150th Anniversary of Moldavia's "Bulls"
21 July 1858 - 31 October 1858
Fritz Heimbüchler RDP - FRPSL
24 April 2008
On the 21st July 1858, in the town of Jassy, the Capital of the Principality of Moldavia, there appeared Romania's first stamps. Moldavia, nowadays the north-eastern part of Romania is of some historical importance. Already in 1365 a system of intrinsic government came into existence, which under the rule of Prince Stephan the Great (1456 - 1504) fought to maintain independence against Hungary, Poland and the Ottoman Empire. After Stephan's death his successor recognised the authority of the Porte but in return received considerable rights concerning autonomy and the choice of their own Prince - all this provided they remained loyal to their overlords. The Coat of Arms of the small area between the Carpathians and the Black Sea depicted the Auroch-ox, which is to be found on documents and seals of the 14th and 15th centuries. This heraldic symbol graces the four values issued: 27, 54, 81 and 108 parale.
Illustrations 1-4
At the end of the Crimean War (1856) the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were under the protection of the Great Powers. In 1857 a omission for the reorganisation of the postal system of Moldavia proposed the introduction of stamps. The first step taken was to order from Vienna double circle postmarks, the strikes indicating a place name and the date and these came into use in APril 1857 initially on stampless letters.
The first stamps were designed and prepared in the Moldavian Principality. A local engraver fashioned the four cliché. The iron blanks were imported from France. Each value was individually engraved and distinct recognisable differences can be seen. This is of great importance in expertising these stamps. The four original clichés together with those of the second issue are stored in the Bucharest Postal Museum. In places these are somewhat damaged by corrosion. In 1891 and again on several occasions in later years reprints were manufactured which can be recognised as such; details are given in Volume I and III of the Romanian Handbook.
The preparation of the first issue was carried out by hand, each stamp being individually printed by a simple press. The original sheet consisted of 32 stamps in four horizontal rows each of eight stamps. The two upper rows show the stamps "head up", whereas the two lower rows have the reverse arrangement. This was technically necessary because the printing press could not accommodate four rows at a time. We thus have eight téte-béche pairs (foot to foot) formed by the second and third row.
Characteristic habits of postal officials
Many postal employees had their own way of dealing with the stamps. In Jassy the sheet was cut into horizontal strips and then separated according to need by cuts or by tearing. The typical corners that were thus produced can still be recognised on some letters or pieces.
Cut squarely or round
At most post offices stamps of the first issue were cut to a square or rectangular shape but in the small town of Bakeu it was thought that stamps should be cut to a circular shape following the design. Up to recent times it was thought that stamps from this locality cut squarely were "suspicious" but the author can vouch for two copies cut to a square, one on letter and one on a piece.
Of the small edition of the first issue printed that was in use in the post offices of Moldavia (in Jassy at the most for 103 days) less than half were sold. The remainder were burnt many years later. Tragic circumstances and a legal examination (Handbook vol. 1, p. 92 and vol. III, p. 87) has given us documentary evidence of how many stamps of each value were sold in any one particular post office. 1
The total number of stamps sold:
| 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 | Parale |
| 3691 | 4772 | 709 | 2584 |
The latest figures given in the author's handbook "Romania - The Bull's Heads of Moldavia 1858 - 1862 Supplement 2007 shows the following quantity of these stamps still in existence.
Today's extant examples:
| 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 | Parale | ||
| Stamps | 14 | 25 | 35 | 20 | unused | Total 94 |
| Stamps | 178 | 290 | 27 | 189 | used | Total 684 |
Details concerning the number of letters, stamps on piece, multiple franking and their attribution to particular post offices are detailed in the Handbook's supplementary volume.
The duration of use of the 1st issue of Moldavia
The issue was in use for a very short time. The issue date was 21st July 1858. The first day of use in Jassy was the 22nd July; the remainder of the post offices received the stamps a few days later. The first known date of use is JASSY 29/7. Already on 31st October 1858 the stamps were demonetised and this is also the existing "late day" use.
The letter tariff of 1st May 1858 stipulated two "distances"
I) up to 8 post relay stations (ca. 120-160km)
II) over 8 post relay stations attracting a doubling of postal rates
The very impractical values of the stamps, 27, 54, 81 and 108 parale, which were based on an exchange rate of 108 parale to the French Franc, caused much extra work for the postal employees. To simplify this a second issue was prepared as early as 1st November 1858.
The 2nd issue of Moldavia - 1 November 1858 - 5 May 1862
A general tariff independent of distance.
40 parale (1 Leu) for simple letters for each 2.5 dramuri (ca. 8 g) weight
80 parale (2 Lei) for registered letters for each 2.5 dramuri
Registered letters were charged double the normal rate
Newspapers and other printed matters were charge 5 parale per sheet except when the publisher had arranged a contract.
Illustrations 5-7 40 parale - 80 parale - 5 parale newspaper stamp
The number of stamps in circulation during their 3 ½ years of validity
(variously 8-10 print runs)
| 40 Parale | 103 000 Stamps |
| 80 Parale | 58 500 Stamps |
| 5 Parale | 23 040 Stamps |
The types of paper used for the different print-runs were not always the same. Initially the 5 parale and the 40 parale were printed on bluish papers, the 80 parale on white. Later, various shades of yellowish or white paper were used for the 5 and 40 parale and a lilac-bluish paper for the last two editions of the 80 parale. Used copies of these last are not often found and unused examples are extremely rare.
The acquisition of a genuine 5 parale stamp in good condition is exceptional. Nearly all of the 23040 sold are lost, having been discarded with their newspapers. The few remaining examples, unused and used, on bluish and on white paper, in total 74, therefore achieve an appropriately high price.
The stamps of the second issue of Moldavia were withdrawn from sale on 1 May, 1862 but remained valid until the 5th May.
The stamps of both the issues of Moldavia could only be used within that one Principality. Correspondence to other countries prior to the postal agreement between Austria-Hungary and Romania (guilty 1st April 1869) necessitated the use of foreign Post-Offices. (There were a few exceptions including the arrangement of 25 November 1867 made with Russia). 2
In January 1859 the two Principalities, Moldavia and Wallachia, were united under Prince Alexandru Cuza and on 24th January 1862 adopted the name Romania.
Following the unification of the postal systems of the two Principalities stamps with values of 3, 6 and 30 parale appeared, the design of which included both the "Bull" of Moldavia and Wallachia's eagle. A new postal tariff made Moldavia's second issue superfluous.
Notes concerning the reprints of the 1st and 2nd issues of Moldavia
We know little concerning the preservation of the original steel dies and their sporadic use or the preparation of reprints. An original document which surfaced in recent times (Dosar 125/1891) had turned out to contain valuable information. Consideration of this subject in relation to Moldavia's 1st and 2nd Issue is relevant because coloured prints of the first issue were, in the past, manipulated to "prepare" letters. Volume III of the Handbook published in December 2007 therefore deals extensively with these reprints and supplements the relevant chapter in Volume 1.
Illustrations 8-11
The 1891 Gorjan-Reprints. Black on laid grey-blue paper.
Reprints prepare from the original clichés under Control of August Gorjan, General-Director of the Romanian Post 1891.
Coloured Reprints
Illustrations 12-14
27 parale black on rose card - 27+27 parale black on laid rose-brown - 108 parale blue on rose paper.
There also exist unused reprints of the 54 and 81 parale in the original colours. After second World War a complete set of the four values in their original colours but on atypical paper were rated by the Friedl-Expert-Committee of New York as reprints. The date, purpose and instigation of the reprints on coloured paper and in the stamps original colours are hitherto unknown. For more information see vol. I and III of the Handbook Romania.
Illustration 15 The defective Original Cliché of the 108 Parale Bucharest Postal Conservatory 1993
1 Valerian Tebeica: Die ersten rumänischen Postmarken, Bukarest 1962, S. 45/90. Staatsarchiv Bukarest PDM 1015 ff.
2 C. Minescu Istoria Postelor Romane, Bucharest 1916, p. 275. Handbook Romania Vol. II, p. 209.
Literature
Fritz Heimbüchler - Romania - The Bull's Heads of Moldavia 1852-1862 (Vol. 1) 1994
416 p. 1000 illustrations. Gold medals: Toronto 1996; Istanbul 1996; IBRA 1999.
Romania - Principality of Wallachia 1820-1862 - United Principalities 1862-1872 (Vol II) 2002
360 p. 450 illustrations (Lindenberg Medaille 2003, Earl of Crawford Medal 2003)
Large gold medals: Cyprus 2002 and Valencia 2004; Gold medal: Washington 2006.
Romania - The Bull's Heads of Moldavia 1852-1862 Supplement 2007 (Vol. III) Dec. 2007
164 p. 230 illustr.
Translation: Dr. Paul Hirsch FRPSL
Vol. I-III: Red Crylux - hard bound, high quality editions 30 x 22 cm. Bilingual German - English.
E-mail: fil@heimbuchler.com
Web: www.heimbuchler.com
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