonderful, and
being so large shows all the
exquisite but yet simple de-
tail which has made Arnold
Machin and his fine image so
iconic. It fetched £15,700.
Two of the Arnold Machin
artefacts sold at the recent
auction in Staffordshire
Tailpiece
As I come to the end of this month’s ‘Machin Watch’, I am still awaiting the arrival of the
2008 Christmas stamps, and particularly the booklets as there have been no new retail
booklets since the ‘Carry On Sergeant’ issue in June.
Anyway, by the time you are reading this I will no
doubt be busy writing about the Christmas and ‘Lest
We Forget’ issues, both of which I anticipate covering
in the January edition.
Another subject that I will be covering soon will be
the so called ‘Post and Go’ stamps. Basically, they are
self-adhesive Machin stamps which you can self-service from a machine in a post office.
They are in a long landscape format (the height of a standard Machin but very much wider
than even a large PiP Machin) and have (at the right) the Machin head and phosphor
bands. Five different denominations are available, and they are printed to order via a ma-
chine which prints the required denomination to the left of the Machin head. In essence
they are a modern self-adhesive version of the old-style coil vending machines which were
installed inside some main post offices, and the idea is simply that customers visiting a
post office will, instead of queuing up at the counter, be able to serve themselves with up
to five different denominations of stamps—and ‘Post and Go’. I think they are an exciting
development and I will bring you a full report in due course.
G.S.M. December 2008
 BRITISH STAMPS
Stamping Around the
The Kymin,
Monmouth,
borders

National Trust—
the Brecon
Beacons
Paxton’s
Tower is a

Part 2
prominent
feature of the
landscape

Alan Sacks resumes his journey in Wales

T he Kymin, Monmouth, comprising a small two-storey circular banqueting house and

naval temple, provides spectacular views (A) with Offa’s Dyke and the Wysis Way
footpaths running through the land; it borders the Brecon Beacons (SG 2468) where
Skirrid and Sugar Loaf are two well-known landmarks. Nelson visited The Kymin in 1802
and Monmouth itself has a museum with Nelson memorabilia. The A40 takes us past the
Trust’s Dinefwr Park and Castle at Llandeilo while, further along the road, Paxton’s Tower
(FB19) is a prominent feature of the landscape.
Continuing along the A40, to the south- Bishop William Morgan (1384) was born; the
west of the country, the Stackpole Estate Bishop was the first translator of the Bible
(1157), in Pembrokeshire, comprises coastal into Welsh and the 1988 stamp commemor-
property with eight miles of cliffs, headlands, ates the 400th anniversary of this event.
beaches and sand dunes. In all, the Trust Finally, Penrhyn Castle, Bangor was built
cares for more than 60 miles of coastline by Thomas Hopper between 1820 and 1845
in Pembrokeshire alone, including Marloes for the Pennant family and is described as a
Sands (2471) and St David’s Head (FB74) fantasy castle with spectacular grounds and
(A). St David’s is Wales’ smallest historic city; contents. The family fortune emanated from
its Cathedral appears in the 1992 Cymru- Richard Pennant, who was created the first
Wales prestige booklet (DX13) as does Powis Baron Penrhyn in 1782 and who was the
The Stackpole Estate includes Castle and Garden, Welshpool; the Castle’s owner of several plantations in Jamaica. Al-
eight miles of coastal property in coach house displays a 19th century State though he was a vehement anti-abolitionist of
Pembrokeshire Coach and Livery, which are the finest in the slavery in Parliament, letters to his managers
Trust’s ownership (A). requested them to treat his slaves well, albeit
Other coastal
Snowdon is also featured in the book- it is unclear whether this was for his or their
Trust sites
in the area let; the Trust cares for 11 of the peaks in benefit. His slave trade profits were ploughed
are Marloes Snowdonia as well as miles of footpaths (A); into a slate quarry that, at its peak, employed
Sands and St the spectacular Watkin path, leading to the 3000 and is still the largest in the world. The
David’s Head summit, was extended by the Trust in 2003. results of his investments are still to be seen
In April 2006, the Snowdonia National Park in the port, roads and landscape of this part
Authority agreed to the construction of a of North Wales. The Castle was also occupied
new café and visitor centre complex a short during the Second World War when, along
distance from the summit at an estimated with several other sites in Wales, paintings
cost of £8 million; the former building had from the National Gallery were evacuated
become so dilapidated that the Prince of there. The Trust owns several other proper-
Wales (802/6 and 1810/4) famously called ties that have connections with the slave trade
it ‘the highest slum in Wales’. The old and its eventual abolition in 1807 (2728/33);
building displayed a slate plaque with the Clarendon Park, Snowshill Manor (both see
couplet: ‘Wanderer, wait a moment; con- earlier) and Charlecote House are three
sider God’s wondrous work and your short examples where the wealth stemmed from
journey on this earth’; a new couplet has the slave trade (A) while Peckover House,
been composed for the new building by the Cambridgeshire (both see later) provides an
Welsh National Poet, Gwyn Thomas, which abolitionist connection.
Ty Mawr will read: ‘The summit of Snowdon: you are
Wybrnant here, nearer to Heaven’. Fatland
is a Trust Slightly further north, Chirk Castle (1810) Crossing the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland,
property in features in one of Prince Charles’s paintings we start by heading north from the Dun-
the village in the above commemorative set celebrat- drum (B) coastal path in County Down.
where Bishop
ing the 25th anniversary of his investiture as The Mourne Mountains (1812 and 2442),
Morgan was
born
Prince of Wales; the castle was built in the
reign of Edward I in 1310 and is the last one
from his reign that is still lived in (A). Erdigg,
near Wrexham, contains the National Collec-

Chirk
tion of Ivies and holds a unique collection of
records of the servants who worked there: let-
The Trust cares
Castle
was built
ters, account books and inventories, poems
and portraits (B). Still further north, Bod-
for more than 60
in the
reign of
nant Garden is famous for its rhododendrons
(FB43). Nearby, Ty Mawr Wybrnant is a
miles of coastline in
Edward I Trust owned farmhouse in the village where Pembrokeshire
G.S.M. December 2008 55
BRITISH STAMPS
The Mourne
Mountains
according to the composer Percy French,
do almost sweep down to the sea; Northern
can be seen Ireland’s highest mountain, Slieve Donard,
from the can be climbed and the views from its sum-
Dundrum mit not only include the Sperrin Mountains
coastal path
(2443) but also the rare prospect, weather
permitting, of seeing Northern Ireland, the
Republic of Ireland, England, Scotland and
Wales. Newcastle, nearby, is known as the
local ice cream capital; before you reach it
and indulge, the Trust looks after the 6000-
year-old sand dunes on Murlough National
Nature Reserve. Further up the coast lies
Strangford Lough (2152 and 2444), Brit-
ain’s largest sea inlet and one of Europe’s
key wildlife habitats. Killyleagh, which ap-
pears on the first of the two Lough issues,
was the birthplace of Sir Hans Sloane; a
commemorative plaque to him records that
The Sperrin he was a ‘Physician, Botanist and Bibliophile
Mountains whose extensive collections formed the
can be
nucleus of the British Museum’ (2404/9).
viwed from The Lough also appears on the March
the summit
2008 Glorious Northern Ireland generic
of Slieve sheet, which comprises the first self-adhesive
Donard
stamps for the region.
Three superb Trust properties are in
County Down: Mount Stewart House (B)
nominated as a World Heritage Site, with
its magnificent gardens (FB45) and Temple
of the Winds (FB20) is on the east bank.
Strangford
Castle Ward, on the west bank and home
Lough is
to the Wildlife Centre for the Lough, is an
Britain’s
largest sea architectural curiosity: its original husband
inlet and wife owners (Lord and Lady Bangor)
agreed to disagree on its design so that it
has two distinct fascias—Gothic on the side
facing the Lough, Georgian on the opposite
side—and the same is repeated inside: 50-
50 Classical and Gothic. Nearby, Rowallane
Garden is justly famed for its rhododen-
drons and houses the National Collection
The Temple of the Winds can be seen at of Penstemons.
Mount Stewart House Turning inland, Wellbrook Beetling Mu-
seum (FJ1) is near Cookstown, County Ty-
rone, which has both the longest (2km)
and widest (40m) high street in Ireland.
The stamp booklet is in the same Industrial
Architecture series as the Cornish tin mines;
it earns its inclusion as being the last linen
beetling mill in Northern Ireland, linen hav-
ing been a major industry in 19th century
Ireland. Springhill, County Londonderry, is
a short distance away, comprising a ‘planta-
tion’ home and parkland along with another
celebrated costume collection spanning the
18th to 20th centuries (see Killerton) (A).
Wellbrook
Beetling
Museum is near
Cookstown,
which has the
longest and
widest high
street in Ireland
56
American connection
Further west, County Fermanagh is host
to three more properties that are in close
proximity to each other, Enniskillen and
Lough Erne (2439)—Castle Coole, Crom
and Florence Court. The first-named is
also included in the March 2008 Glorious
Northern Ireland sheet. Back to County
Tyrone, Grays Printing Press in Strabane has
connections with the American Declaration
of Independence: John Dunlap, its printer,
and James Wilson, the grandfather of Pres-
ident Woodrow Wilson, both allegedly
learnt their trade at the Press—‘allegedly’
because the former was only ten when
he emigrated to America. Notwithstanding,
Dunlap fought in the War of Independ-
ence, helped to finance it and started the
Pennsylvania Packet, which was not only the
first successful American daily newspaper
but also the first to print the American
Constitution (3). The philatelic connection
is via Benjamin Franklin (1005) on the 1976
stamp commemorating the bicentenary of
the American Revolution.
Returning to County Londonderry, the
Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne
on the north coast provide more spectacular
scenery and walking; a photograph of the
Temple is on the front cover of the 1994
Northern Ireland prestige booklet (DX16),
curiously with no formal identification in
the booklet. The derelict mansion was once
home to an eccentric Earl Bishop of Derry;
whether or not he lost his marbles, his col-
lection is housed at nearby Hezlett House,
Coleraine. Going east along the coast, Port-
stewart Strand is one of the Trust’s and
Northern Ireland’s finest and most popular
beaches, with two miles of sand and parking
allowed on it (A); Portrush is almost next
door and its beach (2273) also features
on the 2002 British Coastlines issue. The
triangle between Portstewart, Coleraine and
Portrush provides a nine-mile circuit for the
annual motorbike racing event known as
the North West 200.
But, all this is a prelude to the World
Heritage Site at Bushmills, County Antrim
—and I am not describing the world’s old-
est licensed whiskey distillery!—namely
the Giant’s Causeway (1158, 2440, FB75
and DX16): the Causeway comprises some
37,000 layered basalt stone columns left by
volcanic eruptions 60 million years ago that
stretch to Mull in Scotland; some of the
stone formations have been given names
such as the Wishing Chair, Camel, Harp and
Organ (A).
Alternative version
An alternative version of the creation con-
cerns two giants, Finn McCool and Benan-
donner: in the left corner, fighting for
Ireland, Finn built the causeway to enable
his Scottish rival to come over and face him;
however, he took fright when he saw how
big Benandonner was and went running
back to his wife to hide him. Her solution
was to dress Finn as a baby: Benandonner
took one look at the ‘baby’s’ size, decided
that the father would be even bigger and
rushed back to Scotland, tearing up the
G.S.M. December 2008
 BRITISH STAMPS
Castle
Coole, Crom The Trust owns some six miles of
and Florence
Court Hadrian’s Wall, another World Heritage
are Trust
properties Site
close to
Lough Erne
causeway behind him. The jury is still out on
which is the correct version …
The Causeway is also included as a 1st
class stamp on the March 2008 sheet and on
the 2nd class regional issue (NI89, NI94),
while County Antrim featured in the 1966
Landscapes issue (690). That being said, not
everyone comes away enraptured: Samuel
Johnson is quoted as saying ‘Worth seeing?
Yes, but not worth going to see’ while Wil-
liam Thackeray was more scathing: ‘Mon
dieu! And have I travelled a hundred and
fifty miles to see that?’
Going east along the coast, Carrick-á-
Portstewart Strand, one of the Trust’s Rede (Glorious Northern Ireland sheet),
finest beaches, is close to Portrush is a small rocky island owned by the Trust,
which is reached by a rope bridge originally
erected by salmon fishermen to cross a 30
metre deep and 20 metre wide chasm. Views
can be had across to another Trust Island,
Rathlin (DX16), which is home to noisy
colonies of Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Puffins
(1419, QP49/50) and Razorbills (A). Mar-
coni makes yet another appearance in that
the first commercial use for his invention
of the radio transmitter was between the
Island and Ballycastle on the mainland; this
was in response to Lloyd’s of London (2091)
requiring more modern reports of passing
ships as against flags and carrier pigeons
hitherto. According to Martin Fletcher, the
The Giant’s
Causeway
Island’s postman ‘is also a farmer, a fire-
is a World man, a coastguard and part-owner of the
Heritage Site bar’! (3).
in Antrim
The Trust’s only pub
Before saying farewell to the Emerald Isle,
there should be time for a trip to the Belfast
City Hall (March 2008 sheet), followed by a
Guinness or two just around the corner at
the NT’s only pub, the Crown Bar, which
is regarded as one of the finest examples
of a High Victorian saloon still in existence
in the UK (A). Martin Fletcher (3) is more
descriptive: ‘an Aladdin’s cave of mirrors,
mosaics, marble and mahogany, of granite
Hadrian’s Wall
between Housteads
Fort and Cawfields
quarry is owned by
the Trust
The Wall was built for the Emperor Hadrian, and
was once the Roman Empire’s most northerly
outpost
G.S.M. December 2008
counters, oak casks, carved woodwork and
painted windows’. He also quotes Sir John
Betjeman: ‘A many-coloured tavern’ and
relates the story of a mosaic crown in the
floor outside the swing doors: the original
owner’s wife was an ardent Unionist and
chose the pub’s name, while he, a Nation-
alist, got his own back by placing a crown
where customers could wipe their feet on it!
The Trust also owns patches of countryside
just outside Belfast.
And a word on Emerald: the Financial
Times had a series of correspondence in the
spring of 2008 in connection with the vari-
ous Japanese words for blue and/or green:
around the beginning of the 20th century,
Ireland to the Japanese became the Blue
Island while in Iceland it was the Green Is-
land—no mention was made of Greenland.
And Fatland? This is an acronym for the
six counties that make up Northern Ireland:
five have been visited during this tour, leav-
ing County Armagh as the odd one out;
here, the Trust has three beautiful proper-
ties to visit: Ardress House, near Portadown,
The Argory at Dungannon and Derrymore
House, Newry.
The North
Back on the mainland, the Trust owns some
six miles of Hadrian’s Wall, another World
Heritage Site, between Housesteads Fort and
Cawfields quarry. The Wall (2532 and FB34)
was built for the Emperor Hadrian (1772)
around AD122 and was at one time the
most northerly outpost of the Roman Em-
pire (A). Interestingly, the recently opened
Heathrow Terminal 5 was claimed to be
the largest free-standing structure in Britain
whereas the ‘true’ record holder continues
to be the Wall, which was some 73 miles in
length; nearly 1900 years later, there is still
uncertainty as to the Wall’s raison d’être: forti-
fication; a frontier post; to keep out intrud-
ers—or to keep people in …
George Stephenson’s birthplace is at
Wylam, which is also in Northumberland,
and which is close to the Wall at the New-
castle upon Tyne end; born in 1781, his
entire family lived in a single room in a small
house built to accommodate mining famil-
ies (A). From these humble beginnings, he
rose to become a world-famous railway en-
gineer; the 1975 issue commemorating the
150th anniversary of public railways includes
the Stockton and Darlington Railway (984)
and depicts the Locomotion, which he and his
son, Robert, built. The miners’ safety lamp
was based on George’s work while Robert
built many bridges including the Menai
tubular bridge (765 and DX13).
Washington Old Hall is a 17th century
stone-built manor house that incorporates
parts of the original medieval home of
George Washington’s direct ancestors (A).
57
BRITISH STAMPS
The Old Washington was elected the first President of
Coastguard the United States from 1789 to 1797 and the
Station bicentenary of the American Revolution, in
at Robin which he played a major role, was commem-
Hood’s Bay orated in 1976 (1005). Further south, the
is a Trust Trust has a group of coastal properties along
property the Yorkshire coast running for more than
40 miles from Saltburn down to Filey; the
centre is Robin Hood’s Bay (2602), which
includes access to The Old Coastguard Sta-
tion (A). The 150th anniversary of the coast-
guards was commemorated in 1972 with a
depiction of a 19th century guard (902).
York Minster featured in the 1969 cathedrals
issue (797) and its Chapter House ceiling
in 2002 (2173); behind it is the Treasurer’s
House, which was the original home to the
Minster’s treasures; its attic servants’ quarters
The Treasurer’s House at York was the were opened to the public for the first time
first to be given to the Trust
in 2008 and afford great views of the Minster.
The house was the first to be given to the
Cockermouth was Trust with a collection (A).
the birthplace of
William Wordsworth;
the Trust holds
Cumbria
Beningbrough Hall and Gardens, nearby, is
12,000 acres around
a 1716 Georgian mansion that holds more
Grasmere
Beatrix Potter, a than 100 18th century portraits and seven
interpretation galleries that have been de-
benefactress of the
signed in partnership with the National Por-
Trust, purchased
trait Gallery (2640/9) (A). Travelling back
Brandlehow Park
on the shore of across to Cumbria, Wordsworth House at
Derwentwater Cockermouth was the birthplace and child-
hood home of William Wordsworth; the
bicentenary of his birth was commemorated
in 1970 with a picture of Grasmere based on
an engraving by J Farrington RA (828). A
bunch of the ‘host of daffodils’ (1080) ap-
pears in the 1979 Spring Wild Flowers issue.
The Trust also holds some 12,000 acres
around Grasmere, including ten farms and
the Langdale Pikes (A).
Hill Top, Sawrey, is close by and is the
The Trust farmhouse where Beatrix Potter wrote many
looks after of her children’s stories; Peter Rabbit ap-
one quarter
pears on two Greetings stamps (1649 and
of the Lake
District
1805), having made an earlier appearance
National (1091) for the 1979 International Year of
Park, the Child issue. The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher
including is illustrated in the 2006 Animal Tales set
Buttermere (2589). Beatrix Potter (B) was also a great
benefactress to the Trust, bequeathing it
William Shakespeare performed for Sir 4000 acres and 14 farms on her death in
Thomas Hesketh, owner of Rufford Old 1943; her first purchase was Brandlehow
Hall Park on the shore of Derwentwater (1156,
B) in 1902. Overall, the Trust looks after
Little Moreton one quarter of the Lake District National
Hall, Cheshire’s
Park including Scafell Pike and Wastwa-
most iconic black-
ter (B), England’s highest mountain and
and-white house
deepest lake respectively. Buttermere
(2603) is also in the Trust’s guardian-
ship. There is also a Beatrix Potter Gal-
lery in Hawkshead, which is home to
her original watercolours and sketches
References
(A) Based, with grateful thanks and appropriate acknowledgements, on the Trust’s
annual handbook for members and visitors and/or various issues of the Trust’s
Magazine.
(B) Also mentioned in the Prestige stamp booklet DX17 issued in 1995 to
commemorate the centenary of the Trust.
(C) Also mentioned in the Prestige stamp booklet DX33 issued in 2004 to
commemorate the bicentenary of the Royal Horticultural Society
(3) Martin Fletcher: Silver Linings
58
(A). The Story of Beatrix Potter is set out in
the 1993 prestige stamp booklet (DX15),
which includes a block of four of Peter and
his wife (1649) as well as several attractive
perforated labels. The recent film, Miss Pot-
ter, starring Renée Zellweger, was set in the
Lake District with another of her farms, Yew
Tree, standing in for Hill Top, albeit with a
considerable amount of makeover (A).
Moving south, Rufford Old Hall is one
of Lancashire’s finest 16th century Tudor
buildings; William Shakespeare once per-
formed there for its owner, Sir Thomas
Hesketh. Scenes from Shakespeare’s plays
appeared in 1964 on the 400th anniversary
of his birth (646/50); he also co-starred in
a gig alongside John Lennon at the Syd-
ney Opera House (1399) in the 1988 set
celebrating the bicentenary of the Austral-
ian Settlement, while his love poems are
featured in a 1995 Greetings stamp (1867).
The 1964 issue was the first occasion that
the Post Office printed special first day
covers that could be pre-ordered includ-
ing the option for a Stratford-upon-Avon
cancellation; from then on, first day covers
could be ordered without experiencing the
inconvenience of visiting a post office. The
National Portrait Gallery portrait of Shake-
speare (2647) was the first one acquired
by the Gallery. Hamlet is in the cast of the
Europa, British Theatre set (1185).
Capital of Culture
The next stop is Liverpool, the European
Capital of Culture 2008 where the Trust
owns two houses associated with the Beatles
(2686/91): 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton, and
Mendips in Woolton were the childhood
homes of Sir Paul McCartney and John
Lennon (1399) respectively. The Liverpool
Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral
featured in the cathedrals issue of 1969
(801) and is a stone’s throw from its Angli-
can counterpart. In nearby Rodney Street,
the Trust owns E Chambré Hardman’s
former photographic studio, containing a
wealth of photographs of the city, its people
and local landscapes. Mr and Mrs Hardman
lived in the house with its office and dark-
room between 1947 and 1988 (A).
Lewis Carroll’s birthplace in 1832 is at
Daresbury in the west part of Cheshire
where the church features a stained glass
memorial window to him and his Wonder-
land characters (1094, 2054 and 2594) (A).
Further east and billed as Cheshire’s most
iconic black-and-white house—Tudor skill
and craftsmanship at its finest, Little More-
ton Hall at Congleton (HP27) has a Knot
Garden, moat, cobbled courtyard and Hall
full of surprises (A).
Alan Sacks concludes his tour next month
G.S.M. December 2008
The Postmarks of The British
West Indies—King George VI—
St Vincent 1937–1955
David Horry identifies some more scarce cancellations
S t Vincent was known by the Caribs as Hairoun, ‘Home of the Blessed’. It was discovered
by Columbus on 22 January 1498, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Vincent.
By 1719, French settlers grew coffee, to­ fifties but the first reliable listing (GPO
The most common variety of postmark
during the period are the small single
circles with asterisk (sSC*). They are to be
bacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar on planta­ Kingstown not included!) was that of Joe found at Arnos Vale, Biabou (Bridgetown),
tions worked by enslaved Africans. In 1763 Chin Aleong in his marvellous West Indies Evesham, two at Georgetown, four at Kings­
St Vincent was ceded to Britain, then re­ Postal History Review which ran from 1980 ton, Layou, Mesopotamia and Troumaca
stored to French rule in 1779 St Vincent to 1994. Ted Proud’s Postal History of St (Fig 4). It is noticeable that the dates
was regained by the British under the Lucia and St Vincent was published in 2006 were inserted upside down at quite a few
Treaty of Paris 1783 and remained under and this year my Encyclopaedia of British West offices.
British rule until Independence. Indies Postmarks, King George VI dedicates six
full pages to St Vincent’s cancellations.

22 distinct post offices

Fig 1 Map of the St Vincent Post Offices
1937–1955
At the end of 1951 the island’s popula­
tion was estimated at 70,130, a substantial
rise from the 61,666 five years earlier.
Arthur D Pierce first wrote of the post­
marks of St Vincent way back in June 1945
in The Jamaica Philatelist. Peter Jaffé, A E
Hopkins, O Bowlby and John Forrest all
added their three ha’pence worth in the
Fig 2 Very rare Fig 3a The difficult to decipher
within the period— Orange Hill sSC
Cumberland ssC
During the King George VI period there
were 22 district post offices, many of which
offer scarce items for the markophilist or
postmark hunter (Fig 1). The villages tend
to hug the coastline as the interior is moun­
tainous and thinly populated.
Cumberland has an extra small single
­circle (ssC) found within the period (Fig
2)—it was first used in 1884 and continued
use until around July 1939; it is almost im­
possible to find on King George VI stamps.
The standard issue canceller was the
small single circle (sSC) first issued in Fig 4 Arnos Vale sSC*(1), Evesham sSC,
the Edwardian period—those with Time Georgetown sSC*(2), Mesopotamia
Code (usually C) appear at Barrouallie, sSC*(1) and Troumaca sSC*(1)
Bridgetown, Chateaubelair, and Colonarie
(Fig 3). All of these are scarce except for
Chateaubelair and all have a short un­
derlined ‘T’ in ‘St’. Orange Hill was first
used just before the Great War and has a
normal ‘T’: however, the Time Code ‘C’
has been rotated 90 degrees to appear as
an upside­down horseshoe (Fig 3a)—this is
one scarce office.
Beware of Madame Joseph
There is also a common one for Kingston,
but beware of Madame Joseph forgeries
dated 16. 5. 41, 16. 7. 42 and 5.8.43 which
were scandalously used in London to fluff
up the price of the higher values.

Fig 3 Barrouallie,
Bridgetown,
Chateaubelair
and Colonarie—
sSCs with time
code

G.S.M. December 2008 65

 The cancellers for Edinboro and Sion
Hill were better managed as they were
used extensively to cancel to order the 1937
Coronation issue and other omnibus issues
(Fig 5); later strikes for these two villages
are far more difficult to find.
The scarcer sSC*s are Barrouallie, Bucca-
ment, Cumberland, Lowmans (Windward),
Lowmans Hill, New Ground (New Alelphi
until December 1932), two from Questelles
and Stubbs (Fig 6). The strike for Layou is
slightly bigger than the average (Fig 7) and
is also fairly unusual.
The rare sSC*s are noted at Colonarie
and New Ground (Fig 8) and I recently dis-
covered the only Parcel Post sSC known—it
is dated 4.3.39 (Fig 9). A pre-war parcel from
St Vincent must have been a real treat!

Slogans and Paquebots

The only Birmingham style postmarks are
Fig 5 Edinboro and Sion Hill sSC*s on
for the Money Order Office ORD 14. 5. Coronation stamps and later issues
49 (Fig 10) and Field Post Office 47 ORD
27.11.45—the latter I have no information
on.
Kingstown GPO first had a machine can-
celler as early as 1937—initially it carried
the slogans SP(1) St Vincent for Health

Fig 6 Some scarce sSC*s from

(clockwise) Stubbs sSC*(1),
Lowmans Hill sSC*, New Ground
sSC*(2), Questelles sSC*(1),
Lowmans (Windward) sSC* and
Cumberland sSC*(1)—note some
topsy-turvy year slugs

Fig 7 Layou
sSC* slightly
larger than its
other relatives

Fig 8 The rare sSC*s from Colonarie and New Ground

Fig 9 Rare Parcel Post

sSC 4. 3. 39

66 G.S.M. December 2008

Like many West
Indian islands
genuinely used
pre-1950s covers
are exceedingly
difficult to find Fig 10 Birminghams for Money Order
Office and Field Post Office 47—both
rare

and Beauty, SP(2) St Vincent Arrowroot

a Wholesome Food and SP(3) Sea Island
Cotton for Quality and Comfort—all of
these are very scarce (Fig 11): a seven-line
Killer K*(1) isn’t that easy to find either.
There is also a slogan postmark for the
Princess Alice Appeal which ran late Febru-
ary to late March 1955 SP(4) and is scarce
(Fig 12). A new Universal Electric machine
was installed on 26 February 1955—what
fun they must have had that day in Kings­
ton! Finally, look out for Paquebot mark-
ings which crop up quite often on the
1½d. green and red stamp. Shown here are Fig 11 Three slogan postmarks
Paquebot cancels from British Guiana, St from the late 1930s
Lucia, Trinidad and Barbados (Fig 13)—St
Vincent’s paquebots are very hard to find
indeed (Fig 14).
St Vincent postmarks aren’t seen around
much except for the ubiquitous Kingstown
(Fig 15) and Georgetown small single cir-
cles. These are found with serif and sans-
Fig 12 The
serif ‘Is’ in ‘B.W.I.’ at the base; Questelles
Princess Alice
has the same—with older strikes having
Appeal, 1955
the serif ‘Is’.
Local stamp shows and fairs are probably
the best place to look for ’em. However,
like many West Indian islands, genuinely
used pre-1950s covers are exceedingly dif-
ficult to find. When cancels do emerge they
can be somewhat scruffy as many of the vil-
lage offices suffered from dry ink pads and
these can take a bit of deciphering—but Fig 13 Paquebot cancels
that’s half the fun. (clockwise) from British Guiana,
St Lucia, Trinidad and Barbados
My next Caribbean trip, in quest of ink, is to
the more accessible isle of St Lucia.

Previous articles in this series have covered

the following territories:
Trinidad and Tobago (January 2008)
Jamaica (February 2008)
Bahamas (March 2008)
British Guiana (May 2008)
British Honduras (July 2008)
Antigua and Barbuda (August 2008)
Dominica (September 2008)
Grenada (October 2008)
The Grenadines (November 2008)

Fig 14 The elusive St Vincent Paquebots

David Horry’s book, The Encyclopaedia

of British West Indies Postmarks, King
George VI is available from Murray
Payne Ltd and all good philatelic
suppliers, price £39.95, postage and
packing extra. Fig 15 One of the ubiquitous Kingstown
strikes, sSC*(3) with sans-serif I in BWI

G.S.M. December 2008 67

The Stamps of Papua
1932–1941
During the decade before World War II, Australia’s territory of Papua
produced some very attractive stamps, providing an important source
of revenue during that difficult period. Richard Breckon discusses the
background to the Papuan definitive and commemorative issues of the
1930s
I n 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, Papua made the momentous decision to 1½d. black and lake, Tree houses—in the
stem its declining revenue base by introducing an entirely new series of stamps. It may
not seem unusual by today’s perspective that such a decision was taken, but at the time it
Central District, tree houses served as a
refuge from marauding tribes.
was a significant departure from past practice. For 31 years Papua had one basic stamp 2d. red, Reggiana Bird of Paradise—the bird
design—the Lakatoi image—that had served for all denominations since the introduction is placed on a boar’s tusk within a border
of stamps in British New Guinea in 1901. With the transfer of the territory to Australian of indigenous currency (sapi-sapi).
control in 1906, and its renaming as ‘Papua’, the Lakatoi design continued. All this would 3d. black and blue, Papuan dandy—the
change in 1932. unidentified man from the Port Moresby
By 1932, Papua’s administration had suf- Alfred Gibson of the Government Printing District wears a headdress of Bird of
fered considerably from falling revenue. Office. Williams had also designed a decora- Paradise and Cockatoo feathers and a
The Commonwealth Government’s an- tive frame based on typical carvings made to bandeau of cuscus fur.
nual subsidy had dropped from £50,000 to canoes to accommodate the photographic 4d. olive-green, Papuan mother and
£34,000; public works had virtually ceased; images in the stamp designs. By their dif- child—the woman, clad in a grass
salaries of public servants had been cut fering nature, the Whitehouse designs were skirt (rami), carries her child in the
and recruitment of staff had been halted. suitable only for one-colour recess printing, opening of a hut, with a cooking pot
In these circumstances, the prospect of but the Williams and Gibson designs, pre- on the ground and a Lakatoi in the
generating significant revenue by selling pared for placement within frames, could background.
new stamps to collectors was very appealing. be printed in two colours, as envisaged in 5d. black and slate-green, Masked dancer—
Papua had already experienced a surge in the original plan. The Stamp Board also the man from the Kerema District wears
stamp sales in 1930–31 with the release of its allocated denominations to the designs, a ceremonial mask and holds a drum
overprinted airmail stamps for Papuan mail which were submitted to the Administrator made from a hollowed tree stem and
carried on Australia’s expanded domestic for final approval. lizard skin.
air services, as well as surcharged stamps re- 6d. bistre-brown, Papuan motherhood—a
quired following a postal rates increase (SG Background details of the 16 stamp subjects woman and her child are shown together
112/26). Stamp sales had increased from are as follows: with a craftsman shaping a paddle and a
£2010 in 1929–30 to £5247 in the following ½d. black and orange, Motuan girl—the Lakatoi in the background.
year. (Note that the Australian financial year girl, from a village near Port Moresby, 9d. black and violet, Shooting fish—a Gulf
covers the period from 1 July to 30 June.) carries firewood on her head and a District fisherman, standing on a small
string bag (kiapa) slung across her back. platform, shoots fish with a bow and
Unusual course of action 1d. black and green, Steve, son of Oala—a arrow.
Early in 1932, the Administrator of Papua, small boy wears a ceremonial headdress 1s. dull blue-green, Dubu—a ceremonial
Sir Hubert Murray, decided that the Lakatoi made of Bird of Paradise feathers. Steve platform for special feasts and other
stamps would be replaced by a new series of Oala (1919–1990) worked as a driver in ceremonies, Dubus were considered
recess stamps featuring different pictorial the Department of Agriculture, Stock to be the home of dead spirits.
designs, and preferably printed in two col- and Fisheries for about 30 years. Interestingly, the stamp design
ours. Several artists living in Port Moresby,
the territory’s capital, were invited to submit Eight designs submitted by E Whitehouse to the 1932 Stamp Board in Port Moresby,
potential designs for the new Pictorial series. of which five were selected for the issued stamps
This was a fairly unusual course of action,
since designs of Australian territories’ stamps
up to this point (and also for many years af-
terwards) were generally prepared by artists
of the Note Printing Branch, Melbourne,
based on photographic reference material
supplied by the territories’ administrations.
Papua’s 1932 Pictorial series was an entirely
local production, as far as the preparation of
the stamp designs was concerned.
A Stamp Board was established in Port
Moresby to assess the designs, comprising
the Chief Medical Officer, Dr W M Strong;
Government Anthropologist, F E Williams;
and Chief Postmaster, E C Harris. One
artist, E Whitehouse of the Medical Depart-
ment, submitted at least eight designs of
which five were chosen by the Stamp Board
for adoption. Other designs were based on
photographs taken by F E Williams and

68 G.S.M. December 2008

 incorporates the names of ten leading
post offices in Papua in tiny lettering
around the border.
1s.3d. black and dull purple, Lakatoi—the
trading vessels of the Port Moresby
District were constructed like rafts and
equipped with two large sails.
2s. black and slate-green, Delta art—
artefacts from the Purari Delta include
a shield-like object (Kwoi) representing
an ancestor, a human skull from a head-
hunting raid, a crocodile skull and a
stone club; the objects being arranged in
the alcove of a men’s house (Ravi).
2s.6d. black and rose-mauve, Pottery
making—a woman of the Eastern District
is featured.
5s. black and olive-brown, Sgt Major Simoi—
the first Papuan to reach officer rank,
Simoi joined the British New Guinea
armed constabulary in 1899 and he died
in 1934. He is possibly the world’s first
policeman to be depicted on a stamp.
10s. violet, Lighting a fire—a man engaged
in fire making by friction appears against
a boar’s head and silhouetted by the
smoke.
£1 black and olive-grey, Delta house—a
typical house of the Purari Delta built on
the edge of a stream and accessed by a
gangway.
Notable features
The Pictorial series presents an interesting
contrast between the traditional pictorial
views in frames on the 11 two-colour stamps
and the modernist symbolism of the five
one-colour stamps. It seems curious that
the designs of the two-colour stamps feature
descriptive captions, but the symbolic one-
­colour stamps have no descriptions. An-
other notable feature of the pictorial series
is the depiction of two living people both
of whom are named on their stamps. Steve
Oala and Sgt Major Simoi created philatelic
history by being identified in this way.
The work of engraving the steel dies of
the 16 stamps was carried out by several
­artist-engravers of the Note Printing Branch.
The die of the frame design, without a de-
nomination, was engraved jointly by Edward
Broad and Arthur Taylor. The non-denomi-
nated frame die was transferred to 11 flat
dies for the denomination to be engraved,
this work being carried out by Thomas Duf-
fell. The separate dies for the 11 vignettes
(centre picture) were engraved as follows:
Edward Broad (½d., 1d., 3d., 5d., 1s.3d. and
2s.), and Frank Manley (1½d., 9d., 2s.6d.,
5s. and £1). The five one-colour stamp dies
were engraved as follows: Edward Broad
(2d., 6d. and 10s.), and Frank Manley (4d.
and 1s.).
Motuan girl, a chieftan’s
son, tree houses and
Raggiana Bird of Paradise.
Four of the 1932–40
pictorial definitives
G.S.M. December 2008
A photograph of a Lakatoi similar to the
image of the 9d. pictorial stamp shows the
immense size of these vessels
Plates
The printing plates for the two-colour
stamps each featured 40 stamp impressions
arranged in five horizontal rows of eight
stamps. Separate printing plates were manu­
factured for the frame design and the vign­
ette for each of the 11 denominations,
since the colours were printed in separate
operations. The imprint ‘JOHN ASH/AUS-
TRALIAN NOTE AND STAMP PRINTER’
appeared in the centre of the bottom sheet
margin. There were no plate numbers.
The printing plates for the one-colour
stamps were also 40-on, arranged in five
horizontal rows of eight stamps. The Ash im-
print appeared in the bottom right corner
of the sheet. There were no plate numbers.
The Note Printing Branch records show that
the five one-colour plates were cut into half-
plates of 20-on, the reason for which seems
obscure but it was presumably associated
with the wider dimension of these stamps
compared to the two-colour stamps.
A good deal of work was involved in the
engraving of the dies, manufacture of the
plates and carrying out the printing of the
16-value stamp series. Work commenced in
mid-June 1932 and yet within four months Sgt Major Simoi of the Armed
the work had been completed and the Constabulary was possibly the first
stocks of Pictorial stamps had been for- policeman in the world to be pictured on
warded by steamer to Port Moresby. The full a stamp
series of 16 stamps was placed on sale on 14
November 1932. Papua’s total stamp sales in ‘Wet’ and ‘dry’ printings
1932–33 amounted to £10,659—a five-fold The original printing of the Pictorial stamps
increase compared to three years previ- was by the flat-bed ‘wet’ recess method in-
ously—so the revenue-generating objective volving the use of dampened paper, which
behind the issue of the stamps seems to have had to be gummed after printing. From
been adequately fulfilled. 1935 onwards, all reprints of the Pictorial
69
stamps were by the ‘dry’ method of flat-bed
recess printing. This involved the applica-
tion of quick-drying inks, allowing the use of
pre-gummed paper for printing. The whole
process of flat-bed printing was speeded up
by the elimination of the time required to
dry the dampened sheets and gumming
them after printing. Also, the problem of
paper shrinkage was minimised and this
facilitated more accurate perforating. In the
main, differences in appearance between
stamps printed by the wet and dry processes
are not readily discernable, but an excep-
tion involved the ½d. stamp.
In October 1941, a reprint of 20,000 ½d.
stamps resulted in a colour variation, the
frame being a buff shade in marked contrast
to the orange of the original issue (130a).
The ½d. black and buff was placed on sale
by about December 1941. It had a fairly brief
life, since Papuan post offices were closed
in February 1942 when the civilian admin-
istration was replaced by military rule in
the wake of the Japanese invasion. Another
point of difference with the ½d. reprint
is that the sheets feature the new imprint
of ‘W.C.G. McCRACKEN/AUSTRALIAN
NOTE AND STAMP PRINTER’, introduced
a few months after the retirement of John
Ash as Note and Stamp Printer in April
1940. The McCracken imprint was also
added to sheets of 1d., 2d., 3d., 4d. and 5d.
Pictorial stamps reprinted during 1941.
Commemoratives
The 50th anniversary of the proclamation
of a British Protectorate over Papua was
marked by four commemorative stamps in
1934. Two designs were prepared featuring
contemporary images of the proclamation
ceremony at Port Moresby: the first design
depicted the hoisting of the British flag,
surrounded by marines, sailors and offi-
cials, and indigenous observers, with inset
portraits of the British commander of HMS
Nelson, Commodore Erskine, and a repre-
sentative local chief, Boe Vagi; the second
design shows a scene aboard HMS Nelson
in which Commodore Erskine presented a
delegation of local chiefs with a rod of office
surmounted with a ‘Queen’s shilling’.
Each design served for two stamps; the
four denominations of the commemora-
tive issue comprising 1d., 2d., 3d. and 5d.
values. The stamp designs were prepared by
Frank Manley at the Note Printing Branch,
who engraved the 2d. and 5d. stamp dies.
Edward Broad engraved the dies of the 1d.
and 3d. stamps. A curious feature of the de-
sign process is that originally the flag-raising
design was chosen for the 2d. and 5d. values
and the shipboard design for the 1d. and
3d. values. This is the reverse sequence to
the issued stamps, but before the alteration
was made photographs of the stamp de- Hoisting the Union Jack and a
signs in their original denominations were scene on HMS Nelson—the two
designs for the 50th Anniversary of
released to the philatelic media. In August
Declaration of British Protectorate
1934, GSM showed illustrations of the two issue of 1934
stamp designs in the non-adopted denom­
inations. There was no official explanation
as to why the two designs were switched
around between the denominations.
The stamps were printed by flat-bed re-
cess from plates 40-on arranged in eight
horizontal rows of five. The Ash imprint ap-
peared in the centre of the bottom margin
and there were no other marginal inscrip-
tions. The production quantities involved
were: 1d. green 160,000 stamps; 2d. scarlet
280,000 stamps; 3d. blue 60,000 stamps; Silver Jubilee overprint of 1935
and 5d. ­ purple 40,000 stamps. The stamps
were issued on 6 November 1934, marking
exactly the 50th anniversary date of the
proclamation of British New Guinea.
Silver Jubilee
The three stamp-issuing Australian territor­
ies of Papua, New Guinea and Nauru issued
stamps for the Silver Jubilee of King George
V comprising an overprint on several of
their respective definitive stamps. Action
was not taken at an early enough stage for
new designs to be prepared, but following
the receipt of advice from Buckingham 1937 Coronation design
Palace that the King would not object to
an overprinted issue, this course of action
was followed for the territories. In Papua’s
case the overprint comprised two types due
to the variation in size of the definitive
stamps involved. A two-line overprint ‘HIS
MAJESTY’S JUBILEE/1910  1935’ was used
for the 1d., 3d. and 5d. Pictorial stamps and
a three-line overprint ‘HIS MAJESTY’S/
JU­BILEE/1910 – 1935’ for the wider 2d.
Port Moresby was shown on the 1938
value. There is one prominent variety in the
issue for the 50th Anniversary of
first type of overprint. The fourth stamp in
Declaration of British Possession

Printing quantities of Papua Pictorial stamps

(numbers of stamps)
Original Reprints Total
printing (1932) (1933–41)
½d. 16,000 360,000 376,000
1d. 120,000 1,048,000 1,168,000
1½d. 120,000 160,000 280,000
2d. 160,000 1,048,000 1,208,000
3d. 80,000 270,400 350,400 Natives poling rafts on the 1939 Air
4d. 80,000 480,000 560,000 stamps
5d. 80,000 254,000 334,000
6d. 80,000 60,000 140,000
9d. 80,000 ………. 80,000
1s. 80,000 ………. 80,000
1s.3d. 80,000 ………. 80,000
2s. 80,000 ………. 80,000
2s.6d. 80,000 ………. 80,000
5s. 40,000 ………. 40,000
10s. 40,000 ………. 40,000
£1 20,000 ………. 20,000

70 G.S.M. December 2008


Gibbons Stamp Monthly in August 1934 carried news of the forthcoming 50th
Anniversary of the British Protectorate stamps, but the designs are shown in values
that were later switched around
the bottom row of the sheet of 40 features
a defective apostrophe which resembles an
accent (150a, 152a/53a).
The production of the Silver Jubilee
stamps involved reprinting the four definit­
ive stamps, no doubt for the purpose of
producing imperforate sheets of stamps
to facilitate the overprinting, the finished
sheets being perforated in the normal way.
The method of reprinting was the dry flat-
bed process referred to above, but on this
occasion the printing was carried out on a
chalk-surfaced paper (officially called ‘Eur­
eka Art’) that had first been used earlier in
1935 to print Australia’s 1s. ANZAC Landing
stamp and Silver Jubilee commemorative
stamps. The chalk-surfaced paper yielded a
superior result in printing and it had been
suggested that the paper might be employed
for all further reprints of Papua’s Pictor­
ial definitive stamps, but this was rejected
by the Papuan authorities because of the
high additional costs involved. The use of
chalk-surfaced paper was also applied to the
reprints of definitive stamps of New Guinea
and Nauru for overprinting the Silver Jubilee
inscription. New Guinea also rejected the
suggestion of reprinting definitive stamps
on chalk-surface paper, but Nauru did not,
which led to all the values in the island’s Ship
series being reprinted on this paper.
‘Boomerang’ covers
The quantities of stamps reprinted for
­Papua’s Silver Jubilee issue exceeded the
quantities actually required to be over­
printed; the excess being intended as a
precaution against high rates of spoilage
in production. Following the completion
of the work, excess supplies of 2d., 3d. and
5d. Papuan stamps (apparently there were
no excess supplies of the 1d. value) were
held in storage at the Note Printing Branch.
During May 1938, the Papuan authorities
arranged for Papuan stamps to be placed
on sale at General Post Offices in Sydney,
Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and
Hobart, the purpose being to allow collec­
tors to buy the stamps for affixing to ‘boom­
erang’ covers carried on the first regular
airmail service between Australia, Papua
and New Guinea. (Similar arrangements
were made by the New Guinea authorities.)
The Papuan stamps were supplied directly
from the Note Printing Branch and they
G.S.M. December 2008
included the excess supplies of 2d., 3d. and
5d. chalk-surfaced stamps, which reportedly
comprised 80 per cent of the total quantities
amounting to about 7000 to 8000 of each
value stocked for sale. It can be imagined
that, for the most part, collectors and deal­
ers were too focused on affixing stamps
to flight covers to notice the variation and
very few of the chalk-surfaced stamps were
retained as mint examples.
Coronation
Papua’s next commemorative issue marked
the Coronation of King George VI in 1937.
This involved a common design featuring
the King’s profile in values of 1d., 2d., 3d.
and 5d., based on a photograph of the
King by Bertram Park. Papua’s Corona­
tion stamps formed a joint issue with New
Guinea and Nauru. The stamp design, pre­
pared by Frank Manley who also engraved
the dies, is somewhat similar to the British
Edward VIII design.
Papua’s Coronation stamps were printed
on chalk-surfaced paper from plates of 80
stamp impressions, arranged in two panes of
40 comprising five horizontal rows of eight.
The 80-on sheets were then divided into
sheets of 40 for distribution to post offices.
The Ash imprint was placed in the bottom
left corner of each sheet of 40. Small dots of
colour below the imprint are a means of dis­
tinguishing the upper and lower sheets. The
production quantities involved were: 1d.
green 822,400 stamps; 2d. scarlet 694,400
stamps; 3d. blue 638,400 stamps; and 5d.
purple 574,400 stamps. The Coronation
stamps were issued on 14 May 1937 and they
remained on sale and the end of the year,
by which it was reported that supplies had
been exhausted. The enormous demand by
the philatelic trade for Coronation stamps
is evident in these figures. (Papua’s Corona­
tion stamps were still being printed up to
September 1937.)
50th anniversary of
Possession
The 50th anniversary of the Declaration
of Possession of British New Guinea was
marked by a commemorative issue in 1938.
The occasion involved five denominations
in a common design featuring an aircraft
flying over a steamer at anchor in Port
Moresby’s harbour. The intention was to
contrast the two means of mail carriage now
that the regular airmail service between
Australia and Papua had been established.
The five values, 2d., 3d., 5d., 8d. and 1s., are
each inscribed ‘AIR MAIL POSTAGE’. The
stamp design was based on a photograph
by J M Pescott. Frank Manley prepared the
design and also engraved the dies.
The 50th Anniversary stamps were printed
on chalk-surfaced paper from plates of 80
stamp impressions, arranged in two panes of
40 comprising five horizontal rows of eight,
before being divided into post office sheets
of 40. The Ash imprint was placed in the
bottom left corner of each sheet of 40 and
small marginal dots of colour serve to distin­
guish the two sheets. The production quant­
ities involved were: 2d. rose-red 300,000
stamps; 3d. bright blue 200,000 stamps; 5d.
green 100,000 stamps; 8d. brown-lake and
1s. mauve 60,000 stamps each. The stamps
were issued on 6 September 1938 and re­
mained on sale for about a year.
Airmail stamps
With the prospect of the 50th Anniversary
commemorative airmail stamps becoming
obsolete, it was decided to issue a definit­ive
series of airmail stamps in 1939 in denom­
inations matching the commemorative issue.
The common design for the new stamps fea­
tured an aircraft flying over a coastal scene
in which two men are operating rafts. The
design was work of Edward Broad, who also
engraved the stamp dies.
The airmail stamps were printed on chalk-
surfaced paper from plates of 80, arranged
in two panes of 40, comprising five horizon­
tal rows of eight and divided into sheets of
40. The Ash imprint appears in the bottom
left corner of the sheets of 40 and small
marginal dots help distinguish the sheets.
The production quantities involved were:
2d. rose-red 320,000 stamps; 3d. bright blue
240,000 stamps; 5d. green 380,000 stamps;
8d. brown-lake and 1s. mauve 100,000
stamps each. The stamps were issued on 6
September 1939.
Following the outbreak of World War II,
the 1s.6d. airmail rate of postage was reintro­
duced between Australia and Great Britain
after having been replaced the previous year
by the ‘All Up’ rate of 5d. This necessitated
the addition of a 1s.6d. value to Papua’s air­
mail stamp range. The new stamp was issued
on 2 January 1941; the production quantity
being 160,000 stamps. The production char­
acteristics of the 1s.6d stamp are the same as
the other values, except that, being printed
after John Ash’s retirement, the sheets bear
a McCracken imprint. The relatively short
life of this stamp has made it an elusive item
for collectors.
The end of civilian administration in
Papua on 12 February 1942 led to the clos­
ure of all post offices and the withdrawal of
Papuan stamps. Nevertheless, some supplies
of Papuan stamps were sold for a short time
by post offices operated by the Australian
Army before being replaced by stocks of
Australian stamps.
The author would like to acknowledge
the kind assistance of Geoff Kellow, who ex­
tracted Printing Instruments and Paper Ac­
countancy records of Papuan stamps from
Note Printing Branch Archives, Reserve
Bank of Australia, Sydney.
71
Aboriginal Art on Stamps
Barry Floyd reviews the ‘exhibits’ issued by Australia Post, 1971–2002
‘The history and culture of native Australians as captured on
Australian stamps is a visual treat. Using the stamps as a springboard
to find out more about their legends and lifestyles is a great way to
enrich one’s collecting experience.’
Janet Klug (Past President of the American Philatelic Society)
Indigenous Austra­
lian art, dating back
some 60,000 years,
covers a wide range of
media, including rock
engravings, cave paint­
ings, wood carvings,
sculpture, ceremonial
clothing, the embel­
lishment of tools and weapons and body
painting. The symbols of Aboriginal art­
work were expressions of their beliefs: the
Dreamtime and Dreaming stories. Whatever
they drew, painted or engraved on to such
surfaces as sand, earth, rock, trees, wood or
cloth, had significant meaning to them.
Contemporary Aboriginal art, based on
traditional culture, is widely appreciated
and acclaimed worldwide, some fetching
very high prices in galleries. Indeed, there
has been an explosion of genuine interest in
Australian traditions and the history of one
of the oldest art forms in the world. Abori­
ginal art has paved the way towards a greater
understanding of the indigenous way of life.
With no formal training, Aboriginal artists
have impressed the art world through their
brilliant and diverse techniques.
An insight
Australia Post has, over the years, featured
numerous examples of Aboriginal art and a
selection of their stamps now follows. They
offer, as Janet Klug aptly remarks, an insight
into the way of life and beliefs of the contin­
ent’s first inhabitants.
The earliest philatelic portrayal of Abori­
ginal Art appeared in 1971 (SG 494/7).
The 20c. stamp features a bark painting of
an Echidna or Turtle; contemporary indi­
genous artists use pieces of flattened bark
from trees such as the stringybark. There
is some evidence that, in former times,
designs owned by an artist—or his or her
‘skin’ or clan—would be painted on the
bark walls and roofs of shelters. The paint­
ing is not merely a picture of a turtle. It may
be con­sidered a manifestation of the turtle,
residing in the painting and liable to come
out and snap at you if you behave inappro­
priately towards its portrayal!
Elaborate decorations
The 25c. issue provides a vivid representa­
tion of body painting. This is probably one
of the earliest forms of Aboriginal art: still
practiced widely today, particularly among
the peoples of Arnhem Land. Their bodies
are covered in elaborate decorations prior
to traditional dances or ceremonies.
G.S.M. December 2008
‘The preparation can take many hours,
and the finest artists will be sought after for the ‘Time before Time’ when the god Wand­
this, The designs drawn on the body are tra­
ditional designs, often involving fine cross-
hatching and lines of dots, which are owned
by the clan of the person who is being decor­
ated. Body painting is thought to have been
the inspiration for many of the designs now
found in bark painting.’(2)
The 30c. stamp is less clear, but it is the
representation of a cave or rock painting.
Such artwork can be found widely across
Australia. That found in the Kakadu Na­
tional Park (near Darwin) and Namadgi
National Park is viewed today by many
thousands of visitors. The materials used
were organic colours and materials: ochre
and other natural pigments, applied by
simple brushes, sticks or fingers. The 30c.
stamp appears to show stick human figures
and a lizard. Regrettably, over time, many
of the intriguing illustrations have tended
to fade, due to damp walls and atmospheric
pollution. Some were desecrated or even
destroyed by early European settlers.
The 35c. issue shows traditional indigen­
ous art on grave posts. Where wood was
available, hollowed log coffins were oc­
casionally decorated with a painted
image of the person being
buried or with his/her Bark paintings of
clan patterns. Colour­ Mimi Spirits (866/9)
ful grave posts were
also created to
mark burial
sites.
Bark painting,
Body decoration,
Cave painting
and Grave posts
(494/7)
(1)
Song, music and dance
The term ‘art’, broadly interpreted, also in­
cludes song, music and dance and this aspect
of aboriginal culture was portrayed on a set of
stamps in 1982 (866/9). These forms of Ab­
original Art were often sacred, because of their
connection with the ‘Dreamtime’ and Aborig­
inal spiritual beliefs. Dreamtime is perhaps
best described as the Aboriginal creation story:
jina made the earth and the sea. Today, bark
paintings frequently attempt to capture the
lively movements of dancers, described in this
stamp set as Mimi Spirits. The Mimi (Mimih)
are small, mythological impish creatures, so
frail that they rarely venture out on windy days
less they be swept away like leaf litter.
With the aid of a magnifying glass, one
can observe the lively gyrations of the dan­
cers, clearly women as well as men. The 27c.
stamp shows wooden flute players with their
five fingers clearly depicted. As the dancing
gets more frenetic, some of the participants
appear to be very acrobatic, turning cart­
wheels on the 40c. stamp. On the 65c. value,
one of the musicians is playing a ‘digeridoo’
while, towards the end of the celebrations,
a number of the dancers are prostrate from
their efforts as depicted in the 75c. stamp!
One can now purchase CDs and DVDs fea­
turing Aboriginal songs and dances, some
with instructions as to how to play a digeri­
doo. One wonders what the Mimi Spirits
would think of such innovations …
Music
and Dance—
75
 a joint production of two of improving relations between Aborigines
artists: Turkey Tolsen and the wider community. The 45c. stamp
Tjupurrula and David shows a perched Black Cockatoo and, in the
Corby Tjapaltjarri foreground, a colourfully painted feather of
(1979). It appears the native bird. The artist is Fiona Foley. The
to illustrate sev- 75c. stamp is Hector Jandany’s impression of
eral paths for Ngarrgooroon Country, with two symmetrically
reaching the fa- placed, vertically steep hills—not unlike the
voured rootcrop: Olgas in Central Australia. Gently rolling
the yala plant or countryside appears in the foreground.
sweet potato.
The 55c. stamp
Cave and rock paintings—Stick is labelled Court-
figures (951), Rock python (955), ship Rejected and
Rock Possum (958) the painting is by
Limpi Puntungka
Tjapangati (1974). It
purports to mark the
end of an unhappy love
affair. To the untutored
European eye, the relevance
of this illustration is not appar-
ent. Similarly, the patterns on the
90c. and $1 stamps, though pleasing
to the eye, are not readily identifiable
according to their titles. The 90c. issue by an
unknown artist (1972) is described as Medi-
cine Story, a tale about medicine. The $1 issue
Neat examples is labelled Ancestor Dreaming (1997) and is by
To mark the bicentenary of European settle- Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri (David’s brother?).
ment of Australia in 1984—alongside numer- We are informed that a tool-making site is
ous other commemorative issues—a set of featured—a boomerang, shield and spears
eight stamps appeared, featuring cave and are located around the central circle.
rock paintings of the ancient inhabitants of
the southern continent (951/8). The illustra- Impressionist
tions look like modern versions of Aboriginal A further set of colourful, impressionist
art forms by contemporary artists and are stamps appeared in 1993 (1388/91). These
neat examples of the kinds of work exhibited ‘Dreamings’ reproduce paintings involving
in museums and galleries worldwide. the search for food: wild onions (45c.),
Among the paintings are those showing yam plants (75c.), and goose eggs (85c.),
stick figures, snakes, fish and a possum. among others. In order of value, the art-
Abstract design elements are portrayed in ists are Pauline Nakamarra Woods (45c.),
a 1987 set of stamps (1093/7). Close-up de- Jack Wunuwun (75c.), George Milpurrurru
tails of a spearthrower (Western Australia) (85c.) and Rover Thomas ($1). The dot pat-
and a shield (New South Wales) are shown tern reappears in the 85c. value.
on the 3c. and 15c. stamps. The higher 37c. The second set to be issued in 1993
values feature patterns on a basket (Queens- was to commemorate the Inter-
land), a bowl (Central Australia) and a belt national Year of Indigenous
(Northern Territory). The ‘dot art’ pattern People (1417/20). The
of the bowl is one of the most recognizable illustrations were cho- Details of a
forms of Aboriginal painting; much of the sen by Australia spearthrower, shield,
art on display in Australian tourist shops is Post to repre- basket, bowl and belt
of this nature. (1093/7)
sent the goal
Curiously, the dots originated as a form of
camouflage, covering up patterns of secret,
sacred ceremonies. Some traditional elders
had objected that artists were revealing too
much of their sacred heritage, portraying Right: Art of the
detailed pictures of human figures and cere­ Desert (1150/3)—
monial paraphernalia. Such designs and Bush Potato Country
their hidden meanings were never intended (Tolsen Tjupurrula and
to be seen. Thus, originating among the Ab- David Corby Tjapaltjarri)
original people in Papunya in the Northern Courtship Rejected
territory, dotting and over-dotting became (Limpi Puntungka
the ideal means of camouflaging overt refer- Tjapangati), Medicine
ences to ceremonies. They revealed less of Story (unknown artist) and
the sacred heart of the culture. The dot style Ancestor Dreaming (Tim
is now known as the Papunya Tula School Leura Tjapaltjarri)
and superb examples of dot paintings can Far right: Dreamings
fetch as much as £250,000, or more. (1388/91)—Wild Onions
(Pauline Nakamarra
Woods), Yam Plants (Jack
Art of the Desert Wunuwun, Goose Eggs
More abstract designs are featured on the (George Milpurrurru),
1988 Art of the Desert stamps (1150/3), com- Kalumpiwarra-Ngulalintji
prising earlier paintings from the intensely (Rover Thomas)
arid regions of Central Australia. The 37c.
value is described as Bush Potato Country and is

76 G.S.M. December 2008

 The $1 value is entitled Ngak Ngak and
shows a white bird guarding eggs against two
snakes on a sunny day with just a few clouds.
The artist is Ginger Riley Munduwalawala.
The last stamp in the series, the $1.15 value,
is by Robert Cole. For some reason it is un-
titled although it seems to portray a desert
centipede.
The artist or artists responsible for the
brightly coloured 1997 Dreaming cartoons
stamps (1704/7) are not identified; the
modern style of the illustrations suggests
Western influences. Captions provided state
that the 45c. stamp represents Dumbai the
Owl; the $1 features The Two Willy-Willies or
ghosts; the $1.20 invites the viewer to see
How Brolga became a Bird; while the $1.80
stamp is simply labelled Tuggan-Tuggan. An
optimistic interpretation of the landscape
reveals an indigenous figure gazing into a
rising sun, anticipating brighter days ahead.
A setting sun might imply a less favourable
forecast for Australia’s original inhabitants.
Albert Namatjira
Western-style art is clearly revealed in the
four landscape paintings by Albert Namatjira,
featured in the 2002 issue celebrating the
centenary of his birth (2204/7).
In 1934 a European-Australian painter,
Rex Batterbee, taught watercolour land-
scape painting to Aboriginal artists at the
Hermannsburg Mission in the Northern
Territ­ory. It became a popular style, known
as the Hermannsburg School, and their
paintings were widely exhibited around the
country.
Batterbee’s most successful pupil was Al-
bert Namatjira. His appealing landscapes,
such as those featured in the stamps, were to
bring him deserved fame. In due course the
popularity of his watercolour paintings led
to Namatjira becoming the first Aboriginal
Australian citizen. Subsequently he and his
wife worked hard to achieve property and
citizenship rights for other indigenous
peoples.
The four 45c. values were
arranged in a se-tenant
block, showing, clock-
wise from top left,
a Ghost Gum
at Mount
G.S.M. December 2008
Sonder; Mount Hermannsburg (the glori­­ Black Cockatoo
ous scenery around the Mission); Simpsons Feather
Gap; and Glen Helen Country. (Fiona Foley),
The final selection of Aboriginal art on Ngarrgooroon
stamps offers further examples of Papunya County (Hector
art (2305/8). In 1971–72, a teacher— Jandany),
­Geoffrey Bardon—encouraged Aboriginal Ngak Ngak
­people in Papunya, north-west of Alice (Ginger Riley
Springs, to put their Dreaming stories on to Munduwalawala),
Untitled (Robert
canvas. Previously they had only been drawn
Cole)
on desert sand.
Papunya art by Naata Nungurrayi (2306)
Disillusion
The Papunya artists were able to form their
own company to control the sale of their
paintings to private dealers, but as we have
noted, disillusionment set in when Tribal
elders criticized their work for giving away
too many of their societies’ secrets. The dot
device was introduced to overcome some of
the adverse comments.
The four high-value stamps selected for
the 2002 issue do not feature dot patterns,
unless the $3.30 value can be considered
an example. Unfortunately all the creations
are untitled—-although we have the artists’ Dreaming
names for each stamp—thus the viewer is left cartoons—
with mere visual impressions of their work Dumbai the
The $1 picture is by Ningura Napurrula; the Owl (1704),
$1.65 is by Naata Nungurrayi; the $2.20 is by The Two
Graham Tjupurrula; and the $3.30 illustra- Willy-Willies
tion is by Dini Campbell. (1705)
To conclude. It is clear that Art is one of
the key manifestations of Aboriginal culture,
used to mark territory, record history and to
tell stories about the Dreamtime.
‘Art was, and still is, a central compon­ent
of the (Aboriginal) way of life, of signific­
ance in the political domain, in the relation-
ship between clans, and in the relations
between men and women. Art was and
remains an important component of the
system of restricted knowledge, and at a
more metaphysical level is the major means
of re­creating ancestral events, ensuring con-
tinuity with the ancestral past, and commun­
icating with the spirit world.’(3)
While it may be difficult at times for
non-indigenous people to understand the
full significance of Aboriginal paintings,
nevertheless we may admire the incredibly Paintings
intricate and appealing patterns and colours by Albert
revealed in their artwork. When reproduced Namatjira
philatelically, we are additionally fortunate (2204/7)
in being able to add such unusual and at-
tractive stamps to our collections.
Notes and References
1 Many native Australians object to the widely-
used term ‘Aborigine’. This was the name
given to them by the early Europeans who
did not understand the different tribes.
Modern native Australians prefer defining
themselves by their tribal affiliation.
However, for the purpose of this overview
article, the author has continued with the
term ‘Aboriginal Art’
2 ‘Indigenous Australian art’, Wikipedia, p. 2
3 Howard Morphy (1991), Ancestral Connections
(London, University of Chicago Press)
77
Big Ben in the Southern Ocean
Steve Pendleton reviews the postmarks and commemorative cachets of
Heard Island

Left: First day of

ANARE post office, 25
December 1947
Below: 1951 ANARE
cover showing
different cachets

Y es, there actually is a Big Ben in the

southern (Indian) Ocean. It isn’t a
clock, of course. It is, however, a moun-
tain—to be precise, a volcano.
Very few people have heard of it, and
fewer still have seen it. That’s because it
is the central peak of Heard Island, one
of the more isolated pieces of land in the
world. Heard lies roughly between Aus-
tralia and South Africa. If you are lucky you
might spot it on an intercontinental flight.
Otherwise you’ll have to make one of
the very rare tourist expeditions to the
area, join a summer research venture, or
perhaps a dx (amateur radio) expedition.
Or you can join one of the pirate fishing
crews whose ships lurk around the island,
looking for the elusive and very profitable
Patagonian Toothfish.
Despite its wilderness aura, there’s been
quite a bit of philatelic activity. I haven’t
seen any reports of whaler’s or sealers mail
from the area, but as there has been such
activity there since it was discovered in
1833, they could certainly exist.
It wasn’t until 1910 that anyone bothered
to claim it, when the British flag was raised.
Eventually title passed to Australia. In 1947

You can join one of

the pirate fishing
crews whose ships
lurk around the
island
78 G.S.M. December 2008
 The 1983
Anaconda II
expedition
combined
radio
broadcasting
and montain
climbing

1983 DX
expedition QSL
card showing
the old ANARE
base and a rare
clear image of
Big Ben

Front (showing
Big Ben) and
reverse of card
for the South
Indian Ocean
Expedition of
1964–5 signed
by the ten
participants

G.S.M. December 2008 79

80 G.S.M. December 2008
Left (from top to
bottom):
Cheynes II
expedition of 1983, it
took 27 days to get
back to Australia
First voyage of
Aurora Australis to
Heard Island, 1990
1991 Heard Island
expedition cancel

Right: One of
the first tourist
visits was noted
by a Kapitan
Khlebnikov cancel
Below: The 2000
expedition used
the standard
ANARE pictorial
cancel

plans were announced to establish bases on
Heard and Macquarie Islands, under the
title ANARE (Australian National Antarctic
Research Expeditions).
The Heard expedition was carried aboard
LST 3501 (later renamed Labuan). Group
Captain Stuart Campbell was named first
postmaster.
The LST 3501 arrived off Heard in late
December 1947. A site at Atlas Cove, in the
north-west part of the island, was chosen for
the base. A tent was set up, and there Group
Captain Campbell gave souvenir cancels to
about 6600 covers on Christmas Day.
Heard Island was a permanent base until
9 March 1955. During the time the post
office was open only two cancels were used.
they can be differentiated by the size of the
‘s’ in ‘Is.’
Summer expeditions
Since that time Heard has not been per-
manently inhabited. However, a number of
ANARE summer expeditions have visited,
along with several private groups (radio
amateurs, mountaineers and tourists). Many
of these have left philatelic mementoes.
A 1963 expedition provided covers with
written notations, but no cachets. The 1965
expedition was much better equipped, they
had a cachet reading ‘South Indian Ocean
Expedition’ with a penguin in the middle.
They also had a picture postcard showing
Big Ben. Ten members signed the card.
Their team was the first to actually climb
Big Ben.
A tragic side-story to the cover concerns
the yacht Patanela. Some years later this ship
disappeared with all hands while cruising
south of Australia.
1983 was a busy year for the island. Two
dx expeditions visited. The first was brought
by the yacht Anaconda II and was on island
from 20 January to 21 February. Souvenir
mail bore several cachets.
In addition to the radio contacts, this
group also made the second ascent of Big
Ben.

G.S.M. December 2008 81

 The same year the ‘Heard Island Dx As-
sociation’ sailed aboard the SS Cheynes II. The ship, an old whalecatcher, had to be
They stayed from 5 February to the 17th.
Chacheted and printed souvenir covers towed part of the way home
were prepared.

Life in the Southern Ocean
The ship, an old whalecatcher, had to be
towed part of the way home. Such is life in
the Southern Ocean.
The first Australian icebreaker, the Aurora
Australis, made a two-month winter cruise
around the island from 4 May to 4 July,
1990. No cachets were made but a printed
cover was prepared. The next summer a re-
search expedition did have a special cancel.
It was a double-ring design with a penguin
and tent in the middle.
One of the earliest, if not the first, tourist
expeditions visited Heard on 5 December
1992. They had been carried by the massive
Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov. A
special cancel was created for the occasion.
In the late 1990s pictorial cancels were used
for each Australian station’s mail. Heard’s
shows a seal, snocat train and helicopter.
The 2003–4 summer expedition used two
cancels. One was a simple circular design
with ‘Heard Island Australia’ at the bot-
tom and Big Ben at the top. The other one
showed a globe and the words ‘Heard Island
Expedition’. Souvenir covers were carried
ashore by an amphibious craft.
There are probably other Heard Island
markings. But this list gives you some idea
of what’s there. Good hunting!

Different
cancels used
by the 2003–4
expedition. The
lower cover
was carried
ashore by an
amphibius
craft

82 G.S.M. December 2008

Danzig
Ron Negus reviews the brief but interesting philatelic history of this
Free City
D anzig existed in its own right philatelically for just less than 20 years, but during that
time the various stamps and related items it issued were keenly sought by collectors.
A glance at the catalogue shows that overprints were a very common feature of Danzig
stamps, particularly in the early years from 1920 to 1923.
There is a suspicion that many of these
were generated specifically for the philatelic
market. Some dealers were implicated in
the appearance of many defective over-
prints, particularly those printed twice or
inverted. Another problem that exists with
the overprints is that many were extensively
forged.
Until 1914, the town of Danzig and its
surrounding area belonged to Germany,
and its population were mostly German
speaking. After Germany’s defeat in the First
World War, the Versailles Peace Conference
decided that Danzig would become a Free
City under the protection of the League of
Nations.
A subsequent conference in 1921 gave
rise to the Warsaw Agreement that regu-
lated Poland’s rights in Danzig. On 1 April
1922 Danzig and Poland entered into a cus-
toms union. On Danzig territory, the newly
created Polish state was represented by the
Polish Post Office and by a small Polish milit-
ary garrison on the peninsula, in the Danzig
harbour channel, called Westerplatte.
Attributes of statehood
The city enjoyed political autonomy in do-
mestic affairs, and after a period of transi-
tion, acquired a number of attributes of
statehood, such as her own currency, bank-
The Free State of Danzig was formed on
10 January 1920. For the first six months
German stamps were used … the hunt for
German covers with Danzig postmarks
from this period provides great interest
86
The first stamps of Danzig were
issued in 1921 and consisted of
overprints on German stamps
(SG 1/15a)
Further overprinted stamps,
including surcharges, appeared
until the 1921 ‘Consitution’ issue
notes and postage stamps. A Catholic dio-
cese was established in the city in December
1925, and in the middle of the following
year Danzig Radio began broadcasting.
The Free State of Danzig was formed of-
ficially on 10 January 1920. For the first six
months after its formation, German stamps
were used everywhere. The hunt for Ger-
man covers with Danzig postmarks from this
initial period provides great interest for the
postal history enthusiast. The first Danzig
stamps appeared from 14 June and were
simply overprints on the existing stocks of
German issues. These stocks were made
up of the 1902 Germania definitives for
the Pfennig values and the contemporary,
larger format, pictorial issues for those de-
nominated in Marks.
The first overprints
The first overprints that appeared had the
single word ‘Danzig’, in Gothic script, at
the foot of the design to cover the original
name of Deutsches Reich. These overprints
were all in black ink, produced by the State
Printing Works in Berlin with a complete set
made up of 15 values.
Between August and November 1920 the
20 and 30 pfennig stamps from the above
set were surcharged locally at the print-
ing works owned by Julius Sauer. There
were five surcharges applied, using different
coloured inks for each value. The design
included stars to cover the original denom-
inations at the top left and right-hand cor-
ners, plus a large numeral in the centre to
indicate the new face value. An interesting
aspect of this design is that the obliterating
stars are not consistent and appear with five,
six and eight points depending upon the
surcharge.
In August 1920 yet another overprinted
set on German stamps appeared. On these
the country name Deutsches Reich was
obliterated with a solid rule, and the name
of Danzig was printed diagonally across the
face of the stamp in Gothic script. At the
same time, some of the low value Germania
stamps were surcharged in Marks.
These latter overprints were also the first
stamps of Danzig to include a burelage
underprint. This was a design of wavy lines
printed on the paper before the surcharges
were applied, and was intended to prevent
forgery. The wavy lines appear in two types
with their points either up or down.
Despite there only being an air service
from Danzig to Berlin, a set of three airmail
stamps was produced in September 1920,
made up of overprinted Germania issues.
The overprint showed a biplane on the two
lower values, whilst the highest value with a
face of 1m. portrayed a winged posthorn.
These stamps could also be used for ordin-
ary mail, or to pre-pay the additional rate by
air from Berlin to certain other cities.
Commemoratives
Consitution of
1920 (44/56)
The first Danzig stamps to appear without
overprints came out on 31 January 1921.
They were issued to commemorate the sign-
ing of the Constitution for the Free State
that had taken place on 15 November 1920.
The design was by Julius Sauer, who also
typographed the stamps. It showed a sail-
ing ship that had been used by merchants
in the Hanseatic League, of which Danzig
had been an important member during the
15th century. The vessel was surrounded
by a decorative oval border on which the
words ‘FREIE STADT DANZIG’ appeared.
The value appeared at the upper corners,
and the date ‘15.XI.1920’ was shown at the
foot of the design. There were ten values in
all, with some printed in two colours whilst
others were single coloured impressions. All
G.S.M. December 2008
the stamps were perforated with a zigzag roul-
ette. In March 1921 three of the values were
reprinted with an ordinary perforation 14.
The Air stamps
issued in 1921
depicted an aircraft
over Danzig (57/62)
By 1921, the air service had been ex-
panded and flights to various countries were
available. To meet these needs, Danzig pro-
duced a set of five airmail stamps bearing
the words ‘Flugpost’. A well-known graphic
artist, Max Buchholz, who chose to show a
monoplane flying over a silhouette of the
city of Danzig, produced the design. The
spires and tower of the famous Church of St
Mary that dominates the city is clearly seen
on the silhouette. A year later, a high value,
10m. stamp was added to this set.
State arms definitives (64/90)
In June 1921 the first proper Danzig
definitives appeared. They were a simple
design, produced by local artist Professor
Ernst Petersen and showed the state arms
of the Free City. These comprised a crown
over two crosses on an octagonal shield.
This Arms design can be found on many of
the Danzig stamp issues over the next five
or six years. It derives from the ‘two crosses’
insignia that was used by the German Teut-
onic Knights who ruled the Hanseatic city
in the fourteenth century. The Polish king,
Kasimir II, added the crown motif later.
Currency depreciation
‘D M’ (Dienstmarke)
overprint for official
use (O94/119)
There were originally 14 values in this de-
finitive set but, as the currency depreciated,
further values were needed in the next few
months to keep abreast of changes in the
postal rates. Over the next two years, the
number of values rose to 34. Some of these
were also overprinted with the inscription
‘DM’ in black. These latter stamps were for
Government use and the abbreviation stood
for ‘Dienstmarke’, which means ‘Official
Stamp’.
G.S.M. December 2008
Typical Lions and Tuberculosis Week
Arms stamps stamp showing St
George and the
dragon (93a/93c)
In October 1921 a set of three charity
stamps was issued which were sold at double
face value. The premium was donated to
help tuberculosis victims, and the common
design showed St George and the Dragon.
Printed in two colours, these stamps were
on sale for two weeks and were valid for only
six weeks.
During this period, a number of other
definitive issues appeared with designs that Airmail rates
incorporated the state arms but on which
heraldic lions were placed on either side of
the shield to act as supporters. These issues
came in different sizes, with higher values
slightly larger than the low values in the set.
The first Postage
Dues, introduced in
1921 when Danzig
joined the UPU, were ‘High value’ Air stamp of 1923 (123)
all printed in purple
By the end of 1921 the first signs of German
(D94/107)
inflation were beginning to be seen and all
Danzig stamps issued between 1922 and Oc-
tober 1923 bore values expressed in marks.
1921 was significant for being the year in The pfennig stamps became worthless for
which Danzig joined the Universal Postal both inland and external letters.
Union. This membership of the UPU meant The worst of the inflation was felt in 1923
that tariffs were set for all types of postal and can be seen very vividly in the airmail
services. In October, the first postage due rates in that year. In April a new set of air-
stamps were produced. Their design was mails was issued in which the highest face
simply the State Arms and they were all value was 500m. By 1 July 1923 two of these
printed in purple, irrespective of value. In stamps were needed to send an airmail letter
practice, postage dues were often not used, from Danzig to Great Britain. A month later,
with underpayment being collected by the the rate for a similar letter had risen to 7000
addition of normal definitive stamps. marks, which meant that 14 airmail stamps
Polish post offices
Another interesting aspect of the philatelic story of Danzig is the Polish post that oper-
ated within the Free City. From 1920 to 1925 there were extended legal discussions
between the Poles and the Danzig authorities over the establishment of a public post
office in the Free City. Up to that point, two post offices existed under the control of
Poland. The first handled incoming parcel traffic from abroad, and also dealt with
the onward transmission of items that had destinations outside Poland. The second
office dealt with the inter-Polish postal services passing through Danzig by road or rail.
Neither of these offices had public access.
On 5 January 1925 the Polish government opened a third post office in Danzig
harbour and declared it open to the public for mail and allied services between Danzig
and Poland. The new postal facility had its own stamps, in Polish currency, formed
by overprinting current Polish issues with the words ‘PORT GDANSK’. It also had its
own postmarks and red letter boxes. The opening of this new post office caused major
unrest in the City and many Polish letter boxes were vandalised by being painted over
in the German national colours. Other attempts were made to disrupt the Polish postal
arrangements, such as delaying mail that bore the Polish name Gdansk in the address
instead of the German name Danzig. Local newspapers also carried articles denoun-
cing the Polish postal operation.
Between 1925 and 1939, Poland issued a total of 37 stamps for the Port Gdansk
service, as well as adding the overprint to current Polish postal
stationery items. Purchasers could pay in either Danzig Gulden
or Polish Zloty, but all tariffs were pub-
lished in Polish currency. After 1934, Port
Gdansk stamps were valid throughout
Poland just like ordinary Polish stamps.
Polish stamps overprinted for use in
Danzig
87
Polish stamps
honouring postal
employees killed
during the German
invasion of Danzig
(SG 571, 1060)
and a postal
stationery card
overprinted for use
in the city
would have been needed to post it. Exactly
one month after that, the airmail rate from
Danzig to Britain was 250,000 marks and so
no fewer than 500 of the top value stamps
were required on the letter!
Unsurcharged
Air stamp of 18
October 1923
(162)
Four new airmail stamps appeared on 18
October, all printed in scarlet. Two were un-
surcharged and bore face values of 250,000
and 500,000 marks respectively. A postal
rate change whilst these stamps were being
printed led to the remaining two needing
to be surcharged for two million and five
million marks respectively. All four had the
same underlying design that showed an aero-
plane in a frame made up from a posthorn.
The rarest air stamp
The sheets of stamps with the five million
marks overprint originally bore a face value
of 50,000 marks. However, one cliché in the
printing plate of 100 contained an error
that showed a face value of 10,000 marks.
As a result, with a total printing of 11,849
sheets, this is the number of ‘5 million on
10,000’ marks errors are known to exist.
In addition, two sheets were missed in the
surcharging operation, so that there are
just two examples recorded of this 10,000
marks unsurcharged air stamp. One copy
is currently in the Philatelic Collections at
the British Library, and some experts have
referred to the stamp as the ‘rarest air stamp
in the world’.
This particular set was current for only a
fortnight before a new stabilised currency
unit of the gulden was introduced to replace
the German mark. After this all remaining
stocks were sold to dealers by auction. Many
of these issues are found on what purport to
be flown covers, and most are forgeries. It
88
is significant to note that all airmail services
in Danzig ceased on 20 October, so these
stamps could only be used legitimately for
just three days.
Extensive surcharging
Poor People’s Fund (123b/c)
In 1923 several new issues appeared in an
attempt to keep abreast of soaring inflation.
In the early months, stamps with ever increas-
ing face values were produced—mainly using
the ‘arms with lions’ design. By the autumn
of 1923, production of the required values
became impossible as prices were rising on
a daily basis. Extensive surcharging of the
earlier issues was employed with values show-
ing amounts in thousands, and later still, in
millions of marks. As well as the definitives,
officials and postage dues also received sur-
charges. The issue of a second charity stamp
showed that inflation was affecting the whole
population. It appeared, in March, with a
premium to raise funds for the poor.
After the gulden was introduced, the
pfennig returned as the smaller unit of
currency, and new stamps were planned to
reflect this change. For a couple of months,
whilst the new stamps were being printed,
some stamps surcharged with ‘pfennig’ and
‘gulden’ values appeared, plus an unsur-
charged postage due set of ten values ran-
ging from 5 pfennigs to 3 gulden.
From 1924 onwards, Danzig stamps set-
tled into a more normal routine with small
quantities of new definitive, airmail and
commemorative issues being released at
infrequent intervals. Only a very few of
these were surcharges and the stamps that
appeared covered valid postal needs.
The final
Danzig issue
depicted
scientists
(285/7)
The final Danzig issue before World
War II appeared in April 1939 as a public
awareness issue in support of a government
sponsored anti-cancer campaign. This set
of three stamps had portraits of famous sci-
entists, Robert Koch, Wilhelm Röntgen and
Gregor Mendel.
Invasion
On 1 September 1939 a German battleship,
the Schleswig-Holstein, which was on a visit to
Danzig, opened fire on the Westerplatte bar-
racks. On the same day, Danzig was formally
annexed by Germany and, as a result, World
War II began.
German troops and sailors from the bat-
tleship went ashore and their first target
was the Polish post office in the harbour.
Despite having inadequate weapons, the
postal employees barricaded themselves
into the building and put up a heroic resist-
ance against the German invaders. After 14
hours they were forced to surrender and the
survivors were subsequently shot by German
troops and buried in an unmarked single
grave in the nearby village of Zaspa.
After the war, Danzig and its surrounding
area became part of the new Polish Republic
in 1946. Its postal services, in what is now
known as Gdansk, are administered on a na-
tional level as an integral part of Poland. The
Polish Ministry of Posts honoured the mem-
ory of the valiant Danzig postal employees
with commemorative stamps in 1946 and
1958. The second of these portrayed a post-
man holding a rifle, against a background
of a postbox, with an inscription at the top
which translates as ‘They were the first’.
Other Polish stamps have appeared over
the years with views of various buildings in
Gdansk, and the town is a popular port of
call for cruise liners today.
G.S.M. December 2008
 ‘Gentian’ Embroidery
Stamp Launched during
Magnificent WIPA ’08
Special report by Peter Jennings FRPSL, FRGS, in
Vienna

T he magnificent WIPA ’08 International Stamp Exhibition held in Vienna was a great
success with stamp collectors and other visitors of all ages and included the launch
of several new stamp issues, among them an embroidery stamp—the second issued by
Fascinating glimpse
There was an interesting article: ‘75 Years
WIPA—A Success Story’ by Dr Ernst Ber-
Austria Post. nardini, about the four previous WIPA
This memorable exhibition, a wonderful advertisement for the hobby of stamp collect- international stamp exhibitions held in
ing, attracted 35,000 paying visitors and 5000 children, admitted free, in just four days, Vienna in 1933, 1965, 1981 and 2000. This
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 September 2008. article also gave a fascinating glimpse into
WIPA ’08 was staged at the recently refurbished, user-friendly, Austria Centre. The the early history of Austrian philately.
Centre has excellent public transport—bus and metro—links, to the heart of the Austrian
capital with its many beautiful churches, art galleries and concert halls.
The future
Erich Haas, Director of Philately at Austria
Long hours Post, took up the modern day story in a
The exhibition on the theme: ‘The Future ticket in Austria was an item of real postal thought-provoking article: ‘The Austrian
of Philately’ opened for long hours, from stationery. Incorporated in the ticket was Way—The Future of Philately’. Among the
9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. on days one and two, an interesting imprinted triangular stamp pertinent points made by Mr Haas were:
6.00 p.m. on day three, and until 3.00 p.m. depicting a Vienna landmark. The price Postage stamps have to be available in sub-
on the final Sunday afternoon. Each day fol- of admission also included a special gold- post offices for walk-in customers. Only
lowed a particular theme. These included: embossed miniature sheet of the three when stamps are used often enough will
‘The Day of the Postage Stamp’; ‘Art and exhibition stamps issued by Austria Post in they become collector’s items and attract
Philately’ and ‘School and Philately’. 2006, 2007 and 2008. new collectors to the hobby. Stamps have
Admission was by ticket; price €9, which Every visitor was given a free exhibition to be interesting to the public and talked
Austria Post, one of the main sponsors of catalogue, produced in English and Ger- about by the media, this is only possible if
the Exhibition, had cleverly produced as man, that contained full details and colour the design of the stamps is up-to-date and
an item of collectable postal stationery. illustrations of some of the greatest treas- in the modern style.
This was the first time that an admission ures of world philately on view.

WIPA ’08
opening day
souvenir cover
with special
stamp and,
18 September
2008
cancellation

Below: The
Austria Post
Edelweiss
embroidery
stamp of 2007

90 G.S.M. December 2008

 The Exhibition Catalogue gave details
of more than 2000 frames of competitive
exhibits as well as those in the Court of
Honour, which were displayed over the
three floors of the Austria Centre. The
Royal Philatelic Society London exhibited
five frames of material alongside a similar
number of frames from some of the oldest
Philatelic Societies in Europe.

Packed programme
A packed daily programme of events, held
on a special stage situated near to the
entrance, included the opening and clos­
ing ceremonies, interviews with leading
Austrian stamp designers, artists and other
personalities, stamp launches and a variety
of musical entertainments. The interviews
were conducted in German and unfortun­
ately no English translation was provided.

In the run-up to the

exhibition Austria Post
issued three triangular
WIPA ’08 stamps in
2006, 2007 and 2008.
Together the stamps
form the WIPA logo.
The stamps depict
three landmarks of
Vienna: The Great
Wheel, St Stephen’s
Cathedral and the
Gloriette gate at
Schoenbrunn Castle.
They were available
as individual stamps,
and also as a gold-
embossed miniature
sheet which was a
gift from Austria Post
given exclusively on
the purchase of a
WIPA ’08 one-day
admission ticket

The new Austria

Post embroidery
stamp on a first
day cover with the
special WIPA ’08
first day of issue,
19 September 2008
cancellation

Reasonably priced refreshment points
provided good places to meet and chat
over the day’s finds.
School children
Austria Post paid special attention to pro­
viding activities and events to entertain
schoolchildren who attended the exhibi­
tion during the first two days. It was encour­
aging to see some of these young people
studying the thematic exhibits with such
interest and enthusiasm.
Austria Post released a number of new
commemorative stamps and related prod­
ucts and commemorative postmarks were
available for each day of the exhibition.
Among the highlights was the launch of an
arresting €3.75 embroidery stamp depict­
ing a Blue Gentian, during the morning of
Friday 19 September.
G.S.M. December 2008
Markus Hämmerle of Hämmerle &
Vogel, Embroideries, explained the con­
cept of this beautiful stamp to this cor­
respondent during a convivial dinner at a
typical Viennese restaurant the evening be­
fore the stamp launch. This correspondent
had been introduced to Markus by Gilles
Le Baud, President of an exciting new com­
pany, Art & Stamps, based in Paris.
Markus Hämmerle explained in an in­
terview with GSM that he had come up
with the idea of providing an embroidered
Austria Post paid special attention
to providing activities and events to
entertain schoolchildren
stamp. His company is well-known through­
out Austria and had produced costumes
for one of the New Year’s Day special con­
certs broadcast throughout the world. He
contacted Silvia Klampferer, the charming
manager of the Philatelic Department of
Austria Post with the concept for a postage
stamp, and she invited him to make a pre­
sentation to Austria Post.
‘There were a lot of obstacles to over­
come and we produced several trials in
order to perfect the self-adhesive technique
91
 Embroidery stamp being woven—
one production unit on the
machine produced 6300 postage
stamps—on a single piece of
textile 16 metres long
Inset: The Austria Post Gentian
embroidery stamp
Bottom: The souvenir bottle of
Enzian Schnapps

and the security aspects. We produced producing 6300 units on a single piece of
20-30 colour variations and eventually Aus- textile 16 metres long. 268 needles were
tria Post commissioned its first embroid­ used in the process.’
ery stamp, depicting the White Edelweiss, Markus Hämmerle smiled: ‘Perhaps we
which was released on 19 July 2007.’ should have considered applying for a Guin-
ness World Record. I am sure this would
The Sound of Music have been equivalent to the largest sheet of
This striking stamp captured everything that postage stamps ever produced by any coun-
is appealing about Austria. The embroidered try in the world.’
Edelweiss on a pale green background will
bring back vivid memories for older ­readers Stamp on a bottle
of GSM of the film The Sound of Music, first Markus Hämmerle also told me that, Häm-
released in the UK on 29 March 1965. merle & Vogel, Embroideries, had worked
Evocative scenes of Julie Andrews as Maria, with one of his relatives who owned a vine-
the beautiful mountains near Salzburg, and yard and distillery, Freihof Destillerie, in
the enduring love story the film portrayed Lustenau to produce a very special souvenir
are all there in the image of this delicate for WIPA ’08. This stamp-related product
white alpine flower. The Edelweiss is the was a specially designed bottle containing
‘unofficial’ flower of Austria and appears on Enzian Schnapps which had the new €3.75
the logo of the Austrian Alpine Society. embroidery stamp affixed to the front.
‘The Edelweiss stamp was well received by This correspondent took one of the
collectors,’ continued Mr Hämmerle, ‘and ­bottles to the Austria Post philatelic coun-
as a result Austria Post commissioned us to ter where a clerk painstakingly applied the
produce a second embroidered stamp of a special souvenir WIPA ’08 cancellation for
Blue Gentian. We printed 400,000 stamps, 19 September 2008, the day the second em-
with one production unit on the machine broidery stamps were released.
Markus Hämmerle pictured with his wife Iris (right) and GSM Correspondent Peter Jennings FRPSL, FRGS, a model
Simone Bickel, Area Sales Manager, Hämmerle & Vogel, wearing a specially made embroidery dress, and Markus
outside the Austria Centre in Vienna, during WIPA ’08 Hämmerle at the end of the stamp launch on 19 September
Picture by Peter Jennings, FRPSL, FRGS Picture by Gilles Le Baud, President, Art & Stamps

92 G.S.M. December 2008

History
Markus Hämmerle then outlined the his-
tory of his company. He said that in 1900
Anton Hämmerle, grandfather of the cur-
rent owner Heinz Hämmerle, purchased a
hand-operated machine and by 1928, due
to the success of the business he was able to
acquire an automatic embroidery machine
of the latest design. The business passed
to his son Albert in 1936 and later Albert’s
wife, who was a successful embroiderer and
businesswoman.
In 1958 Heinz Hämmerle established the
company Hämmerle & Vogel for the indus-
trial production and export of embroidery.
It was to develop into one of the leading
businesses in the Vorarlberg embroidery
industry, employing about 50 members of
staff by 1973.
A new embroidery hall was constructed
with seven of the very latest embroidery
­machines and an electronically operated
punch machine. Embroidery from Häm-
merle & Vogel of Lustenau achieved sub-
stantial sales successes at international fairs.
In 1982 Markus Hämmerle, son of Heinz
Hämmerle, carried on the success story
and by 1993 he was preparing for the 21st
century with fresh creative ideas based on
quality and flexibility.
Today’s successful formula includes the
development, production and export of
high quality embroideries in line with the
most up-to-date fashion trends, combined
with the latest modern machinery and a
highly qualified workforce. The courage to
introduce something unusual and new is
the driving force behind the company along
with team spirit and dedication.
Enjoyment
Visitors will make the trip to an International
Stamp Exhibition if the right ingredients are
present—a significant number of stamp deal-
ers—local, national and international and a
good spread of postal administrations repre-
senting countries throughout the world.
The WIPA ’08 Collecting Passport pro-
vided a source of enjoyment for people of
One of the special OeSD souvenir sheets
hand-printed on an old printing press
at its popular stand during WIPA ’08
Picture by Peter Jennings, FRPSL, FRGS
 93
Memorable
WIPA ’08 was a memorable event on the 2008 world stamp calendar and other major
International Stamp Exhibitions being planned during the next few years, in particu-
lar London 2010 would do well to emulate it.
The Times published a brief item from the AFP news agency, about WIPA ’08 on
18 September, under the headline ‘Exhibition gets a rare stamp of approval’. It is
the kind of news story that immediately captures the interest and imagination of the
non-collector.
Blue Mauritius
The news story read: ‘The legendary Blue Mauritius, one of the rarest postage stamps
in the world, will be one of the biggest attractions at WIPA Vienna International
Stamp Exhibition 2008, which opens today and runs until Sunday.’
It concluded: ‘The two-penny stamp was printed in 1847 in Mauritius, a British
colony at the time. There was also a red one-penny version, the Red Mauritius, and
both stamps can be seen on the Bordeaux Cover, or envelope, which was auctioned
in 1993 for a record €3.3 million (now £2.6 million).’
WIPA ’08 was a great advertisement for stamp collecting. Non-stamp collector visi-
tors could not have failed to have been caught-up in the excitement of the occasion
with its vibrant hustle and bustle and varied entertainments.
Outstanding success
Great credit for the outstanding success of WIPA ’08 must go to the dynamic and
delightful Eric Haas and Silvia Klampferer and their team of extremely hard working
staff. In addition, WIPA ’08 attracted positive local, national and international televi-
sion, radio and newspaper coverage. This will have gone a long way towards persuad-
ing non-stamp collectors to take up the hobby and start collecting unusual postage
stamps, such as Austria Post’s engaging embroidery stamp of 2008.
all ages. Whatever the merits or otherwise incurring the huge costs involved in hosting
of the stamp passport, it is undoubtedly a the philatelic ‘circus’ that come as part of
good way of introducing the stamps of the the FIP package.
various postal administrations to potential
new collectors. Visitors
It is worth recalling that ‘The Stamp Show
Old printing machine 2000’, with FIP patronage, held at Earls
OeSD, the Austrian State Printing House, Court in London, only managed to attract
had a large stand where visitors could print 50,000 visitors—the official attendance—in
their own special souvenir of WIPA ’08 using seven days. The actual number of visitors at-
an old hand-printing machine. In June tending that particular international stamp
this year OeSD together with Austria Post exhibition was probably considerably fewer.
achieved a remarkable new Guinness World The eight-day full world stamp exhibi-
Record for the fastest printing of a postage tion, ‘London 2010’, to be held at the
stamp (‘Austria Post Smash Guinness World Business Design Centre in Islington from
Record’, GSM August 2008) Saturday 8 to Saturday 15 May 2010 will have
FIP ­ patronage. See the interview ‘Towards
Superb 2010’, Brian Trotter, Chairman of the Man-
WIPA ’08 received FIP (International agement Committee for London 2010, gave
Federation of Philately) sanction and the to this magazine (GSM, November 2008).
pat­ronage of the Federation of European ‘London 2010’ will include most of the
Philatelic Associations. However, this superb re­cognised FIP competition classes, but this
international exhibition did not have FIP correspondent respectfully ventures to suggest
patronage and lost nothing as a result. In that it is unlikely to attract a significant number
fact it was able to use financial resources for of overseas visitors who are not either exhib-
the benefit of stamp collectors rather than itors or part of the FIP travelling ‘circus’.
Birds on Christmas
Stamps
Birds have long been a popular subject for Christmas
stamps. P J Lanspeary takes a look at some of them

B irds play a prominent role in our Christmas festivities; like the Robin on our Christmas
cards and the Turkey on our dinner tables. Countries where Christmas is celebrated
often issue stamps to mark the occasion and birds regularly appear in the designs.
To many of us the Turkey is the most important Christmas bird. Common Turkeys occur
wild only in North America and were first taken to Europe by the Spanish Conquistadors in
the 16th century. They soon reached England where they replaced swans as the main dish on
traditional feast days. The Turkey came by its name in a strange way. During the 16th century
any product from a Moslem country, then including Africa, was called Turkish. The African
guinea fowl imported into England were called ‘Turkie Fowl’. When the larger American
birds began to arrive they were confused with the guinea fowl and also called ‘Turkie’.

Turkey is the main dish on

Christmas Day in Britain

A domestic Turkey can be seen on two
values brought out by Cuba for Christmas
1955 (SG 754/5). A male is portrayed with
his tail fanned out in the display position.
The Great Britain 1993 Christmas issue
marked the 150th anniversary of A Christmas
Carol by Charles Dickens. The 35p value en-
titled ‘The Prize Turkey’ shows an enormous
bird being carried along on foot (1793).
After his conversion from mean sinner to
generous saint this was bought by Scrooge
for Bob Cratchitt, one of his employees.
Robins
By far the most frequently featured bird on
Christmas stamps is the European Robin.
The connection with Christmas probably
came about because postmen in Victorian
times in England wore bright vermilion
waistcoats and were commonly known as
Robins. Soon feathered Robins, sometimes
shown with a letter in their beaks, began to
be pictured on Christmas cards and eventu-
ally on stamps.
In 1995 Great Britain brought out five
values all featuring Robins in different poses.
The 19p, showing a Robin in the aperture of
a pillar box, makes on obvious reference to
the Victorian postmen (1896).
The Isle of Man has featured Robins on
several Christmas issues—typical and one
of the most attractive designs came out
in 1988. This shows the bird perched in a
hawthorn bush with red berries against a
snow-covered background. Realistically the
Robin has its feathers puffed out to combat
the cold (397).
In 1986 two stamps were issued proclaim-
ing ‘Peace at Christmas’—an Isle of Man
11p value shows a pair of Robins standing
on a globe (331) and a Jersey 14p has a
Robin beak to beak with a dove encircled
by a wreath of mistletoe (403). The Robin Doves
is a pugnacious bird hardly an appropriate promote
choice for a peace message. the
message of
Doves peace
Several countries have featured doves on
Christmas stamps, no doubt with the mes- Zealand 2006, New Zealand Pigeon (2910).
sage of peace in mind. Usually native pi- Estonia illustrated a domestic white dove,
geons have been chosen, as with Belize the traditional Dove of Peace, on a 6k.50
in 1995—four values including the Blue issued in 2001 (414).
Ground Dove on the 25c. (1195) and Bot-
swana in 2005—four values including the Goldfinches
Laughing Dove on the 80t. (1045). Other The Eurasian Goldfinch has great symbolic
examples of Christmas doves are Palau significance in the Christian religion and is
1993, Palau Fruit Dove (614); Fiji 2001, credited with miraculous powers of healing.
Purple-capped Fruit Dove (1144) and New One is often shown in devotional paintings

The Robin is a popular Christmas bird and is widely

featured on cards and stamps

G.S.M. December 2008 95

 Raphael’s with the baby Jesus. A famous painting of
Madonna of the this kind, Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch
Goldfinch (left) is featured on the 58c. in the Niue 1983
and Tiepolo’s Christmas set (505), while in 2004 Micro-
version (below) nesia showed a painting with the same title
by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
The Christmas theme has been treated in
some off-beat ways by some countries. Pis-
anello’s painting of the Madonna and Quail
is the subject of a 500s. value brought out
by Uganda in 1995 (1602)—the Common
Quail is the species shown in the painting,
but as the stamp shows only a detail from
this, only one wing appears. In 2001 Great
Britain issued five self-adhesive stamps fea-
turing Robins with different designs based
on perky cartoon styles, a change from
some of the over-sentimental renderings
(2238/42). Christmas Island has issued a
series of Christmas stamps, some showing
native birds in unlikely scenarios, such as the
40c. in 1995 with Christmas Island Frigate
Birds carrying Father Christmas (404) and
Christmas the 95c. of 1999 with Santa in a sleigh pulled
has been by Abbot’s Boobies (475). Two Christmas
treated stamps showed their bird subjects reflected
in an off- in decorative baubles—Pitcairn Island 2005,
beat way 80c. Red-tailed Tropic Birds (701) and Nor-
by some folk Island 2006, 50c. Masked Booby (973).
countries
Wrens
Wrens were the object of hunts which took
place on Christmas or Boxing Day, when
young men went out with sticks which were
flung at the birds. This ritual persisted
longer in the Isle of Man than elsewhere in
the UK. A 5p value issued by the Isle of Man
in 1978 shows a group of young men with a
stout stick, sub-titled ‘Hunt the Wren’ (143).
If a Wren was killed it would be buried with
due solemnity. The origin of this practice is
unknown—in many fables harm comes to
anyone who hurts a Wren, so the hunt could
be part of the custom peculiar to Christ-
mas when the accepted order of things is
reversed. Another theory is that the Wren
became associated with the Underworld
because of its habit of skulking in low places
and was hunted as an evil power. The Manx The Twelve Days
Christmas stamps for 1980 featured a Wren of Christmas is a
on the 6p (181). popular Christmas
song and its verses
have featured
The Twelve Days of Christmas on the stamps of
In the ninth century AD King Arthur de- many countries
creed that Christmas should be observed
as a 12-day feast. The 12-day period begins
in the Christian calendar with the Feast of
St Stephen, 26 December, and ends on the
Feast of Epiphany, 6 January. The Twelve Days
of Christmas was not originally a carol but
derived from the counting song tradition of
the Middle Ages, the main purpose being
to test the memory of the singer. An early
version of the carol appeared in a children’s
Wren hunts book called Mirth without Mischief published
took place at in London about 1780. Most carols are songs
Cristmas with a religious impulse but the ‘Twelve
Days’ is wholly secular, based on the giving
An imaginative
of presents by ‘My True Love’. and wide range
Countries that have featured the carol of birds on
on their Christmas stamps are Christmas Great Britain’s
Island 1977 (84/95), Ireland 1987 (681), 1983 Christmas
Gambia 1987 (734/45), Great Britain 1977 set, though
(1044/9), Guernsey 1984 (316/27) and ornithologically
2006 (1130/41), Lesotho 1982 (523/30), unsound
New Zealand 1977 (1155) and 1986
(1404/6), St Helena 2006 (1005/10) and

96 G.S.M. December 2008


2007 (1037/42) and USA 1971 (1448).
The choice of birds has varied between
countries. The Partridge (in a pear tree) is
usually a Grey but Ireland chose the Red-
legged species which is surprising as it does
not live there.
A nondescript lot
All countries chose a Turtle Dove but only
Christmas Island chose French Hens, a
breed called Marans, the name of a town
in France; all the other hens are a non-
descript lot. The four ‘Colley Birds’ now
usually ‘Calling Birds’ are represented as
Blackbirds by Great Britain and Guernsey
but Christmas Island selected Black-browed
Albatrosses which are well known for their
loud calls. Lesotho has brought the carol
right up to date by the inclusion of Mickey
G.S.M. December 2008
and Minnie Mouse in the designs which
are all humorous. The pear tree, complete
with partridge (species unknown), is in a
wheelbarrow pushed by Mickey. The Four
Calling Birds are green parrots making tele-
phone calls.
The Geese (six a-laying) are shown as
the domestic type except for Christmas
Island which chose an Australian species,
the Cape Barren Goose. Mute Swans (seven
a-swimming) are the rule except for Christ-
mas Island which has again turned to Aus-
tralia and chosen a Black Swan. The St
Helena design includes Black, Black-necked
and Mute Swans.
The Christmas Island issue, comprising a
sheet of 12 stamps, one for each of the 12
days, is a splendid affair with the words and
music of the first line of the carol printed in
the margin below the stamps.
Five values brought out by Great Britain
in 1983 are very imaginative in terms of
spreading the goodwill message but not
sound ornithologically (1231/5). The 12½p
recalls the mail delivery theme showing a
group of birds each with a letter in their
beaks circling a pillar box. The bird at the
bottom resembles a Cuckoo, a species not
common in Britain in winter. The 16p has
a dove in close proximity to a cat, another
unlikely occurrence. A white dove, symbol
of peace, appears on the 20½p and 28p
values rather surprisingly in the company of
a Blackbird, traditionally the Prince of Dark-
ness in many folk tales.
A typical Robin portrait appears on the
11p in the Isle of Man 1982 Christmas issue
(226). There are snowdrops in the fore-
ground, snow is falling and snow-laden trees
form a backcloth—no doubt we shall all
receive some like this before the 25th.
A typical
idealised
Christmas
scene—a Robin
in a snowy
landscape
97
Letters
Write to us at GSM, 7 Parkside, Ringwood,
Hants, BH24 3SH or email gsm@
stanleygibbons.co.uk
Note for London 2010
Having recently retired and wanting to and
having more time to take my hobby more
seriously, I attended my first major exhibi-
tion outside Great Britain in Vienna.
I was impressed by the venue and
learned so much from the displays. I
found some of the continental dealers
extremely helpful and my limited Ger-
man was always overcome by someone
who spoke perfect English. The day-to-day
events in the halls were all interesting, well
presented and entertaining.
My only gripe, and one for attendees
to watch out for in London 2010, is the
amount of mark up from a number of
non-euro countries’ Philatelic Bureaus
or their agents. Only the Czech Republic,
Slovakia and Switzerland had prices close
to my mental exchange rate calculations.
The worst was Romania, wanting 26 Euros,
£20 for, by my calculations, four modern
first day covers worth no more than £3.
Next came Poland who charged a 50 per
cent mark up on current mint new issues.
I found the Baltic countries not too bad,
charging what I would call dealers’ prices
and Hungary just a little more.
I think it no coincidence that the bur­
eaux that had the highest prices did not
have their items on show priced. Is there
any way that organisers of exhibitions can
ensure that the foreign bureaus either
have readily available price lists in the cur-
rency of the host nation or have a note on
their stands to show what conversion rate
they use?
I refused the Romanian covers, and
unfortunately bought the Polish stamps as
they were very attractive, but have made a
note to be more prudent in the future.
John Mason,
Solihull
No circulating coinage
One thing Caribbean philatelic articles
fail to mention, which is kind of important
in some ways, is that sometimes British
colonies of the West Indies were issuing
stamps in denominations for which there
was no circulating coinage. The fact was
that there were three circulating curren-
cies, the Jamaican and/or British pound
sterling, the US dollar and the British
West Indies (commonly called ‘Bee Wee’)
dollar. The ‘Bee Wee’ dollar had been
in circulation since 1935 and it was com-
posed of 100 cents, but there were no
circulating ‘Bee Wee’ coins until 1955,
so you could not pay, for example, 12
­ ritish West Indies cents for a Grenada or
B
Trinidad and Tobago aerogramme. They
did not exist.
There is a bit of an oddity too in the way
the islands were governed. Every island
colony had its governor but the Windward
and Leeward Islands, composed of the
same, had their own governor too.
Fortunately the ‘Bee Wee’ dollar was
pegged to the British pound sterling,
being worth 4s.2d. (or 50 pence sterling)
so 12 cents equated to 6d. sterling, for
buying aerogrammes, and every ‘cent’ was
worth ½d. sterling (British or Jamaican),
but cents were not used to buy British
West Indies stamps until 1955.
Duff Malkin,
via email
Not so!
Every philatelic writer must welcome feed-
back—there is nothing as discouraging
as silence. So I am very grateful to two
readers who helpfully amended my de-
scriptions of Belarus stamps (GSM, June
2008, p.99). I apologise—and it is good to
discover that this often
neglected country has
its enthusiasts.

Harry Savy
I was very interested to read the article ‘A Journey to Aldabra’ by Steve Pendleton (in
September 2008 GSM). But I was very
The name Harry Savy really aroused this interest, as I am married to one of his surprised to
daughters—Elsie (he had four daughters). be accused of
Yes, Harry Savy was a man of substance and had considerable influence. He didn’t ‘clear prejudice against the Cyrillic al-
actually own Aldabra but had a lease to run it from the Seychelles Government for phabet’ (GSM, October 2008, p.91). Not
a number of years; he also had leases on two other neighbouring islands, namely so! I provide a full transliteration table in
­Cosmoledo and Assumption. From the latter two he mined guano, and this was shipped Philip’s Children’s Atlas and—next year—in
to other islands in the Indian Ocean, principally Mauritius. Philip’s Infant School Atlas: it’s never too
As this article said, Aldabra was then primarily a copra plantation, and besides ex- young to start an interest in this alphabet.
porting the copra, Mr Savy exported the giant tortoises to the various islands of the My article merely made the reasonable
Seychelles. These are now found in the Botanical Gardens in Victoria (the capital of point that we may not all have time to un-
Seychelles) plus hotel gardens and are generally running wild on some islands. derstand words written in Ukrainian and
Although the Giant Tortoise was endemic in the Seychelles, they were hunted to in Cyrillic letters.
extinction by the early settlers and by passing sailing ships (including pirates!). The Mr Berrow also calls the UPU objec-
Aldabra Tortoises therefore, took their place courtesy mainly of Harry Savy. tionable and insulting. But the UPU has,
My wife visited Aldabra and the other two above mentioned islands in 1961, when for over a century, tried to encourage
Mr Savy took his family on board MV Lady Esme. This vessel was chartered to the Sey- every country to communicate with the
chelles Government and used for taking government officials and other VIP’s around world’s people by using numbers and
the islands of the BIOT. words that many people can read—surely
There was another vessel that did the same job as Lady Esme and this was MV Nordvaer. an excellent ideal. Philately can spread
This vessel carried a Travelling Post Office and many first day covers bear the hand­ international understanding in this way.
stamp ‘T.P.O. – NORDVAER’. Is the UPU really being objectionable? I
Harry Savy did most of his trading on his schooner Argo. think not!
My wife was also familiar with Lindblad Explorer and she used David R Wright
to visit this vessel when it called at Victoria, in her role as a
courier for the Seychelles Tourist Board.
Harry Savy was a truly remarkable man, he was friends Veteran competition
with Jacques Cousteau, Sir Peter Scott (the naturalist) and competitor
Archbishop Makarios (who was then in exile in Seychelles). Many thanks for the £50 voucher received
He owned an island called Fregate, and here lived the very today. I have read every GSM since 1940,
rare Magpie Robin. cover to cover, and entered every competi-
As far as I know his only affair with philately was in 1937 tion since they started, so it is very pleasing
when he turned out a few hundred first day covers for the to win one occasionally!
Coronation of George VI, hoping to make a killing, however Thanks from a very contented
many locals did the same so the venture came to nothing. subscriber.
David H Aubrey, Gordon Donaldson,
Maidstone Mold,
North Wales

98 G.S.M. December 2008

THE DIARIE OF
SAMUEL CREEPS
an ordinarie collector of stamps
15 October. This daye by courtesie of Her Majestie’s Mails came a First Daye Cover of
special GB Stamps honouring a small Assemblage of distinguished members of the Fayre Sex.
To obtayne this addition to my Albums I had to depart from my present Policie, which is a
Refusall to buy such Stamps in protest against their burgeoning numbers and costs. I relaxed
my Rule because I judged that at least two of the Ladyes portrayed warranted inclusion in
the Creeps Thematick Collection which celebrates eminent Writers. The privileged Women
I selected were, firstlie Mistress Marie Stopes whose Fame rests not upon her literarie skills
but upon her devotion to the cause of Familie Planning. Nevertheless, her Book, Married
Love, entitles her, I do believe, to a place in the hallowed ranks of the Creeps Literaria. And
secondlie, Mistress Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, a campaigner for Women’s Rights, qualifyes
on the grounds that she wrote a Book entitled Political Economics for Beginners. So in order to
expand my Collection I have bent my Rules, but as they are self-made, I do not have to consult
anie bodie else on the degree by which the bend may be applyed.

22 October. To honour a Promise I made a week or two agone to Mistress Taylor (she
who is learned in the matter of Water-Markes), this forenoon I set about the task to which I
was pledged, viz: to construct a small package of Stamps which would form a Lotte suitable
for a forthcoming Auction of Antiques and Collectables, the proceeds of which were to be
donated to a Charitie much favoured by the Ladye in question. After leafing through my
Stock Books I came at length to what I judged to be an acceptable Offering consisting of
Stamps of the Reign of Queen Victoria issewed by the States which later joyned together to
form Australia. Set out tastefully on two sheets, they looked, to my confessedly subjective
Gaze, to be a desirable Purchase. Thinking to assist the Organizers of the Sale, I appended
a note reading ‘SG Catalogg Valew £25’ before hastening to the house of Mistress Taylor
to present my Contribucion to the Sale. If I had been hoping for an Invitacion to stay
for a Cuppe of Tea in Appreciacion of my interest in her Charitie, then I was doomed to
Disappoyntment, not for the first time at the hands of the ungrateful Jade. Resolved to
attend the Auction, which takes place next week, in the hope that on another Daye I might
find her in more clement Humour—which could be the case if my Lotte should happen to
appeal to more than one Bidder, resulting in its commanding a high Realisacion price. The
Prospeckt fills me with an exhilarating sense of Expecktacion.

29 October. In the Mail this Daye came a Miniature Sheet which I had latelie ordered
from a Merchant who specialises in Stamps of a Thematick nature. These were a Canadian
issew to celebrate the one hundredth Anniversarie of the publicacion of the renowned
Novel, Anne of Green Gables. It consisted of two Stamps, one portraying the eponymous
heroine of the Book, the other the equallie eponymous House in which she lived. The
onlie lettering on both Stamps was the title of the Book with the dates 1908–2008. The
wording was in English and French because this is how they do things in bi-lingual Canada.
Printed at the foot of the Sheet there were distinguishable (but onlie with the aid of a
strong magnifying Glass) the names of the Artists who had drawn the images of Anne and
of the House itself, and a legend which read: ‘Anne of Green Gables is a trademark and
a Canadian official mark of the Anne of Green Gables Literary Authority’ in English and
French, of course, And that was all. What was missing? What indeed? Nothing less than the
name of the Author of this notable Work of Fiction. How did the Anne of Green Gables
Literary Authority permit this contemptible Omission? How did they think the Novel was
created without the Imaginacion, intellectual Energie and the taxing physical Work of a
WRITER? The words missing from these Stamps were ‘By Lucy Maud Montgomery’.

30 October. This is the daye of the Charitie Auction, an Occasion which has not been
far from my thoughts for the past week. Come the Eventide I made my waye to the Publick
Hall in which the great and good of the Parish were assembling, readie to show their high
Regard for the Charitie (and their Generositie) by bidding for the Objects on sale with
Fervour but with scant regard for their true Valew. At the door I purchased a Sale Catalogg
and espying Mistress Taylor in occupation of a chair hard by the Auctioner’s platform and Extracts
adjacent to an emptie seat, I hurried to take my place at her side. As we exchanged brief selected
Greetings I thought I detected something uneasie in the Ladye’s Demeanour, but I ignored and
it. I opened my Catalogg to see where my Lotte appeared in the order of Sale but in spite
of my carefull Scrutinie of everie Page I was unable to find it. ‘It will avayle you nought to edited
look for it,’ sayde Mistress Taylor quietlie, ‘for it is not there.’ I was Gobbe-Smacked. ‘I spoke by
with the Organiser,’ quoth she, ‘just before you came hither and asked if he knew why this Michael
was. It seems that the Auctioner refused to accept the Lotte, being unwilling to be instructed Banister
as to its valew, a figure over which he alone had Jurisdiction.’ All this had come about, it
appeared, because my note as to the SG Catalogg valew was taken to indicate the Auction
Catalogg valew. For SG the Dolt had read SC (my initials) and had taken Umbrage at my
perceived Arrogance in trying to usurp his Authoritie. From such misunderstandings can
Enmities arise, but I am too big-hearted to let them vex me. Very much.

100 G.S.M. December 2008

Postal Stationery Matters
Peter van Gelder looks at India’s popular Meghdoot cards, multi-colour
scenes for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Pseudo-perfins from Australia
and ‘stamped-to-order’ for the Army & Navy Stores
V ery recently my attention was drawn to an article in Topical Time, a journal from the
USA. for thematic collectors. For me the reading of that article was like calling ‘Open
Sesame!’ and beholding a cavern full of previously unsuspected booty. The article advoc-
popular and cheap means of communica-
tion within the country. India Post subsidises
cards, and the idea of the Meghdoot system
ated the collecting of modern Indian postal cards for the pictorial themes they offer. Thus is to claw back through the advertising rev-
was revealed to me for the first time the large field of Indian publicity stationery known enue some of the cost of this subsidy. Each
as Meghdoot cards. Familiar as they doubtless are to specialist collectors of Indian stamps advertiser pays the equivalent of slightly over
and stationery, Meghdoot cards are very likely unknown to many other collectors. Both 3 pence per card on which his advertise-
for that reason and because they have become a big postal success in a large country, they ment appears.
deserve to be featured here.
Languages, quantities
The Meghdoot Scheme such as sweets, petrol, tractors, education, A card for general distribution, such as
Meghdoot cards have been around for only health, banks, etc. By mid-2007 the number Ministry of Health advice, is likely to be
six years, for they were introduced in Sep- of different Meghdoot advertisements had produced in different language versions—
tember 2002. From the first they have been reached 444. Last year (2007) the most Hindi, Tamil, English, etc. Then there are
popular both with advertisers and with the prominent themes for publicity appear to other cards bearing messages aimed at a
general public. On the left of each of these have been education, petrol and renewable particular region, which will use whatever
cards space is provided for the adding of a energy—these last two would seem to be language is most appropriate to the state(s)
pictorial advertisement in multicolour print. antagonists on the Meghdoot platform! they target.
The words ‘MEGHDOOT POST CARD’ Printing is in sheets of eight, and print
always appear in the right-hand half of the Less-than-a-penny! runs for any one particular advertisement
front; the back of each card is left clear for Meghdoot cards are available over the coun- range from 100,000 up to 500,000 cards.
correspondence. ter at Indian post offices. The price at the The two cards illustrated here are typical
The origin of the name ‘Meghdoot’ for counter of all Indian post cards is extremely examples. The text of the motorbike card is
these cards is a 5th century Sanskrit poem low. A non-Meghdoot card costs 50 paise, in Tamil; it was issued in 2005, in a quantity
in which a ‘Megh’ (in English, a cloud) equivalent to about two-thirds of a UK of 100,000. The John Deere tractor card is
acts as a ‘Doot’ (messenger) for a man to penny. But a Meghdoot card costs half that a 2006 issue and is worded in Hindi. You
his beloved. The printed advertisements amount, i.e. 25 paise! Way back to the days will notice that both cards have the same
cover a wide range of products and services, of British India, postcards have been a very stamp imprint. That imprint seems to be the
one most widely used on Megh-
doot cards; but at least two other
imprints have been employed,
one of them showing Mahatma
Gandhi.
I wish to thank Lallan P Singh
of Patna, India, author of the Top-
ical Time article mentioned above,
for sending me information and
examples of Meghdoot cards.

Meghdoot cards advertising

the TVS XL Super motorbike
with text in Tamil and John
Deere tractors with text
in Hindi; both with stamp
imprint showing Rock-cut
Rathas, Mahabalipuram

G.S.M. December 2008 103

Multicoloured old-time
Canadian cards
The Indian Meghdoot cards follow
in a long tradition of postal au-
thorities producing postal cards spe-
cifically designed for the addition of
publicity.
In a previous article in this series
(GSM, September 2003) I wrote
of a Canadian scheme introduced
in December 1897 for businesses
to buy postal cards in bulk and
then to add their own publicity, in
words and pictures, on the fronts.
The area on the cards for such
publicity was strictly defined. Vari-
ous businesses made use of the
scheme, the railway companies
being prominent. The cards that
illustrated my 2003 article were
of the Grand Trunk Railway, the
Canadian Pacific Railway (both
using green print for their pub-
licity), and hardware merchants-
cum-manufacturers T McAvity &
Sons (using brown print).
But quite soon the CPR decided to go King edward VII postal card showing Canadian Pacific Railway hotel Chateau
one step further by starting to use multi- Frontenac in multicolour
colour printing for the publicity scenes on
their postal cards. These colourful pictures
are much more attractive than the all-green
views, and for the most part they feature A Pseudo-perfin envelope
hotels on the CPR routes—rather grand- Here is something unusual, and it seems best to start with a question: If adhesive stamps or
looking places. This multicolour CPR pub- stationery stamp imprints need to be adapted from general use to be used specifically on
licity can be found on cards of three reigns: mail sent out from government offices, what alternative ways are there of adding to them
Victoria, Edward VII and George V. such distinguishing letters as ‘OHMS’, ‘G’, ‘OS’, etc?
The example I show here pulls no Overprinting is an obvious method. An- But the Australian postal authorities came
punches, for it boldly claims to depict ‘The other way is to modify the stamp design up with yet another answer to the question.
Most Charming Hotel in the World’! The slightly so as to include small white circles This unusual solution was applied to the
subject of that boast is the Chateau Fronte- within which can be printed the required King George V head design (SG Type 5a).
nac, Quebec—it looks as if much puff and letters (such as ‘O’ and ‘S’). A third way is The design was used from 1913 for many
blow is needed to reach it on foot, but from to form the letters by means of perforat- years for stamps, postal cards, envelopes
the top the views should be spectacular! ing—i.e. the perfin method, but that is not and newspaper wrappers. For the adhesive
The stamp imprint is a 1c. red showing a straightforward procedure for postal sta- stamps the letters ‘OS’ were added as a per-
King Edward VII. The card was posted in tionery envelopes. Clearly parts of the back fin—until 1932 when a switch was made to
Montreal on 30 May 1905 to an address in and flap would become holed; or, to avoid overprinting. But for some of the stationery
the City of London. On the back is a printed that unwelcome damage, each envelope very small white dots to form the letters ‘O’
statement of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s would need to be opened out to become and ‘S’ were incorporated into the stamp
earnings and expenses in the ten months an unfolded sheet (a ‘knife’) for the perfin design. The result might well be called ‘a
ending 30 April 1905. work to be done. perfin without any holes’, a pseudo-perfin.
Australian official postal stationery envelope with ‘psuedo-perfin’ stamp imprint

2 G.S.M. December 2008

Though I have yet to see examples, it ap- bers of the Society at lowest prices. The The lettersheet illustrated here makes
pears that 1d. and 1½d. cards and ½d. store opened in 1872, at its present address; plain that at some stage in its career the
wrappers were issued in that same style. 101 years later it was taken over and is now Army & Navy Stores made use of stamped-
The envelopes came in 1d. 1½d. and 2d. part of the House of Fraser chain of depart- to-order (STO) postal stationery. I believe
denominations. ment stores. In the early days, when it was other types of STO stationery—cards and
Illustrated here is a 1d. postal stationery run as co-operative, the Store’s subscribing envelopes—are very likely to have been used
envelope measuring 9in by 4in and of grey- members (its customers) were higher rank- by the Stores. Apart from this King Edward
blue paper. It was posted at Birregurra, ing members of the armed forces, widows VII lettersheet, I know of a fairly similar
Victoria, on 1 August 1924, on behalf of of officers, and also regimental messes and King George V item, and I suspect there are
the Education Department, Melbourne. In canteens. In later years these restrictions on also late Victorian examples. I have checked
the top left corner a warning reads: ‘This membership were lifted. with the archive of the business, now held
Envelope can only be lawfully used by
Government Officials on public business.
Any use by Officials on private business,
or by others under any circumstances, is
punishable’.
These Australian pseudo-perfin envel-
opes are scarce. No example in good
condition is likely to be obtained for less
than £100.

Lettersheets for the Army

& Navy Stores
Anyone reasonably familiar with London
will know of the Army & Navy Stores. Its
large building in Victoria Street is on the
route between Victoria railway station
and Parliament Square, and it is quite
close to the Philatex venue at the Royal
Horticultural Society Halls.
The Army & Navy business was estab-
lished in 1871 as a co-operative society.
The plan was to supply goods to mem-

Great Britain letter sheet stamped-to-

order for the Army & Navy Stores, posted
in 1911

in Glasgow, but that contains none of the

STO stationery—presumably it all went out
to customers, or if any remained unused, it
was destroyed. Any reader who can report
other types and dates of Army & Navy Stores
stationery is invited to write to me c/o the
Editor.
The front of the example shown here has
a ½d. green stamp imprint (printed paper
rate); it is of the design used on post office
issue envelopes of the reign. At top left is
the pictorial emblem of the Army & Navy
Co-operative Society Ltd., its centre showing
two flags, a sailor, a soldier and the Society’s
Latin motto. The lettersheet was posted on
13 June 1911 from London to Buckingham.
The inside is headed with a good external
view of the Stores with horse-drawn traffic
passing by. The printed message shows the
purpose of the sheet: acknowledgement of
payment received, in this case 6s.

Now time for GB postcards?

I hear that Royal Mail delivered 335 mil-
lion postcards in Britain during 2007, an
increase of 30 million on the figure for
2003. Now will they take advantage of this
card popularity by resuming the issue of GB
postal cards?

Correction
In my September article Lawton’s Patent
Envelope was wrongly referred to as
Lawson’s.

M. December 2008 105

New and recent issues

Shore to Shore
That will be followed by the 2009 Europa
set on the subject of astronomy, and then
a look at some endangered species (not, I
think, hedge fund managers) nominated by
those knowledgeable people at the Durrell
Island Hopper previews forthcoming issues Wildlife Conservation Trust. And after that,
excuse me for wishing away the winter, but
it will be Jersey’s spring flowers, heralding
what I’m sure we all hope is going to be a
long, hot summer.

The Island’s churches

Isle of Man Post have developed their year-
book in a distinctive way in recent years,
giving it a different theme each time, and
thereby taking the onus off the stamps. This
time the subject is the island’s churches, of
which there are apparently more than 90.
That means a fair old bit to read and look
at, with photos by Victoria Harrop and
Just one stamp issue left to look at for the year: Guernsey Post’s Christmas set. It is devoted
words by Valerie Cottle. I don’t know if I’ve
to festive foliage—the sort of plants we associate with that special time of year.
ever read a book dedicated to churches,
As is so often the case, you have to take your hat off to the people who create the art-
but I suppose there must have been plenty.
work. If someone gave you a holly leaf, some ivy, a bit of mistletoe and a selection of other
Not with a year’s stamp issues in, though,
plants, could you turn them into eye-catching little pictures? Me neither.
and there is a range of subjects among
Give the job to someone who knows what they’re doing, though, and all things are pos-
them to appeal to everyone: the Olympics,
sible. In this case, Guernsey Post got in touch with their old friends at Karl Taylor Photog-
Vikings, banknotes, a nature ramble … it’s
raphy, who worked their magic to produce combinations of clarity and attractiveness with
an education in itself.
a seasonal feel. The overall look of the set is surprisingly colourful and warm, and includes
some lesser known festive plants such as the Christmas Cactus, Bracken and a star-shaped
Clematis, along with the card-carrying Christmas types such as Poinsettia and spruce.

Yearbooks
And so to the usual end-of-year fare: yearbooks.
The yearbook is primarily a consolidation of the year’s output and of interest to col-
lectors of that country (or in this case island), but they do add something with extra art-
work. For some collectors—those who buy the stamps themselves, rather than f.d.c’s and
presentation packs—this is an opportunity to benefit from the painstaking research that
is behind each issue.
Guernsey Post’s yearbook is a solid, smart example of the genre and will provide a lasting
memory of 2008—even if the stamps are the only thing you want to remember about it. One of the great pleasures for me as a col-
lector is to be drawn into another world by
an issue, and that is certainly how it felt with
Sneak preview the Ballaugh Curragh set, where one could
And now a sneak preview—they imagine being shown around that beautiful,
haven’t asked me to tell you to eat unspoilt countryside by a veteran Manxman
this page after you’ve read it, so it who knows a supernatural amount about
must be okay. Air travel is the first one what is there, almost as if he had his grand-
in the departure lounge, with a set of parent’s memories added to his own.
six and a miniature sheet due to take So if you’re looking for a Christmas gift
off on 13 January to mark the 75th for someone with an interest in the Isle of
anniversary of the first flight between Man, stamps or churches, this is the book
Jersey and Southampton. for you.
Jersey Post’s collection is similarly stylish, For any of the yearbooks, contact the
provides an eye-opening demonstration relevant postal administration as usual, by
of the range of subjects the island has fea- phone, post, or (and I know this doesn’t
tured in the past 12 months. In addition to apply to everyone) online.
its interpretation of the Europa theme, The
Letter (itemising four of the most com-
mon: thank-you letter, love letter, family
letter, letter to Santa Claus—each of them
happy ones).
Jersey looked at, among others, Signals
(a challenge for the designer, no doubt),
the centenary of the island’s eisteddfod,
buses, cattle, orchids and cricket—and had
something for the royalty collector with the
current issue celebrating the 60th birthday
of the Prince of Wales.

106 G.S.M. December 2008

New and recent issues
Panorama
John Moody investigates the background to some recent new issues
Thai Peafowl
Thailand Post issued a two-stamp miniature sheet on 9 August
2008 which displays all the glories of the native Peafowl and also
draws attention to its vulnerability.
There are three species of Peafowl, the Indian Peafowl (Pavo
cristatus) and Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus) which live in Asia
and the Congo Peafowl (Afropavo congolensis) which are native to
Africa. It is the Green Peafowl which is featured on the stamps.
The Green Peafowl, also known locally as the Dragonbird,
breed from Burma east to Java. The International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the species as vulnerable
to extinction. Some believe that the Green Peafowl is actually
a complex of five distinct species although they are currently
treated as one species with three subspecies.
Over the years the Green Peacock has been hunted, not only
for its extravagant feathers but have been collected for the pet
trade and farmers poison adults as they are thought of as a crop-
pest. Habitat change and disturbance are also threats, reducing
breeding success.
Famous for the glorious train carried by the male (Peacock),
the bird lifts these metre-long iridescent upper tail feathers
into a quivering fan when displaying. Each of the 200 metallic
feathers ends in a beautiful brown, green and gold eyespot.
The Green Peafowl is less well known, but perhaps even more
spectacular than its close relative, the India Blue, and has a
more upright posture, a greener neck, and a darker, more
golden train.
The stamps were designed by Mayuree Narkinsorn of the
Thailand Post Company and show the Peacock in all his
splendour.
The sheet also illustrates a pair of Peahens which lack
the male’s splendid tail feathers. The stamps are printed by
multicolour lithography by the Thai British Security Printing
Company.
108
The sinking of RMS Leinster
The Royal Mail Ship Leinster served as the Kingstown (now
Dun Laoghaire), Ireland-Holyhead (Wales) mailboat until she
was torpedoed and sunk by the
German submarine UB-123 on
10 October 1918.
The ship sunk just outside
Dublin Bay, four miles east of
the Kish light. Over 500 people
perished in the sinking—the
greatest single loss of life in the
Irish Sea.
The Leinster, under the
command of Captain William
Birch, carried 77 crew and 694 passengers on her final voyage.
The passengers included 22 postal sorters from Dublin post office
manning an on-board mail-room (21 of whom died) and just
under 500 military personnel.
Just before 10.00 a.m, passengers saw a torpedo approach from
the port side. It missed the ship, passing in front of the bow. Shortly
afterwards a second torpedo struck the ship forward on the port
side, in the vicinity of the mail-room. Captain Birch ordered the
ship to make a turn, in an attempt to return to Kingstown. A third
torpedo then stuck. There was a huge explosion and the ship
sank quickly. Some lifeboats had been launched and survivors
also clung to life-rafts. British destroyers HMS Lively, Mallard and
Seal picked up survivors. Captain Birch was among those lost.
Wounded in the initial attack, he was drowned when the lifeboat
he was in became swamped in heavy seas and capsized while
trying to transfer survivors to HMS Lively.
UB-123 was lost in a minefield in the North Sea on her way
back to Germany, on or about 19 October 1918. The bodies of
her commander Oberleutnant zur See Robert Ramm and his
crew of two officers and 33 men were never recovered.
GSM December 2008
 New and recent issues

Centenary of Bulgarian Independence

The Treaties of San Stefano and Berlin (1878), established the Principality of Bulgaria whilst
recognising certain ill-defined rights of suzerainty by Turkey over the state. There was, however,
in Bulgaria a strong desire for complete independence and the country’s head of state, Prince
Ferdinand, sounded the courts of Russia and Austria in regard to the matter, but was advised to
wait. The July 1908 Turkish Revolution furnished such an opportunity.
On 5 October 1908, Prince Ferdinand formally proclaimed the independence of Bulgaria at
Tornova the country’s then capital. This led to a period of acute tension, marked by military
preparation between Bulgaria and Turkey during a complex negotiation. The main problem
was finance and eventually Russia secured a compensation deal to be paid to Turkey and the
Turks signed a convention at Constantinople on 9 April 1909, recognising the independence
of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria Post issued a single-stamp miniature sheet on 22 September 2008 to mark the
centenary of independence. The stamp, designed by Simeon Krustev, features Tsar Ferdinand
I of Bulgaria. He was made Prince of Bulgaria on 7 July 1887 and was declared Tsar on
independence. Born Prince Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha, on 26 February 1861, he was an author, botanist, entomologist and, most importantly,
a philatelist!
He was related to Queen Victoria of Great Britain and consequently to most of the Royal
families of Europe. On his appointment the British Prime Minister, The Marquess of Salisbury,
was advised that ‘He is totally unfit, delicate, eccentric and effeminate. Should be stopped at
once.’ To the amazement of his detractors, Ferdinand made a success of his reign, except for
one large mistake.
That mistake was to join his second cousin Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany in the war against
the Allies and on 11 October 1915, the Bulgarian army attacked Serbia after signing a treaty with Austria-Hungary and Germany which
stated that Bulgaria would gain the territory she sought at the expense of Serbia. The defeat of Germany and Austro-Hungary in the
First World War led to his abdication on 3 October 1918. After his abdication, Ferdinand lived in Coburg, Germany. He had managed
to salvage much of his fortune and was able to live in some style, dying on 10 September 1948.

British Born Queen of Romania

To commemorate Stamp Day 2008 and the 70th anniversary of the
death of Queen Marie of Romania, Romfilatelia issued a two-stamp
miniature sheet featuring a 1l. stamp showing the young Queen and a
3l. stamp picturing her in later life. The stamps were also issued as single
items and are shown on a first day cover (right).
Queen Marie led an eventful life. She was born Marie Alexandra
Victoria on 29 October 1875, at Eastwell Park in Kent, the eldest
daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, and Grand Duchess
Marie Alexandrovna of Russia. Her father was the second-eldest son of
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Her mother
was the only surviving daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Maria
Alexandrovna of Hesse.
At one stage she could have become Queen of England. Her cousin,
Prince George of Wales, later King George V, fell in love with her and
proposed marriage. Marie’s father and George’s father approved of the
marriage, but Marie’s mother disdained the British Royal Family and was keen to see her daughters marry outside its court.
On 10 January 1893, a few months before her father became Duke of Coburg-Gotha, Princess Marie married Crown Prince
Ferdinand of Romania, nephew of King Carol I of Romania.
In 1914, Carol I died and Ferdinand ascended the throne of Romania. Crown Princess Marie then became styled Her Majesty Queen
Marie of Romania. Due to World War I, they were not crowned as monarchs until 1922.
Marie became a Romanian patriot, and her influence in that country was large. Marie’s sympathies for the Allies was the major
influence in bringing her country to their side in the war. During the war she volunteered as a Red Cross nurse and wrote a book,
My Country, to raise funds for the Red Cross, but these were by no means her most notable contributions to the war effort. With the
country overrun by the German army, she and a group of military advisers devised the plan by which the Romanian army, rather than
retreating into Russia, would choose an area in which to stand and fight and she set in motion the series of events that brought a timely
American loan to Romania, providing the necessary funds
to carry out the plan.
After the war the Romanian objective was to gain
territories from the now-defunct Austria-Hungary and
also from Russia, thereby uniting all Romanian-speakers
in a single state. With the Romanian delegation losing
ground in the negotiations, Prime Minister Ionel Bratianu
called upon the Queen to travel to France. Marie famously
declared that ‘Romania needs a face, and I will be that
face’, The arrival of the so-called ‘Soldier Queen’ was an
international sensation and she argued that the Western
powers should honour their debt to Romania. Behind
the scenes, she alternately charmed and bullied the Allied
leaders into backing the Romanian cause. As a result of her
charismatic intervention, Romania eventually expanding
its territory by 40 per cent. After the death of her husband
in 1927, Queen Marie remained in Romania, writing books
and her memoirs, The Story of My Life. She died in Pele
Castle on 18 July 1938.

G.S.M. December 2008 109

 Stamp News in Brief
Information included in this column is as received
from Postal Authorities and/or their agents.
Inclusion in the Stamp News in Brief column does
not necessarily imply that any individual issue
will subsequently be granted catalogue status by
Stanley Gibbons
Andorra (French Issue). 4 October: Sustainable
Development—88c. lake and mountains.
Armenia. 1 June: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games—
350d. Chinese dragon. 1 June: UNICEF Charity
Stamps—70d.+30d. charity label, children.
17 June: Traditional Crafts—120d. wooden
stool. 18 June: Europa 2008/Letter Writing—
350d. map of the world and letters. 19 June:
150th Anniversary of the Birth of Alexander
Shirvanzade—280d. portrait of the author and
playwright Shirvanzade. 19 June: Definitives—
10d. light blue,, 20d. orange, 50d. pink, 1100d.
mauve. All the stamps are of the same design
featuring Tigran the Great.
Aruba. 30 September: Year of Culture/
Rembrandt—350c. self portrait, 425c. self
portrait, 500c. Beggar’s Family at the Door.
Ascension. 22 October: Christmas 2008/
‘Blooming Christmas’ by Raymond Briggs—15p.
Father Christmas eating an ice cream, 25p Father
Christmas surfing with his sleigh and reindeers,
50p Father Christmas on a beach recliner, £2
Father Christmas over Ascension in his sleigh.
Australia. 23 September: Occasion Stamps—
9×55c. gold wedding rings, heart and roses,
silver wedding rings, sparklers, balloons,
coastal scene, map of Australia, globe and
map, baby’s feet, $1.10 bridal gown. 1 October:
Belarus - 1020th Anniversary of Russian
Mega Fauna—4×55c. Giant Bird (Genyornis
newtoni), Giant Wombat (Diprotodon), Thylacine
Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus),
Pouch Lion (Thylacoleo hilli), 2×$1.10 Giant
Short-faced Kangaroo (Procoptodon goliah) and
Giant Goanna (Megalania).
Azerbaijan. 18 September: Ancient Jewellery
(joint issue with Ukraine)—2×60g.+label se-
tenant. 12th/13th century earring, 14th century
necklace. The label features the flags of
Azerbaijan and Ukraine.
Bahamas. 1 October: 50th Anniversary of
NASA—15c. Space Shuttle Discovery launch,
25c. Apollo 16 over the Moon, 50c. Skylab 3, 65c.
Hubble space telescope, 70c. Swan nebula, 80c.
Carina nebula.
Belarus: 10 June: Animals Definitives 10r.
Racoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), 200r.
Mink (Mustela lutreola), 300r. Hare (Lepus
europaeus), 400r. Wolf (Canis lupus), 1000r.
Pine Marten (Martes martes). 10 June Flower
Definitives—20r. Peony (Paeonia lactiflora),
30r. Petunia (Petunia hybrida), 50r. Narcissus
(Narcissus hybridus), 100r. Tulip (Tulipa
gesneriana), NVI (‘A’ postage rate) Rose (Rosa
hybrida), NVI (‘B’ postage rate) Dahlia (Dahlia
cultorum), NVI (‘H’ postage rate) Zinnia (Zinnia
elegans). 15 September: Coats of Arms Series—
600r. coat of arms of Vitebsk. 19 September:
Coats of Arms Series—500r. coat of arms of
Orsha, 1000r. coat of arms of Nesvizh.
21 October: Victims of the Holocaust—500r.
barbed wire and candle. 25 October: 1020th
Anniversary of Russian Christianity—3×1500r.
miniature sheet, 18th century icon the Holy Virgin
of Iljinsk and Chernigov, 1678 icon of Christ
Pantocrator, 15th century icon of the Grand
Prince Vladimir.
Bermuda. 1 October: Christmas 2008/Festive
Illuminations—30c., 35c., 45c., 80c.
Bolivia. 11 April: Centenary of Strongest Club
F.C.—1b.50 the Club’s Tiger emblem, 2b.50 the
Club’s badge, 5b.50 trophy for winning three
league championships in a row, 1915-1917. 6b.
team of 1908.
Brazil. 5 September: Endangered Amazonian
Animals—3×1p. Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus
inunguis), River Otter (Lontra longicaudis) and
Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis).17 October:
Christmas 2008/400th Anniversary of the Convent
of St Anthony—NVI (first class postage rate)
statue.
112
Bahamas - 50th Anniversary of NASA
Space Shuttle Discovery launch
Christianity
Icon of The Holy Virgin of Iljinsk
Bulgaria - Ferrari Racing Cars
1952 Grand Prix car
Croatia - Folk Costume Material
Material from Sunja
Guernsey- 300th Anniversary of the
Topping Out of St Paul’s Cathedral
Bulgaria. 11 September: Railway Anniversaries—
60s. 130th Anniversary of the Bulgarian State
Railways, 1l. 120th anniversary of the Orient
Express. 18 September: Anniversaries—60s.
150th anniversary of the birth of the politician
and Prime Minister, Dimitar Petkov and the 115th
anniversary of the birth of the politician and
son of Dimitar, Nikola Petkov. 22 September:
Centenary of the Proclamation of Bulgarian
Independence—60s. Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria
and proclamation. 16 October: Ferrari Racing
Cars—60s. 2008 Grand Prix car, 1l. 1952 Grand
Prix car.
Canada. 8 September: Samuel McLaughlin—
52c. photograph of Samuel McLaughlin and
a McLaughlin Buid 28-496 car. 1 October:
Endangered Species—4×52c. miniature
sheet, Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly (Ephydras
editha Taylori), Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii),
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) and
Prothontary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea).
Cayman Islands. 16 October: 50th Anniversary
of the Cayman Water Authority/Children’s
Paintings—25c. Stop Water Pollution, 75c. Water
Drops, $2 Splash of Life.
Croatia. 30 September: Croatian Ethnographic
Heritage, Folk Costume Material—five stamp
miniature sheet comprising, 10l. cloth from Sunja,
20l. cloth from Bistra, 50k. cloth from Bizovac, 1k.
cloth from Ravni Kotari, 10k. lace from Pag.
Cyprus. 13 November: Christmas 2008/Icons—
22c. Icon of the Archangel Gabriel, 51c. Icon of
the Archangel Michael, 68c. Icon of the Virgin
Mary and Christ.
Denmark: 7 November: Christmas Winter
Berries—5k.50 Holly, 6k.50 Christmas Rose,
7k.75 Yew, 8k.75 Snowberries, $28k.50 miniature
sheet containing the four Christmas stamps.
Egypt. 21 June: Centenary of the Faculty of Fine
Arts—30p., 150p. of the same design showing
the centenary emblem. 28 June: 7th Ordinary
Session of the Pan-African Postal Union—150p.
Pan-African Postal Union emblem. 26 July:
Capital of Islamic Culture 150p. Alexandria.
4 August: 24th Universal Postal Union
Congress—150p. UPU emblem, stylised
pyramids and a large figure ‘24’.
Estonia. 18 September: Manor Houses—
5k.50/35c. dual denominated, Kalvi Manor. 25
September: Olympic Gold Medalist—5k.50/35c. dual
denominated, Gerd Kanter. 16 October: Estonian
Churches—5k.50/35c. dual denominated Audru
Church.
Fiji. 23 September: Bananas—65c. flower and
young fruit, $1.10 buds, $1.20 green fruit, $2
ripe fruit. 15 October: Fresh Water Eels—50c.
Pacific Short-finned Eel (Anguilla obscura), 90c.
Giant Mottled Eel (Anguilla marmorata), $1.50
Pacific Short-finned Eel (Anguilla obscura), $2
Freshwater Moray (Gymnothorax potyuranodon).
Finland. 20 October: Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld—
2×NVI (first class postage rate) miniature sheet
comprising portrait of the explorer Nordenskiöld
and the research vessel Sofia. 6 November:
Nobel Peace Prize 2008—80c. Martti Ahtisaari.
6 November: Christmas 2008—60c. ‘fetching the
Christmas tree’, NVI (1st class postage rate) ‘The
Round Game’. 6 November: Frosty Night—NVI
(1st class postage rate) frost particle.
France. 6 October: 50th Anniversary of the Fifth
Republic—55c. President de Gaulle, Constitution
and National Seal. 16 October: French/
Vietnamese World Heritage Sites (joint issue
with Vietnam—55c. Halong Bay, Vietnam, 85c.
Bonifacio, Corsica. 20 October: Artists Series—
88c. Jeune Fille Se Chauffant Les Mains À Un
Grand Poêle (Young Girl Warming Her Hands On
A Large Stove) by Jean-Jacques Henner.
French Polynesia. 15 October: Air Travel
Anniversaries—2×250f. 10th anniversary of the
foundation of Air Tahiti, 50th anniversary of the
TAI air route from France to Polynesia.
Guernsey. 30 October: 300th Anniversary of the
Topping Out of St Paul’s Cathedral/Guernsey
Granite—33p, 40p, 48p, 51p, 53p, 74p, various
pictures of St Paul’s Cathedral.
G.S.M. December 2008
New and recent issues
Hungary. 10 September: Centenary of the
Wekerle Estate—120f. pre-stamped postcard.
The imprinted stamp features an old street
scene. 25 September: 150th Anniversary of the
Birth of the Sculptor György Zala—200f. statue of
the Archangel Gabriel by Zala. 26 September:
Centenary of the Szilvásvárd Forest Railway—
120f. pre-stamped postcard. The imprinted stamp
features a diesel locomotive.
Ireland. 25 September: Centenary of the
Opening of St Enda’s School by Pádric Mac
Piarais—2×55c. Pádric Mac Piarais and
Cullenswood House, Pádric Mac Piarais and
The Hermitage. 10 October: Irish Music Series
Part 2—55c. Planxty and De Danann, 2×82c. The
Bothy Band and The Tulla Céilí Band. 7 November:
Popular Dances (joint issue with Spain—55c.
Irish dancing, $1.37 two-stamp miniature sheet
comprising 55c. Irish dancing, 82c. Spanish
Flamenco.
Israel. 17 September: Torah Crowns—1s.60
Torah Crown from Aden, late 19th century, 3s.80
Torah Crown from Poland, 1719, 3s.80 Torah
Crown from Turkey, 19th century. 17 September:
Medicinal Herbs and Spices—2×1s.60 Three-
lobed Sage (Salvia fruiticosa), Tree Wormwood
(Atremisia arborescens). 17 September:
Forerunners of Zionism—2s.30 Rabbi Samuel
Mohilewer, 8s.50 Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer.
Italy. 22 September: UCI Cycling World Road
Championships—60c. Championship emblem
and UCI emblem. 10 October: Italia 2009
International Stamp Exhibition—85c., E2.80.
Both the stamps are of the same design featuring
the Italia 2009 emblem. 24 October. 2500th
Anniversary of the Plebs Tribune—60c. statue
of the Gracchi (Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
and his brother Gaius Sempronius Gracchus) by
Eugène Guillaume, 1853.
Jamaica. 30 October: Centenary of the
Associated Board of the Royal School of Music—
$30 piano keyboard, $70 violin.
Jordan. 22 September: Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games—20f. judo, 30f. show jumping, 40f.
table tennis, 50f. athletics. 22 September: 50th
Anniversary of the Engineers Association—15f.
bridge, 20f. 50th anniversary emblem, 25f.
electric pylons and wires. 22 September: Musical
Instruments—20f., 30f., 40f., 50f., 60f., 80f., 1d.
various musical instruments.
Kazakhstan. 3 October: Ancient Artifacts
(joint issue with Iran)—25t. Kazakh 4th/5th
century Snow Leopard buckle, 150t. Iranian 7th
century Lion medal. The stamps are printed se-
tenant plus a label which features the flags of
Kazakhstan and Iran. 18 September: Deer (joint
issue with Moldova)—2×110t. Red Deer (Cervus
elephus) and Sika Deer (Cervus nippon).
Kyrgyzstan. 30 August: Centenary of the
Birth of the Surgeon Isa Akhunabaev—12s.
photograph of Akhunbaev. 20 September: Kyrgyz
Civil Aviation—7×20s.+ label miniature sheet
comprising Antonov An-28 Cash, AN-28, Antonov
AN26 Curl, Yakovlev Yak-40 Codling, Tupolev
Tu-134 Crusty, Ilyushin Il-76 Candid, Mil Mi-8 Hip
helicopter and Airbus A-320. The label features
Manas International Airport.
Korea (North). 15 September: modes of
Transport—10×680w. space flight, aircraft, Ferrari
car, cycle, steam locomotive, high speed train,
Zeppelin, sailing ship, husky sledge and fire
engine.
Luxembourg. 30 September: Centenary of the
Ligue Médico-Sociale—NVI ‘A’ (postage rate),
the League’s flower emblem. 30 September:
125th Anniversary of Ettelbruck Agricultural
College—NVI (‘A’ postage rate) college buildings
and emblems showing a cow, rose, tree and
gear wheels. 30 September: Centenary of the
Volleksbildungsbewegung (Popular Education
and Cultural Centre)—NVI (‘A’postage rate)
Owl standing on a book and artist’s palette.
30 September: Centenary of the Lëtzebuerger
Deiereschutzliga (Luxembourg Association for
the Protection of Animals)—NVI (‘A’ postage rate)
cat and dog. 30 September: 50th Anniversary
of NAMAS (Nato Maintenance and Supply
Agency)—70c. 50th anniversary emblem,
globe and Nato emblem. 30 September:
‘Greetings from Luxembourg’ Children’s Painting
Competition—70c., E1 the winning paintings.
G.S.M. December 2008 113
Italy - 2500th Anniversary of the Plebs
Tribune
Kzakhstan - Deer
Red Deer
Marshall Islands - Portraits of the Wild
West
Wyatt Earp
Moldova - Plants of Moldova
Sharp-lobed Hepatica
Poland - 400th Anniversary of the first
Poles in America
Romania - 70th Anniversary of the Death
of HM Queen Marie of Romania
Marshall Islands. 14 August: Portraits of the
Wild West—16×42c. sheetlet, Wild Bill Hickok,
Jim Bridger, Geronimo, Charles Goodnight,
Chief Joseph, Kit Carson, Jim Beckwourth, Wyatt
Earp, Bat Masterson, Bill Pickett, Bill Tilghman,
Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill Cody, Nellie Cashman,
Sacagawea and John Fremont. 19 August:
Endangered Species—6×42c. Blue Whale,
Amazonian Manatee, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Green
Turtle, Giant Clam and Killer Whale.
Moldova. 28 June: Euro 2008 European Football
Championships—4l.50 clock in the shape of a
football. 19 August: Plants of Moldova—three-
stamp+three-label miniature sheet comprising 1l.
False Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum bifolium),
3l. Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica noblis), 5l.
European White Water Lily (Nymphaea alba).
The labels feature a Frog, Heron and Mallard.
1 September: 70th Anniversary of the Birth of
the Actor Veniamin Apostol—1l.20 pre-stamped
envelope. The imprinted stamp features a portrait
of Apostol. 3 September: 80th Birthday of the
Writer Ion Drutse—1l.20 pre-stamped envelope.
The imprinted stamp features a portrait of Drutse.
5 September: Cultural Personalities—1l.20
the Pedagogy Teacher Onisifor Ghibu, 1l.50
Composer Ciprian Porumbescu, 3l. the Novelist
Lev Tolstoi, 4l.50 the singer Maria Tanase. 18
September: Deer (joint issue with Kazahkstan)—
2×3l. Red Deer (Cervus elephus) and Sika Deer
(Cervus nippon).18 October: 135th Anniversary
of the Birth of the Architect Alexei Schusev—1l.20
pre-stamped envelope. The imprinted stamp
featres a portrait of Schusev. 8 October: 120th
Anniversary of the Birth of Sculptor Alexandru
Plamadela—1l.20 pre-stamped envelope. The
imprinted stamp features a portrait of Plamadela.
Netherlands. 4 November: 60th Anniversary of
Foundation for Children’s Welfare—6×44c.+22c.
sheetlet, ‘Let children learn’.
Netherlands Antilles. 19 September: Shells—
20c. Linne Measled Cowrie (Cypraea zebra),
40c. Atlantic Triton’s Trumpet (Charonia variegate
Lamarck), 65c. King Maireener (Calliostoma
armillata), $1.06 Queen Conch (Strombus gigas),
$1.58 Pina carnea, $1.85 Lettered Olive (Olivia
sayana), $3.35 Natica canrena, $4.05 Common
Music Volute (Voluta musica).
New Caledonia. 1 August: History of
Telecommunications in New Caledonia—4×75c.
miniature sheet, telegraph machine, telephone,
communications satellite, communications cables.
New Zealand. 1 October: Christmas 2008—
Modern Christmas as Seen Through Children’s
Paintings, 50c. My Sheep is Ready for Christmas
at the Beach by Kirsten Fisgers-Marsters, $2
New Zealand Christmas Symbols by Tamara
Jenkin, $2.50 Kiwi Enjoying Christmas in the
Sun by Pohutukawa by Molly Bruhns, Traditional
Christmas, The Three Wise Men by Martin Bailey,
50c., $1, $1.50. The 50c.stamp shows the whole
painting and the other two show details.
Norfolk Island. 2 September: Ships Built
on Norfolk Island—50c. sloop Norfolk, $1.20
schooner Resolution, $1.80 schooner Endeavour.
Poland. 30 September: 400th Anniversary of the
Poles’ Arrival in America—3z. a figure of an early
Polish settler and the 400th anniversary emblem.
24 September: Polish Presidents in Exile—
6×1z.45 Wladyslaw Raczkieicz, August Zaleski,
Stanislaw Ostrowsi, Edward Racynski, Kazimierz
Sabbat and Ryszard Kaczorowski, 6×1z.45
miniature sheet of the above six stamps.
Romania. 15 July: 70th Anniversary of the Death
of HM Queen Marie of Romania—two-stamp
miniature sheet comprising 1l. photograph of the
young Queen, 3l. photograph of the Queen in
later life.
Russia. 28 August: International Polar Year—21r.
three-stamp miniature sheet comprising 6r.,
7r., 8r. three different Polar exploration ships.
29 August: Animal Definitives—10k, 15k.,
25k., Hare, 25k., 30k., 50k., 1r. Fox, 1r.50, 2r.,
2r.50 Lynx, 3r., 4r., 5r., Elk, 6r., 10r., 25r. Brown
Bear. 1 September: 190th Anniversary of
Goznak (Russian State Mint)—20r. banknote,
coins, medals and the emblem of Goznak. 12
September: Flora and Fauna of Russia—3×7r.
miniature sheet. A woodland scene showing
Squirrel, Woodpecker, Birch Tree, Deer and
Mushrooms.
 New and recent issues
St Pierre and Miquelon. 4 October: Sports
Series—55c. Taekwondo. 22 October: Ice
Cuttting—4×E1 miniature sheet, various scenes
of cutting blocks of ice.
San Marino. 18 November: Christmas
2008—36c. Angel playing a herald’s trumpet,
60c. the Holy Family, E1 Angel offering a gift.
18 November: International Polar Year—60c.
mountain, E1 Penguins, E1.20 ice floe. 18
November: Anniversaries—60c. centenary of the
death of of the writer Edmindo De Amicis , E2.20
centenary of the birth of writer Cesare Pavese.
Serbia. 7 April: Protected Animals—20d. Red
Deer (Cervus elaphus), 20d. Eurasian Badger
(Meles meles), 46d. Wild Cat (Felis silvestris),
46d. Wild Boar (Sus scrofa).
Singapore. 29 October: History of the Singapore
Postal Service—NVI (first class postage rate), NVI
(second class postage rate), 50c., 80c., $1.10,
postmen through various eras. 12 November:
Cash Crops of Early Singapore—NVI (first class
postage rate) pepper, 65c. tapioca, $1.10 rubber,
$2 nutmeg. 18 November: 35th Anniversary of
Singapore/Vietnam Diplomatic Relations (joint
issue with Vietnam)—65c. Dragon Fruit, $1.10
Durian Fruit.
Slovakia. 12 September: 21st Anniversary of
the Death of the Photographer Karol Plicka
(joint issue with Czech Republic)—40k. portrait
of Plicka. 25 September: 550th Anniversary
of the Coronation of Matthias Corvinus—NVI
(50g. weight postage rate), portrait of Corvinus.
9 October: Wooden Churches—2×NVI (100g.
weight postage rate), Hervartov Church and
Dobroslava Church. 23 October: Nature
Conservation—NVI (100g. postage rate), Lady’s
Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium calceolus), NVI
(500g. postage rate) Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera).
13 November: Christmas 2008—NVI (50g.
postage rate). the Holy Family.
South Georgia and the South Sandwich
Islands. 30 November: Centenary of the Letters
Patent for South Georgia—27p HMS Sappho,
65p Magistrate’s Residence, 90p. James Innes
Wilson, £1.10 SS Coronda.
Spain. 1 October: Definitives: 2×31c. Daffodil
and Jay. 9 October: Traditional Sports—43c.
human towers. 10 October: Fungi—2×31c. Butter
Bolete (Boletus regius) and Wood Blewit (Lepista
nuda). 13 October UPAEP/National Day—78c.
National Day emblem. 16 October: Castles—
2×e2.60 Maqueda Castle and La Calahorra
Castle. 23 October: Spanish Fashion—4×31c.
miniature sheet, women’s dresses by Pedro
Rodriguez. 27 October: Traditional Sports—
3×43c. miniature sheet, chito, chave and la calva
or morrillo.
Sri Lanka. 16 August: Centenary of the Birth of
Madam Takiko Yoshida—5r. portrait of Madam
Yoshida. 11 September: 50th Anniversary of the
Employees’ Provident Fund—5r. clasped hands.
16 September: Sri Lanka’s Heritage, the Late
Anuradhapura Period—5r., 10r., 15r., 20r., 30r.,
various buildings and artifacts.
Surinam. 15 October: Birds—NVI (‘V’ postage
rate) Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) $1.10
Oriental Magpie Robin (Copychus saularis),
$1.80 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Diaeum
cruntatum), $3. Yellow-throated Laughing Thrush
(Garrulax galbanus), $4 White-throated Kingfisher
(Halcyoncyanurus symrnensis), $5 Red-billed
Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea).
Sweden. 13 November: Christmas 2008—4×NVI
booklet, NVI coil stamp. The stamps feature
various floral door wreaths. 13 November: Winter
Games—3×NVI sleigh riding, snowballs and
snowman. 13 November: Dario Fo, Playwright—
2×11k. miniature sheet, photograph of Fo and
a playbill.
Switzerland. 14 November: Pro Juventute
Childrens’ Charity/ ‘Friendship’ Stamp Design
Competition—85c.+40c. Friendship Unites by
Andrea Andreazzi, 85c.+40c. Friendship Provides
Support by Manon Peng, 1f.+50c. Friendship
is the Source of Happiness by Delia Candolo,
1f.+50c. Friendship is Uplifting by Ted Scapa. 14
November: Stamp Day/Delicacies of the Sunny
South—85c. miniature sheet, various foods
and wine. 14 November: Christmas 2008—85c.
Christmas bauble, 1f. Christmas star, 1f.30
Christmas bell.
11
Slovakia - Nature Conservation
Lady’s Slipper Orchid
Sri Lanka - Centenary of the Birth of Madam
Takiko Yoshida
USA - America on the Move in the 1950’s—
Fins and Chrome
1957 Chrysler 300c
Vanuatu- Nudibranches (Sea Slugs)
Venezuela - Coins and Banknotes
Zimbabwe - National Heroes
Lottie Nominde Chinamano
Tajikistan. 1 July: 1150th Anniversary of the
Birth of the Poet Abu Abd Allah Rudaki—two-
stamp miniature sheet plus label comprising
2s.50 portrait of Rudaki, 2s.50 different portrait
of Rudaki. The label features one of Rudaki’s
poems. 1 July: Buddha—two stamp miniature
sheet comprising 2s.50 head of Buddha from a
7th/8th century statue from Ajinateppa temple,
3s.50 statue of Buddha in Nirvana (7th/8th
century).
Turkey. 11 September. traditional Turkish
Art—65c. copper dish, 80k. vase. 17 September:
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games—65k.
judo, 2×80k. wrestling and weightlifting. 27
September: Anniversaries and Events—65k.
470th anniversary of the Preveze Naval War,
80k, Naval Forces Day. 15 October: Railway
Stations—65k.+10k., 80k.+10k. railway stations
and locomotives.
Turkmenistan. 1 June: Leopards—3×NVI (‘A’
postage rate). The three stamps are of the same
design and show a Leopard with her cubs. One
stamp has the word ‘Turkmenistan’ at the foot
of the design, one has it to the left reading up
and the other, also to the left, but reading down.
1 June: Definitives—NVI (‘A’ postage rate),
Leopards, NVI (‘D’ postage rate) Wild Ram, 2×
NVI (‘G’ postage rate) Pelican and Lynx, NVI (‘O’
postage rate) Heron, NVI (‘S’ postage rate) Stag,
NVI (‘T’ postage rate) Partridge. The same set of
seven stamps has also been issued twice more
in different colours. 1 June: Architecture—NVI
(‘S’ postage rate) modern tower office block, NVI
(‘S’ postage rate) the same stamp issued imperf.
Ukraine. 8 August: Diesel Railway Locomotives
—4×1g. TJEP10, 2TJE10L, M62 and TJE109
locomotives. 5 September: Ukrainian Songs—
4×1g. Carols, Spring songs, Cossack songs
and Chumak songs. 18 September: Ancient
Jewellery (joint issue with Azerbaijan)—2g.47
12th/13th century earring, 3g.33 14th century
necklace. The stamps are se-tenant joined by a
label. The label features the flags of Ukraine and
Azerbaijan.
United States. 2 October. Great Lakes
Dunes—10×42c. miniature sheet, panoramic
picture of lake and sand dunes featuring 27
different animals, birds and plants. 3 October:
America on the Move in the 1950’s, Fins and
Chrome—5×42c. 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, 1957
Studebaker Golden Hawk, 1957 Pontiac Safari,
1957 Lincoln Premiere and 1957 Chrysler 300c.
17 October: Alzheimer’s Awareness—42c.
patient and comforting hand. 23 October:
Christmas 2008—42c. Virgin and Child with the
Young John the Baptist by Sandro Botticelli. 23
October: Holiday Nutcrackers—4×42c. Santa
Claus, Military Captain, Drummer and King.
Uzbekistan. 28 February: Architecture
Definitives—30s., 45s., 75s., 85s., 90s., 150s.,
160s., 310s., 350s., various buildings. 1
August; Centenary of Fédération Internationale
de Natation (FINA), International swimming
Federation, 310s. water polo, 450s. synchronised
swimming, 620s. diving, 750c. swimming.
1 August: Endangered Plants—150s. Cousinia
butkovii, 200s. Cousinia dshisakensis, 250s.
Cousinia adenophora, 310s. Cousinia angereni.
Vanuatu. 8 October: Nudibranches (Sea Slugs)
of Vanuatu—12×40v. sheetlet comprising
Risbecia tryani, Phyllidia coeiestis, Flabellina
rubrolineata, Chromodoris loclil, Phylidia ocellata,
Glossodoris astromarginata, Hexabranchus
sanguineus, Phylidia madangensis, Chromodoris
geometrica, Chromodoris elisabethina and
Jorunna funebris.
Venezuela. June: Beijing Olympic Games—
4×1b. miniature sheet comprising, swimming,
weightlifting, wrestling and fencing. August:
Coins and Banknotes—14×2b. various coins
and banknotes.
Wallis and Futuna. 28 October: Coat of Arms
Series—500f. coat of arms of Monseigneur
Alexandre Poncet. 298 October: Lolesio Tuita
Stadium—55f. photograph of the stadium.
Zimbabwe. 5 August: National Heroes—NVI (‘A’
postage rate) Ruth Lottie Nominde Chinamano,
NVI (‘E’ postage rate) Swithun Tachiona
Mombeshora, NVI (‘R’ postage rate), Willie
Dzawanda Musarurwa, NVI (‘Z’ postage rate)
Johanna Nkomo.
G.S.M. December 2008
 Catalogue Column
Hugh Jefferies reports
More Victorian frame breaks
In June I illustrated a couple of frame breaks on the £5 orange
stamp of Great Britain, both shown to me by John Horsey of
County Philatelic Auctions.
This month I am able to show another one, again courtesy of
Mr Horsey, this time on
a stamp lettered DN and
cancelled (in Glasgow)
in January 1896. The
break affects the thicker
frame line above the
word ‘POSTAGE’ with
breaks at the right (illus-
trated) and an irregular-
ity above the ‘O’.
Rajan Mahadevan, in Italy, has contributed a nice looking
frame break on the 1883–84 2s.6d. lilac (SG 178), in the bottom
right-hand corner of the stamp (lettered HH), the stamp has
been checked by Karl Louis, the noted authority on Great Britain
stamps, and, as far as we know, has not been previously reported. If
you have SG 178 lettered HH, please let me know if it has a break
in the corner or not.
Although it is not in the same class as the above, I cannot resist
adding a recent discovery of my own, this
time on a Victorian stamp of St Lucia.
The Victorian keyplates are known, of
course, for the ‘top left triangle de-
tached’ variety, previously known as the
‘Thompson flaw’, after Mr Thompson,
who discovered it and in whose shop in
Croydon I spent many Saturday after-
noons, years ago.
Like the ‘detached triangle’, this frame
break is also on a Die I stamp, specifically the 1d. on 4d. brown
of 1891–92 (SG 55) and affects the three frame lines between the
Queen’s head and the value tablet. I have not been able to dis-
cover any previous record of this, although it may well have been
reported somewhere. News of its appearance on other Queen
Victoria Colonial Die I keyplates would be most welcome.

St Vincent clarification
Brian Harrup wrote a few months ago to say that he had recently
acquired a long-desired item; the 1892 5d. on 4d. local surcharge
of St Vincent (SG 59). Noticing some purple smudges in the top
corners of the stamp he was about to send it back, but on further
investigation they appeared to be part of the overprint, although
not included as such in the illustration of the surcharge in the
catalogue.
I referred to St Vincent (Pierce, Messenger and Lowe, 1971) where
I found that there are, indeed two ornaments in the upper corners
of the surcharge but, in he words of the authors, ‘they usually are
faintly printed and often scarcely visible due to the kinship of the
colour of the overprint with the colours of the stamps themselves.’
Interestingly, the authors comment on the circumstances sur-
rounding the original issue, saying that ‘it was suspect from the
start’, selling out within one hour of issue and rising rapidly in
price. Whether it was reprinted or whether surviving stocks consist
of speculators’ holdings subsequently released on to the market is
not stated, but it is not particularly highly priced today.
An appropriate footnote concerning the ornaments will be
added to future catalogue listings.

Edward VIII spot

Jack Butcher writes from Cyprus with a selection of ‘spots and specks’
on used King Edward VIII definitives.
The best of them is this spot in front of
the ‘P’ on a ½d. stamp, which, if constant
would certainly be worthy of listing in the
catalogue. Can anyone confirm it and,
even better, position it please.

116 G.S.M. December 2008


CATALOGUE  SUPPLEMENT
The Stanley Gibbons Catalogue numbers quoted in this Supplement are
liable to change in the next edition of their Catalogue.
The issue of Gibbons Stamp Monthly in which each country was last updated
is now noted under its heading for easier reference.
The Publishers of this Supplement reserve the right to defer the listing of new
issues until they have proved to have passed through and been accepted by
the international mail.
British Commonwealth
GREAT BRITAIN
(November 2008)
2100 Millicent Garrett Fawcett
(suffragist)
2101 Elizabeth Garrett
Anderson (physician – women’s
health)
2102 Marie Stopes (family
planning pioneer)
2103 Eleanor Rathbone (family
allowance campaigner)
2104 Claudia Jones (civil rights
activist)
G.S.M. December 2008
STANLEY GIBBONS
2105 Barbara Castle (politician
– Equal Pay Act)
(Des Together Design. Photo Walsall)
2008 (14 Oct). Women of Distinction.
Phosphorised paper. P 14½.
2870 2100 (1st) grey-black, grey, gold
and black 2877 2107 (1st) bright magenta,
2871 2101 48p. grey-black, grey, gold
and black blue and black
2872 2102 50p. grey-black, grey, gold
and black Large) magenta, greenish
2873 2103 56p. grey-black, grey, gold
and black black 2115 (Illustration reduced. Actual size
2874 2104 72p. grey-black, grey, gold
and black Large) greenish yellow, new
2875 2105 81p. grey-black, grey, gold
and black 2880 2110 50p. bright magenta,
2106 Ugly Sisters
from Cinderella
2107 Genie from
Aladdin
2108 Ugly Sisters from
Cinderella
2109 Genie from Aladdin
2110 Captain Hook
from Peter Pan
Catalogues supplemented are:
British Commonwealth Vols 1 & 2  2002
Stamps of the World (Vols 1–5)  2008 edition
Parts 13, 14 (1st edition)
Part 12 (2nd edition)
Parts 15, 20 (3rd edition)
Parts 3, 16, 21 (4th edition)
Parts 4, 9, 10, 11, 18 (5th edition)
Parts 2, 5, 6, 8, 19, 22 (6th edition)
Parts 7, 17 (7th edition)
Illustration sizes:
Stamps— ¾ actual size
Overprints and surcharges—actual size
© Stanley Gibbons Limited 2008
2111 Wicked Queen
from Snow White
(Des Steve Haskins. Photo De La Rue)
2008 (4 Nov). Christmas. One centre band
(2nd) or two phosphor bands (others). 2114 Poppy Flower
P 15×14.
(a) Self-adhesive
2876 2106 (2nd) bright magenta,
greenish yellow, new
blue and black
greenish yellow, new
2878 2108 (2nd deep new blue, bright
yellow, new blue and
2879 2109 (1st gold, bright magenta, 124×70 mm)
blue and black (Des Hat Trick design. Litho De La Rue)
2008 (6 Nov). ‘Lest We Forget’ (3rd issue). 90th
greenish yellow, new Anniv of the Armistice. Two phosphor bands.
blue and black P 14½ (1st) or 15×14 (with one elliptical
2881 2111 81p. bright magenta, hole on each vertical side) (81p.).
greenish yellow, new 2883 2112 (1st) silver, new blue, bright
blue and black magenta, greenish
yellow and black
(b) PVA gum a. Horiz strip of 3.
MS2882 114×102 mm. As Nos. 2876/81 Nos. 2883/5
The phosphor bands on Nos. 2878/9 are 2884 2113 (1st) silver, new blue, bright
at the centre and right of each stamp. magenta, greenish
yellow and black
2885 2114 (1st) silver, new blue, bright
magenta, greenish
yellow and black
MS2886 124×70 mm. 2115 No. 2885 and as
Nos. EN18, NI107, S120 and W109
Nos. 2883/5 were printed together,
se-tenant, in horizontal strips of three
stamps in sheets of 30.
GREAT BRITAIN
Jersey
(October 2008)
2112 Poppies on Barbed
Wire Stem
300 Carpenter Bee
(Des William Oliver. Litho Cartor)
2008 (8 Sept). Insects (2nd series). T 300 and
similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
P 13×13½.
1393 35p. Type 300
1394 39p. Buff-tailed bumblebee
2113 Soldiers in Poppy Flower 1395 43p. Clown-faced bug
Copyright Notice The contents of this Catalogue Supplement, including the
numbering system and illustrations, are fully protected by copyright. No part of this
supplement may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Stanley Gibbons Limited. Requests for such permission
should be addressed to the Catalogue Editor.
117
 Catalogue Supplement

1396 52p. Large migrant hoverfly BANGLADESH (Des Jashim Uddin. Litho State Security BARBADOS
1397 58p. Ruby-tailed wasp (March 2008) Printing Press, Gazipur) (October 2008)
1398 76p. 22-spot ladybird 2008 (18 Dec). International Migrants Day.
P 14½×14.
2008 (18 Sept). Wipa08 International Stamp 933 365 10t. multicoloured
Exhibition, Vienna. No. MS1370 optd ‘Jersey
at WIPA08’ on bottom right sheet margin.
P 13½×14
MS1399 110×75 mm. £2.50 JMT Ford
Willowbrook, c. 1977 (74×30 mm)
(Des Nick Parlett. Litho Cartor)
2008 (21 Oct). Jersey Birdlife (2nd series).
Migrating Birds. Horiz designs as T 283. 275 The Second Barbados
Multicoloured. P 13×13½. Contingent of Volunteers for
1400 35p. Northern wheatear Armed Forces, 1940
1401 39p. Whinchat
1402 43p. Pied flycatcher (Des Ross Watton. Litho Enschedé)
1403 52p. Yellow wagtail 362 Dr. Muhammad Yunus 2008 (30 July). Airmen and Aircraft. T 275 and
1404 58p. Ring ouzel and Peace Medal similar horiz designs. Multicoloured. W w 14
1405 76p. Common redstart (sideways). P 14.
MS1406 150×100 mm. Nos. 1400/5 (Des Mrinal Chakraborty. Litho State Security 1327 10c. Type 275
MS1407 150×100 mm. Nos. 1403/5 Printing Press, Gazipur) 366 Soldiers with Flag 1328 50c. Warren Alleyne (Telegraphist
Stamps from MS1407 have no white 2007 (29 Aug). Dr. Muhammad Yunus and 1) and Supermarine Spitfire
borders. Grameen Bank–winner of Nobel Peace (Des K. G. Mustafa. Litho State Security Mk IX, 1944
Prize (2006). P 14×14½. Printing Press, Gazipur) 1329 $1.75 Wing Commander Aubrey
925 362 10t. multicoloured 2008 (25 Mar). Independence and National Inniss and Bristol Beaufighter
a. Inscr ‘Dr. Md. Yunus’ and Day. P 14×14½. Mk VIC, 1943
showing medicine medal 934 366 10t. multicoloured 1330 $2 Flying Officer Errol Barrow and
No. 925 is inscr ‘Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ Avro Lancaster B Mk 1, 1945
and correctly shows the Nobel Peace MS1331 100×73 mm. $6 Concorde over
medal. No. 925a, inscr ‘Dr. Md. Yunus’, shows Barbados
the medicine medal and was withdrawn Nos. 1327/30 commemorate the 90th
because of this error. anniversary of the Royal Air Force.

BOTSWANA
(November 2008)

367 Melting Glacier and Flooded

Village
301 Prince Charles
363 Children standing in Flood (Des Anowar Hossain. Litho Security Printing
(Des Andrew Robinson. Litho Cartor) Water Press, Gazipur)
2008 (14 Nov). 60th Birthday of Prince Charles. 2008 (7 Apr). World Health Day. ‘Protecting Health
P 13½. (Litho State Security Printing Press, Gazipur) From Climate Change’. P 14½×14.
1408 301 £4 multicoloured 2008 (13 Sept). ‘In Charity of Flood Victims’. T 363 935 367 10t. multicoloured
MS1409 150×100 mm. No. 1408 and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
P 13½.
926 2t. Type 363 249 Hunter and Guide
a. Sheetlet. Nos. 926/30 facing Bull Elephant
AUSTRALIA 927 2t. Children and sheep in flood
water (Des Philip Huebsch. Litho Austrian State Ptg
Norfolk Island 928 2t. People and goats taking Wks, Vienna)
(October 2008) refuge on corrugated iron
roof 2008 (20 June). Elephants in Botswana. T 249
929 2t. Women queuing for food and similar vert designs. Multicoloured.
930 2t. Woman and children with P 14.
food bowls and flooded 1103 1p.10 Type 249
houses 1104 2p.60 Tourists photographing
Nos. 926/30 were printed together, female elephant with baby
368 Herd of Spotted Deer from dugout canoe
se-tenant, in sheetlets of five stamps.
Originally the sheetlets contained six 1105 4p.10 Villagers chasing crop raiding
(Des Anowar Hossain and K. G. Mustafa. Litho elephant
stamps, but the upper left stamp showing Security Printing Press, Gazipur)
Prime Minister Fakhruddin Ahmed was 1106 4p.90 Elephant-back safari in
removed from all sheetlets before sale 2008 (18 Apr). The Sundarbans World Heritage Okavango Delta
because he had not given permission for Site. T 368 and similar horiz designs.
282 Limousin Cross Calf his image to be used on the stamp. Multicoloured. P 14½×14.
The exact issue date of Nos. 926/30 is 936 10t. Type 368 CANADA
(Des Haylee Fieldes. Litho Southern Colour unknown. The date of issue is based on a a. Block of 4. Nos. 936/9 (November 2008)
Print, New Zealand) postmark found on a private first day cover 937 10t. Waterway and mangrove
2008 (30 May). Calves. T 282 and similar horiz used in Bangladesh. forest Add to Nos. 2434/43 (Canadian flag
designs. Multicoloured. P 14×14½. 938 10t. Collecting bee nests for honey definitives):
1016 50c. Type 282 939 10t. Tiger
1017 $1 Murray Grey MS940 167×95 mm. Nos. 936/9 (2439 (52c.) Sambro Island lighthouse (red
Nos. 936/9 were printed together, and white striped), Nova Scotia (27.12.07)
1018 $1.20 Poll Hereford se-tenant, in blocks of four stamps in sheets
1019 $1.80 Brahman cross a. Booklet pane. Nos. 2439/43, each ×2)
of 100. b. Booklet pane. Nos. 2439/42 and 2444,
No. MS940 also exists imperforate. each ×6 (1.5.08)
c. Booklet pane. Nos. 2439/42 and 2444,
each ×2 (2.7.08)

2444 (52c.) Pachena Point lighthouse and

part of Keeper’s house (at right) (1.5.08)
364 Cricket Match

(Des Syeed Bin Salam. Litho State Security

Printing Press, Gazipur)
2007 (24 Sept). ICC World Twenty20 2007 Cricket
Cup, South Africa. T 364 and similar horiz
design. Multicoloured. P 14½×14.
931 4t. Type 364
283 Gravestone a. Pair. Nos. 931/2
932 4t. Cricketer and map of South
(Des Tracey Yager. Litho Southern Colour
Africa
Print, New Zealand) Nos. 931/2 were printed together, se- 369 ‘CELEBRATING 50
2008 (14 May). ‘A Jewish Resting Place’. T 283 tenant, in horizontal and vertical pairs in YEARS’ and Pattern
and similar vert designs showing Jewish sheets of 100 (2 panes of 50).
gravestones. Multicoloured. P 14½. (Des Suleman Poonja, Mohammad Adra and
1020 283 50c. multicoloured Mizaz Nanji. Litho Security Printing Press,
1021 – $1.20 multicoloured Gazipur) 902 Athlete and
1022 – $1.80 multicoloured 2008 (19 May). Golden Jubilee of the Aga Khan Canadian Flag
MS1023 103×80 mm. $2 multicoloured (2007). T 369 and similar vert design.
(30×40 mm). P 13½ P 14×14½. (Des Laurie Lafrance and q30 design inc.
941 369 3t. emerald and dull blue- Litho Lowe-Martin)
2008 (14 May). Israel 2008 World Stamp green 2008 (18 July). Olympic Games, Beijing.
Championship, Tel-Aviv. No. MS1023 942 3t. deep rose-red and dull Fluorescent frame. Self-adhesive. P 13½.
optd ‘World Stamp Championship Israel rose 2565 902 52c. multicoloured
2008 Tel Aviv 14–21 May’ and emblem on 943 – 3t. gold pattern on white a. Booklet pane.
right-hand sheet margin. P 13½ 944 – 3t. white pattern on gold No. 2565×10
MS1024 103×80 mm. $2 multicoloured Design: Nos. 943/4 ‘CELEBRATING 50 No. 2565 was only issued in $5.20
(30×40 mm) 365 Emblem and Globe YEARS’ in circle surrounded by pattern. booklets, No. SB385.

G.S.M. December 2008 119


903 Lifeguard and Water Rescue
(Des Derwyn Goodall. Litho Lowe-Martin)
2008 (25 July). Centenary of Lifesaving
Society. Fluorescent frame. Self-adhesive.
P 13½×13.
2566 903 52c. multicoloured
a. Booklet pane.
No. 2566×10
No. 2566 was only issued in $5.20
booklets, No. SB286.
904 Panning for Gold
(Des Adam Rogers and Subplot Design Inc.
Litho Lowe-Martin)
2008 (1 Aug). 150th Anniv of British Columbia.
Fluorescent frame. P 12½×13.
2567 904 52c. multicoloured 3595
No. 2567 is perforated through the
backing paper, which is illustrated with
eight historic photographs, each running
across several stamps.
STAMP BOOKLETS
Add to No. SB367 (April 2008 GSM):
a. Containing pane No. 2439c (2.7.08)
Add into listing:
B 143 Sambro Island Lighthouse,
Nova Scotia (Illustration reduced.
Actual size 60×134 mm)
2008 (1 May). Lighthouses. Multicoloured cover
as Type B 143. Self-adhesive.
SB378 $15.60 booklet containing pane
of thirty (52c.) stamps
(No. 2439b) CYPRUS
Keep your catalogue up
to date by not missing
a single issue of
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G.S.M. December 2008
Catalogue Supplement
New listing: (Des Görel Korol Sönmezer. Litho State Ptg (Des Victor Ambrus. Litho BDT)
Works, Lefkosa) 2008 (22 Sept). 175th Anniv of Port Louis (first
2008 (24 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. Sheet permanent British settlement in Falkland
78×73 mm containing T 234 and similar Islands). T 257 and similar vert designs.
vert design. Multicoloured. W 51 (inverted). Multicoloured. P 14.
P 14. 1109 27p. Type 257
MS676 65ykr. Type 234; 65ykr. Gymnast 1110 65p. Three Royal Marines, 1833
No. MS676 also exists imperforate. MS1111 100×63 mm. £2 Captain Onslow
overseeing flag raising ceremony, 1833
DOMINICA
(November 2008)
258 The Slipper
(Des Tony Chater. Litho BDT)
2008 (1 Oct). Islands, Stacks and Bluffs (1st
series). T 258 and similar horiz designs.
B 148 Athletes parading with Canadian Multicoloured. P 14.
Flag (Illustration reduced. Actual size 1112 22p. Type 258
90×124 mm) 1113 40p. Kidney Island
1114 60p. Stephens Bluff and Castle
2008 (18 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. Rock
Multicoloured cover as Type B 148. Self- 1115 £1 The Colliers
adhesive.
SB385 $5.20 booklet containing pane of 459 Elvis Presley
ten 52c. (No. 2565a)
2008 (16 June). Elvis Presley
Commemoration. T 459 and similar vert FIJI
designs. Multicoloured. Litho. P 13½. (July 2008)
3594 $1.50 Type 459
a. Sheetlet. Nos. 3594/9
$1.50 Wearing white jacket with star
pattern
3596 $1.50 Wearing white jacket with
embroidery around collar and
on front
3597 $1.50 Wearing white jacket with
circle of black embroidery on
front
3598 $1.50 Wearing plain white with
necktie
3599 $1.50 Wearing white jacket with 364 Fokker FVII b-3 Monoplane
Southern Cross approaching Suva
B 149 Lifeguards (Illustration reduced. looped braid fastening
Actual size 103×93 mm) Nos. 3594/9 were printed together, se-
tenant, in sheetlets of six stamps with (Des George Bennett. Litho Secura,
enlarged illustrated margins. Singapore)
2008 (25 July). Centenary of Lifesaving Society.
Multicoloured cover as Type B 149. Self- 2008 (1 Jan). 80th Anniv of the First Flight across
adhesive. the Pacific Ocean. T 364 and similar horiz
SB386 $5.20 booklet containing pane of designs. Multicoloured. P 13½.
ten 52c. (No. 2566a) 1385 20c. Type 364
1386 90c. Southern Cross after landing at
Albert Park, Suva
CAYMAN ISLANDS 1387 $1.50 Southern Cross guarded by Fiji
(August 2008) policemen at Albert Park
1388 $2 James Warner (wireless
operator), Charles Kingsford-
Smith (pilot), Charles Ulm
(co-pilot) and Harry Lyon
(navigator)
460 Muhammad Ali
2008 (7 July). Muhammad Ali (world heavyweight
boxing champion, 1964, 1974–8). T 460
236 Land Crab and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
Litho. P 13½.
(Litho Enschedé) 3600 $2 Type 460
2008 (9 July). Darwin Initiative. Indigenous a. Sheetlet. Nos. 3600/3
Creatures. T 236 and similar multicoloured 3601 $2 In close-up
designs. W w 14 (sideways). P 14. 3602 $2 Wearing boxing helmet
1189 20c. Type 236 3603 $2 With arms raised in triumph
1190 25c. ‘Needlecase Freshwater Pools’ 3604 $2 Slumped against ring ropes
1191 75c. Little Cayman green anole a. Sheetlet. Nos. 3604/7
1192 80c. Cayman Brac ground boa 3605 $2 Shouting into reporter’s
1193 $1 White-shouldered bat microphone
MS1194 110×78 mm. $2 Caribbean reef squid 3606 $2 In close-up (side view)
3607 $2 Wearing boxing helmet and 365 Medal of the Order
(vert). Wmk upright
gum shield of Fiji
(Des Richard Allen. Litho BDT) Nos. 3600/3 and 3604/7 were each
printed together, se-tenant, in sheetlets (Des George Bennett. Litho Secura,
2008 (8 Aug). Olympic Games, Beijing. Square Singapore)
designs as T 287 of Bahamas. Multicoloured. of four stamps with enlarged illustrated
margins. 2008 (20 Feb). The Order of Fiji. T 365 and similar
W w 14 (sideways). P 13½.
1195 20c. Swimming – backstroke vert designs. Multicoloured. P 13½.
1389 50c. Type 365
1196 25c. Swimming – butterfly
1197 50c. Running 1390 65c. Member of the Order of Fiji
1198 75c. Hurdling FALKLAND ISLANDS 1391 $1.20 Officer of the Order of Fiji
(October 2008) 1392 $2 Order of Fiji (Companion)
Turkish Cypriot Posts
(September 2008)
257 Sailor from HMS Clio
raising Union Flag, Port 366 Prosopeia tabuensis
234 Diver Louis, 1833 koroensis
121
 Catalogue Supplement

(George Bennett. Litho Secura, Singapore) New listing: (Des Gospel TM. Litho Irish Security Stamp MONTSERRAT
2008 (25 Mar). Red-breasted Musk Parrots Ptg Ltd) (October 2008)
(Prosopeia tabuensis). T 366 and similar 2008 (8 July). ‘Filmed in Ireland’. T 548 and similar
multicoloured designs. P 13½. vert designs. Multicoloured. Phosphor frame.
1393 65c. Type 366 Chalk-surfaced paper. P 15×14.
1394 90c. Prosopeia tabuensis atrogularis 1902 55c. Type 548
(horiz) 1903 55c. Bríd Ní Neachtáin in Cré Na
1395 $1.50 Prosopeia tabuensis tavienensis Cille
(horiz) 1904 82c. Cillian Murphy in The Wind
1396 $2 Prosopeia tabuensis splendens that Shakes the Barley
1905 82c. Pat Shortt in Garage
MS1906 150×90 mm. Nos. 1902/5
Nos. 1902/5 were each printed in separate
sheetlets of 12 (4×3), with the vertical rows
] of stamps separated by gutters.
Nos. 1902/5 were also issued in $12
(367) 687 Boxing premium booklets, No. SP10.
262 African Elephant
2008 (11 Apr). No. 918 surch with T 367. 2008 (8 May). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 687
1397 20c. on 23c. Many-coloured fruit and similar vert designs. Multicoloured. 2008 (3 July). Endangered Animals of the
dove Litho. P 13. STAMP BOOKLET World. T 262 and similar multicoloured
3732 40Gp. Type 687 designs. Litho. P 13½.
a. Sheetlet. Nos. 3732/5 The following booklet was sold at a 1393 $2.25 Type 262
3733 40Gp. Relay premium above the face value of the a. Sheetlet. Nos. 1393/8
3734 40Gp. Athletics stamps. 1394 $2.25 Bald eagle
3735 40Gp. Football 1395 $2.25 Sumatran tiger
Nos. 3732/5 were printed together, 1396 $2.25 Hawksbill turtle
se-tenant, in sheetlets of four stamps with 1397 $2.25 Indian rhinoceros
enlarged illustrated margins. 1398 $2.25 Western gorilla
MS1399 100×70 mm. $7 Rock iguana (horiz)
Nos. 1393/8 were printed together,
GUYANA se-tenant, in sheetlets of six stamps with
(January 2008) enlarged illustrated margins.

P 10 Cinema Entrance (Illustration

368 Painted Lobster
(Panulirus versicolor)
(Des George Bennett. Litho Southern Colour
Print, New Zealand)
2008 (22 Apr). Fiji’s Spiny Lobster. Sheet
90×75 mm. P 14×14½.
MS1398   368  $4 multicoloured The contents of No. SP10 have a face
The top right portion of MS1398 is cut
around the shape of the lobster’s tail and
the bottom left portion is cut around it’s
antennae.
reduced. Actual size 160×100 mm)
2008 (8 July). ‘Filmed in Ireland’. Multicoloured
cover as Type P 10. Booklet contains text
and illustrations on interleaving pages. 263 First Caribbean Stamp and
Stitched. Lady McLeod (early packet ship)
SP10 ¢12 booklet containing four panes
721 Hockey of Nos. 1902/5 2008 (31 July). Early Postal History. T 263
and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
2008 (22 Apr). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 721 value of ¢10.96. Litho. P 13½.
and similar vert designs. Multicoloured. 1400 $2.75 Type 263
Litho. P 13½×13. a. Sheetlet. Nos. 1400/5
6652 $100 Type 721 1401 $2.75 Early Montserrat postcard
a. Sheetlet. Nos. 6652/5 KIRIBATI 1402 $2.75 Great Britain Mulready
6653 $100 Basketball envelopes
6654 $100 Judo 1403 $2.75 Great Britain Penny Black and
6655 $100 Shooting Sir Rowland Hill
Nos. 6652/5 were printed together, 1404 $2.75 Antigua 1d. red and 6d.
se-tenant, in sheetlets of four stamps with green stamps overprinted
enlarged illustrated margins. Montserrat, 1876
1405 $2.75 Montserrat fleuron and
crowned circle handstamps
and ‘A08’ cancellation
Nos. 1400/5 were printed together,
se-tenant, in sheetlets of six stamps with
enlarged illustrated margins.
137 Traditional Hut

(Des Richard Allen. Litho BDT) NAURU

369 Athletics (October 2008)
2008 (12 July). Phoenix Island Protected
(Litho BDT) Area. T 137 and similar horiz designs.
2008 (5 May). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 369 Multicoloured. W w 14 (sideways). P 14.
and similar square designs. P 13½. 827 40c. Type 137
1399 20c. Type 369 828 75c. Outline map of Kanton Island
1400 65c. Judo 829 80c. Map of protected area
1401 90c. Shooting 830 85c. Phoenix petrel with chick
1402 $1.50 Swimming 831 $1.25 Acropora nobilis (coral)
832 $1.75 Blacktip reef shark
722 Emblem and ‘Carifesta X’
MS833 170×85 mm. Nos. 827/32
2008 (19 Aug). Carifesta Caribbean Festival of
Arts, Guyana. Multicoloured: background
colours given. Litho. P 14½. 178 Badminton
GHANA 6656 722 $20 red
(August 2008) 6657 $55 green and yellow (Des Richard Allen. Litho Lowe-Martin Group,
6658 $80 green Canada)
Add into listing: 6659 $160 yellow 2008 (8 Aug). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 178
and similar square designs. Multicoloured.
IRELAND P 13½.
(October 2008) 670 15c. Type 178
671 25c. Archery
672 75c. Weightlifting
673 $1 Diving
138 Weightlifting

(Des Richard Allen. Litho BDT) NEW ZEALAND

2008 (8 Aug). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 138 (November 2008)
and similar square designs. Multicoloured.
W w 14 (sideways). P 13½.
835 25c. Type 138
836 50c. Running
837 60c. Cycling
838 75c. Javelin-thrower

676 Gold Ore

NEW INFORMATION 687 Last Spike Ceremony,
2007 (15 Sept). 50th Anniv of Independence (7th The editor is always interested Manganui-o-te-Ao, 1908
issue). Minerals of Ghana. T 676 and similar to correspond with people who (Des Communication Arts. Litho Southern
multicoloured designs. Litho. P 13½. have new
3683 4000c. Type 676 Colour Print)
3684 7300c. Melting gold ore information that will improve or 2008 (3 Sept). Centenary of the North Island
3685 7500c. Woman holding gold bar correct the catalogue Main Trunk Railway Line. T 687 and similar
3686 9000c. Entrance of Obuasi Gold horiz designs. Multicoloured. Phosphorised
Mines (horiz) 548 Colm Meaney in paper. P 14.
3687 10000c. Gold plated chair Kings 3086 50c. Type 687

G.S.M. December 2008 123

 Catalogue Supplement

3087 $1 KA 947 class steam 769 60c. Sunset over sea, tree branches (Litho Beijing Security Printers) 1810 $1.10 Weapon Systems Officers and
locomotive on display at in foreground 2008 (18 June). Olympic Games, Beijing. Sheet Air Defence Artillery
Taumarunui, 1958 770 80c. Setting sun reflected in ocean 151×94 mm containing T 302 and similar No. 1806 is inscr ‘1st Local’ and sold for
3088 $1.50 Steam hauled goods train on 771 $1 Sunset and headland vert designs. Multicoloured. P 12. 26c.
Makatote Viaduct, 1963 772 $2 Sunset, coast and offshore MS1209 50s. Type 302; $1 Boxing; $1.50 No. 1807 is inscr ‘2nd Local’ and sold for
3089 $2 Steam hauled goods train rocks Wrestling; $2 Athletics 32c.
climbing the Raurimu Spiral, 773 $2.50 Deep red sunset over coast
1964 with trees SOUTH AFRICA
3090 $2.50 EF powered ‘Overlander’ (August 2008)
crossing Hapuawhenua SINGAPORE
Viaduct, 2003 (November 2008)
ST. HELENA CORRECTION: The face values of
2008 (18 Sept). WIPA08 International Stamp Nos. 1645/9 (International Postcard stamps
(October 2008) Ships of the Union Castle Line, August 2008
Exhibition, Vienna. Sheet 121×85 mm.
Phosphorised paper. P 14. GSM) should read 4r.01.
MS3091 Nos. 3046 and 3048/9

NEW ZEALAND
Tokelau 353 Table Tennis
(October 2008)
(Des Teoh Kareen. Litho Secura)
2008 (8 Aug). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 353
250 Deepwater Bullseye and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
(Cookeolus japonicus) Ordinary paper. P 13.
1790 (26c.) Type 353
(Des Derek Miller. Litho BDT) 1791 (32c.) Sailing 511 Assembly Logo
1792 $1.10 Shooting
2008 (19 Aug). Fish. T 250 and similar horiz 1793 $1.10 Badminton
designs. Multicoloured. W w 14 (sideways). (Des Thea Clemons. LItho Enschedé)
No. 1790 is inscr ‘1ST LOCAL’ and sold for
P 14. 26c. 2008 (10 Apr). 118th Inter-Parliamentary Union
96 Rat 1058 5p. Type 250 No. 1791 is inscr ‘2ND LOCAL’ and sold Assembly, Cape Town. Inverted L-shaped
1059 10p. Five finger (Abudefduf for 32c. phosphor band. P 14.
(Des Stan Chan. Litho Southern Colour Print, saxatilis) 1650 511 ( 2r.05) multicoloured
New Zealand) 1060 15p. Deepwater greenfish 2008 (8 Aug). Olympex Olympic Stamp Expo, No. 1650 is inscr ‘STANDARD POSTAGE’
(Holanthias fronticinctus) Beijing. Sheet 160×80 mm containing and was sold for 2r.05.
2008 (7 Feb). Chinese New Year (‘Year of the The inverted L-shaped phosphor band
Rat’). Sheet 105×70 mm. P 14. 1061 20p. Hardback soldier (Holocentrus Nos. 1750/2. Phosphorised paper. P 14½
adscensionis) ($1.10) or 13½ (others). extends along the top and left of the
MS396   96  $4 multicoloured 1062 25p. Deepwater gurnard stamp.
MS1794 (26c.) Type 348; 65c. Rat and orange;
(Scorpaena mellissii) $1.10 Two rats (44×24 mm)
1063 35p. Red mullet (Apogon axillaris)
PAPUA NEW GUINEA 1064 40p. Softback soldier (Myripristis
(October 2008) jacobus)
1065 50p. Rock bullseye
(Heteropriacanthus cruentatus)
1066 80p. Gurnard (Scorpaena plumieri)
1067 £1 Cunningfish (Chaetodon
sanctaehelenae)
1068 £2 Hogfish (Acanthostracion
notacanthus)
1069 £5 Marmalade razorfish (Xyrichtys 512 Flags of South Africa and
blanchardi) China

354 Parliament House (David (Litho Enschedé)

403 Marilyn Monroe Tay Poey Cher) 2008 (24 Apr). 10th Anniv of Diplomatic Relations
between South Africa and China. Sheet
2008 (6 Aug). Marilyn Monroe (Des Willie Chan. Litho Southern Colour Print, 105×65 mm. Inverted L-shaped phosphor
Commemoration. T 403 and similar horiz New Zealand) bands. P 14.
designs. Multicoloured. Litho. P 13½. 2008 (9 Aug). National Day. ‘Singapore MS1651 (2r.05) Type 512; (4r.64) Flags of
MS1255 100×140 mm. 85c. Type 403; 3k. Today’. T 354 and similar square designs South Africa and China
Looking over shoulder; 3k.35 Smiling at showing photographs by Cultural Medallion The stamps within MS1651 are inscribed
camera; 5k.35 With hand raised to face 251 St. Helena Flag winning photographers. Multicoloured. ‘Standard Postage’ (value 2r.05) and
MS1256 100×70 mm. 10k. Looking out of car Phosphorised paper. P 14½. ‘International Airmail Small Letter’ (value
window 2008 (19 Aug). St. Helena Island Flag. Self- 1795 (26p.) Type 354 4r.64).
adhesive. Die-cut. They have inverted L-shaped phosphor
1796 (26p.) Tampines North Community
1060 251 35p. multicoloured Centre (Foo Tee Jun) bands which extend along the top and
a. Booklet pane. right of both stamps.
PITCAIRN ISLANDS No. 1060×12
1797 (26p.) Metal sculptures and high-rise
(September 2008) No. 1060 was only issued in £4.20 stamp buildings of financial sector
booklets, No. SB7. (Chua Soo Bin) ZAMBIA
1798 (26p.) North Bridge and financial (September 2008)
sector (Teo Bee Yen)
STAMP BOOKLET 1799 (26p.) People in Temple Street (Si Ma Add to Nos. 1039/43 (Second Joint Issue
Lu Guanyin) (Tan Lip Seng) of South Africa Postal Operators Association
1800 50p. People at Orchard MRT Members. National Mammals. September
Station (David Tay Poey Cher) 2008 GSM):
1801 50p. Train at Orchard MRT Station
(Foo Tee Jun) MS1044 135×170 mm. Nos. 1039/43
1802 50p. Glass-fronted and other high-
rise buildings (Chua Soo Bin)
1803 50p. Temple within Central
200 Bee on Yellow Guava (Psidium Business District (Teo Bee Yen)
guajava) Flower 1804 50p. Fish stall at Tekka Market (Tan
Lip Seng)
(Des Sue Wickison. Litho Wyatt and Wilson, MS1805 75×75 mm. $2 Montage of
New Zealand) photographs of Singapore buildings
2008 (25 June). Flowers and Bees. T 200 and (60×60 mm)
similar horiz designs showing the Italian Nos. 1795/9 were all inscr ‘1ST LOCAL’ and
B 1 Flying Fish sold for 26c. each.
honey bees (Apis mellifera ligustica)
introduced to Pitcairn on island flowers. 2008 (19 Aug). St. Helena Island Flag.
Multicoloured. P 13½. Multicoloured cover as Type B 1. Self-
763 $1 Type 200 adhesive.
764 $1.20 Bee on portulaca (Portulaca SB7 £4.20 booklet containing pane
oleracea) 246 Football
of twelve 35p. stamps
765 $1.50 Bee approaching sunflower (No. 1060a)
766 $3 Bee on mountain chestnut 2008 (8 June). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 246
tree (Metrosideros collina) and similar vert designs. Multicoloured.
flower Litho. P 12.
MS767 120×80 mm. Nos. 765/6 1045 2000k. Type 246
SAMOA a. Sheetlet. Nos. 1045/8
(August 2008) 355 Pilots, Fighter Plane and 1046 2000k. Hurdles
Helicopter 1047 2000k. Boxing
1048 2000k. Swimming
(Des Sam Hong. Litho Southern Colour Print, Nos. 1045/8 were printed together,
New Zealand) se-tenant, in sheetlets of four stamps with
2008 (28 Aug). 40th Anniv of the Republic of enlarged illustrated margins.
Singapore Air Force (RSAF). T 355 and similar
horiz designs. Multicoloured. Phosphorised
paper. P 14.
201 Sunset 1806 (26c.) Type 355
1807 (32c.) Weapon Systems Officers
(Des Denise Durkin. Litho Southern Colour monitoring aircraft in
Print, New Zealand) Singapore airspace
2008 (20 Aug). Pitcairn Island Sunsets. T 201 1808 65c. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and
and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured. pilot (on ground)
P 15. 1809 80c. Senior Technicians and
768 50c. Type 201 302 Cycling helicopter 247 Greater Kudu Males fighting

G.S.M. December 2008 125

 Catalogue Supplement

(Des Owen Bell. Litho) New Listing. 2008 (13 June). Zaragoza 2008 International (Des H. Samuelian. Litho Enschedé)
2008 (30 June). Endangered Species. Greater Water and Sustainable Development 2008 (19 June). 150th Birth Anniv of Alexander
Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). T 247 Exhibition. Sheet 105×79 mm. P 14. Shirvanzade (writer). P 14×15.
and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured. MS355   197  €2.60 multicoloured 681 227 280d. multicoloured
P 13½.
1049 3000k. Type 247 (Des Eduard Kurghinyan. Litho Enschedé)
a. Horiz strip of 4. Nos. 1049/52 2008 (20 June). Tirgran the Great. P 15×14½.
1050 3000k. Female with suckling calf 682 206 10d. multicoloured
1051 3000k. Male drinking 683 20d. multicoloured
1052 3000k. Head of female 684 50d. multicoloured
MS1053 115×168 mm. Nos. 1049/52, 685 1100d. multicoloured
each ×2 675 Gare d’Alger See also Nos. 653/6.
Nos. 1049/52 were printed together,
se-tenant, in horizontal strips of four stamps 2008 (9 July). Stations. T 675 and similar horiz
in sheetlets of 16. designs. Multicoloured. P 14.
The stamps within MS1053 are arranged 1584 10d. Type 675 ARUBA (Pt. 4)
in two blocks of four separated by a 1585 15d. Gare de Constantine (September 2008)
horizontal gutter. 1586 20d. Gare d’Oran
1587 38d. Gare de Skikda
198 Games Emblem

2008 (8 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. P 14.

ANDORRA (Pts. 6 & 9) 356 198 60c. multicoloured
French Post Offices
(September 2008)
ARMENIA (Pt. 10)
(May 2008) 134 Carnival

2008 (18 Mar). Cultural Heritage. T 134 and similar

horiz designs. Multicoloured. P 13×14.
413 80c. Type 134
(248)
414 130c. Street entertainers
2008 (22 July). No. 821 surch with T 248. 415 250c. Musicians, dancers, cockerel
and campfire
1054 1500k. on 1400k. ‘Why the Stones do F 347 Symbols of Writing 416 300c. Musicians and householders
not Die’
223 Family (Eduard Ghazaryan)
(Des Enric Cardús)
ZIMBABWE 2008 (17 May). Europa. The Letter. P 13½. (Des E. Kurghinyan. Litho Enschedé) AUSTRIA (Pt. 5)
(July 2008) F690 F 347 55c. multicoloured 2008 (1 June). International Children’s Day. (October 2008)
P 15×14.
Add to Nos. 1241/2 (‘For Every Child Life 677 223 70d. multicoloured
in all its Fullness’ (April 2008 GSM): No. 677 includes the se-tenant premium-
MS1243 90×75 mm. Nos. 1241/2 carrying tab shown in Type 223, the
premium for the benefit of children’s
Add to Nos. 1250/3 (Valentine’s Day, July charities.
2008 GSM):
MS1254 89×114 mm. Nos. 1250/3

F 348 Rowing

(Des Joan Xandri) 1508 Letterbox

2008 (16 June). Olympic Games, Beijing. Sheet
(Des Hannes Margreiter. Litho)
210×60 mm containing T F 348 and similar
horiz designs. Multicoloured. P 13×13½. 2008 (5 Aug). Death Centenary of Josef Maria
MSF691 55c.×4, Type F 348; Running; Olbrich (artist and architect). P 14.
Swimming; Judo 224 Chinese Dragon 2937 1508 65c. multicoloured
238 Striped Mouse (Rhabdomys
pumilio) The stamps of MSF691 were not for sale
separately. (Des S. Navasardyan. Litho Enschedé)
(Des Joan Soriano. Litho Natprint, Harare) 2008 (11 June). Olympic Games, Beijing.
2008 (24 Apr). Rats and Mice of Zimbabwe. T 238 P 13½×14.
and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured. 678 224 350d. multicoloured
P 14½.
1255 Z Type 238
1256 A Water rat (Dasymys
incomtus)
1257 E Angoni vlei rat (Otomys
angoniensis)
1258 R Woodland dormouse
(Graphiurus (claviglis)
murinus)
1259 $5000000 Bushveld gerbil (Tatera
leucogaster)
1260 $10000000 Namaqua rock mouse F 349 Narcissus poeticus
(Aethomys namaquensis)
MS1261 125×125 mm. Nos. 1255/60 (Des Stéphanie Ghinéa and André Boos)
No. 1255, initially sold at $550,000, was 2008 (18 June). P 13½×13.
for domestic postage of letters weighing up F692 F 349 55c. multicoloured 225 Carving
to 20 grams.
Nos. 1256/8 were initially sold at (Des H. Ghazaryan. Litho Enschedé) 1509 Statuette
$1,900,000 (A), $3,150,000 (E) and $4,600,000 2008 (17 June). Woodcraft. P 14×15.
(R). They were for letters weighing up to 679 225 120d. multicoloured (Des Outer Aspect Ltd. Lenticular Outer
10 grams to Africa, Europe and rest of the Aspect Ltd, New Zealand)
world. 2008 (8 Aug). Centenary of Discovery of
Willendorf Venus. Self-adhesive. Die-cut
wavy edge.
2938 1509 375c. multicoloured
Foreign
F 350 Vall d’Incles (Incles valley)

ALGERIA (Pt. 12) (Des TENA) BAHRAIN (Pt. 19)

(November 2008) 2008 (5 July). P 13×13½. 226 Envelopes and Map (September 2008)
F693 F 350 €2.80 multicoloured
Change Nos. 1580/1 (November GSM) to (Des E. Nazaryan. Litho Enschedé)
1582/3 and add into listing in date order:
2008 (18 June). Europa. The Letter. P 15×14.
ANDORRA (Pts. 6 & 9) 680 226 350d. multicoloured
Spanish Post Offices
(November 2008)

CORRECTION: Change No. 353 to 354 (353

used twice in error).

172 Operating Theatre

672a Fencing
(Litho Oriental Press, Bahrain)
2008 (21 May). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 672a 2008 (12 May). International Nurses Day. T 172
and similar horiz design. Multicoloured. and similar horiz design. Multicoloured.
P 14. P 14.
1580 15d. Type 672a 227 Alexander 812 100f. Type 172
1581 15d. Wrestling 197 Fluvi (exhibition mascot) Shirvanzade 813 200f. Neo-natal nurses

G.S.M. December 2008 127

 Catalogue Supplement

756 1000r. Medal For Perfect Service BOLIVIA (Pt. 20)

classes I, II and III (August2008)
757 1000r. Guarding Civil Order Medal
758 1000r. Guarding State Border Medal Re-list date to Nos. 1784/6 and Type 607
759 1000r. Medal of Francysk Skaryna (‘Christmas’) (August 2008 GSM)
(different) 2007 (19 Dec)
Nos. 744/51 and 752/9, respectively, were
issued in sheetlets of eight stamps and two Change numbers from 1784/6 and
stamp size labels. Type 607 to 1808/10 and Type 610, to
accommodate further issue.
612 Christ, Map and People

173 Symbols of Bahrain and BELGIUM (Pt. 4) 2008 (24 Jan). 50th Anniv of ECOBOL (Episcopal
China (November 2008) social welfare commission). T 612 and
similar multicoloured design. P 13½×14
(Litho Oriental Press, Bahrain) The following stamps were on sale at (horiz) or 14×13½ (vert).
2008 (21 May). Arab—Chinese Cooperation Brussels City Hall on 12 July 2008 and on 1812 10b. Type 612
Forum Ministerial Meeting, Manama. T 173 general release from 14 July 2008. 1813 15b. Indigenous inhabitants (vert)
and similar square design. Multicoloured.
P 14.
814 100f. Type 173
815 200f. Great Wall and Bahrain World
Trade Centre towers 607 Globe and Aircraft

2007 (10 Dec). International Day of Civil

Aviation. T 607 and similar horiz design.
BELARUS (Pt. 10) Multicoloured. P 13½×14.
(September 2008) 1784 6b.50 Type 607
1785 8b.50 Map and aircraft
Add to Nos. 727/8 613 Church
727 1000r. Type 243
a. Booklet pane. Nos. 727/8, each×3 2008 (15 Feb). Jesuit Church, Santa Cruz. T 613
and similar horiz design. Multicoloured.
P 13½×14.
1393 USSR Pavilion 1814 5b. Type 613
1815 9b. Church, veranda and tower
(Des Gert Dooreman. Photo)
2008 (14 July). 50th Anniv of EXPO’58,
Brussels. T 1393 and similar vert designs.
Multicoloured. P 11½.
608 School Pupils
MS4186 1 (54c.)×5, Type 1393; Thailand
pavilion; Hostesses carrying flags; Expo 2007 (12 Dec). America. Education for All. T 608
logo as lighting; Atomium and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
No. MS4186 has straight outer edges,
giving Type 1393 and ‘Thailand Pavilion’ P 13½×14.
stamps top edges, and ‘Hostesses’ stamp, 1786 3b. Type 608
left vertical edge, imperforate. a. Block of 4. Nos. 1786/89
246 Cantharellus cibarius The stamps of MS4186 were not for sale 1787 5b. ‘Siembra, siembra no import
individually. que otro.....etc’
(Des Grigory Dolbik) 1788 6b. Mother and child reading
2008 (8 July). Fungi. T 246 and similar vert 1789 9b. Girl and flowers
design. Multicoloured. P 13½×14. Nos. 1786/89 were issued in se-tenant 614 ‘80’ enclosing Emblem
741 1000r. Type 246 blocks of four stamps within the sheet.
742 1500r. Boletus edulis 2008 (7 Mar). 80th Anniv (2007) of Rotary Club,
Cochabamba. P 14×13½.
1816 614 20b. multicoloured

1394 Planting of May 609 Syncline, Maragua

247 Rowers Tree (tree of joy), Brussels
(700th anniv) 2007 (13 Dec). Tourism. T 609 and similar
(Des Victor Starukhin) multicoloured designs. P 13½×14 (horiz)
2008 (15 Aug). Olympic Games, Beijing. (Des Jaques Dopee. Eng Guillaume Brux. or 14×13½ (vert).
P 13½×14. Recess and photo) 1790 2b. Type 609
743 247 1000r. multicoloured 2008 (14 July). Folklore and Traditions. T 1394 1791 2b.50 Fescue, Pasto Iro 615 Justice and Court
and similar multicoloured designs. 1792 3b.50 Trees in lake Building
P 11½. 1793 5b. Beni river lake
4187 1 (54c.) Type 1394 1794 5b.50 Manuripi river 2008 (5 Apr). 150th Anniv (2005) of High Court
4188 1 (54c.) Hops, beer barrel, bonfire 1795 5b.50 Serranias de Tarija valley of Justice. P 14×13½.
and hop devil, Asse 1796 5b.50 Zongo valley 1817 615 20b. multicoloured
(Hopduvelfeesten) (horiz) 1797 7b.50 Orthon river
4189 1 (54c.) Jugglers (Eupen carnival) 1798 7b.50 Tornado in Sajama valley
4190 1 (54c.) Men on stage (centenary (vert)
(2007) of La Royale 1799 9b. Bridge over Pilcomayo river
Compagnie du Cabaret 1800 9b. Cactus, Isla del Pescador
Wallon Tournaisien) (vert)
(philanthropic and literary 1801 10b. Chapare river valley
company) 1802 10b.50 Salar de Uyuni (world’s
largest salt flat)
1803 10b.50 Trichocereus camarguensis
1804 20b. Caiman lake
1805 30b. Zongo (vert)
1806 50b. Plaza Sucre 616 Centenary Emblem
1807 100b. Acoiris waterfall (vert)
2008 (11 Apr). Centenary of ‘The Strongest’
248 Order For Exceptional Football Club. T 616 and similar horiz
Courage designs. Multicoloured. P 13½×14.
1818 1b.50 Type 616
(Des Ivan Lukin and Oleg Haiko) a. Block of 4. Nos. 1818/21
2008 (28 Aug). State Medals. T 248 and similar 1819 2b.50 Arms
vert designs. Multicoloured. P 13½. 1820 5b.50 Model of Quinteros
744 1000r. Type 248 1821 6b.50 Founding team
a. Sheetlet of 10. Nos. 744/51 Nos. 1818/21 were issued in se-tenant
plus 2 labels blocks of four stamps within the sheet.
745 1000r. Order of Military Glory 1395 BMX
746 1000r. Order of the Motherland
classes I, II and III (Des MVTM. Photo)
747 1000r. Order For Service to 2008 (14 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 1395
Motherland classes I, II and III and similar multicoloured designs.
748 1000r. Order of Friendship of Peoples
P 11½.
749 1000r. Order of Honour 611 Globe as Post Box
750 1000r. Order of Francysk Skaryna 4191 1 (54c.) Type 1395
751 1000r. Order of Mothers 4192 90c. Relay (horiz)
MS4193 125×90 mm. (2) €1.08 Tennis 2008 (15 Jan). World Post Day. P 14×13½.
752 1000r. Military Service Medal 1811 611 1b. multicoloured
a. Sheetlet of 10. Nos. 752/9 plus (49×38 mm)
2 labels
753 1000r. Hero of Belarus Medal DEALERS and POSTAL ADMINISTRATIONS
754 1000r. Medal For Bravery Collectors around the world refer to this section of Gibbons Stamp Monthly every month.
755 1000r. Medal For Labor To advertise please write to or e-mail the Advertisement Manager for details.
Achievements 617 Pope Benedict XVI

G.S.M. December 2008 129


2008 (29 May). Pope Benedict XVI. T 617
and similar vert design. Multicoloured.
P 14×13½.
1822 12b. Type 617 3528 1768 1st PCC multicoloured containing T 1772 and similar horiz design.
1823 15b. Wearing cope Multicoloured. P 12.
BRAZIL (Pt. 20)
(September 2008)
1st PCC = 1st porte Commercial
1764 Transport Ship, Helicopter
and Soldiers
(Des Alan Magalhaes. Litho)
2008 (7 March). Bicentenary of Portuguese
Royal Family’s Arrival in Brazil (4th issue).
Bicentenary of Naval Fusiliers Corps.
P 12×13.
3524 1764 1st PCC multicoloured Imperf
1765 Museum of
Contemporary Art, Niteroi
(Des Cris Alencar. Litho, embossed and
varnish)
2008 (18 Mar). Designs by Oscar Niemeyer
(architect). Sheet 112×72 mm
containing T 1765 and similar vert design.
Black, dull ultramarine and scarlet vermilion.
P 12.
MS3525 2r.60×2, Type 1765; Latin America
Memorial
1766 Building and A
Justiça (Alfredo Ceschiatti)
(Des Henrique Silva. Litho)
2008 (27 March). Bicentenary of Portuguese
Royal Family’s Arrival in Brazil (5th issue).
Bicentenary of Independent Judiciary.
P 13×12.
3526 1766 1st PCC multicoloured
1767 Flag and ‘Justice’
(Des Fernanda Rabaglio. Litho)
2008 (1 Apr). Bicentenary of Portuguese
Royal Family’s Arrival in Brazil (6th issue).
Bicentenary of Supreme Military Court.
P 12×13.
3527 1767 1st PCC multicoloured 3541 1771 1st PCC multicoloured
1768 Headquarters and Gustavo
de Lacerda (founder)
G.S.M. December 2008
(Des Luiz Santos. Litho)
2008 (7 Apr). Centenary of Press Association.
P 12×13.
1769 Dom Pedro I (first
ruler of independent
Brazil)
(Des Fernando Lopes. Litho)
2008 (21 Apr). National Heroes. T 1769 and
similar vert designs. Multicoloured.
P 13×12.
3529 1st PCC Type 1769 55st. Meerkat (Suricata suricatta). Imperf
a. Block of 10. Nos. 3529/38
b. Sheetlet of 20.
Nos. 3529/38, each×2
3530 1st PCC Marechal Deodoro da
Foncesca (first president of
Republic of Brazil)
3531 1st PCC Luís Alves de Lima e Silva,
Duke of Caxias (military
leader, statesman and
Prime Minister)
3532 1st PCC Admiral Francisco
Manuel Barroso da Silva
(commander of victorious
Brazilian Navy at Battle of
Riachuelo)
3533 1st PCC Joaquim Marques Lisbon,
Admiral Tamandaré
3534 1st PCC José Bonifacio de Andrada
e Silva (statesman and
naturalist) (Des Zdravko Stoyanov)
3535 1st PCC Alberto Santos-Dumont
(aviation pioneer) 104×79 mm containing T 1666 and similar
3536 1st PCC Zumbi dos Palmares (last
leaders of Quilombo dos
Palmares (runaway and
free-born Black African
slaves community)) 2008 (3 Sept). Praga 2008 International Stamp
3537 1st PCC Joaquim José da Silva
Xavier (Triadentes)
(nationalist)
3538 1st PCC Plácido de Castro
1770 Policeman
(Des Raul Rangel (horiz) or Botteon (vert).
Litho)
2008 (10 May). Bicentenary of Portuguese
Royal Family’s Arrival in Brazil (7th
issue). Bicentenary of Civil Police (horiz)
or bicentenary of Dragoons (vert). T 1770
and similar multicoloured design. P 12×13
(horiz) or 13×12 (vert).
3539 1st PCC Type 1770 Economic Community. P 13.
3540 1st PCC Cavalry (vert) 4679 1667
1771 Printing Press, Print
and Building
(Des Maron. Litho)
2008 (13 May). Bicentenary of Portuguese
Royal Family’s Arrival in Brazil (8th issue).
Bicentenary of National Press. P 13×12.
1772 Tangara cayana (burnished-
buff tanager )
Catalogue Supplement
(Des Alvaro Nunes. Litho) CROATIA (Pt. 3)
2008 (16 May). Serra do Japi—São Paulo (November 2008)
Natural Heritage. Sheet 111×70 mm
MS3542 2r.×2, Type 1772; Consul fabius drurii
The stamps and margins of MS3542 form
a composite design.
BULGARIA (Pt. 3)
(October 2008)
457 Globes
Re-list heading and add to No. MS4674 (Des BarBarShop. Litho Zrinski Ptg Co,
(2008 (14 May). 120th Anniv of Cakovec)
Zoological Gardens, Sofia. Two sheets
containing T 1663 and similar vert designs. 2008 (11 July). 150th Anniv of Western Union.
Multicoloured. P 13.) P 14 (with one diamond shaped perf on
MS4674 (a) 126×130 mm 10st. Type each horiz side).
663; 20st. Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus 945 457 3k.50 multicoloured
amphibius); 35st. Bactrian camel (Camelus No. 945 has a se-tenant stamp size label
attached at right and was issued in sheets
bactrianus); 55st. Meerkat (Suricata suricatta);
60st. Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna); of ten stamps and ten labels.
1l. Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx).(b) 66×85 mm
Add to No. 4676 (‘70th Anniv of Union of CZECH REPUBLIC (Pt. 5)
Bulgarian Philatelists’) (October 2008 GSM) (September 2008)
MS4677 106×92 mm. 60st. As Type 1665.
1666 Canis aureus (golden jackal)
313 Emauzy Monastery
2008 (21 July). Strandja Nature Park. Sheet and St. Cosmas and
Damian Church, Prague
multicoloured design. P 13.
MS4678 60st. Type 1666; 1l.50 Aquila (Des Karel Zeman. Eng Jaroslav Tvrdon.
pomarina (lesser spotted eagle) (vert) Recess*)
The stamps and margins of MS4678 form
a composite design. Exhibition (10th issue). P 11½×12.
555 313 10k. multicoloured
314 Landscape
(Des Vaclav Kucera. Litho Victoria Security
Ptg)
2008 (3 Sept). Summer Day. Illustration by Josef
Palecek, from Das Lied vom Apfelbaum
written by Jaroalav Seifert. P 13½×13.
1667 556 314 10k. multicoloured
(Des Nikolay Mladenov)
2008 (30 July). 20th Anniv of Bulgaria—European
1l. black and olive-yellow
CHINA (Pt. 17)
Hong Kong 315 Vase
(November 2008)
(Des Zdenek Ziegler. Eng Jaroslav Tvrdon.
Recess*)
2008 (3 Sept). Centenary of Applied Art Designers’
Association (Artel). P 12×11½.
557 315 26k. multicoloured
306 Ying Ying and Le Le
(Des Arde Lam. Litho Cartor)
2008 (1 July). Pandas. T 306 and similar square 316 Express Mail (detail) (painting
designs. Two phosphor bands ($1.40) or by K. Schorpfeil)
one phosphor band (others). Granite paper.
P 14 (each with one elliptical hole on each (Des Karel Dvorak. Eng Vaclav Fajt. Recess*)
vert side). 2008 (12 Sept). Praga 2008 International Stamp
1517 $1.40 Type 306 Exhibition (11th issue). Sheet 120×80 mm.
1518 $2.40 Ying Ying P 11½×12.
1519 $3 Le Le MS558   316  35k. multicoloured
1520 $5 Ying Ying and Le Le in tree Stamp of the same design was issued by
MS1521 176×210 mm. Nos. 1517/20, each×2 Austria.
131
 Catalogue Supplement

2008 (24 Apr). 80th Anniv of Chamber of Industry, 4409 10c. slate-black (1 band) (17.6)
Tungurahua. P 12. 4410 72c. olive-green (2 bands) (17.6)
3046 989 $3 multicoloured 4411 85c. bright violet (2 bands) (17.6)
4412 88c. brown-rose (2 bands) (17.6)
4413 €1 bright orange (2 bands) (17.6)
4414 €1.25 new blue (2 bands) (17.6)
4415 €1.33 bright purple (2 bands) (17.6)
4416 €2.18 deep claret (2 bands) (17.6)
(ii) Without face value.
4417 (50c.) bright emerald (1 band) (17.6)
4418 (55c.) scarlet (2 bands) (17.6)
995 ‘50’ and Emblem 4419 (65c.) dull ultramarine (2 bands)
(17.6)
2008 (28 July). 50th Anniv of ESPOL (Escuela
317 Karel Plicka Superior Politécnica del Litoral). P 12½. (b) Coil stamp. P 13× imperf.
990 Father Crespi 3053 995 32c. multicoloured 4420 (50c.) bright emerald (1 band) (17.6)
(Des Dusan Kállay. Eng Milos Ondrácek. 4421 (55c.) scarlet (2 bands) (17.6)
Recess*) 2008 (30 Apr). Father Carlos Crespi 4422 (65c.) dull ultramarine (2 bands)
Croci (missionary and conservator)
2008 (12 Sept). Karel Plicka (photographer
Commemoration. P 12½. EL SALVADOR (Pt. 15) (17.6)
and film maker) Commemoration. Sheet (November 2008)
109×81 mm. P 12. 3047 990 $2 multicoloured (c) Self-adhesive booklet stamps. Die-cut
MS559   317  35k. multicoloured (straight edge×zigzag edge perf 7).
Add to Nos. 2801 etc ‘Birds’ (October 2008 4440 (55c.) scarlet (2 bands) (17.6)
No. MS559 also contains two stamp size GSM)
labels showing drawings of photographs. 4441 (65c.) dull ultramarine (2 bands)
MS2805 93×70 mm. 50c. Passerina ciris. (17.6)
Rouletted. Nos. 4442/58 are left vacant for possible
The stamp of No. MS2805 has simulated additions to this series.
perforations.
DENMARK (Pt. 11)
(November 2008) Nos. 2806/9 and Type 745 are vacant.

1744 Tree (paperless office)

581 Halfdan Rasmussen (Des Patte&Besset. Photo)

2008 (14 June). Environmental Protection.
(Des Torben Skov. Eng Martin Mörck. Recess ) 991 Santiago de Guayaquil Sustainability. Self-adhesive Booklet
2008 (27 Aug). Personalities. T 581 and similar Medallion Stamps. T 1744 and similar horiz designs.
horiz designs. Multicoloured. P 13½. Multicoloured. Die-cut perf 11½.
1530 5k. deep claret and black 2008 (3 June). Stamp Day. P 13. 4459 (55c.) Type 1744
1531 5k.50 new blue, myrtle green and 3048 991 30c. multicoloured 748 Studio and Equipment 4460 (55c.) Bicycle (transport)
black 4461 (55c.) Map (green tourism)
a. Booklet pane. No. 1531×10 2008 (29 May). 82nd Anniv of Radio. T 748 4462 (55c.) VDU and keyboard
1532 6k.50 carmine-red, deep mauve and and similar vert design. Multicoloured. (electronics recycling)
black P 14½×14. 4463 (55c.) Water droplets (water
a. Booklet pane. No. 1532×10 2832 25c. Type 748 conservation)
1533 10k. deep mauve, indigo and black 2833 65c. Modern mixing desk 4464 (55c.) Sun (renewable energy)
Designs: 5k. Type 581 (poet); 5k.50 Eric 4465 (55c.) Detergent bottles (cleaning)
Balling (film director); 6k.50 Bodil Kjer 4466 (55c.) Plastic bottles (plastics
(actor); 10k. Neils-Henning Ørsted Pedersen recycling)
(musician). FRANCE (Pt. 6) 4467 (55c.) Apple core (sustainable food
Nos. 1531a/32a were issued in booklets (November 2008) production)
of ten stamps. 4468 (55c.) Strawberry (food security)

992 Book
1745 Hand holding
2008 (4 June). Birth Centenary of Jorge Perez Tree
Concha (writer). P 12.
3049 992 $3 multicoloured (Des Yves Beaujard. Eng Claude Jumelet.
Recess)
1741 Beffroi d’Evreux 2008 (14 June). Marianne, Democracy and
(Evreux belfry) Environment. Self-adhesive booklet
stamps. T 1745 and similar vert designs. Die-
(Des and eng Elsa Catelin. Recess) cut (straight edge×zigzag edge perf 7).
582 Trappe (Viggo Raval) 2008 (31 May). P 13. 4469 55c. scarlet (2 bands)
4405 1741 55c. multicoloured 4470 55c. scarlet (2 bands)
2008 (27 Aug). Art Photographs. T 582 and 4471 55c. scarlet (2 bands)
similar design. Both black. P 13½. 4472 65c. dull ultramarine (2 bands)
1534 5k.50 Type 582 4473 65c. dull ultramarine (2 bands)
1535 7k.75 Berlin (Krass Clement) (horiz) 4474 65c. dull ultramarine (2 bands)
Designs: 4470, Type 1745; 4471, Dove
STAMP BOOKLETS and olive branch; 4472, Hand and ballot
box; 4473, As Type 1745; 4474, As No. 4471;
SB273 27.8.08 Personalities.
4475, As No. 4472.
1 pane, No. 1531a (55k.) Nos. 4470/1, each×2 and No. 4450×6
SB274 27.8.08 Personalities. were issued in booklets of ten stamps.
1 pane, No. 1532a (65k.) Nos. 4472/4, each×2 and No. 4451×6
were issued in booklets of ten stamps.
1742 Grand Palais
993 Arms
(Des Michel Bez. Photo)
(Des and eng Claude Jumelet. Recess)
ECUADOR (Pt 20) 2008 (6 June). 40th Anniv of Los Pinos High 2008 (14 June). Salon du Timbres et de l’Ecrit
(November 2008) School. P 12. 2008 (14 June). Two phosphor bands. P 13. 2008. French Gardens. Planète Timbre. Sheet
3050 993 20c. multicoloured 4406 1742 55c. indigo, light brown and 210×143 mm containing T 1688 and similar
CORRECTION: Change values of No. 2996 orange design. Multicoloured. P 13½.
(3s. to $3); 3022 (1s.20 to $1.20); 3023 (1s. No. 4406 has a label attached at right. MS4475 €2.11×2, Type 1688; Glass house
to $1); 3042 (1s. to $1); 3043 (1s.20 to $1.20) and path (as MS4294); €2.18×2, Type 1732;
and 3044 (1s. to $1) Pagoda Parc Borely (as MS4382)

No. 3045 and Type 988 have been left for

‘50th Anniv of Harbour Authority’, issued on
8 April 2008, not yet received.

1743 Marianne of
994 Locomotive and 1907 1c. Stamp Europe 1746 Trapeze Artiste
(Type 84)
(Des and eng Yves Beaujard. Recess) (Des Pierre-Andre Cousin. Photo)
2008 (23 June). Centenary of Guayaquil—Quito 2008 (14 June). With phosphor bands.
Railway. T 994 and similar horiz design. 2008 (15 June). Circus. T 1746 and similar
Multicoloured. P 12½. (a) Sheet Stamps. Ordinary gum. Recess. P 13. multicoloured designs. P 13.
3051 56c. Type 994 (i) With face value. 4476 55c. Type 1746
MS3052 100×70 mm. $5 1907 1c. Stamp 4407 1c. chrome yellow (1 band) (17.6) 4477 55c. Bareback rider (vert)
989 Symbols of Industry (Type 84). Imperf 4408 5c. agate (1 band) (17.6) 4478 55c. L’Auguste (clown) (vert)

G.S.M. December 2008 133


4479 55c. Lion tamer (vert) (Des Michel Bez and Jacky Larrivière. Photo)
4480 55c. Le clown blanc (white faced
clown) (vert) containing T 1751 and similar multicoloured
4481 55c. Juggler (vert) designs. P 13.
MS4482 135×143 mm. Nos. 4476/81 MS4487 55c.×6, Type 1751; Boudeuse (Louis
No. MS4482 was on sale for €5.10, the
premium was for the benefit of French Red
Cross Society.
1747 Show Jumping and
Cycling
(Des Catherine Huerta. Photo)
2008 (16 June). Olympic Games, Beijing. Sheet
210×143 mm containing T 1747 and similar
multicoloured designs. P 13
MS4483 55c.×10, Type 1747×2; Swimming
and rowing×3 (horiz); Judo and fencing×3
(horiz); Tennis and athletics×2 Stamps of a similar design were issued
1748 Charles de Gaulle Memorial,
Colomby-les-Deux-Eglises
Des and eng Elsa Catelin. Recess
2008 (18 June). P 13.
4484 1748 55c. indigo, myrtle green
and purple-brown black Planet Earth)
1749 € and €1 Coin
(Euro)
(Des Philippe Stark (flag) or Yves Beaujard
(others). Photo )
2008 (19 June). European Projects. Sheet
143×105 mm containing T 1749 and similar
multicoloured designs. P 13.
MS4485 55c.×4, Type 1749; Flag (French
presidency of EU) (horiz); Satellite (Galileo)
(horiz); Young people and flags (Erasmus) 1497
1750 Untitled (Gérard Garouste)
(Des Atelier Didier Thimonier. Photo)
2008 (19 June). Art. P 13½.
4486 1750 €1.33 multicoloured
1751 Grande Hermine (Jacques
Cartier)
G.S.M. December 2008
2008 (20 June). Famous Ships. Sheet 143×105 mm
Antoine de Bougainville); La Confiance
(Robert Surcouf ) (vert); La Boussole
(Jean-François de Galaup de La Pérouse)
(vert); Astrolabe; Hermione (Marquis de La
Fayette); Stein/Aargau
The stamps and margins of MS4487 form
a composite design.
1752 Amazon Rain Forest
(Des Jean-Paul Véret-Lemarinier. Photo)
2008 (21 June). Landscapes. T 1752 and similar
horiz design. Multicoloured. P 13.
4488 55c. Type 1752 2008 (7 Aug). 50th Anniv of Gorch Fock (sail
a. Horiz pair. Nos. 4488/9 training ship). P 14.
4489 85c. Mer de Glace 3555 1623 55c. multicoloured
Nos. 4488/9 were issued in se-tenant
pairs within the sheet, each pair forming a
composite design.
by Brazil.
1753 Port
(Des and eng Martin Mörck. Recess)
2008 (5 July). Toulon, Var. P 13½.
4490 1753 55c. multicoloured Ringelnatz (writer and artist). P 14.
1754 Gate and Cardinal
Richelieu (statue)
(Des and eng Claude Jumelet. Recess)
2008 (5 July). Richelieu, Indre-et-Loire.
P 13½.
4491 1754 55c. multicoloured Schulze-Delitzsch (politician and founder of
1755 Olive Tree
(Des Atelier Didier Thimonier. Photo)
2008 (13 July). Mediterranean Union Summit,
Paris. P 13½.
4492 1755 55c. multicoloured (November 2008)
FRENCH POLYNESIA (Pt. 6)
(November 2008)
449 Pouvanaa
(Des J.-L. Saquet)
2008 (20 May). Pouvanaa a Oopa (nationalist
politician) Commemoration. P 13½.
1080 449 500f. multicoloured 3560 1628 55c. multicoloured 3242 1230 500r. multicoloured
Catalogue Supplement
GERMANY (Pt. 5)
(October 2008)
Change title of No. 3535 (September 2008
GSM) to:
Centenary of Christian Blind Mission
(Christoffel Blindoffmission) (charity founded
by Pastor Ernst Jakob Christoffel for support
of the blind worldwide).
1623 Gorch Fock
(Des Heribert Birnbach. Litho Bagel Security-
Print, Mönchengladbach)
1624 Silhouette Ringelnatz
(Ernst Moritz Engert)
(Des Victor Malsy. Litho Bagel Security-Print,
Mönchengladbach)
2008 (7 Aug). 125th Birth Anniv of Joachim
3556 1624 85c. dull violet-blue and
1625 Herman Schulze-Delitzsch
(Des Thomas Serres. Litho)
2008 (7 Aug). Birth Bicentenary of Herman
German cooperative system). P 14.
3557 1625 90c. multicoloured
No. 3558 and Type 1626 have been left
for ‘Youth Stamp’, issued on 4 September
2008, not yet received.
1627 Arrival of First Mail
Coach in Ohrdruff
(Des Carsten Wolff. Litho German Bank Ptg
Co. Leipzig)
2008 (4 Sept). Stamp Day. Philatelic Treasures.
P 14.
3559 1627 55c. multicoloured
1628 Ronald, Günni and Jenny the
Rat riding Blue Horse
(Des Christiane Hemmerich. Litho Bagel
Security-Print, Mönchengladbach)
2008 (4 Sept). ‘For us Children’. P 14.
1629 Old Bridge, Bad Säckingen—
(Des Bernadette Baltis. Litho)
2008 (4 Sept). Bridges. P 14.
3561 1629 70c. multicoloured
A stamp of a similar design was issued by
Switzerland.
GREECE (Pt. 3)
(November 2008)
556 Emblem
(Des Anthi Lygka)
2008 (20 June). Anniversaries. T 556 and similar
vert designs. Multicoloured. P 13½×14.
2507 3c. Type 556 (180th anniv of
Hellenic Post)
2508 5c. Symbols of Greece (180th
anniv of Hellenic Post)
2509 10c. Ioannis Kapodistrias (180th
anniv of his election as first
head of state of newly-
liberated Greece)
2510 57c. Dimitris Rodopoulos
(M. Karagatsis) (writer) (birth
centenary)
2511 70c. Fish (International Year of
2512 €1.85 ‘50’ (50th anniv of National
Hellenic Reseach Foundation)
2513 €3 Emblem (centenary of
National Council of Women)
GUATEMALA (Pt. 15)
(November 2008)
418 San Rafael de Matamoros
(Des D. G. Ziomara de León. Litho)
2008 (27 June). Forts. T 418 and similar horiz
design. Multicoloured. P 12½.
1496 1q. Type 418
a. Horiz pair. Nos. 1496/7
1q. San José de Buena Vista
Nos. 1496/7 were issued in horizontal
se-tenant pairs within the sheet, each pair
forming a composite design.
IRAN (Pt 16)
Add into listing in date order.
1229a Emblem
2007 (17 May). Communications and Public
Relations Day.
3211a 1229a 650r. multicoloured
New Listing.
2008 (28 May). Horiz design as Type 1230.
Litho. P 13½.
135
 Catalogue Supplement

(Des Zina and Zvika Roitman. Litho) LATVIA (Pt. 10)

2008 (14 July). Promenades. T 811 and similar (October 2008)
horiz designs. Multicoloured. P 14.
1900 4s.50 Type 811
1901 4s.60 Armon Hanatziv Promenade,
Jerusalem
1902 8s.15 Rishom Promenade, Netanya

ITALY (Pt. 8)
(October 2008)
586 Symbols of Agriculture
Stamp now received.
(Des Advantage Communication. Litho
Enschedé)
1252 Engraved Copper Cup
(Mansour Hafezparast) 2008 (30 Sept). Anniversaries. T 586 and similar
square design. Multicoloured. P 14.
(Des Mrs Taheri and Mr.Sarrafzadegan. Litho) 1817 A (50c.) Type 586 (125th anniv
266 Athlete and Controls of Agricultural College,
2008 (10 June). World Handicraft Day. T 1252 Ettelbruck)
and similar vert design. Multicoloured. (Des Girts Griva. Litho Cartor) 1818 A (50c.) Stylized flower (centenary
P 13½. of Ligue Medico-Sociale
2008 (23 May). European Orienteering
3243 650r. Type 1252 Championship. P 13×13½. (medical and social league))
a. Pair. Nos. 3243/4
729 265 45s. multicoloured
3444 650r. Mina Vase (Hossein Bagher
Esmaili)
Nos. 3243/4 were issued in se-tenant pairs
within the sheet.

1473 La Conferma della Regola

(from The Life of Saint Francis
series of paintings by Giotto di
Bondone )
587 Symbols of Education and
2008 (16 Apr). 700th Anniv of the Franciscan Culture
Order. P 13½×13. 267 Rock
3137 1473 60c. multicoloured (Des Johan de Crem. Litho Cartor)
(Des Ludis Danilans. Litho Cartor) 2008 (30 Sept). Centenaries. T 587 and similar
New Listing. 2008 (7 June). Natural Heritage. Self-adhesive horiz design. Multicoloured. P 14.
gum. Die-cut perf 12½. 1819 A (50c.) Type 587
No. 3151 and Type 1482 have been left 730 267 22s. multicoloured (Volleksbildungsbewegung
for ‘Guastalla Boading School’, issued on (cultural and educational
24 May 2008, not yet received. association))
1820 A (50c.) Dog and cat (centenary
1253 Javid-al-Asar of Lëtzebuerger
Motevasselian No. 3152 and Type 1483 have been left
for ‘Ducati Motorcycle’, issued on 31 May Deiereschutliga (protection
(Des Mrs Taheri and Mr.Sarrafzadegan. Litho) 2008, not yet received. of animals association))
2008 (3 July). P 13½.
3445 1253 650r. multicoloured

ISRAEL (Pt. 19) 268 Exhibits

(November 2008)
(Des Arta Ozola Jaunaraja. Litho Cartor)
2008 (26 June). Museum Foundations.
P 13×13½. 588 Flags as ‘50’
731 268 22s. multicoloured
(Litho Cartor)
1484 Giacomo Puccini 2008 (30 Sept). 50th Anniv of NAMSA (NATO
Maintenance and Supply Agency). P 14.
(Des Rita Fantini. Photo) 1821 588 70c. multicoloured
2008 (21 June). 150th Birth Anniv of Giacomo
Puccini. P 13½×13.
3153 1484 €1.50 multicoloured
809 Seashore, Neve Dekalim,
Greenhouses, Tomatoes and
Children

(Des Aaron Shevo. Litho)

2008 (14 July). Gush Katif. One phosphor
bar. P 14.
1895 809 1s.55 multicoloured 269 Basketball 589 Town, River and Bridge
(A. Wainer)
(Des Juris Utans. Litho Cartor)
2008 (8 Aug). Olympic Games, Beijing. 2008 (30 Sept). Greetings from Luxembourg.
1485 Player wearing Centenary P 13½×13. Winning Designs in Children’s Drawing
Shirt and Emblem of 16th Victory 732 269 63s. multicoloured Competition. T 589 and similar horiz design.
Multicoloured. P 14.
(Des Cristina Bruscaglia. Photo) 1822 70c. Type 589
1823 €1 Bridge and valley
2008 (4 July). Inter—Italian Football (S. Rauschenberger)
Championship 2008—Serie A Winners. LUXEMBOURG (Pt. 4)
P 13½×13. (August 2008)
3154 1485 60c. multicoloured
810 Swimming

(Des Ruti El Hanan. Litho)

2008 (14 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 810
and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
One phosphor bar (1s.55) or two phosphor
bars (others). P 14.
1896 1s.55 Type 810 590 ‘ATR’ 591 ‘A’
1897 1s.55 Rhythmic gymnastics
585 Skittles
1898 2s.25 Tennis (Des Vidale&Gloesener. Litho Enschedé)
1899 2s.25 Sailing, Laser Radial (Des Vidale&Gloesener. Litho Cartor) 2008 (30 Sept). Self-adhesive Coil Stamps.
2008 (30 Sept). Happy. Self-adhesive Types 590 and 591 and similar vert designs.
Booklet Stamps. T 585 and similar horiz Multicoloured. Die-cut.
designs. Multicoloured. Die-cut wavy 1824 (25c.) Type 590
edge×imperf. 1825 (25c.) ATR at top left (purple)
1811 20c. Type 585 1826 (25c.) ATR at bottom left (green)
1486 Torch Relay Runner on 1812 20c. Parcel 1827 (25c.) ATR at top right (red)
Globe 1813 20c. Sweets 1828 A (50c.) Type 591
1814 A (50c.) Dice 1829 A (50c.) A top left
(Des Cristina Bruscaglia. Photo) 1815 A (50c.) Drum 1830 A (50c.) A bottom right
2008 (7 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 1486 and 1816 A (50c.) Four leafed clover 1831 A (50c.) A top right
similar vert design showing stylized ceramic Nos. 1811/16, each×2, were issued in Nos. 1824/7 and 1828/31, respectively
plates. Multicoloured. P 13½×13. booklets of ten stamps, with straight outer were issued in coils of 100 stamps the
811 Capernaum-Tabgha 3155 60c. Type 1486 edges, giving (50c.) straight upper and 20c. designs alternating along the backing
Promenade, Sea of Galilee 3156 85c. Greek and Asian athletes straight lower edges. paper.

G.S.M. December 2008 137

 Catalogue Supplement

Nos. 1824/31 were die-cut around to
simulate perforations.
MICRONESIA (Pt. 22)
(October 2007)
CORRECTION: Change caption to Type 209
(‘Christmas’) (27.12.04) to Madonna of the
Goldfinch (Giovanni Battista Tiepolo)
(Des Mohan Rana. Litho Cartor) (Des Jean-Paul Veret Lemarinier. Litho )
2008 (21 Aug). P 13½×13. 2008 (31 July). Stamp Day. History of
961 449 1r. multicoloured Telecommunications on New Caledonia.
Sheet 100×130 mm containing T 630
and similar vert designs. Multicoloured.
P 13½.
MS1452 75f.×4, Type 630; Radio telephone;
Satellite; Fibre optic cable
1205 Asian Fairy
Bluebird

MONGOLIA (Pt. 10) (Des Corazon Loza and Robinson Cruza.

(November 2008)
Stamp now received.
Add to No. 3132 (‘Year of the Rat’)
(August 2008 GSM):
3133 800t. Rat looking up
Add footnote to No. 3132/3:
Nos. 3132/3 were issued in vertical se-
tenant pairs within the sheet, each pair
forming a composite design.
New Listing.
672 Ribbon
(Des Ch. Ganzorig. Litho)
2008 (29 May). AIDS Awareness Campaign.
P 14.
3137 672 500t. multicoloured (21.8.07) (P 14)
PARAGUAY (Pt. 20)
(June 2008)
Re-list heading and add to No. 1649
450 Athletes and Emblem
(‘Football World Cup Championships, Japan
and South Korea’) (January 2005 GSM)
(Des Mohan Rana. Litho Cartor)
2002 (18 May). Football World Cup
2008 (21 Aug). Olympic Games, Beijing. P 13. Championships, Japan and South
962 450 15r. multicoloured Korea. T 425 and similar multicoloured
designs. P 13½×13 (horiz) or 13×13½ (vert).
1649a 3000g. As Type 425 but with no
inscription
NEW CALEDONIA (Pt. 6) 1649b. 5000g. Players celebrating (vert)
(November 2008)
Stamp now received.
PHILIPPINES (Pt. 21)
(January 2008)
Add to Nos. 3727 etc ‘Butterflies’:
3761aa 24p. Cethosia biblis baranginigi
(with all over green ground and
microprint) (21.8.07) (P 14)
aaa. Block of 4. Nos. 3761aa/da
3761ba 24p. Menalaides polytes ledebouria
(with all over green ground and
626 Symbols of Accord microprint) (21.8.07) (P 14)
3761ca 24p. Appias nero palawanica (with
(Des Maurice Brunel. Litho) all over green ground and microprint)
2008 (16 June). 20th Anniv of Matignon Accords. (21.8.07) (P 14)
P 13½. 3761da 24p. Trogonoptera trojana (with
1444 626 430f. multicoloured all over green ground and microprint)
New Listing. 3762aa 26p. Udara tyotaroi (with all over
pink ground and microprint) (25.7.07)
a. Block of 4. Nos. 3762aa/da
3762ba 26p. Chilasa osmana osmana (with
all over pink ground and microprint)
(25.7.07)
3762ca 26p. Graphium sandawanum joreli
(with all over pink ground and microprint)
(25.7.07)
3762da 26p. Papilio xuthus benguetanus
(with all over pink ground and microprint)
(25.7.07)
Nos. 3727ca (2p.) (issued 13.7.07), 3727da
(3p.) (4.7.07), 3727ea (4p.) (4.7.07), 3748ac
628 1960 5f. Stamp (No. 359),
Debit Card and Online Banking (9p.) (7.8.07) and 3748ba (10p.) (14.8.07)
(‘Le financier’) were all re-issued with ‘2007’ imprint.
Litho)
2007 (30 Oct). Birds. T 1205 and similar vert
designs. Multicoloured. P 14.
3991 2p. Type 1205 (15.11)
3992 3p. Writhed hornbill (19.12)
3993 4p. Crimson sunbird (28.12)
3995 7p. Mindanao bleeding heart
pigeon (10.12)
a. Block of 10. Nos. 3995/4004
3996 7p. Nicobar pigeon (10.12)
3997 7p. Black chinned fruit dove
(10.12)
3998 7p. Metallic pigeon (10.12)
3999 7p. Pink necked green pigeon
(10.12)
4000 7p. Amethyst brown dove (10.12)
4001 7p. Grey Imperial pigeon (10.12)
4002 7p. Red turtle dove (10.12)
4003 7p. Pied Imperial pigeon (10.12)
4004 7p. Spotted Imperial pigeon (10.12)
4005 8p. Hoopoe (17.12)
4006 9p. Short eared owl (28.12)
4007 10p. Blue winged pitta (28.12)
4008 20p. Dwarf kingfisher (15.11)
a. Block of 4. Nos. 4008/11
4009 20p. Blue capped wood kingfisher
(15.11)
4010 20p. White throated kingfisher
(15.11)
4011 20p. White collared kingfisher
(15.11)
4012 24p. Inscr ‘Green faced parrot finch’
(19.12)
a. Block of 4. Nos. 4012/15
4013 24p. Java sparrow (19.12)
4014 24p. Yellow breasted bunting (19.12)
4015 24p. White cheeked bullfinch (19.12)
4016 26p. Great billed parrot (12.12)
a. Block of 4. Nos. 4016/19
4017 26p. Philippine cockatoo (12.12)
4018 26p. Blue naped parrot (12.12)
4019 26p. Blue backed parrot (12.12)
4020 50p. Philippine eagle (29×39 mm)
(5.11)
No. 3990 (1p.) and 3994 (5p.) have been
left for stamps not yet received.
Nos. 4008/11, 4012/15 and 4016/19,
respectively, were issued in se-tenant blocks
of four stamps within the sheet.
Nos. 3995/4004 were issued in se-tenant
blocks of ten stamps within the sheet.
Nos. 4021/50 have been left for possible
additions to this series.

673 Pipe and Pouch (Des Jean-Richard Lisiak. Litho) No. 3982/3 and Type 1202 have been left
2008 (31 July). 50th Anniv of OPT (Office des for ‘Centenary of First Assembly’, issued on
(Des Ch. Ganzorig. Litho) Postes et Télécommunications). T 628 16 October 2007, not yet received.
2008 (8 June). Decorative Arts. T 673 and similar and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
P 13½. Nos. 3984/MS4073 all have
vert designs. Multicoloured. P 14. phosphorescent markings and paper with
3138 500t. Type 673 1446 75f. Type 628
1447 75f. Sorting, 1973 15f. stamp fluorescent fibres.
3139 500t. Stone bottle
3140 500t. Sword and accoutrements (Type 112) and mail box (‘Le
3141 500t. Saddle courier’)
3142 500t. Decorative metal bowls 1448 75f. Fibre optic cable,
1960 12f. stamp 1206 Manila Central Post Office
(No. 359) and satellite dish (1926)
NEPAL (Pt. 21) (‘Les Télécommunications’)
(August 2008) (Des Corazon Loza and Edward Gaspay.
Litho)
2007 (5 Nov). 110th (2008) Anniv of National
Postal Service. T 1206 and similar horiz
design. Multicoloured. P 14.
4051 7p. Type 1206
4052 20p. Manila Post Office and Juan
Marcos de Guzman Arellano
(architect) (80×30 mm)
1203 La Bulakena

629 Table Tennis (Des David Dujunco. Litho)

2007 (24 Oct). 150th Birth Anniv of Juna Luna
(Des Thierry Mordant. Litho) (artist). T 1203 and similar vert designs.
2008 (31 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 629 Multicoloured. P 14.
448 Buddha’s Birth at
and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured. 3984 7p. Type 1203
Lumbini Nos. 3985/7 have been left for stamps not
P 13½.
1449 75f. Type 629 yet received.
(Des Mohan Rana. Litho Cartor)
2008 (18 July). P 13½×13. 1450 75f. Taekwondo
1451 75f. Weightlifting
960 448 2r. multicoloured

1204 ‘KUMILOS! MANINDIGAN’

2007 (24 Oct). United Nations Month. T 1204

and similar horiz design. Multicoloured.
P 14.
3988 7p. Type 1204 1207 San Diego de
449 National Arms 630 Telegraph 3989 26p. ‘STAND UP’ Alcala Cathedral

G.S.M. December 2008 139

 Catalogue Supplement

(Des Diosdado Forbes Jr. and Randolph 1793 200f. Map outline and hands
Siscar. Litho) placing goods in bowl
2007 (13 Nov). 425th Anniv of San Diego de 1794 500f. Map outline and symbols of
Alcala Parish. P 14. prosperity
4053 1207 7p. multicoloured

387 ‘Les déferlantes’ (the waves)

(Des M.-L. Drillet. Litho)

1212 Teddy 2008 (12 July). P 13.
1083 387 55c. multicoloured
2007 (10 Dec). Christmas. Toys. T 1212 and similar 555 Flamingoes and Monkey
1208 Emblem and School vert designs. Multicoloured. P 14. (Sine Saloum Delta)
Building Façade 4068 7p. Type 1212
4069 20p. Train SAN MARINO (Pt. 8) (Des Moda N’Diaye (75f.) or Aslam (others)
(Des John Ciocon. Litho) 4070 24p. Quad bike (October 2008) Litho Cartor)
2007 (16 Nov). 50th Anniv of Sacred Heart 4071 26p. Angel doll
2008 (27 Feb). Tourism. T 555 and similar horiz
School—Hijas de Jesus. T 1208 and similar Nos. 2169 and Type 618 have been left designs. Multicoloured. P 13×13½.
horiz designs. Multicoloured. P 14. for ‘Olympic Games, Beijing’, issued on 1799 75f. Type 555
4054 7p. Type 1208 13 June 20008, not yet received. 1800 125f. Cockatoo, Roan antelope and
a. Block of 4. Nos. 4054/7 cheetah (Niokolo-Koba Park)
4055 7p. Statue and building 1801 200f. Lion, giraffe and elephant
4056 7p. Mother Superior Eloisa Alonso (Niokolo-Koba Park)
and arms 1802 450f. Pelicans and Faidherbe Bridge
4057 7p. Building and entrance (Saint Louis)
Nos. 4054/7 were issued in se-tenant
blocks of four within sheets and also in
small sheets of four stamps with enlarged
illustrated left margin. SPAIN (Pt. 9)
(October 2008)
2007 (23 Nov). National Stamp Collecting Change title of No. 4273 (December 2007
Month. 150th Birth Anniv of Juan Luna 619 Envelopes as Ships
GSM) to ‘Zaragoza 2008 International Water
(2nd issue). Sheet 100×100 mm containing and Sustainable Development Exhibition.
(Des Nicoletta Ceccoli. Litho Cartor)
multicoloured designs as T 1203. P 14
2008 (13 June). Europa. The Letter. T 619 (1st issue)’
MS4058 7p.×4, Picnic in Normandy (1213)
(59×39 mm) (imperf ); El Violinista; Indio and similar horiz design. Multicoloured.
P 13½. Change title of No. 4337 (August 2008
Bravo; Old Man with Pipe 2007 (14 Dec). 25th Anniv of Cebu Philatelic GSM) to ‘Zaragoza 2008 International Water
Society. No. 1981 surch and overprinted 2170 60c. Type 619
2171 65c. Couple on globe releasing and Sustainable Development Exhibition.
as T 1213. P 14. (2nd issue)’
4072 7p. on 2p.40 multicoloured envelopes as doves

2007 (21 Dec). 150th Birth Anniv of Juan Luna Add into listing in date order.
(3rd issue). Sheet 125×100 mm containing
horiz designs as T 1203. Multicoloured,
background colour given. P 14
MS4073 7p.×4, Parisian Life (73×48 mm)
(imperf ); Parisian Life (green); Parisian Life
(orange-red); Parisian Life (cerise)
1209 Emblem

(Des John Ciocon. Litho) ROMANIA (Pt. 3)

2007 (26 Nov). 60th Anniv of Development Bank (November 2008)
of the Philippines. T 1209 and similar horiz
designs. Multicoloured. P 14. Add to Nos. 6893/MS6899 (‘EFIRO 2008’)
(October 2008 GSM): 620 Our Lady of Mercy
4059 7p. Type 1209
a. Block of 4. Nos. 4059/62 MS6899a 192×162 mm. Nos. 6893/8
(Des Leonardo Blanco. Litho and embossed
4060 7p. Street corner building façade Cartor)
4061 7p. Multi-storey building and trees Add to Nos. 6916/MS6920 (‘600th Anniv
4062 7p. Six storey building of Iasi City Documentary Accreditation’) 2008 (13 June). Art for Basilica of the
Nos. 4059/62 were issued in se-tenant (October 2008 GSM): Annunciation, Nazareth. P 13½. 1363a Asclepius (statue)
blocks of four within sheets and also in MS6921 182×98 mm. Nos. 6916/19 2172 620 €1 multicoloured (Ampuria Museum, Spain)
small sheets of four stamps with enlarged
illustrated central gutter. 2007 (28 June). Asclepius (demigod of medicine).
ST. PIERRE ET MIQUELON (Pt. 6) Sheet 120×76 mm containing T 1363a and
(November 2008) similar vert design. Multicoloured. P 13.
MS4269a 30c. Type 1363a; 58c. Asclepius
Re-list heading No. 1042: (head) (Greek National Archaeological
2007 (2 May). AIR. Migrant Birds. Museum)
Stamps of a similar design were issued by
P 13×12½. Greece.
Nos. 1063/80 and Type 384 have been
New Listing.
left for ‘Marianne’, issued on 28 May 2008,
not yet received.

1210 Rat
621 Statues of Liberty of
(Des Jesus de los Santos and Robinson Cruza. San Marino and USA
Litho)
(Des Cristian Ceccaroni. Litho Cartor)
2007 (3 Dec). New Year. Year of the Rat. T 1210
and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured. 2008 (13 June). 30th Anniv of San Marino—USA
P 14. Friendship Association. P 13½.
4063 7p. Type 1210 2173 621 €1.50 multicoloured
4064 20p. Rat seated
MS4065 139×80 mm. Nos. 4063/4, each×2

SENEGAL (Pt. 14)

(March 2008)
385 Return from Fishing (Michelle 1400 Goya Monument,
Foliot) Zaragoza
Stamps now received.
2008 (4 June). P 13. 2008 (13 June). Zaragoza 2008 International
1081 385 80c. multicoloured Water and Sustainable Development
Exhibition (3rd issue). Sheet 105×80 mm.
Recess. P 14.
MS4370   1400  €2.60 deep blue-green

1211 Pres. Ramon

Magsaysay and Rev. 553 Hands Exchanging Book and
Bob Pierce (World Vision Sharing Food
founder)
386 Arlequin plongeur (harlequin duck) (Des Ba Aziz. Litho Cartor)
(Des Genesis lamigo and Allen Carmona. 2007 (11 Sept). National Solidarity Day. T 553
Litho) (Des Jean Jaques Oliviero. Eng Marie Noelle and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
2007 (5 Dec). 50th Anniv of World Vision. T 1211 Goffin. Recess) P 13×13½.
and similar multicoloured design. P 14. 2008 (25 June). AIR. Migrant Birds. 1791 50f. Type 553
4066 7p. Type 1211 P 13×12½. 1792 100f. Hands holding star and map 1401 European Bee-
4067 20p. ‘50’ and emblem (horiz) 1082 386 €1.50 multicoloured outline eater

G.S.M. December 2008 141

 Catalogue Supplement

2008 (1 July). Flora and Fauna. T 1401 and similar SWEDEN (Pt 11) (Des Sihem Chaabene)
vert design. Multicoloured. Self-adhesive (November 2008) 2008 (8 Mar). 40th Anniv of Court of Auditors.
gum. Litho. Die-cut perf 13. P 13½×13.
4371 31c. Type 1401 1665 676 250m. multicoloured
4372 60c. Dahlia

487 Netherlands 488 FHR Lim

2g.50 on 10g. Postraat 34A
Stamp of 1920 741 Assar (Ulf Lundkvist)
(Des Studio La Branda. Litho Austrian State (Eng Piotr Naszarkowski (2573, 2576) or Lars 677 Emblems
1402 Water Plaza Ptg Wks, Vienna) Sjööblom (others). Recess and litho)
(Des Chokri Cherif )
2008 (9 Apr). Stamp Passion 2008 International 2008 (25 Sept). Comic Strips. Booklet
2008 (4 July). Zaragoza 2008 International Stamp Exhibition. T 487 and similar vert Stamps. T 741 and similar horiz designs 2008 (10 Mar). 60th Anniv of Declaration of
Water and Sustainable Development designs. Multicoloured. P 14. showing scenes from comic strips. Human Rights. P 13½×13.
Exhibition (4th issue). Sheet 106×80 mm 2314 1srd. Type 487 Multicoloured. P 12½×13½. 1666 677 600m. multicoloured
containing T 1402 and similar horiz designs. a. Block of 12. Nos. 2314/25 2569 5k.50 Type 741
Multicoloured. Photo. P 14. 2315 1srd.50 22½c. stamp of 1913 a. Booklet pane. Nos. 2569/76
MS4373 31c. Type 1402; 78c. Exhibition 2316 2srd. Netherlands 10c. stamp of 2570 5k.50 Ensamma mamman (Cecilia
compound; €2.60 Pabellón-Puente 1894 Torudd)
The stamps and margins of MS4373 form
2317 2srd.50 Netherlands 60c. on 30c. 2571 5k.50 Arne Anka (Charlie
a composite design of the exhibition site.
(Zestig Cent) stamp of 1919 Christensen)
2318 3srd. Netherlands 12½c. stamp of 2572 5k.50 Rocky (Martin Kellerman)
1935 2573 5k.50 nameless gloomy girl (Nina
2319 3srd.50 Netherlands 36c. AIR stamp Hemmingsson)
of 1933 2574 5k.50 Hälge (Lars Mortimer)
2320 4srd. Netherlands 50c. TEBETALEN 2575 5k.50 Socker-Conny (Joakim Pirinen)
stamp of 1906 2576 5k.50 Swedish manga (Asa Ekström)
2321 5srd. Netherlands 2c. The booklet pane is attached at left
International Court of selvage and the stamps are arranged in two
Justice stamp of 1950 blocks of four separated by a perforated
2322 5srd.50 5c. stamp of 1929 gutter.
2323 6srd. 1½g. stamp of 1931 A limited edition sheetlet, with enlarged
1403 Hurdler 2324 7srd. Netherlands 60c. stamp of illustrated margins, containing five examples
1925 of Type 741 and four of No. 2574 was on
2008 (8 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. P 14. 2325 9srd. Netherlands 5c. stamp of sale for 54k.50. 678 Symbols of Meteorology
4374 1403 31c. multicoloured 1913
Nos. 2314/25 were issued in se-tenant (Des Chokri Cherif )
2008 (16 July). Traditional Sports. Horiz design blocks of 12 stamps within the sheet. 2008 (23 Mar). World Meteorology Day.
as T 1394. Multicoloured. P 14. P 13×13½.
4375 43c. Regatas de Traineras (rowing (Des Studio La Branda. Litho Austrian State 1667 678 250m. multicoloured
boat race) Ptg Wks, Vienna)
No. 4375 was issued with a se-tenant 2008 (Apr 23). Buildings.T 488 and similar vert
stamp size label attached at left, each stamp designs. Multicoloured. P 14.
and label forming a composite design of
2326 V Type 488
the sport.
a. Block of 9. Nos. 2326/35
2327 40c. Combékerk 742 Beetroot
2328 50c. Waterkant 10 (Des Ulf Wahlberg. Litho)
2329 80c. Waterkant 14
SURINAM (Pt. 20) 2330 1srd.20 Waterkant 12 2008 (25 Sept). Autumn Harvest. Organic
(July 2008) 2331 2srd. Officierswoning 6 Growing. T 742 and similar multicoloured
2332 4srd. Grote Combéweg 33 designs.
2333 5srd. Officierswoning 5 (a) Size 26×31 mm. Self-adhesive booklet
2334 8srd. Officierswoning 9 stamps. Inscr ‘Brev’. Die-cut perf 10 (3 sides).
Nos. 2326/34 were issued in se-tenant 2577 (5k.50) Type 742
blocks of nine stamps within the sheet. 2578 (5k.50) Cabbage
2579 (5k.50) Pumpkin 679 Decorated Vase
2580 (5k.50) Potatoes
2008 (18 May). Cultural Heritage. T 679 and
(b) Coil stamps. Imperf×p 13 (with one
similar vert designs. Multicoloured.
double eliptical perf on each vert side). (i)
P 13.
Size 31×27 mm. Inscr ‘Brev’.
2581 (5k.50) Apples 1668 250m. Type 679
1669 600m. Terracotta dish, Kairouan
(ii) Size 31×24 mm. 1670 600m. Egg shaped goblet
485 Boy 486 Archer 1671 1d.100 Lamp with camel decoration
2582 11k. Carrots
(Des Studio La Branda. Litho Austrian State Nos. 2577/8, each×3, and 2579/80,
Ptg Wks, Vienna) each×2, were issued in single sided booklets
of ten, the stamps are peeled directly from
2008 (19 Mar). Traditional Costumes. T 485 489 Candoia carinata (ground the booklet cover and cannot therefore be
and similar vert designs. Multicoloured. boa) collected as separate panes. .
P 14.
2298 T Type 485 (Des Studio La Branda. Litho Austrian State
a. Block of 12. Nos. 2298/309 Ptg Wks, Vienna) STAMP BOOKLETS
2299 25c. Woman wearing wrap skirt
and bandeau top 2008 (21 May). Snakes. T 489 and similar horiz
designs. Multicoloured. P 14. SB627 25.9.08 Comic Strips.
2300 45c. Girl wearing red and white One pane 2569a (550k.)
fringed dress 2335 1srd. Type 489
a. Block of 8. Nos. 2335/42 SB628 25.9.08 Autumn Harvest.
2301 80c. Boy wearing fringed cape One pane Nos. 2577/8,
and sarong 2336 1srd.50 Viper
2337 2srd. Chondropython viridis (green each×3, and 2579/80,
2302 1srd.20 Girl wearing pink hat,
python) (yellow) each×2, (550k.)
bolero and frilled skirt
2303 1srd.70 Boy wearing hat, white shirt 2338 3srd. Chondropython viridis (green
and black trousers python) (red juvenile)
2304 2srd. Man wearing cream trousers 2339 5srd. Eyelash viper
long tunic and red scarf 2340 7srd.50 Green mamba TUNISIA (Pt. 14) 680 Emblem
2305 3srd. Woman wearing pink sari 2341 10srd. Emerald tree boa (July 2008)
2306 3srd.50 Boy wearing red cap, tunic 2342 15srd. Tiger rat snake (Des Chokri Cherif )
and trousers Nos. 2335/42 were issued in se-tenant 2008 (29 May). National Day of the Disabled.
2307 4srd. Woman wearing black print blocks of eight stamps within the sheet. P 13.
skirt, yellow jacket and 1672 680 250m. multicoloured
holding fan 2008. Fish. Horiz designs as T 472. Multicoloured.
2308 5srd. Girl wearing pink P 13.
cheongsam and holding fan 2343 1srd. Sphaeramia nematoptera
2309 10srd. Boy wearing Mao suit with a. Strip of 3. Nos. 2743/5
white cuffs 2344 3srd. Neophrynichthys latus
Nos. 2298/309 were issued in se-tenant 2345 7srd.80 Cheilodipterus
blocks of 12 stamps within the sheet. quinquelineatus (inscr
‘isotigmus’)
(Des Studio La Branda. Litho Austrian State Nos. 2343/5 were issued in se-tenant
strips of three stamps. 676 Emblems
Ptg Wks, Vienna)
2008 (9 Apr). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 486
and similar vert designs. Multicoloured. 681 Mugil cephalus
P 14.
2310 1srd. Type 486 (Des Skander Gader)
a. Strip of 4. Nos. 2310/13 NEW INFORMATION 2008 (5 June). Fish. T 681 and similar triangular
2311 1srd.50 Weight lifter The editor is always interested to correspond with people who have new designs. Multicoloured. P 13.
2312 2srd. Basketball players information that will improve or correct the catalogue 1673 250m Type 681
2313 2srd.50 Runner 1674 250m. Thunnus thynnus
Nos. 2310/13 were issued in se-tenant 1675 600m. Dicentrarchus labrax
strips of four stamps within the sheet. 1676 600m. Sparus aurata

G.S.M. December 2008 143


TURKEY (Pt 16.)
(July 2008)
Stamps now received.
946 Flags and Map
(Litho Ajans-Türk Matbaasi, Ankara)
2007 (5 Apr). Post Office Directorate Meeting.
P 13½.
3764 946 60ykr. multicoloured 3846 85ykr. PZL XXIV
947 Battle Scene
(Litho Ajans-Türk Matbaasi, Ankara)
2007 (14 Apr). 650th Anniversary of Tekirdag.
P 13½.
3765 947 60ykr. multicoloured No. 851 and Type 390 have been left for
951 Soldier and Flag
2007 (17 May). 25th Anniv of Armed Forces.
P 13½.
3773 951 60ykr. multicoloured similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
959 Blue Mosque
(Litho Ajans-Türk Matbaasi, Ankara)
2007 (28 Oct). Balkanfila 2007 Stamp Exhibition,
Istanbul. Two sheets, each 116×87 mm,
containing T 959 and similar horiz designs.
Multicoloured. P 13½.
MS3795 (a) 60ykr. Type 959; 70ykr. Hagia
Sophia; 80ykr. City wall; 1ykl. Bridge over
Bosphorus. (b) 60ykr. Dove and flags; 70ykr.
Stylized bridge; 80ykr. Flags; 1ykl. Map and
flags. Imperf 3839 65ykr. Statue 1pane No. 2256a
The stamps of MS3795a/b, each form a
composite design.
Nos. 3796/802 are vacant.
New Listing.
965 Emblem
2008 (31 Jan). 40th Anniv of TRT Television
Channel. T 965 and similar horiz design.
Multicoloured. P 13.
3823 40ykr. Type 965 971 Kasgarli Mahmut on
3824 80ykr. Building Horseback
G.S.M. December 2008
Catalogue Supplement
2008 (10 Apr). Birth Millenary (2005) of (Des Carlos Menck Freire)
Mahmud ibn Hussayn ibn Muhammad 2008 (11 July). 125th Anniv of Economic
al-Kashgari (Kasgarli Mahmut) (linguist Management Board Headquarters,
and lexicographer of Turkic dialects ). T 971 Montevideo. P 12.
and similar vert design. Multicoloured. 3106 1409 12p. multicoloured
P 13½.
3842 65ykr.+10ykr. Type 971
3843 80ykr.+10ykr. Reading
966 Seated at Table
2008 (7 Feb). 800th Birth Anniv of Nasreddin
Hoca’nin (Mulla Nasrudin). T 966 and similar
horiz designs. Multicoloured. P 13×13½.
3825 25ykr. Type 966
3826 65ykr. Riding donkey backwards
3827 80ykr. Holding two pots 972 B24 D (Consolidated B-24D
3828 85ykr. At river’s edge LIBERATOR) 1410 Dr. Raul Amorin Cal Florida
Hospital
2008 (25 Apr). Aircraft. T 972 and similar horiz
designs. Multicoloured. P 13½. (Des Carlos Menck Freire)
3844 65ykr. Type 972
3845 80ykr. Curtiss Hawk 2008 (15 July). Hospital Centenaries. T 1410
and similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
P 12.
3107 12p. Type 1410
3108 12p. Central Hospital de las Fuerzas
Armadas
3109 12p. Pereira Rossell Central
Hospital
967 Couple and Fl owers
2008 (14 Feb). Valentine’s Day. T 967 and similar
horiz design. Multicoloured. P 13½×13.
3829 65ykr. Type 967
3830 80ykr. Envelope and flowers
Nos. 3831/6 and Type 968 have been left 973 Hands forming Heart
for ‘Attaturk’, issued on 29 February 2008,
not yet received. 2008 (9 May). Europa. The Letter. T 973 and
similar square design. Multicoloured.
P 13½.
3847 65ykr. Type 973
3848 80ykr. Ink bottle, pen and letter
1411 Huanhuan Pole
Vaulting
UKRAINE (Pt. 10)
(October 2008) (Des Diego Tocco)
2008 (22 July). Olympic Games, Beijing. T 1411
and similar vert designs showing games
‘90th Anniv of First Stamp’, issued on 4 July mascots. Multicoloured. P 12.
2008, not yet received. 3110 2p. Type 1411
a. Block of 4. Nos. 3110/13
3111 5p. Nini cycling
969 Hospital 3112 10p. Beibei swimming
3113 20p. Beibei and Nini rowing
2008 (13 Mar). 700th Anniv of Darüssifa Nos. 3110/13 were issued in se-tenant
(Bimarhane) Mental Hospital (built by Ildus blocks of four stamps within the sheet.
Hatun, wife of Sultan Olcaytu), Amasya.
Sheet 130×63 mm containing T 969 and
similar vert designs. Multicoloured. P 13.
MS3837 50ykr. Type 969; 65ykr. Playing 391 Series T**10 Locomotive
music; 80ykr. Lecture; 85ykr. Healing
(Des Valerii Rudenko. Litho)
2008 (8 Aug). Diesel Locomotives. T 391 and
Phosphor markings. P 14×14½.
852 1h. Type 391
853 1h. Series 2T*10*
854 1h. Series M62
855 1h. Series T*109
The phosphor was applied to the roofs
and front windows of the locomotives.
URUGUAY (Pt. 20) 1412 Swimming
(November 2008)
(Des Daniel Pereyra)
Add to No. 2256 (‘Montevideo, Latin 2008 (22 July). Centenary of FINA (Fédération
American× Capital of Culture’) (August 1997 Internationale de Natation) (swimming
GSM): federation). P 12
970 Pendant, Pin and a. Booklet pane. No. 2256×3 3114 1412 37p. multicoloured
Necklace
Relist heading for Nos. 2742/4 (‘50th STAMP BOOKLETS
2008 (27 Mar). Anatolian Civilizations. Anniv of DAECPU’) (June 2004 GSM):
Urartians. T 970 and similar vert designs. Self-adhesive Booklet Stamps. 50th Anniv
Multicoloured. P 13½ SB1 5.3.96 Montevideo, Latin American
of DAECPU (carnival directors). Die-cut perf Capital of Culture
3838 65ykr. Type 970 12½.
3840 80ykr. Harput Castle, Elazig SB2 9.9.96 Centenary of Republica
Add to footnote: Oriental Bank
3841 80ykr. Pot on stand
The stamps are peeled from backing 1pane No. 2291a
paper. SB3 12.8.97 Centenary of Discovery of
Booklet sold at 30p. Asprin
1 pane No. 2371a
SB4 29.12.97 Construction
1 pane No. 2410b
SB5 5.5.99 Centenary of National
Football Club
1 pane No. 2528b
SB6 2.6.99 First Film Critic’s Festival
1 pane No. 2541a
SB7 8.3.02 50th Anniv of DAECPU
1 pane No. 2742/4
SB8 19.1.04 Surcharge on No. 2116
1 pane No. 2876a
SB9 16.2.04 Surcharge on No. 2037
1 pane No. 2889a
SB10 17.6.04 Montevideo
1 pane No. 2907a
SB11 14.10.05 90th Birth Anniv of Liber
1409 Casa de Francisco Seregni
Gomez 1 pane No. 2959a
145
 Catalogue Supplement

VATICAN CITY (Pt. 8) (Des Vo Luong Nhi. Litho) WALLIS ET FUTUNA (Pt. 6)
(July 2008) 2008 (1 Feb). Traditional Foods. T 668 and similar (March 2008)
horiz design. Multicoloured. P 13½.
2749 800d. Type 668
2750 9000d. Pho bò

410 Wedding at Cana, Washing Christ’s 444 Woman and @

450 Lavelua Kulimoetoke
Feet and The Last Supper (Des J.-R. Lisiak. Litho)
2008 (3 Mar). Tenth Anniv of Internet Connection. (Des M. Bunel. Eng Claude Jumelet. Recess)
(Litho Cartor)
P 13½. 2008 (29 July). Tomasi Kulimoetoke (50th lavelua
2008 (15 May). 49th International Eucharistic (king)) Commemoration. P 13½.
Congress, Quebec. T 410 and similar horiz 928 444 55f. multicoloured
669 Calanthe densiflora 936 450 380f. orange-brown
design. Multicoloured. P 14
1534 60c. Type 410 (Des Lai Phuong Lan. Litho)
1535 85c. Crucifixion, Resurrection and
Disciples 2008 (1 Mar). Orchids. T 669 and similar square
designs. Multicoloured. P 13½.
2751 800d. Type 669
2752 2000d. Ludisia discolor
2753 6000d. Spathoglottis affinis
2754 8000d. Calanthe argenteo-striata

445 Women and Yellow Hibiscus

451 Aglaia psilopetala
(Des S. Takaniua. Litho)
2008 (7 Mar). P 13½. 2008 (30 July). Flora. P 13½.
929 445 65f. multicoloured 937 451 105f. multicoloured

670 Wushu Nos. 938/9 and Type 452 have been left
411 Lourdes for ‘Old Photographs’, issued 30 July 2008,
(Des Vo Luong Nhi. Litho) not yet received.
(Litho Cartor)
2008 (15 May). 150th Anniv of Apparition at 2008 (15 Mar). Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament
Lourdes. T 411 and similar vert design. (2755) and Olympic Games, Beijing
Multicoloured. P 14. (2756/8). T 670 and similar rhomboid
1536 65c. Type 411 designs. Multicoloured. P 14×13½ (with
1537 85c. Apparition one elliptical hole on each vert side)
2755 800d. Type 670
2756 3000d. Swimming
2757 5000d. Taekwando
2758 9000d. Canoeing
446 Uvea

(Des S. Giffon and B. Dolfo. Litho)

2008 (7 Mar). Cartography. T 447 and similar
multicoloured design. P 13½ 453 Saint Thérèse
930 85f. Type 446
a. Pair. Nos. 930/1 (Des R. Caterini)
412 Map and Crowd 931 85f. Futuna and Alofi (horiz ) 2008 (31 July). Stained Glass Windows of Lano
Nos. 930/1 were issued in vertical se- Church. T 453 and similar square design.
(Litho Printex) tenant pairs arranged in blocks of four Multicoloured. P 13½.
2008 (15 May). World Youth Day 2008, Sydney. stamps, within sheets of eight, the two 940 100f. Type 453
P 14. blocks separated from each other by an 941 140f. Saint Pierre Chanel
671 Carp enlaged illustrated gutter.
1538 412 €1 multicoloured
(Des Dung Tuan. Litho)
2008 (1 Apr). Common Carp Cyprinus
carpio. T 671 and similar horiz designs.
Multicoloured. brand new stamps
2759 800d. Type 671
2760 6000d. Swimming left of the world set
2761 8000d. Two carp
now available

447 Diving

(Des R. Kulimoetake. Litho)

2008 (7 Mar). P 13½.
413 UN Emblem and Pope 932 447 95f. multicoloured
Benedict XVI

(Litho Printex)
-09
2008 (15 May). Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to United 1SET
R288
Nations to Celebrate 60th Anniv of Universal £175
Declaration of Human Rights. P 14. RRP
1539 413 €1.40 multicoloured 672 Satellite and Water Buffalo
Rider
STAMP BOOKLETS
(Des Le Tri Dung. Litho)
SB14 20.11.07 Journeys of Benedict XVI. 2008 (19 Apr). Vietnam Communication Satellite 11,000 new stamps added across 5 volumes
Self-adhesive. VINASAT-1. P 13½. 448 Kayaking
One pane,1519×4 2762 672 800d. multicoloured Thousands of stamps have been extensively
(Des O. Lamusse. Litho) repriced including:
2008 (14 June). Olympic Games, Beijing.
VIETNAM (Pt. 21) P 13½. • British Commonwealth countries
(July 2008) 933 448 75f. multicoloured • Germany and German States and colonies
• Japan
Stamp now received. • North and South Korea
• Post independence Africa.
MS2743 90×63 mm. 12000d. Player with
3,465 more illustrations than the 2008 edition
large hand held gong
673 Drummers
Price remains at £175 and once more all sets
bought from Stanley Gibbons include a £50
(Des Hoang Thuy Lieu. Litho)
stamp voucher*.
2008 (3 June). Hue’s Court Music—UNESCO
Intangible Cultural Heritage. T 673 and order today
similar horiz designs. Multicoloured.
449 Sea Fauna
P 13½×13 (with one elliptical hole on
each vert side (MS2765))
0800 611 622
2763 800d. Type 673 (J.-R. Lisiak. Litho) orders@stanleygibbons.co.uk
2008 (14 June). Year of Planet Earth. P 13½.
2764 4000d. Musicians
934 449 190f. multicoloured
www.stanleygibbons.com
2765 8000d. Dancers
MS2766 102×66 mm. 9000d. Choir MS935 128×90 mm. 200f. As Type 449 *terms and conditions apply
668 Nem Rán (40×28 mm) No. MS935 is cut around in an oval.

G.S.M. December 2008 147