 #401 |
I have always considered these stamps as belonging to the first set for Epirus issued in 1914 in Chimarra,
although the design doesn't match the illustration that my catalogues have for this set (I have Epirus in
Yvert et Tellier, Unificato and AFA). But I recently found this stamp that was cancelled in
September 1920, a bit too late to be the first Chimarra issue. So what is it actually?
A phantasy production? The other stamp I have is a 25 lepta, blue with brownish red eagle. Thanks for any info you can provide.
Posted by Stefano Adinolfi on 26 January 00 |
ANSWERS:
#401: In Michel it is mentioned under Privat issues
for Epirus. There is a picture of a same looking stamp, but with nominale 10
Lepta. Michel lists under Epirus the following issues:
Independent Epirus 1914 (MiNo. 1-16), Northern Epirus under Greek occ. 1914
(MiNo. 14-42). Then there are the Local issues Argyrokastron, Chimarra and
Koriza. And at the end they list some pictures of stamps (also your one) with the
description, that these are probably non-official but private issues without
issue-date ("Machwerke"). As you said 1920 is very late for an Epirus stamp,
because at this time it already belonged to Albania or Greece I think.
#401 is among a handful pictured in Scott
Epirus with the following footnote: "Stamps of
the following designs were not regularly issued
for postal purposes in the opinion of the
editors." Issued in 1920, four varieties.
This design (and some others) is illustrated in the Scott catalogue under
Epirus with the note: "Stamps of the following designs were not regularly
issued for postal purposes in the opinion of the editors". For the design
you show, they note: "From 1920, 4 varieties" (i.e. 4 values). Gibbons
merely says "Various other purported issues of Epirus are considered to be
bogus".
Indeed there are four values in this issue: 5, 10, 25 and 50 lepta. They are
mostly found used, or rather: cancelled, in Chimarra 1920.
In his little book on Epirus history and stamps, that was published in
Chicago in 1963, Dr. Basil Photos writes the following lines about this
issue: | |
 #402 |
A Japanese revenue... I know this is a local, from a prefecture.
But in my 65 revenue catalog, and in the larger 80's one I once studied, this was not in it,
the middle three characters define where this is from. Others from other prefectures
(different characters in the middle panel) were there and I identifieded those...
This, one of a set of two I have was not in that most recent catalog.
At stamp shows, it was said that tyhis might be Korean, but I know it is Japanese... It
could be when Korea was under Japan (until after war #2), yet the similar designs seemed
all in 1950's. Can anyone read the Japanese, does anyone know where this is from, and possible date?
Posted by Paul S. Luchter on 02 February 00 |
ANSWERS:Appears to be a fiscal stamp from Korea under Japanese dominion. The top inscription says "Kangwon-do" ("Kogendo" in Japanese), which is the name of a Korean province. The lower label says "Shunyu-inshi" ("Revenue stamped paper" in japanese), and the value is 50 sen.
Kangwon-do is literally "Kangwon Province" in Korean (political divisions
are translated "prefectures" in Japan but "provinces" in Korea). It
actually has a very handsome web page that can be seen
at www.provin.kangwon.kr.
It lies in the northeastern part of South Korea,
bordered by Kyonggi-do province on the west. To the north it is bounded by
the DMZ. | |
 #403 |
An unlisted stamp from Fiume. This stamp should not exist, I mean the 1922 set for the "Costituente Fiumana" doesn't have
a L. 10 value. So, what is this actually? I think that this stamp was forged, because its paper is not quite similar
to that of the other stamps from the same set I have... besides its perforation is very close but not exactly matching.
Could it be that someone forged both sets, 1921 and 1922, without knowing that the latter had no L. 10 value?
But why make forgeries and fake overprints of cheap stamps?
Posted by Stefano Adinolfi on 14 February 00 |
 #404 |
This stamp is part of a complete set of 17 which
I cannot find in Yvert et Tellier catalogue. What can it be?
Posted by O L on 01 March 00 |
ANSWERS:
As this stamp says "Volksabstimmung Kärnten 1920" it seems to me a stamp issued for the plebiscite held in Carinthia in 1920. But
I don't know if it's a postage stamp, a label, a charity stamp or even a revenue.
The set is listed in MICHEL-Spezial for Austria under local issues (Propaganda
labels). But they list a set of 21 stamps cause 4 stamps exist each in two
different types. Price for a "normal" set of 21 (without varities) is 260 DM.
According to the Michel Europa-Katalog West
this is a local Austrian "unissued plebiscite stamp" from Kärnten,
printed in October 1920.
| |
 #405 |
A stamp from Yugoslavia unlisted by Yvert et Tellier. What can it be?
Posted by O L on 01 March 00 |
ANSWERS:
"Jugoslavenska matica" - "Cuvajte Jugoslaviju!"
According to a friend of mine, from Croatia, this means something like
"Yugoslavian (main) organization" - "Save Yugoslavia!"
I would guess it was issued during or just after WW2.
| |
 #406 |
I would like to learn more about these stamps... they came from a European friend in a folder labeled "Ukranian Camp Post ... Regensburg". Click here to view the complete set Posted by Don Wilson on 09 March 00 |
ANSWERS:
#406 Ukrainian Camp Regensburg. I would assume this is from the immediate
post-WWII period, when there were thousands of Ukrainian and other refugees
living in DP camps in Germany. Sometimes the camps were so large that it made
sense to have a rudimentary postal system. In some cases, the inmates had looked
to Hitler's Army as liberators from Stalin's terror. Some fought alongside the
Nazis even. Remember, Stalin's collectivization campaign in the 30's had led to
a famine in Ukraine, which killed around 7 million people. So, as the WWII drew
to a close, these people fled with the German Army to the West. A lot of them
were later returned to the Soviet Union by the Americans and British in
Operation Keelhaul. Most of them then died in Gulags in Siberia later.
This set is mentioned in MICHEL. It is listed under P.O.W.-camp-stamps
after 2nd WW. There are no pictures, but they mention an Ukrainian
camp in Regensburg. So I guess these stamps were issued there.
After the falling of Germany many Lagerpost stamps appeared which where allowed partly by the UNRA
(United Nations Relief Rehabilitation Administration) to be used on international mail. As these stamps
almost always where private initiatives and their official character in almost every case isn't proven, these
stamps are not catalogued. Similar stamps where used in Augsburg, Bayreuth, Dachau, Detmold, Ettlingen,
Freimann, Geislingen, Hanau, Helmstedt, Lubeck, Meerbeck, Munster, Regensburg, Schongau, Seedorf and Spakenberg.
#406 Ukrainian DP Camp Post.
This stamp comes from a set of 10 showing national costumes (this value
shows Guzulians) issued on 16 October 1947. The set was designed by
Sviatoslav Hordsinski and printed in Regensburg by Friedrich Pustet. This
information comes from 'Catalog of DP, POW, Concentration Camp and Ghetto
Stamps during and after WW2 in Germany' published by Stereo Stamps (Chicago
1970).
| |
 #407 |
What is this?
Posted by Casper Boks on 09 March 00 |
ANSWERS:
#407 Czechoslovak revenue stamp from the first year after the founding of the
first republic -- 1919. These stamps were -- and are still put on all sorts of
official documents from school report cards to marriage certificates to
foreigners' residence permits. Usually they are cancelled or written over by
public officials with the date. They were in use in the Austro-Hungarian
monarchy (called "Stempel-Marke" in German), and Czechoslovakia maintained the
practice after it emerged from Austria-Hungary, the Czech term is "kolek".
| |
 #408 |
"Altona" - A German local. But when was it issued?
Posted by Ian Young on 16 March 00 |
ANSWERS:
This German local post stamp from Altona was issued by Verkehrs-Anstalt Altona. One of a set of 5 issued 1889, #7 in the Michel Special catalog...the portrait is of Schiller.
There is also a note that this stamp was also used in Hamburg. | |
 #409 |
"Ajutorul legionar" - This shows the murdered Romanian fascist leader Codreanu.
Can anyone tell me how it was used?
Posted by Ian Young on 16 March 00 |
ANSWERS:... The inscription on the stamp is: Ajutorul Legionar / Ajuta-ti Fratele Cazut in Nenorocire Nu-l Lasa!
Well, I can't make out the sense of the last few words, but it
seems to me that it is an appeal to "contribute to the case of the
brothers/brotherhood ..." ("fratelul" means "the brother"). That
seems to fix the purpose of the stamps as fundraisers.
There have been supplement stamps ("Zuschlagsmarken" in German)
for fundraising purposes in Romania which bore the inscription
"timbru de ajutor". French "ajouter" means "to add" something,
and since French and Romanian are related languages, the Romanian
word "ajutor" means most probably "supplement", "ajutorul" means
"the supplement" (they append the article to the noun). It seems,
therefore, that the purpose of the stamp is literally "the
supplement for the legion", that means, it was a fundraiser
for some (probably para-military) pro-Codreanu organization.
This stamp is listed in the Romania Revenues catalog by Andrew Hall-European
Philately 10. It is listed under the "Ajutor"-"Charity surcharge" section.
In this section are also listed the postal tax stamps listed in Scotts and
Michel. He notes that he has mixed postal and non- together. This issue is listed as #79, "Legionary issue" issued in 1940.
There is also an unissued brown version of this stamp and a different design for the
1L stamp in the set of 2.
#409 I asked a Romanian friend about this one. His answer was: "The Iron Guard
Help / Help Your Brother Fallen into Misfortune / Do not Abandon Him/Her!" The
Iron Guard was a totalitarian party, and the above slogan was a part of their
political philosophy. I assume that the old stamp was launched around 1940 year.
| |
 #410 |
"Vaud" - Issued for the Swiss canton of Vaud. But when?
Posted by Ian Young on 16 March 00 |
ANSWERS:
This stamp is a fiscal stamp "Droits Reels" from 1887 Forbin nr. 4.
| |
| A very useful reference book: |
|
You can reach us by e-mail at:
s.adinolfi@raster.it