Brief Descriptions of Displays by Northern Fellows and Members
25th May 2006 at 1.00pm
Douglas B Armitage, FRPSL
Ecuador - The Seebeck Issues 1892 - 1896
Nicholas F. Seebeck of the Hamilton Bank Note Co., New York entered into a contract with Ecuador in 1890 to supply stamps and postal stationery at no charge for a period of 10 years commencing in 1892. The Contract stated that Ecuador would adopt new designs each year, invalidate the stamps of the previous year, return any remainders and allow reprints to be made from the original plates. The contact did not run the full period due to pressure from philatelists and was terminated in November 1895.
The display shows a selection of these issues during this period, originals and reprints, plus their own on cover.
John A Edwards, FRPSL
USA Western Expressed
The discovery of gold in California in 1848 led to a Gold Rush and the arrival of large numbers of prospectors. The United States Post Office Department failed to respond to the operated from 1849 through to the 1890's. The display shows some of their franks and the routes over which they operated. The Post Office had a monopoly and declared all roads to be postal routes. Thus government postage had to be paid in addition to express charges.
John A Edwards, FRPSL
USA Officially Sealed Mail
The United States Post Office Department started using official seals in 1872 as a security measure for registered mail. From 1877 a series of labels were used to seal mail found open or damaged in the post, opened by customs officials or opened by postal clerks to return to sender. Some mail items present a puzzle as why it was necessary to open them. The explanation may be that the postal clerks were checking to see if the contents warranted return to the sender. The display shows some of the more unusual 'officially sealed' items.
S Holder, FRPSL
Memel
Memel. or Klaipeda, the much disputed port and region on the Baltic, was administered by France between 1920 and 1923. It then became a part of independent Lithuania, having been ceded by Germany under the terms of the 1919 Versailles Treaty. This exhibit shows aspects of the town's colourful postal history.
S Holder, FRPSL
Alsace
Another disputed territory: French since 1648; taken by Germany in 1871; back to France in 1919; occupied by Germany again in 1940; back to France in 1945. Its postal history is interesting. During the period of the Franco-Prussian War, a curious double-franking system operated, where half of the revenue went to France, the other half of Germany. This exhibit illustrates the 'double-franking' system.
C B Hopes, FRPSL Yorkshire County Representative
Taking The Harrogate Waters
A beautiful town with some lovely nooks and corners. Just a little postal history, with some cards and pictures.
B Lucas, FRPSL
Iran
A selection of unusual items, including:-
1. Tabriz local stamp printed on the sheet margins of the current definitives.
2. Registration labels used as 1 chahi postage stamps and 1 chahi postage
stamps used as registration labels.
3. A "philatelic" censor cover
4. A newspaper with a TAXE PERCUE (postage paid) mark.
5. Polish forces mail in the 1940s.
6. A die proof of the 1949 War Effort stamp.
7. Inverted centres of the 1924 2 krans and the 1950 10 rials.
8. Large colours shifts and missing colours.
9. The unissued 1968 Tennis Congress pair.
9. An envelope sent after the 1979 revolution but using pre-revolution
stamps showing the last two Shahs, with each of their heads crossed out
in red ink.
B Lucas, FRPSL
Pneumatic Mail
The main cities to use a pneumatic or Rohrpost system were Berlin, Paris
and Vienna, but there were other places which had smaller systems and these
are not as common as the big three.
Examples shown from Marseille, Turin, Milan, Naples, Rome, Prague, Chicago, New York, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Zurich and Manchester. This last one is really a fraud, as it did not go through a Post Office tube, but was despatched through the internal tube from the mail room to another office in the Manchester Guardian building.
A Megginson, FRPSL
Danish T.P.O's 1864 - 1997
A range of Danish railway T.P.O. postmarks from the earliest to the final run of the T.P.O.'s on the 31st May 1997, including reserve postmarks and "TOG posts" cachets.
M Oxley, FRPSL
Sarawak
Early letters from England were sent to Singapore where they were collected by the Rajah's yacht. The Post Office at Kuching kept a supply of East India Company stamps for use on letters sent from Sarawak. The first stamp was issued in 1869. Only one value was needed, as all the postal charges were multiples of three cents. Additional values were needed, as all the postal charges were multiples of three cents. Additional values were introduced in 1875 when the rates were changed. Until Sarawak joined the UPU in 1879, Straits Settlements stamps were necessary on all letters sent abroad. A combination cover and three commercial covers with the 1899 provisionals are shown.
After the Second World War started a detachment of the Punjab Regiment was sent to Miri to project and assist the civilian demolition parties at the Sarawak Oilfields site. A second detachment was sent to defend Kuching. After the Japanese occupied Sarawak, a POW camp was set up outside Kuching and cards were issued for POWs to send home. Nothing was known about the Indians taken prisoner and a mass mailing was organised to try and find out what had happened to them, but all the cards were returned marked 'INCONNU / RETOUR', probably after the war ended.
M Roberts, FRPSL
Liverpool Ship Letters 1780 To 1820
This section comprises examples of mail through Liverpool between 1780 and 1820. It is not confined to a particular routing although much of the early material is to and from the West Indies. I have also included some transatlantic mail carried on various private ships using their own markings. (12 sheets)
M Roberts, FRPSL
Liverpool Australian Mails 1820 To 1857
This section starts with a number of examples of mail by private ship from Australia; several States are represented. Included are a number of examples during and immediately post the India Letter period.
The Australian Clippers were a very important part of the Postal History of Liverpool; several examples are displayed carried via contracted packets and private ships. (12 sheets)
J. D. C. Sussex, FRPSL, Yorkshire Country Representative
Postal History Of The Derwent Valley
Most postal historians apart from their main collections collect their local area. My house is situated on the Yorkshire river Derwent. A few years ago I decided to collect the postal history of the villages and town on its banks.
The following 24 pages show material including postcards from this area. Starting at Elvington and going north to Stamford Bridge the scene of the battle in 1066 and continuing up to the Towns of Norton and Malton. Going south to villages of Sutton on Derwent, Melbourne and Weldake finishing at the town of Howden.
D Turner
Ocean And Imperial Penny Post
A selection of material from a large collection of postal history dealing with both subjects. Early and unusual items are included from different postal administrations. It is hoped that members will be informed and entertained.
Dr R Unwin, FRPSL
Arab Government In Syria, Provisional Issues
At the end of WW1 an Arab Government was set up in Syria and this administration, based in Damascus, issued its own postage stamps from early January 1920. This first provisional issue resulted from overprinting remaining stocks from Ottoman postage and fiscal stamps by means of a handstamp in the form of a seal reading 'Arab Government'. In many cases the stamps were also surcharged by means of handstamps.
The second provisional issue of March 1920 had the seal replaced by a triangular design handstamp. Later in the month the triangular overprint with surcharge was applied by typography to fiscal stamps.
Richard Wheatley, FRPSL
Egypt, The Third Issue 1872-79
These stamps are a real joy to collect. Their attraction is in the scope of interests that they embrace. From essays, to types of printing, to varieties, to tete-beche, to used abroad, to surcharges and forgeries! Who could want more?
The stamps look primitive by comparison to the previous issue, which came from the same printer and loo superb.
My favourite page is number 21. Here you will see marginal blocks of four of the 2½ piastre, together with matching blocks of the 5 PARA and 10 PARA surcharge, each block with the major variety "Cleft in pyramid"!!!
Richard Wheatley, FRPSL
Netherlands East Indies, Princes Wilhemina Issue
King Willem III died on 23rd November 1890. His daughter was his heir, but she was too young to succeed to the throne. In the event her youthful portrait appeared on a set of stamps from 1892 onwards, albeit with a crown.
The use of these delightful stamps spanned a mere 8½ years, during which time she was crowned Queen on 6th September 1898, one week after her 18th birthday.
Of particular interest is the top value, 2½ Guilder. This was the only value to have colour trials, for it is bi-coloured. Usage of this stamp is elusive, but not impossible!
Richard Wheatley, FRPSL
Spitfire
This is my foray into the mysterious world of thematics. However, any ambition I might initially have harboured of working this up into a competitive exhibit, have long since been abandoned.
I now collect the subject my way and write it up my way, for my enjoyment. I am free. No rules. No shackles. It is all a' la Sinatra.
You will see here some fine and rare material alongside fairly mundate fare. In selecting 24 pages, it has been a mammoth struggle to decide what to leave in or take out. I hope the end result it's enjoyable.
Yvonne Wheatley, FRPSL
Czechoslovakia; Allegories Of The Republic 1920 - 1922
A stamp competition was held in 1920 and four designs were chosen:
Dove, Chainbreaker, Hussite Priest and Husbandry and Knowledge.
It was intended that the Dove and Chainbreaker designs should also be made into stamp booklets. Some of the values were printed tele-beche but in the event the booklets were never produced. These sheets were issued to the post offices for normal use.
The display shows the stamps together with their usage.
Yvonne Wheatley, FRPSL
Czechoslovakia; Postage Dues
Czechoslovakia issued postage due stamps soon after achieving independence, in 1918. The principal function of the stamps was to account for the collection of charges on unpaid and underpaid mail.
The display also shows exceptional uses of postage due stamps for the following services:
Official mail: postage paid by the addressee
Return to sender
Mail addressed 'Poste Restante'
Redirection
Yvonne Wheatley, FRPSL
Great Britain T.P.O.'s
Travelling Post Offices were sorting offices on the railways. Mail could be posted with into a letter box on the train or into special boxes on certain stations including most of the London termini.
The mailbags were picked up and dropped by the speeding train and the display shows the labels used to explain why letters were delayed because they were not suitable for transfer by the apparatus.
Also seen are examples of the Continental Services including the Dover and London Sorting Carriage postage due handstamps.
J Whiteside, FRPSL
Afghanistan - The Feb 1907 Issue -
This consisted of three values, 1 and 2 abasi and 1 rupee (3 abasi). 1 abasi was the postage rate for 1 miscal (app 4.6g.) and also the registration fee. It was the country's first issue of near western format and it also saw the first use of datestamps, albeit in Farsi script and in the Islamic Lunar calendar, at the dozen or so offices then open. The bulk of the display shows the production and use of the issue. It was replaced by a typograghed design in Jan 1909 and the final four sheets show this issue and use in the first year.
J Whiteside, FRPSL
Danzig - October 1923
This was the final month of the inflation in the Danzig Free State. Rates changed five times and one rate period was for 3 days only (22 to 24 Oct). A range of covers are shown, mainly the rates to Germany and those to foreign countries, the stamps used being surcharges for the most part. On 1 Nov, a new currency was put into use, the Gullen of 100 pfennig, such that 5pf. = 200,000,000 old marks. Old currency stamps could be used two days only. The final sheet shows the new foreign letter rate used on the first day.
J D Wilks
Bea Postal History
The exhibit comprises a selection of early East African covers up to 1900 when the number of Europeans present was still extremely small.
The display begins with two rare early letters from the Upper Nile from Col. Gordon and from the first CMS mission to Mtesa.
There follow examples of the "On GB" Provisionals and of the use of Indian stamps in 1890. Covers are shown from the IBEA Company period with examples of scarce cancellations and the early postal rates.
The exhibit concludes with a rare incoming cover and four combination covers all originating from Juganda.
J G Winters FRPSL, Yorkshire County Representative
Ceylon Postal History 1872 - 1904
A selection of items from a large exhibit of 'cents period' postal history. Arranged as follows:
Local used; Routes and Rates to the UK; and mail to Other Destinations.
Notable items include: Official and insured mail; high rates; varieties on cover and some unusual destinations.
J G Winters FRPSL, Yorkshire County Representative
Education
A developing collection, which is not really a thematic exhibit. Several pages have been added since the introduction was written, but the general format remains the same. This short exhibit includes a variety of education - related items; stamps; proofs; postal stationery; post marks; postal history and more. I hope it entertains.
© The Royal Philatelic Society London 2000 - 2009. Top
