 #171 | Can anybody tell me about the "O
P" handstamp on this Queen Victoria Definitive from Hong Kong? Is it a
commercial marking or is it official? An expert's help would be much
appreciated!
Posted by Derrick Grose on 29/10/98
I would suggest that you look again at the first initial - it is more
probably the letter "D". The Daily Press, a local newspaper, stamped a lot of
stamps with these 2 letters; three types of "D P" overprint are known. It is
worth a moderate premium to those who collect Hong Kong stamps with "firm
chops".
#171 - Are you sure it's not a deformed "D P"? That would indicate
it's a commercial overprint for the Hong Kong Daily Press. This
overprint is listed in Yang's under "Special Cancels". The earliest D P
overprints do make the D look like an O. Premium is listed at $20-25
HK. There appear to be three different varieties, and the overprints are
found on both QV and KEVII issues. |
 #172 | Our friend Martinelli
has given us a small but very nice booklet full of "mysteries". This is the first one.
Because he doesn't have an e-mail address, please send your answers either to Stefano
or to Casper, thank you. Interisland Postage, run by the Australasian New Hebrides Company. Does anyone know more about it? Posted by Martinelli on 02/11/98
This stamp is one of two, the other being a 2 pence, issued as locals
for local use by the company named on the stamp, they occur genuinely
postally used. Click here for a scan of both
the stamps in the set. |
 #173 |
"Deutscher Wert, gleich 140 pfennig. Wählt
Deutsch!" means "German Value, Equals 140 Pfennig. Vote German!". I think that this
is a private propaganda issue from one of those disputed areas between Poland
and Germany where plebiscites were held at the end of World War I. Am I wrong?
Posted by Martinelli on 02/11/98 |
ANSWERS:
One of a set of seven. Listed in Ruch's Poland specialized Vol. 2, of 1990
on page 440. A scan of the listing is provided here (50 Kb),
but alas I can not translate from the Polish (if anyone can
read Polish, please take a look at the listing and give us a translation of
it, thanks - Stefano).
Rough translation for stamp 173: Falsified German diversion
173 - (referred to the abbreviations on the chart posted here) The abbreviation "C" stands for "black overprint" while "R" means "red
overprint". The preceding column contains the abbreviated names of the
stamp colors. | |
 #174 | One more local
issue from Poland. From which town?
Posted by Martinelli on 02/11/98
A philatelic issue from Checiny with a favor cancel. This series was issued
on June 17, 1919. The 12h was issued in perf 10 most commonly, but also
perf 11 1/2. The color should be blue & pink. Values in Pounds Sterling
from 1981 were 2.50 for the perf 10 and 3.50 for the perf 11 1/2. |
 #175 | We have already
posted a stamp from Zarki, but I would like to know if anyone can read this
overprint. I think it says "10 halerzy", but I am definitely not sure about it.
Please, help if you can.
Posted by Martinelli on 02/11/98
#175 is most likely one of the many forgeries of the Zarki locals. This
particular overprint reads "10 halerzy 10" in a rectangle which was handstamped
over two adjoining stamps. The original was issued in early October 1918
by the Local Post organized by the officer in charge of Civil Affairs of
the District of Dabrow. It was overprinted on Oct 18, 1918 when postal charges
doubled. The overprint comes in both red and dark violet and had a printing
of only 5,000. The value of an legitimate copy was 10 Pounds Sterling,
back in 1981. There are three values in the set 6h on 3, 10h on 5 and 24h
on 12.
I have read that in the original stamps from Zarki the first person in the group of 3
is in standing position, while in forgeries this person looks like kneeling. Besides the paper
in the originals is white under ultraviolet light. |
 #176 | Our friend Martinelli, who
knows more about stamps than us, and possesses every stamp catalogue from everywhere in the world,
is sure that these stamps with this overprint (he has a set of ten different values) are unlisted.
Tell him where this stamp is from and where it is listed.
Posted by Martinelli on 02/11/98
The overprint on #176 is for Muscat and the stamp is listed by Stanley
Gibbons as O6 of 1944. Martinelli has the full set of 10.
Stamp #176 appears to be the 1944 issue of Muscat, listed in Scott as
Oman #6.
#176 is Scott Oman O6 (the set would be O1-
O10). Scott says: "Al Busaid Dynasty, 200th
anniv. On Nos. O1-O9 the overprint is smaller -
13x6mm". |
 #177 | This is indeed
a weird item. It has the design of German stamps of the so called "Germania"
set. In my opinion it's a space filler, a stamp created by the "Alfred Kurth" firm, Colditz,
as written in small characters at the foot of the stamp, to fill empty
spaces in albums. Does anyone have a better idea or know what it is?
Posted by Martinelli on 02/11/98
Could be a stamps dealer advertising stamp...as such eagerly sought by
those collecting stamp dealer advertising creations. |
 #178 | I know it's almost
impossible to see anything in this scan. The writings are "CORREOS" on both sides,
"PORTE FRANCO" at top and "UN DINERO" as facial value at bottom. Where is this stamp
from? Is it really a stamp?
Posted by Martinelli on 02/11/98
#178 is Scott Peru 14. |
 #179 | It's Upper Silesia,
all right, but where is it listed? Could it be a square cut?
Posted by Martinelli on 02/11/98
#179 - Upper Silesia all right. My Scott says the
following: "Stamps of the above design [a 10f
is shown] were a private issue not recognized
by the Inter-Allied Commission of Government."
On 12 Nov 98 Dave added this:
Michel lists and prices the set. The 60 blue is about $1 unused but hinged imperf. and about $3.50 unused but hinged perforated. |
 #180 | Can anybody provide me with information about the purpose and date of
issue of these Japanese stamps? Your help is much appreciated.
Posted by Derrick Grose on 05/11/98
Tobacco duty revenues from Japan c.1875-1898. See Shimomura catalogue of
Japanese revenue stamps. |
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