Display By
The Croydon Philatelic Society
March 23, 2008
Frame No's 1, 2 & 3 Arthur Moyles
Outline of History of the Post in Croydon up to 1840
1669 Bags for Sevenoaks, Otford, Reigate and Croydon left at Chipstead (Kent not Surrey). Chipstead continued to be the first stop on Rye Road until 1676.
1680 William Dockwra's Penny Post set up, it is not known if Croydon was included.
1681 Dockwra's Post suppressed and re -opened by Post Office.
1692 Craydon (sic) listed as under Southwark precinct in London Penny Post.
1711 P.O. Act limiting Penny Post to 10 miles of London - Croydon excluded.
1712 Edmund Green and John Hague paid for conveying letters from Id post to Croydon
1713 General Post set up in Croydon.
1802 London Twopenny post introduced alongside General Post - only office, which included Carshalton area, to have both, for many years to come. Mail delivered to Beddington Receiving House which acted as sorting office for mail addressed to Croydon and Carshalton. This caused many complaints as letters had to be sent by whichever post was the next to go. Since in the General Post letters were charged for eachsingle sheet of paper whereas the London Twopenny Post charge was for 4 ounces, large letters which missed the Twopenny Post were
charged more highly in the General Post.
1807 Sorting Office moved to Waddon, Croydon as there were more houses to deliver to in Croydon.
1836 Croydon Penny Post and London Cross Post commenced.
1836 Croydon Post Office moved to High Street from Old Town.
1839 5th December Fourpenny General Post rate commenced.
1840 10th January Uniform Penny Post commenced.
1840 6th May Use of 1d Black and the Mulready envelope commenced.
The display commences with a letter missent to Croydon in 1763 and continues with the handstamps used in Croydon, the first know being dated 1772.
Croydon at various times had up to three types of post -
London Penny Post ceased 1711 - No examples yet seen.
General Post from 1713 - Example from 1772 shown.
London Twopenny Post - which ran alongside the General Post from 1802 - A number of different Receiving House handstamps shown.
Croydon Penny Post - from 1836 - handstamp also used for London Cross Post - Use of Numbers still unknown.
A number of the handstamps being shown are the only known examples yet seen.
Frame No's 4, 5 & 6 Terry Page
Russia: The Postal History of the Zemstvos
The Zemstvos posts were officially authorised and regulated by the Imperial Russian Government and were active from the late 1860's right up to the start of the Soviet era. They were an indispensible part of the Russian postal system, covering many of those rural areas of European Russia which were not directly served by the state Imperial Post.
A small display of covers from some 30 districts. Featuring many important items including:
Cherdyn - Local cover. Route discussed by Fabergé in London Philatelist No. 1035 -6 (1979).
Chistopol - The first issue used on a postal card. The latest recorded cover (franked with one of the 9 known copies of the 1911 provisional issue).
Gdov - Imperial combination letter with 1899 provisional Reg. label.
Osa - Authorised use of bisected 4k. and quadrisected 8k. values, each paying the 2k. ordinary letter rate.
Irbit - Insured letter from a volost (village) PO (ex Fabergé).
Lahishev - Heavy registered letter ex. Fabergé (only 2/3 covers known from this district).
Luga - Postal stationery envelopes (perhaps 2/3 known).
Nikolsk - The earliest recorded cover (ex. Fabergé).
Germany to Poltava - The only recorded Poltava incoming foreign item.
Pskov - Insured letter giving confirmation of rate structure and franked with tête-bêche stamps (only 5 or 6 t-b frankings known from all Zemstvo districts).
Sapozhok - Registered Letter and Money Transer form (only 3 of each recorded).
Stavropol, Sumy, Tetyushy, Tiraspol - between two and five covers from each district recorded.
Urzhum - 1893 Registered Letter, believed to be the earliest known stamped cover.
Yarensk - Two of the five recorded covers including the only one with a post-marked Zemstvo stamp.
Perm Zemstvo to Ustsysolsk Zemstvo via the Imperial Post. The only recorded Zemstvo - Zemstvo insured letter.
Frame No's 7, 8 & 9 Alex Johnson
Classic Stamps of St. Vincent
The early issues of St. Vincent are, arguably, the loveliest of all British colonial classic issues. Designed and printed by Perkins, Bacon & Co., although from 1882 onwards they were produced by De La Rue from the Perkins, Bacon plates. All issues showed a profile portrait of the Queen, with the exception of the 5/- value which incorporated the Arms of the Colony. Afeature of the early issues is the relatively small printings of some values.
The Perkins, Bacon stamps are invariably poorly perforated and equally poorly centred, due to the Company's insistence on using its own antiquated perforating machines. Also, by a mixture of obstinacy and ineptitude in interpreting the Colony's wishes regarding the stamps'colours led to major differencies with the colonial authorities. Ultimately it was to result in the loss of the printing contract in favour of De La Rue.
The display commences with the first issue of 1861, comprising the 1d and 6d values. The initial printings of the 6d was in a distinctive shade of yellow-green. Arange of perforations exist, including wholly imperforate and part-perforate varieties. The mint block of ten of the 6d value is one of the three largest mint blocks known. Apair of the 6d on cover is displayed - early covers are scarce. In 1871, the colour of the 1d stamp was changed to black, but owing to the difficulty of seeing black cancellations on black stamps, the colour was again changed in 1880 to olive -green.
Only 2000 of the 5/- stamp were printed in 1880 and of these 800 were overprinted for Revenue purposes, making this another scarce stamp. Only a handful of this value overprinted 'Specimen'are known.
In 1882, the contract for the production of stamps was transferred to De La Rue whose stamps and printing were deemed "of superior merit". Plate proofs and 'specimens' are displayed together with multiples of the new definitives in their distinctive colours. Delays in stamp supplies reaching the island occurred from time to time resulting in a number of provisional issues. Arange of covers are also displayed. Some though colourful, have a 'philatelic flavour', but commercial covers were never common and the island was seldom visited by tourists.
Frame No's 10 & 11 Frank Simpson
By Postcoach to Goslar with Love
A postal puzzle which intrigued collectors, the solution of which revealed the philatelic record of a charming love story. Aseries of letters (covers) from a young lady addressed to her beloved in Goslar. The letters, over 150 in number, were numbered on receipt in date order. Oddly the letters were cancelled as if they were posted in different villages - Flechtorf, Lehre and Vorsfeld or in Braunschweig. A clue was deduced that these places were on the route of a post coach which travelled daily between Vorsfeld and Braunschweig. A second clue was the time of posting viz;
"Dispatch Thurday morning 8 o'clock"; the post coach changed horses at the Gasthof zur Post in the village of Flechtorf at 7.55 and at 18.55 on the return journey.
Frame No. 12 Frank Simpson
Braunschweig 1857, I Gutegroschen (4 x 3 Br. Pfennige Stamp)
The stamp designed to be divided suitably for local rate postage and also to minimise cluttering envelopes with stamps for higher postage rates.
Examples used for foreign postage.
Frame No's 13 & 14 Bryan Dowler
Gilbert and Ellice Islands Pre-Stamp to 1912
Prior to 1911 no Post Office existed on any of the 37 islands and atolls comprising the Gilbert & Ellice group which are spread over almost two million square miles of the central Pacific.
Pre 1911 a few European traders and missionairies spent time on the larger islands and they needed to send mail back to their respective home countries. This could be achieved only by waiting for a ship to call and for the ship's captain to take the letter(s) for posting at the next convenient port.
In 1889 the Jaluit Gesellschaft - a trading company operating in the German Marshall Islands - opened a branch store on Butaritari Island.
Paul Dolch, a German national, had been shipwrecked on Butaritari in 1887 and became harbour master there. In 1889 he returned to Germany and married Fraülein Johanna Büsse. They went to Butaritari sometime between 1891 and 1894. Between 1894 and 1904 the couple sent three letters to the Büsse family in Meissen. Two of such letters dated 1895 and 1899 are exhibited here. The first letter went via Sydney, the second via Jaluit. Exhibited also are two pre-stamp letters from Paul Dolch to his own relatives in Meissen dated 1895 and 1896 and two further pre -stamp letters to Dresden and to Hamburg.
The next section shows (inter alia) the first issue - the Fiji overprinted stamps, used on piece cancelled with the large circular Ty 1 postmark, plus covers franked with the first issue dated between January 1911 and December 1912. Included are two covers with holograph registration marks and two with the first type of registration labels.
The next issue of stamps - the 1st Definitive Issue made on 4 March 1911 - consisted of four values from ½d to 2½d showing the local Pandamus Pine tree. These are represented by used blocks plus a further number used on piece, also on cover commercially used to Newcastle, Staff, to London, Paris and to Germany.
Frame No's 15 & 16 David Milsted
The First Four Issues of King Edward V11 Used on January 1st 1902
Herr Emil Fuchs, a sculptor, exhibited in London in 1900 a medallion of the then Prince of Wales. This subsequently served as a model for the King Edward V11 stamps of Great Britain and many of the overseas possessions. Anew frame was designed by De La Rue from a sketch by Herr Fuchs and the preparation of dies was in hand by July 1901. The Post Office had intended to issue the first four stamps, the ½d blue -green, 2d scarlet, 2½d ultramarine and the 6d purple on the King's birthday, November 9th 1901. De La Rue only had approval for the ½d and 1d plates at this time and public demand would have exceeded supply for these denominations alone. The issue of the first four stamps was therefore delayed until January 1st 1902. First day covers were very popular and many have survived on letter and card with some used commercially. Although the Post Office gave strict instructions that none of the four values were to be sold before January 1st 1902, copies under special conditions were obtained on December 20th 1901, the day on which the Prince of Wales addressed a meeting of The Philatelic Society, London. Later to become King George V, his Majesty was Society President from 1896 to 1910. Royal patronage was granted to the Society in 1906. Pre-release covers are shown alongside first day use in the United Kingdom, to France and the first four issues on cover to Hong Kong.
Frame No's 17 & 18 Malcolm Domingo
Empress of India
A mint display of Victorian Imperial Stamps of India and the Convention States. With State First Issues in their earliest shades, surcharged with State name and Service.
The reference selection consists of essays, trials and major errors, catalogued or otherwise and De La Rue archive material. Included are serveral examples illustrated in the Stewart - Wilson and B. Gordon Jones I and II editions of 1897 and 1903.
Provenences by National Societies and Stanley Gibbons Ltd., of the unique and difficult items from past Indian States Collections.
Frame No's 19 & 20 Dr. Christopher Board
Cape of Good Hope Postal Stationery Postcards 1878 -1910
Postcards were seen as a cheap method of communciation throughout the Colony. An official but locally produced card was printed in 1878 but had limited uses and was unpopular. This was replaced by De La Rue issues coinciding with reform of postal rates from 1 July 1882. The first such postcard used 1d duty designed by De La Rue for the newswrapper of 1881. This display includes one of the earliest known of these postcards from a sheet to be overprinted by commercial firms, guillotined and sent out on the first day of issue. The second De La Rue card, a three-halfpenny card, printed but not issued in 1883 was intended for the UPU international postcard rate, the Cape's application to join the UPU having failed. Halfpenny postcards were introduced when rates fell again in 1888. As the economy of the Cape improved with the discovery and exploitation of diamonds at Kimberley, and later from the gold mining in the Transvaal, halfpenny cards replaced 1d cards as the preferred method of cheap business and social communication. As 1d postcard rates became normal throughout southern Africa and for overseas, surpluses of three-halfpenny cards were surcharged ONE PENNY. Late in the 1890s enterprising publishers stirred by demand from increasing numbers of tourists from Europe added views to existing postcards. Reply-paid postcards were introduced almost as soon as they were permitted for inland and overseas use. The Cape Post Office was persuaded to issue a new 1d postcard in the new larger format, at first for publishers to add veiws to the reverse side. It was not long before the Post Office produced their own illustrated set with local views. Overseas mail, boosted during the Anglo-Boer War, maintained demand for both plain and illustrated cards.
In 1901 De La Rue quickly produced ranges of postal stationery with the head of the new King. Halfpenny cards proved increasingly popular for inland use. One penny international postcards, with and without views, flourished until private picture postcards were permitted to pass through the mail at postcard rates in 1903. A full range of postcards was produced, but only the halfpenny cards are at all common. Cape postcards were also supplied to neighbouring administrations such as Bechuanaland and Mashonaland. Furthermore the military authorities ordered more, suitably overprinted cards, for use in the newly occupied Orange River Colony from 1900.
Frame No's 21 & 22 John Ray
The Postal Stationery Envelopes and Registered Envelopes of Fiji
Registered postal stationery envelopes were first issued in October 1911. The envelopes were printed by Thomas De La Rue & Co. in three sizes, G, H2 and K, 500 of each having been ordered; the actual quantities delivered were slightly higher, i.e. 529, 514 and 512 respectively. In addition, 404 of the G size were overprinted "SPECIMEN". Although King Edward VII had died more than a year earlier his effigy was used on the envelopes because, at the time that the order was placed, the design for the new King's head had not been approved. Initially all registered envelopes were printed in blue but, in 1927, the colour of the stamp on the G size envelopes was changed to brown. Other than this, the original design was retained until McCorquodale & Co. were awarded the printing contract in 1962. At this point the H2 size was replaced by size H, the stamps were embossed instead of surface -printed and the colours were changed. The last printing was made in 1992 and these envelopes were still on sale in 2007, demand nowadays being almost non-existent.
Postal stationery envelopes were first issued in September 1912, printed by De La Rue, the design utilising the head of KG Vembossed in red. The initial supply was size "9", the paper being grey with blue interior. In later issues, between 1913 and 1931, sizes "13" and "official pouch" were introduced, together with different qualities of paper. After 1931 no further envelopes were required until, in 1962, an order was placed with McCorquodale & Co. The new design was issued in 1963, denominated 3d. As with the earlier series of envelopes, a new size, and different paper types, were introduced in later printings, the last of these being in 1977. Undenominated "postage prepaid" envelopes, printed in Fiji, were issued in 1997. These were intended for local and international airmail services, the former in three sizes and the latter, designated for zones Ato F, in two sizes. They were still on sale in 2007.
Changes in postal rates over the years, and the adoption of decimal currency in 1969, have resulted in a multiplicity of issues, some of them only available in small quantities and accordingly hard to find, especially in used condition.
Frame No's 23 & 24 Ian Nutley
"Graf Zeppelin's" Flight Around The World 7 August - 4 September 1929
Chief Executive of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and commander of the "Graf Zeppelin" Hugo Eckener, demonstrated the capacity of his airship in 1929 with a circumnavigation. Partly financed by the U.S. newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, the airship left Lakehurst, New Jersey, with 22 passengers in addition to crew, on the first ever passenger-carrying flight around the world. The route was Friedrichshafen, Danzig, Berlin, then on to the first stop in Japan, across the Pacific to Los Angeles, a trans-America flight to Lakehurst, and finally back home to Germany.
Post was carried over every stage, including foreign contract mail, U.S. mail and of course post from Germany. A fully operational post office was on board for the convenience of passengers, including the only female on board, Lady Grace Hay Drummond-Hay.
This display shows a variety of postal items, including foreign contract, the drop-mail at Staten Isalnd postmarked Lakewood, of which only six exist, and mail written on board by Lady Grace. On the evening of departure from Los Angeles, Hearst gave a banquet for senior crew members and passengers at the Ambassador Hotel, and a rare menu from this event is shown. In all, 34,199 km were covered in a flying time of 300 hours 40 minutes. The success of this historic flight helped pave the way for the "Graf's" commercial service between Germany and Brazil which commenced in 1932.
Frame No's 25, 26 & 27 Brian Asquith
Turkish Aviation Fund (THK) Stamps 1926 -1937
Turk Hava Kurumu (or THK), "The Turkish Air Association"is a Turkish organisation founded in 1925 by Kemal Ataturk to fund aviation in Turkey. On certain days of the year these THKstamps had to be affixed to correspondence in addition to the normal postage. Later they were accepted as actual postage and for fiscal purposes. The exhibit shows those issued before 1937 together with some varieties and examples of usage.
Frame No's 28 & 29 Margaret Noack
Sir Francis Chichester
Francis Chichester was born in Barnstaple, Devon, on 17th September 1901. In 1919 he emigrated to New Zealand where he worked at a variety of jobs. Chichester loved flying, but had no aptitude for it. He persevered, with the intention of breaking some flying record, thereby earning both a name and capital.
He returned to England in 1929 with the view of flying solo to Australia, but was beaten in the attempt by Australian aviator Bert Hinkler. Undeterred, he decided to do the journey anyway, and from Sydney he shipped his plane to New Zealand where he nurtured the idea of being the first to fly solo around the world, after all, he had already come half way. In his small plane with its limited range he flew in short hops to Australia, through the Philippines to Japan, where he crashed the plane beyond repair and was forced to abandon the attempt.
He returned to England again where he ran his own business for a while, but his restless nature turned his attention toward the sea. In 1960 he won the first solo trans-Atlantic yacht race in Gypsy Moth III. In 1967 he became the first Englishman to sail single-handed around the world. He returned to a hero's welcome, and was duly knighted at Greenwich by Queen Elizabeth II.
Worn out by old injuries and exhaustion, Francis Chichester died on August 26th, 1972. No doubt he will always be remembered for his achievements on the sea, but his contribution to early aviation should never be under-estimated.
This display shows covers and photos from Chichester's attempted around the world flight, a letter from his business, a letter in his own hand, and covers commemorating his round-the-world voyage, his return to Plymouth, and his knighthood. A small tribute to the man I consider to be the last of the great adventurers.
Frame No's 30, 31 & 32 Peter Ottis
Falkland Islands Postal History 1891-1917
Up to 1896 mail was cancelled by "Cork Obliterators" with the datestamp placed elsewhere. Examples of Covers and Cards are shown including 1891 "Bisects". These were required when the Empire rate was reduced to 2½d ½oz on 1-1-1891, no ½d or 2½d stamps being available. Each half of the 1d being surcharged ½d. However the practice was not rigidly adhered to and the vast majority of the surviving covers bear unsurcharged bisects. They were invalidated on 11-1-1892.
1-7-1900 saw the mail contract, held by the German Kosmos Line for the previous 20 years, pass to the Pacific Steam Navigation Company until being terminated on 7-9-1917. Among many scarce items is a cover from William Bruce, leader of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, a Paquebot cover with 2½d G.B. stamp, one of the few P.S.N.C. cards used from the Islands, early whaling mail from S. Georgia and New Island and items connected with the Battle of the Falkland Islands (8-12-1914).
Frame No's 33, 34, 35 & 36 Bernard W. Conway
N.Z. Definitive Stamps in the 1970s
The 1970s witnessed a number of changes in stamp production which are of seminal interest to philatelists:
1. The end of watermarked paper. During the 1960s occasional issues were made on un-watermarked paper, e.g. "Compac" in 1962, "Parliamentary Conference" in 1965 and "Human Rights" in 1966. From and including the 1973 re -print of the 1970 Pictorial Definitive issue watermarked paper was not used again.
2. Multi-value stamp booklets, made up from specially produced sheets were discontinued. The 1970 Pictorial Definitive booklets were the last to be produced in this way, later booklets were made up by dissecting normal stamp sheets.
3. The availability of ordinary definitive stamps from vending machines in post offices came to an end when the 1970 Definitive Issue was replaced by Vending Machine stamps in 1978. The debacle of the "POSTAFIX" stamps is an interesting sideline.
4. Counter-coil rolls ceased to be produced after the issue of the 1970 Pictorial Definitives. Seven values of this issue were the last to be made up into counter-coil rolls.
5. With increases in postal rates the 1970s saw the over-printing and surcharging of several printings of definitive stamps the most interesting of which was probably the 4 cent surcharge on 2½cent Magpie Moth stamp. Three printings of this stamp can be identified and plated and there are many flaws.
This is part of a "working study" which is not complete, it is the first part of what will eventually include the other surcharged values of 1970 definitive issue. I suppose that if it were not for the lack of joined-up thinking on the part of Postal Administrations and carelessness by Printers then philately would be far less interesting, and dealers far poorer!
Frame No's 37, 38 & 39 Chris Hitchen
The District Offices in Paris 1863 to 1876
Until September 1863 the district offices in Paris were designated by letters dating back to the creation of the Petite Poste in 1760. Now that the city had been thoroughly reshaped by the redevelopments of Baron Haussman the opportunity was taken to reclassify the offices on a more logical basis.
They were now numbered in order of importance, based on revenue, from 1 to 35 and given star cancellations, which included the new number, to cancel the stamps. Number 1 was allocated, not unsurprisingly, to the Stock Exchange and number 35 to the poor house at Salpêtrière. In October 1866 a further five offices were opened.
The display covers most aspects of the postal history of this period with a selection of offices showing as wide a variety as possible. At Office 14, the earliest recorded use shows a mixture of the new cancellation and the old datestamp - D1 on 5 September 1863. A late fee system had just started in June 1863 and the only known late fee to Australia was posted from Office 3. A number of balloon covers flown from the city during the war of 1870 are shown, and some from the tragic period of the Commune when loss of equipment led to improvisations, as with the use of an anchor cancel at Office 8. Curiously some offices ran short of cancellers and resorted to improvisation. At Offices 20 and 24 a provincial lozenge was used for a while and at Office 28 a star 20 was locally adapted to a 28 which then steadily disintegrated. Roller cancels were normally the preserve of the Head post office, and Office 4 was the only district office to use them usually on registered or foreign mail.
Frame No's 40 & 41 Reg Harrison
The Foreign Sorting Marks of Belgium
Belgium became an independent country in 1839 shortly before the inventions of the steam locomotive. It occupied a strategic location in relation to trade and communications between other European countries and much mail crossed Belgium as well as that which originated or terminated there.
To assist with the sorting, routeing and charging of mail, various marks, originally manuscript, were used to designate the countries and the frontier despatch offices eg FRANCE PAR MONS, ALLEMAGNE PAR VERVIERS. Belgium was quick to recognise the importance of railways and an extensive network was built commencing with north/south and east/west lines centred on Malines (later Brussels). These four major lines were given compass names - Nord, Midi, Est and Ouest - and these directions were incorporated into circular date stamps used on mail, e.g. HOLLAND NoRD 1, ANGLETERRE PAR OUEST2, ESPAGNE MIDI 2, ITALIE MIDI II, which was carried by travelling post offices on these routes.
In total, around eighteen countries featured on these marks, mainly European destinations, but none for Scandinavian or African and Asian countries. Basically for regular trade connections. Although most commonly used on mail leaving Belgium, often the same handstamp would be used on mail entering Belgium.
This display shows a small selection of sorting marks encountered.
Frame No 42 John Schofield
The Postmarks, Registration Marks and Labels Of Ocean Island, 1911 to 1920
Ocean Island in the Gilbert and Ellice group lies about 240 miles south west of Tarawa Island and about 165 miles north east of Nauru. It was the administrative headquarters of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands protectorate and then colony from 19011 to 1942.
The island has an area of 2½square miles and was formed by an upheaval of the earth's crust, which then became home to millions of sea birds, which left their deposits. The island sank once more beneath the sea, coral polyps began to build up, and then once again the island was thrust up above sea level, having had vast deposits of phosphorous rock formed on top of it. The highest point of Ocean Island is 280 feet above sea level.
The discovery of this phosphate in 1900 led to the annexation of the island into the Gilbert and Ellice Island's protectorate. Stamps were first issued in 1911, and the sheets show the registration marks, labels and postmarks from 1911 to 1920 in chronological order.
Frame No's 43 & 44 Alan Holverson
The Philatelic Emergence of Poland After 150 Years of Foreign Occupation
150 years ago Poland disappeared as a Nation, when it was occupied and divided between Imperial Russia, Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
On 3rd November 1918, a few days before the official end of the First World War, Poland was proclaimed a Republic. At this time Poland had no common currency nor postage stamps.
Since 1915, the City State of Warsaw had its own stamps and postal system, and from eary 1918 many cities had their own local stamps.
The "Citizens Post Stamps" of Warsaw were overprinted 'Poczta Polska' and surcharged in the Fenigow and Marka currency of north Poland. Many other cities overprinted German or Austrian stamps and postal stationery, some examples of these are displayed.
In December 1919 and January 1920 German and Austrian stamps were overprinted and surcharged by the Polish postal authorities.
On 27th January 1919, the first Polish stamps were produced.
As late as September 1919, at Gniezno, in Poznan Province, two German stamps were overprinted. Arelatively small number were printed and few have survived on cover.
It was not until 1924 that the Groszy and the Zloty were taken into use throughout Poland.
Frame No's 45 & 46 Paul Elliot
The French Empire
The Kings of France were primarily interested in maintaining and even increasing her position of power within Europe. However some of the more enlightened monarchs saw that their country would be at a disadvantage commercially and militarily unless overseas territories were made subject to France, with all the attendant benefits. Thus trading posts and settlements were established in the New World, in the Atlantic and on the edges of North Africa. By 1750 these outposts had been enlarged greatly in number and in land mass, especially in North America (Canada) and in Asia (India).
However, Great Britain took exception to these developments and, in a series of wars, The French were driven out of Canada and India by 1763 (The Treaty of Paris). Those of us who went to school in the era when History was taught properly will know the events of these two military campaigns.
Though Napoleon Bonaparte conquered much of Europe, he was also responsible for reducing the French Overseas Empire to Martinique and Guadeloupe by 1815.
Once again France began to rebuild her empire by setting up settlements and trading posts, mainly in The Far East (China and Indochina), The Pacific Ocean (New Caledonia) and The Middle East (Lebanon and Syria). At the same time she sent her armies and administrators into Africa and so built up an empire of great size but much of which was desert. The jewel in the crown was Algeria. Little did France know what trouble this country would cause her in the 1950's and early 1960's.
As the colonies began to establish their own identities, they began to demand more autonomy for themselves. These demands soon included more control of their postal system. "What about issuing our own stamps?" they asked.
Algeria was first. But all that the settlers received were stamps of France overprinted "Algerie". However, it was not long before the colonies were allowed to issue their own design of stamp albeit they were still designed and printed in France.
On the following sheets I hope to show how the stamps often illustrated the wide variety and lifestyle of the people who made up the French Empire. It cannot have been too bad as some of the ex-colonies have voted to become part of France.
Frame No's 47 & 48 Tom Butlin
Sierra Leone Self-Adhesive and Metallic Foil Stamps 1964 -1972
In the early 1960s Sierra Leone had long been concerned about the problems connected with the adhesive on conventional stamps because of the heat and high humidity on the West coast of Africa. The Sierra Leone Post Office thought that pressure sensitive stamps might be the answer to their problems. The philatelic expert they consulted was the same person who in 1963 advised the Tongan Government about their stamps printed on metallic foil. As Walsall Security Printers had manufactured the Tongan stamps, they got the contract for the World's First Free-form Self-Adhesive stamps which issued on 10 February 1964. The backing paper was supplied by Samuel Jones and Co Ltd., then of Butterfly House, Dingwall Road, Croydon.
The display shows a variety of commercial covers during the period 10 February 1964 to 5 December 1972, when Sierra Leone reverted to conventional stamps. Although self-adhesive stamps lasted very well in Sierra Leone's excessive humidity even without air-conditioning, it is most likely that cost and the increasing dictatorial nature of the then President of Sierra Leone, Siaka Stevens, who wanted his own portrait on stamps, finally killed off this interesting phase in the postal history of the country.
Sierra Leone's self -adhesive stamps should always be left on their backing paper if mint and on cover or large piece if used. Most attempts to soak them off will leave the stamps tacky and more importantly render them worthless.
Frame No's 49 & 50 Don Franks
Early Southern Solomon Islands
In 1893 the Islands were proclaimed a British Protectorate and in 1897 C.M. Woodford became the more or less self appointed Resident Commissioner. For political and commercial reasons he wanted to establish his own Postal system, but permission was refused. He had to tolerate New South Wales postage adhesives and paid handstamps on outward post from his fifty foreign residents.
In 1906 the 'franking power'of his own rectangular framed 'Paid' hand - stamp was only accepted by accident (in October) for a few envelopes. Frustrated, in February 1907 he issued his own adhesives, the 'Large Canoes' and determined his own postage rates. However, by March these adhesives were only accepted as 'locals'.
The authorities relented in September 1907 and in November 1908 the official 'Small Canoes' replaced the 'Large'.
Frame No 51 Gregory Loh, Frank Simpson
Croydon Philatelic Society Photographs
Photographic records of events in the life of the Society: Annual dinners, visits by groups of members to philatelic societies in Lagny sur Marne, Arnham, Antwerp, Bruges, Lille, Boulogne sur Mer and Vevey.
Also records of the Centenary celebration in September 2007.
Frame No 52 Alex Johnson
Material From The Society's Archives
Material records from the Society's Archives including photographs of eminent philatelic collector members and photographs of the Society's anniversary celebrations.
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