150th Birth Anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi
Date of Issue : 2 October 2018
Dehradun
October 2018 Vol. XI
Issue No. 130
Readers are requested to send reports of philatelic activities in
their area for publication. Short write ups by the readers about their
journals, societies, publications and philatelic requirements can be sent for
inclusion in this bulletin to the editor: j.jyoti9@gmail.com
Note- This bulletin is only for circulation
among a limited group of philatelists without any commercial purpose. The
bulletin will be sent to the readers only on request. Those who wish to receive
it regularly please reply giving the name of your city / country with the
subject SUBSCRIBE RAINBOW
Dear Reader,
I am pleased to present October 2018 Issue of Rainbow Stamp News . On 2nd October 2018, to celebrate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, stamp exhibitions were organised by many postal circles all over India with the issue of a special cover. Such an exhibition was also organised at GPO Dehradun. It was a good attempt by the Postal Department but there were some drawbacks. Some exhibits were put on display without sequence and some exhibits with stamp photos instead of actual stamps were displayed and these exhibits were also given awards. In fact such exhibits should be discouraged from display in philatelic exhibitions. The staff of the Postal Department which organises stamp exhibitions is often not aware how to mount and display the exhibits in frames properly. Sometimes the exhibits are damaged in mounting and dismounting. They should be given proper training by the philatelists only .For this purpose Head Post Office can arrange a small training program for their employees. It is observed that these exhibitions seem to be a show of Postal Department where the exhibition hall is crowded with its own employees and the children are forcefully brought from the particular school mostly from the Govt schools to visit the exhibition. The actual exhibitors are often lost or forgotten in the crowd as least or no recognition is given to them . In return they get back their exhibits in damaged condition . But when an exhibition is organised by the local Stamp Club or Philatelic Society it is much arranged and well managed. While organising such shows a panel of philatelists must be included in the organising committee of the exhibition. They can guide the staff to conduct the exhibition and make it more successful.
Contents
§
From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal
§
Recent Indian Issues
§ In
The News
§
Doon Philatelic Diary
§
Reader’s Right
§
Beginners’ Section
§
Rose Philately
§
Specialized Section
§
New Issues from Other Countries
§
Philatelic Clubs and Society
§
Blogs & Websites on Philately
§
Current Philatelic Magazines –
Newsletter
BETTER TO BE UNIQUE THAN NUMBER ONE
A few days back I read an
article in newspaper describing the very
important fact of human trait and life.
It stated that it that it was better to
be unique rather than to be at number one, to stand first. It reminded me of
Sachin Tendulkar, Indian legendry cricketer who captained India for only few
tests but remained an important part of
Indian cricket team as a batsmen. His quality of batting was the unique feature
and so he refrained for captaining the team or say to be number one.
Here in philately, now I see
the race of exhibitors to get Gold. They just want Gold at any cost. They are
not bothered about the pleasing essence of philately, not about the uniqueness
of particular collection or the exhibit but just look for the Gold. Yes,
exhibiting and collection are two different aspects of philately. From my
experience , I can say the collections are unique in many ways but exhibits are
prepared mainly looking in to the medal
winning prospects. Exhibits often
miss the uniqueness of the collection. The true essence of any collection can
be experienced through collection only and not through exhibiting which in fact
has certain limitations.
It reminded me of one very
fine collector of one of my friends late
Dr. Abdul Rehman , who did enjoy exhibiting but never looked for the
position…the medals.. the awards. He exhibited his collection so as to please
the viewers and also to please himself. The tile of his collection was
“Pictorial Art Through The Ages”. A
truly magnificent, wonderful and of course, beautiful collection comprising of
beautiful and colorful stamps, Souvenir
and miniature sheets, covers with pictorial cancellations etc.. One could
feel freshness after watching his collection. His exhibit
had a unique feature of rich thematic
study, beautiful and fresh philatelic and postal items, completeness of the subject matter, no compromise at the cost of digging in different
items to make it better for medal
winning but very selective in maintaining the combination of beauty, freshness,
completeness and narration of the items or the subject matter in beautiful
legible manner. He also used colors for text but in a unique manner to not to
over shadow the stamps and philatelic material displayed.
What I mean to say,
philately is for pleasure and not for medals or positions. You are unique when
you behave differently. Not necessarily the top position holders are unique.
They are good but not unique always .
Another example of
uniqueness is a wonderful collection of Thematic material by one of my most
beloved friend Mr. Atul Jain who
collects on Human Hands. I have never seen through out my philatelic
career such a wonderful presentation,
description, explanation and study of
Human Hands through philately. The collection is unique combination of rich and in-depth thematic study and research & the
huge variety of philatelic and postal
material covering philatelic material
pertaining to huge time span and geographical area. I did see some exhibits on
this subject but found those to ones to be
very immature. No considerable
thematic or philatelic study, no appropriate material. This exhibit have
not yet been exhibited at International Shows but the collection have won very
high awards of International Stature but is unique and exceptional. Undoubtedly , the
uniqueness of the collection is its
completeness through material which could not be done on 80nos.
sheets exhibit. My hats off to my friends who always preferred to be
unique rather to be first. The true essence of joy, the true feeling of
completeness, the true pleasure of viewing and watching is in uniqueness and
not in the first rated
exhibits.
Hence, what I feel is that
we need to understand that philately is basically for pleasure and joy. Joy for
other and joy for self. Competitiveness
is good as it helps in improving the quality but the quality is improved in medal winning
direction only. The beauty and charm are compromised due to space
limitations, limitation in choice and quantity of material, writing thematic
text and presentation techniques.
This certainly helps in making better
exhibit but not a unique exhibit or a unique collection.
Hence, I wish to say that we should try to
build our collection first and make it unique second. However, exhibiting stands in the last. Collecting unexplored
themes and completing those even by
cheapest of the material. Rarities do help in making any collection unique but rarities basically helps
making a better exhibit rather than a unique collection.
Well, I do agree every
collection is different, unique in its own way but true uniqueness stands when it attracts most of the viewers. So, I conclude by saying
that we should strive to have a unique collection and not a Gold winning
Exhibit necessarily.…
- Naresh Agrawal
Ph. 09425530514 - email : nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in
Recent
Indian Issue
2 October 2018 : 150th
Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi - Rs
5 +12 +20 +41+22+25+25 + MS
23 September 2018 : Sant
Ganinath – Rs 5
17 September 2018 : Hislop
College, Nagpur – Rs 5
15 September 2018 : India –
Serbia Joint Issue – Rs 5 + Rs 25 + MS
3 September 2018 : Martyr
Mahadevappa Mailar –Rs 5+ Sheetlet
Recent Special Cover
2
October 2018 : 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
Special
Covers from Dehradun, Bangalore and Lucknow
26 September 2018 : Tribute To Muni
Tarun Sagar JI Maharaj, Varanasi
1 September 2018 : Gandhinagar Higher Secondary School
Gandhinagar, Bangalore
28 August 2018 :Kannada Pustaka
Pradhikara – Silver JubileeCelebration, Bangalore
In
The News
MACAO 2018
Philatelic Exhibition (FIAP)
Macao 2018
Heartiest Congratulations to all winners at
35th Asian International stamp Exhibition Macao 2018 being held in Macao from
21 to 24 September 2018
Indian Winners at Macao 2018
L to R : Om
Prakash Kedia, Pragya Jain, Daniel Monteiro, Sandeep Chaurasia, K Sridhar
Detailed award list of Indian exhibitors
2018 Best
Europa Stamp
The 2018 Best Europa
stamp - Jury prize was awarded last month on 15th September 2018, in
Brussels’ town hall. This was the seventh edition of this neutral and artistic
prize.
Five experts of the philatelic
world were invited to join the jury and judge the Europa stamps based on their
expert opinion.
This year's winner is
Belgium with a stamp part of the following souvenir-sheet (the stamp on the
right) - it's the second time that Belgium wins the Jury prize, they did
already in 2014
Belgium - First Prize
Hungary -Stamp above
left in the souvenir sheet
2nd (tied) – Hungary
& Finland
3rd - Croatia
Largest
Collection of stamps featuring amphibians
Dr. Indraneil. Das is a
non resident Indian presently settled in Malaysia. Born in India in 1964, he
received his early education in India, leading to a D. Phil. in Animal Ecology
from University of Oxford. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at Universiti
Brunei Darussalam, and a Fulbright Fellow at Harvard University. Since 1988, he
has been Associate Professor, University Malaysia Sarawak. His research focuses
on ecology, systematics and biogeography of amphibians and reptiles of tropical
Asia. His areas of experience are Herpetology,
systematic and , conservation biology.
Guinness
World Records Official Attempt exhibits the World’s Largest Collection of
Amphibians on Postage Stamps
He is
a dedicated stamp collector and stamp lover having huge thematic collections
related to amphibians and reptiles. He is an eminent writer both in his field
of his professional specialization and also in the field of philately. He has
authored several books in philately mainly pertained to the Amphibians and
specialized collections in philately.
He
is a “Guinness
World Record holder of having largest number of stamps on Amphibians”. His collection
comprised of all varieties of philatelic
material showing his philatelic interest
and knowledge.
In
addition to huge collection of stamps Dr Indraneil has written number of
articles on several subjects of philately.
PHILATELIC PUBLICATIONS
1. Das, I. 1994. Herpetological philately. Bulletin of the Chicago
Herpetological Society 29(9):200–202.
2. Drewes, R.C. & I. Das. 2001. Obituary: Lawrence Wesley Swan
(1922–1999), Raja of the Autonomous Native State of Cooch Nahai. Hamadryad
26(2):378–380. Note: Mentions cinderella stamps
3. Das, I. 2014. Herpetological products in philately issued from
Malaysia. Russian Journal of Herpetology 21(1):13–39.
4. Das, I. 2014. The King Cobra on postage stamps. Majalah untuk
Numismatik dan Philatelic Wanglama (1):4.
5. Das, I. & Y.M. Pui. 2015. Amphibian postmarks from around
the world. Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti
Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan. 20 pp.
6. Das, I. 2015. The unissued philatelic essays of Morocco,
featuring herpetofaunal species. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society
50(7):93–95.
7. Das, I. & Y.M. Pui. 2015. Alfred Russel
Wallace, evolutionist, on postage stamps. Biophilately 64(4):235–236.
8. Das, I. 2015. Animal folklore on
stamps of the world. The Sarawak Philatelist 7(2):17–19.
9. Das, I., A. de Silva & J. Jinasena.2016. Illegal philatelic
issues in the name of the Republic of Rwanda, depicting Sri Lankan snake
images. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 12:56–59.
10. Das, I. & G.V.A. Gee. 2016. Unrecorded watermark,
colour shade and perforation variation in philatelic issues commemorating the
World Youth Stamp Exhibition (2014) from Malaysia. The Sarawak Philatelist
8(1):8–11.
11. Das, I. & Y.M. Pui. 2016. StampWatch. Teaching
biology through philately. Majalah untuk Numismatik dan Philatelic
Wanglama (3):17, 19–20.
12. Das, I. & G.V.A. Gee. 2016. Internet resources for
the philatelist. The Sarawak Philatelist 8(2):23–28.
13. Das, I. & G.V.A. Gee. 2017. Butterflies on early
postage stamps of the world. The Sarawak Philatelist 9(2):50–53.
14. Das, I. & G.V.A. Gee. 2018. Creative innovations and
advanced printing technologies in contemporary postage stamps from Malaysia.
The Sarawak Philatelist 9(1):35–76.
Now you see me, now
you don't...
NEW Art of Magic
Souvenir Sheet with Moving Rabbit from USPS
On the Art of Magic stamps' First Day of Issue,
the USPS surprised with a souvenir sheet
featuring very first stamps produced
with lenticular printing. This is what
makes the rabbit appear to pop in and out of the hat when the sheet is tilted –
a nod to one of history's most famous magic tricks. It's amazing to think how far stamp
technology has come ! To view the image with special effect click on the
following link :
New stationery (postcard)
on animal from Poland
In Poland a new stationery
(postcard) on animals has been issued recently ..
The postcard is featuring a Marmot (Marmota marmota).
Quantity 8 000 pieces only.
- Wolfgang Beyer, BDPh (German Philatelic Federation).
The postcard is featuring a Marmot (Marmota marmota).
Quantity 8 000 pieces only.
- Wolfgang Beyer, BDPh (German Philatelic Federation).
Special Postmarks from
Luxembourg
1.
Nature Protection “ Mouvement Ecologique”
2.
Prevention of
Breast Cancer
Smart PostCard by Luxembourg Post
Send a photo just like a real postcard
The Smart PostCard application allows you to send your
favourite photos as postcards from your smartphone or tablet.
·
A postcard created before 2 pm is
dispatched the same day
·
Send postcards from anywhere, to anywhere
in the world
·
Your photo is printed on glossy postcard
paper and mailed with a real stamp
PHILAMUSICA 2019
This philatelic exhibition will be held from June 8th to June 10th 2019 in Mondorf-les-Baines (Luxembourg).
Indian Philatelists and from other countries are invited for apartipication in this important philatelic exhibition.
Courtesy: Mr .Roger Thill, Philcolux and Mr. Wolfgang Beyer, German
Philatelic Federation
WORLD OF REVENUES
Salon at 29th International Stamp
Fair, Essen, Germany
May 9-11, 2019.
May 9-11, 2019.
An international exhibition, devoted solely
to fiscal philately, will be organized in cooperation by the FIP Revenue
Commission, Arbeitsgemeischaft Fiscalphilatelie im BDPh e.V. (German Society
for Fiscal Philately), and International Stamp Fair Essen. As this is the first
time such a special revenue exhibition will be held, the Salon takes place with
a non-competitive basis. However, every exhibitor
who wishes will get an exhibit evaluation by a group of experienced jurors. The
expected size of the Salon will be 200 frames. The frames accommodate 12 album
pages and not 16, please note. Exhibits of 1 to a maximum of 10 frames may
participate. The charges are Euro 18 per frame.
Please download the first Bulletin and
Application form of the exhibition and participate from https://stampsofindia.com/worldofrevenues.htm
Anil Suri
anilksuri@email.com is coordinating the participation from India and will carry
the exhibits to and from the exhibition and obtain necessary governmental
permissions.
Source : Stamps of India
Recent Stamp Exhibitions
THAILAND 2018 WORLD STAMP EXHIBITION
THAILAND 2018 is an extraordinary world stamp exhibition organized by
the Philatelic Association of Thailand under the Patronage of H.R.H. Princess
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn from November 28 to December 3, 2018 at the Royal
Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon, Bangkok, Thailand on the auspicious occasion of the
First Anniversary Celebration of H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s Royal
Coronation Ceremony. The 75th Congress of the International Philatelic
Federation (FIP) will also be held at THAILAND 2018.
Mr. Madhukar Jhingan is
the National Commissioner for India.
ODIPEX-2018
10th
State level Philatelic Exhibition of Odisha Circle, Odipex – 2018 will be held
from 15th December to 17th
December 2018. About 500 exhibition frames will be displayed and more than 20
stamp dealers would participate.
Philatelic Seminar in Bangalore
Doon
Philatelic Diary
Anasakti Ashram
-Abhai Mishra
Kausani is situated in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand and is well known for the splendid view of Himalaya it offers. One can have majestic view of various Himalayan peaks like Panchchuli, Nanda Devi and Trishul. Initially it was in Almora district but in 1997 , Bageshwar district was carved and Kausani became a part of it. In 1929 Mahatama Gandhi came to Kausani and stayed in the guest house of a tea garden. Initially he planned to stay here for a day or two but was mesmerized by the beauty of the place so much that he extended his stay and was here for fourteen days. He wrote the initial chapter of the book “Anasakti Yog’ based on epic ‘Gita’ while he was here. Gandhiji termed the place as Switzerland of India.
Later this guest house of tea garden was converted into that of District Panchayat guest house. Then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Sucheta Kriplani mooted the idea of establishing an Ashram here in the memory of the Father of Nation. Thus it was named as ‘Anasakti Ashram’. The ashram boasts of a rich collection of material related to Gandhiji. Community prayer is an integral part of routine followed in the ashram. Nearby is Lakshmi Ashram which was founded by Sarla Behn, a disciple of Mahatama.
- Abhai Mishra email : abhai_mishra@rediffmail.com
Reader’s Right
To,
DDG Philately, India Post
Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg,
New – Delhi 110 001
3rd July 2018
Attn. Smt. Amarpreet Dugal
Dear Smt.
Dugal,
Sub: Non-availability of the Philatelic products in the Philatelic
Bureau’s
Nice talking on
dated 01.08.2018, as apprised about the irregularities in supplies of
philatelic products to the bureau needs to be streamlined. Presently the
whole condition is in a mess.
1. Incomplete supply of one series of stamps to the Bureaus.
2. Stamp collectors have to go through a tremendous ordeal to complete a
series by hopping from one bureau to another. Stamps need to be available in
all the philatelic bureaus across India before the day of the issue which is
why FDCs were issued in the first place. These then become truly collectable.
There should be no biases.
3. This need to be addressed on priority if at all India Post's concern is
to raise Indian Philately to match the present global standard about which I
apprised in my emails in detail after visiting Israel 2018 (27 – 31st May)
World stamp exhibition.
4. The philatelic sales/revenue in all those countries including
neighbouring countries – Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Israel has jumped
manifold because of the instant availability of the products. Rather they are
offering discounts and appointing agent.
5. As suggested it is highly important to have monitor cell in Philatelic
division (India Post) to keep you well informed about all the Bureau activities
like - supply situation, demand and actual sale figures etc.
This is a minimum
requirement to keep Philately growing in India and also, in turn, philatelic
sale/revenue will grow. The main outlet of India Post i.e. Philatelic
Bureaus need to be fully equipped with the supply to cater to collector's
demand.
You assured by
31st August all backlog supply of the year 2017 issues will be completed,
set this deadline to the SSP Hyderabad. This needs to be cross check with
all the bureaus in the first week of Sept.
You also
assured since you joined, from May 2018 to July 2018 all new issues complete
items supply has been made, which is a welcome move. This is to inform you in
Patna bureau the following issues have not yet reached from May 2018:
· July
07, 2018 - India – South Africa joint issue Miniature sheet
· July
08, 2018 - D.H. Chapekar
· July
26,2018 – India-South Africa joint issue again.
Since you took
over I addressed you by writing few letters/email on various issues to you but
never receive a response from your good offices. I hope you will
kindly look into my suggestions in good spirit and shall be glad to receive a
line of reply from your end.
With
regards,
Pradip Jain, FRPSL
Ex-member:
Philatelic Advisory committee.
Dear Smt. Dugal,
Non
availability of recently issued stamp of the period July to Aug 2018
Further to our e-mail /
your office response, I am to inform you the following issue stamp allied
material not yet received to the Philatelic Bureau Patna GPO.
· 26th July
18 Indo – South Africa joint issue (Gandhi – Mandela)
· 8th Aug
18 - Handlooms of India stamp + Souvenir sheet
· 16th Aug
18 Holiday destinations of India Stamp + Souvenir sheet
While all these issues are
offer on sale at E_ post but not in the main outlet in the Bureau about which I
am writing you regularly this issue, kindly be address on priority. .
Please ensure that all new
issue reach to all your Bureau on the date of issue about which you also
assured.
India Peru joint issue
stamps was to release in the year 2013, Peru already issued the stamp on
19.03.2013, image below, but India Post not yet release this issue while the
joint issue stamp was already printed lying in stock.
Regards,
Pradip Jain,
FRPSL
Ex Member :
Philatelic Advisory Committee.
Beginners’
Section
Young Philatelist of
the Month - Pragya Kothari
I am sharing the Plan Page of award winning
exhibit of Pragya Kothari for the guidelines of philatelists. Pragya Jain was selected in
youth training program (Young Philatelist) from India (Asia), conducted by In
Royal Philatelic Society London. -
Editor
Thematic
Collection –
1. "I am bow and this is my story" –
1. Gold (national level)
2. Vermeil ( Israel 2008,
India 2011, Indonesia, 2012, Australia 2013, Brazil 2013)
2.
"Man Measures his Environment" –
1. Vermeil (Singapore 2004,
Israel 2008, Australia 2013)
2. Gold (at National
Exhibition 2013)
3.
Dynamics of Mother Earth –
1. Large Silver (Inpex 2017,
Mumbai);
2. Large Silver Medal at
Macau 2018 FIAP Exhibition.
Traditional
Collection –
“A Study of the First Issues
of India (1852-1855)"
3. Previous title
"India until 19th Century" ( awarded Gold with special Jal Cooper
award at National Exhibition 2013).
4. Large Vermeil 89 points
(Singapore 2015)
5. Gold 90 Points (New York 2018)
Stories behind stamps
The Stamps that Stick Without a Lick
Getting stamps to stick hasn't always been a
simple task. Most stamps made after 1840 came with an adhesive gum on the back.
But the gum—made from various plant products such as cornstarch, sweet
potatoes, gum Arabic, and sugar—wasn't always of the highest quality, meaning
stamps often fell off letters. The U.S. Postal Service tried various gum
formulas to remedy the situation, including special "summer gum" that was resistant to humidity, and "winter gum" that resisted cracking in cold, dry winter air.
Finally, in the 1960s, the South Pacific island kingdom of
Tonga broke the mold when it printed a series of self-adhesive stamps. Not only
did they not require licking, they came in odd shapes—the most famous of which
was this 1969 stamp (below) shaped like a banana. These unusual stamps were a big
hit and, for a time, became a significant source of revenue for the country.
Collectors went crazy for them. In fact, they became so popular that one dealer
ordered more copies of a particular stamp than had been printed. Most countries
followed Tonga's lead, and today, the die-cut, peel-and-stick stamps are the
most common type of stamps in the United States.
In Memory
of Dr Satyendra Agrawal….
Rose
Philately
Pos Malaysia issued a beautiful set of stamps with a lovely miniature sheet on 14th February 2014 for sending special greetings with a touch of warm love to the dear ones.This rose stamp collection series was issued as a way to encourage the public to appreciate hand-written cards and letters, sealed with a meaningful stamp on the envelope.
Throughout history, no flower has been so loved, revered, or renowned as the three species namely the Hybrid Tea rose, Grandiflora rose and English rose which are selected to be featured in this Rose-themed stamp and philately collection.
The stamps in three denominations featuring the Hybrid
Tea rose at RM0.60 each, Grandiflora rose at RM0.70 each and English rose at
RM1.20 each. The miniature sheet is at
RM5.00 with a heart-shaped Hybrid Tea rose .
Specialized
Section
India Post issued a commemorative
stamp in 1999 on Shri Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. He was a writer, poet &
essayist, considered as one of the most important modern Hindi poets of the
Hindi language.The spelling of his name in English is wrong on this stamp. It
is printed as Ramdhari Sinha Dinkar which should have been Ramdhari Singh
Dinkar.
His name in English can
be found in his books which have been translated into English. This error was
noticed recently by Col Jyanta Dutta on a Post on FB.
Of Mr Anup Goyal.
US Special Delivery Stamps
In 1885, the Universal Postal Union established the basis for
a special service for the speedy delivery of mail for an extra fee. This class of service is known as Special
Delivery or Express Delivery. Essentially
it meant that a postal packet was delivered from a post office to the addressee
immediately once it arrived at the post office responsible for delivering it,
rather than waiting for the next regular delivery to the addressee. In 1885 the United States was the first
country to issue postage stamps expressly for this service. The world's first special delivery stamp, a
10¢ blue ‘Running Messenger’ special delivery stamp was printed by the American Bank Note
Company and issued on 1st October 1885. It could not be used to prepay postage for any
other service. The stamp bears the words
"Secures immediate delivery at a special delivery office.”
Initially the service was available only from 555 post
offices in large metropolitan areas. On Oct. 1, 1886, the service was extended
to all first-class post offices in the United States. In the United States, special delivery stamps
paid only the special delivery fee. The regular postage had to be paid with
postage stamps. While the special
delivery fee could be paid with regular postage stamps, after July 1, 1907,
special delivery stamps were not authorized for payment of regular postage. In 1886 when the Special Delivery
service was expanded to all post offices a new stamp was designed. The revised stamp was identical to the first
issue of 1885 but instead bore the statement "Secures immediate
delivery at any post office."
The
1885 and 1886 issue of Special Delivery stamps
But the usage of such stamps had their
drawbacks. Special Delivery only served
communities whose population was over 4,000 people and could not guarantee
delivery by a specific time. To be valid
the Special Delivery stamp had to be affixed to the envelope along with all
other postage and could not be used to prepay regular and airmail postage.
Image of Special Delivery cover with
1897 postmark.
Special
Delivery Messenger 10c Die proof stamps,
Plate block, Issue of 1893
Beginning in 1902 and
continuing for 20 years, Special Delivery messengers were issued bicycles to
deliver the mail and correspondingly a stamp was issued that year which
depicted a messenger riding a bicycle and delivering the mail.
In 1908 a helmet of the god
Mercury was briefly used for the design, with the stamp often called the Merry
Widow issue after a popular opera in which the lead singer wore a large
hat. The bicycle design was reinstated
and continued with subsequent issues having differences in perforations and watermarks.
The series ended in 1922 when a
messenger riding a motorcycle was shown, replaced by a truck in 1925. In the following years the truck and
motorcycle pictures reappeared as rates changed and various color, printing and
perforation varieties were created.
Finally in 1954 a design
featuring hands passing a letter went into use. The last image instituted in 1969 portrayed
arrows. Overall philatelists recognize
23 separate issues of special delivery stamps spanning the years 1885 to 1971. In addition, three Airmail Special Delivery
stamps were issued in the 1930s, two regular ones and an imperforated issue
specially produced by Postmaster General James Farley. None of the special delivery stamps are
particularly scarce in used condition.
On June 7, 1997, the United
States Postal Service terminated Special Delivery mail service which left many
unused Special Delivery stamps in circulation that were no longer valid for
such postage. The remaining stamps were
allowed to be returned to the Post Office for their face value as
"services were not rendered".
In February, 1893 the
stamp's color changed to orange to avoid confusion with the one cent 1893
Columbian issue.
10c Orange, Special
Delivery on cover tied by Back Bay Boston Mass. March 30 1894 cancel
1927, Motorcycle Delivery,
10c red lilac, horizontal pair imperforate between stamps
Misperfed to left, plate
number 24553
The issue
of 1895 was overprinted for use in Cuba, Guam and the Philippines.
To meet requests for U.S.
stamps with Philippine overprints, the Bureau of Insular Affairs ordered a
special printing of the Special Delivery stamp. Since the printing plates for
the 1901 issue had been destroyed, the 1902 design was substituted and two
panes of 50 were overprinted. Only 100
examples were produced.
India’s Postal History from the Feudal Era to
Independence, 1947
Last part (Postal
System from 1873-1947)
By late 1700, the Desert route
called “Direct Service” through Basra, Allepo using DromedaryDawk/Post, then
Allepoto Constantinople, finally from
Constantinople to London via Vienna using the established Thurns and Taxis
service. In 1813, a shorter route was opened through Baghdad, Smyrna, Malta to
the first port of Britain via Gibraltar. This route became the default route
unless the Allepo route is requested by the sender of the letter. The sender
has to mention on the letter the preferred route “Via Constantinople and Vienna”
or else the letter will travel via Basra, Smyrna and Malta.
Need for Faster Communication
The start of the 1800, saw the
increase in trade between Britain and India and the technology development of
steam navigation which resulted in faster communication between India and
Britain.
At
a meeting held in the Town Hall of Calcutta on the 5th November
1823, offered a premium of Rs 10,000 to the first company, or society that
would bring a steam vessel to India from England and establish
communication between the two countries.
In 1825, Captain Johnson took the initiative and brought the paddle steamer
named “Enterprise” from England to India via Cape route in 113 days including
the coal refuelling of 10 days. This event was further pursued by Lt. Thomas Waghorn
with the land and sea route via Suez.
Development of Overland Route
Throughout
the eighteenth century, travel and communication between Britain and India had
been mainly by the sea route via Cape which is a longer route taking
approximately 70days each way. To ease communication and to open up trade, the
interest for an overland route either via Persian Gulf or Red Sea had grown.
Col.Chesney Expedition
Colonel
Chesney who travelled to Turkey in 1829 to fight for the Turkey Army The British , but before his arrival at
Turkey, the war was over and he carried
out a brief survey of the various routes
for faster communication between India and UK.The following routes were proposed
in general by Co.Chesney :
1.
Malta,
Constantinople, Triebison(Trabzon), Tehran, Bushire and to Bombay by Persian
Gulf.
2.
Rhine,
Danube, across Black Sea, Triebiscon(Trabzon), Tehran, Bushire and to Bombay by
Persian Gulf.
3.
Malta,
Alexandria, Suez and to Bombay by Red Sea.
4.
Malta,
Iskandroon, Beles, and Mohemerrah to Bombay by Persian Gulf
A Select Committee of the House of Commons
was appointed in 1834 to inquire into the means of promoting communication
between Britain and India by Steam navigation. The committee examined the
suggestions from some of the competent persons on the various routes between
Britain and India. Col.Chesneygave the maximum information on faster
communication between Britain and India using various routes with various
advantages, disadvantages including the
cost factor.
Col.Chesney preferred the Persian Gulf route
due to two reasons : Firstly, the distance between Bombay and entrance of
Persian Gulf was shorter by 1230 kms than the distance between Bombay and
entrance of Read Sea. Secondly, during the monsoon season Persian Gulf is more
suitable to navigate the steamers than the Red Sea. British Government
awardedCol. Chesneya grant of £25,000 to
undertake the Euphrates expedition to
establish a steamship route on the Euphrates river which will form a link
between India and UK via Persian gulf.
Col. Chesney had two plans. The primary plan
was to travel from Basrah to Anna by Eupharates river and then by land to
Beirut via Damascus. Alternately, travel from Basrah to Baghdad by river Tigris
and then travel by land to Beirut by Dromedary Dawk.
Two steamers each named “Tigris” and
“Eupharates” were assembled and erected nearBirecik in Turkey, renamed as Port
Williams on the banks of river Eupharates. The parts of both the steamers were
brought from England to Antioch(now Antakya) on the Orontes river where a depot
was established.Both steamers set out on 16th March 1836 for
the expeditionthrough river
Eupharatesfrom the city of Birecik. On 21st May 1836, the steamer
“Tigris” sank due to hurricane near the rocky pass Is-Geria taking 10 lives.
The expedition proceeded to the town of Anna and on 18th June 1836
the steamer “Eupharates” reached Korna which is the junction of river Tigris
and Euphrates. Next day the steamer reached Basrah. Further the Eupharates
travelled towards Perian Gulf and reached Bushire on 23rd June 1836.
From
Bushire, Col.Chesney decided to survey the river Tigris by travelling to
Baghdad on the river Tigris.On 3rd September the journey started
from Bushire and reached Baghdad on 14th September 1836. Col.Chesney
could not regularise the Euphrates or the Tigris route due to various
difficulties and the expedition was soon supposed to expire on 31st
January 1837.
With
the sinking of steamer Tigris and various obstacles faced during the
expedition, the Euphrates expedition could not succeed and the Red sea route
via Suez became a favoured overland route than the sea route via Cape town.
Development of Suez and Alexandria route
By
1835, Lt.Thomas Waghorn of the Bengal Pilot Service, had surveyed and
regularised the overland route between Suez and Alexandria taking a total
travel time of 60 hours. The route from Suez to Alexandria had three sections :
·
First
sections is the desert route from Suez to Cairo. Along the desert route, from
Suez to Cairo, a series of eight rest houses were constructed every eight to 10
miles.
·
Second
section is the junket(small boat) from Cairo to Atten by way of the Nile River.
·
Third
section is the Atten to Alexandria by way of the Mouhmediah Canal.
Thomas
Waghorn was officially authorised by Britain to carry mails British empire
mails between Suez and Alexandria from 14th June 1837.This official
contract ended in 1841 and other agencies like P&O and the ruler of Egypt
governmentoperated between Suez and
Alexandria.
In
1869 the Suez Canal was opened and the overland route between Suez and
Alexandria became redundant.
Development of the route between Bombay and Suez
With
increase of trade and political activities between England and India the need
for faster, stable and secure communication between India and England was a
felt. Keeping in view of establishing a permanent steamer service between
Bombay and Suez, a steamer for East India Company called “Huge Lindsay” was
built and ready for commissioning in 1829. It made four voyages to Red Sea demonstrating the feasibility of the route.
On 20th March 1830, the
steamer “Huge Lindsay” left Bombay for Suez. After 33 days(12 days for coal
refuelling). It was the first steamer to carry mails from Bombay to Suez.
Later
regular steamers started between Bombay and Suez and Bombay began to assume the
port of exit for India and by 1854 with Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Navigation company("P&O") becoming the only steam ship company
providing communication and transport services from Bombay. Bombay became the
only exit port for India.
Development of routes from Alexandria to Europe.
With the
regularization of the route between Suez and Alexandria , four different routes
from Alexandria to London was established.
1.
The
first being route being Alexandria, Malta, Gibraltar, Southampton. This route
was slower and cheaper.
2.
Anglo-French
Convention in March 1836 permitted mails to and from India to be carried
acrossFrance between Calais and Marseilles. This saved time over the sea route
via Gibraltar to Falmouth but gave rise to postal charges due to the French
Post Office. This second route necessitated, some distinction necessary for the
routes a letter might take from Alexandria. As per the Court of Directors of
East India Company, in August 1837, its now essential that the words “Via
Marsellies” is mentioned on the letter to specify the route taken by the
letter.
3.
Third
route between India and Great Britain via Trieste and passing through Austrian
Dominions was announced by Bombay PMG on 25th July 1838. This route
will take 18 or 19 days between Alexandria to London.
4.
Due
to Francho-Prussian war in 1870, a fourth route to London was established via
Brindisi. This route is known as Brindisi-German route(Brindisi(Italy), German,
Belgium and London). In 1872, with the opening of Cenis Tunnel Rail Road, mails
travelled directly to London via Italy and France. This direct route took 55
hours saving 26 hours as compared to the Brindisi-German route. The Italian
vessels operated between Alexandria to Brindisi. This route was discontinued
with the break of World War I.
Other Developments
a.
As
per the suggestion PMG-London, the Court of Directors of East India Company
in August 1837, directed the Governor to
mark overland letters with impression of stamp “INDIA” for those letters
passing through Egypt or Syria. This will facilitate the due collection of the
postage rates authorised by the Act of 1st Victoria, Cap. 76.
b.
Mont Cenis Pass Railway was built as a temporary connection between France and Italy whilst the tunnel
under the Alpine pass was being built.
A few books to read
on development of postal routes between India and Britain.
“The Balkans Through The Prism of Postal Geography”
2. The Syrian Desert by C.P.Grant
“Eleven Centuries of Postal Services”
3. British Routes to India by H.L. Hoskins
4. The Making India of India The Untold Story of
British Enterprise by KatarLalvani
“The Mail Services, The Telegraph and the Telephone”
Concluding thoughts
a.
In
philatelic terms, postal history is studied mainly with respect to postal
rates, post marks, postal routes.There are various historical events which
forms the foundation to postal history and normally outside the scope of
philately and gets left out. The understanding of historical events related to
postal development helps in easy and in depth understandingof postal history.
b. Postal history can be studied in two perspectives; first, to study from
a historical story in terms of postal developments and its evolution. Secondly,
postal history is studied with reference to a particular historical postal
letter with reference to its postal rates, post marks, postal routes and
sometimes stamp affixed on the letter.
c. This 10 part postal history write up largely focuses on postal history
of India with respect to its history and evolution. The write up is written for
general readers.
d. Lastly, it is important to get feedbacks from the readers to improve
this 10 part series.
...........Concluded
Luxembourg
Stamp issues on 18 September 2018
50 Years of the “Mouvement Ecologique”
In 2018, the environmental organization “Mouvement
Ecologique” is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It was established by a group
of young people who were concerned first and foremost with protecting nature.
The later debate on nuclear power also sparked increased engagement in the
development of society in general. The “Meco” has since grown into a nationally
recognized movement, which works towards sustainable development, maintaining
quality of life and the rights of future generations.
Stamp Day 2018
In 2018, the Stamp Day will be held in Kayl-Tétange and is
hosted by the local philatelic club. Käl and Téiteng (in Luxemburgish) are
located in the south of Luxembourg, also known as “the land of the red rocks”,
due to its characteristic vast iron ore deposits. Alongside the raw materials
extraction, a whole new industry sprung up which also included the design and
manufacture of technical devices. With the issue of this special stamp for the
Stamp Day 2018, POST Philately is introducing a new series. The host
association can choose the motif; it just needs to be closely related to their
home municipality or region.
Talking differently about breast cancer is a challenge of
Europa Donna Luxembourg, an association formed in 2002. Thanks to presentations
on the disease, people sharing their stories and public awareness campaigns
such as the “Broschtkriibslaf”, the taboo around cancer has been greatly
reduced. The primary objective: to raise public awareness about breast cancer
and the risk factors in order to promote a responsible attitude amongst women
towards their health. Europa Donna Luxembourg wants to tell every woman that
she is not going through the ordeal of this disease alone. Having cancer is a
very distressing experience.
UK
16 October 2018 : Harry
Potter – set of ten special stamps
This collection of 10 magical stamps features favourite characters and
iconic wizarding transport from the much loved series of Harry Potter films.
10 unique Special Stamps featuring favourite characters Harry, Hermione,
Ron, Ginny, and Neville Longbottom plus selected portkeys and iconic transport
from the Wizarding World – including the Hogwarts Express, Hagrid’s
motorbike, the Knight Bus and the Triwizard Cup.
- UV
light has been used to illuminate the stamps and to sprinkle a little extra
magic
- Stamps
are presented in two horizontal se-tenant strips of 5.
Acknowledgement
- Ananthapuri Stamp
Bulletin September & October 2018
issues edited by Mohanchandran Nair
-
Judaica Thematic Society (UK)
September 2018 Newsletter
edited by Gary Goodman
-The Hyderabad
Philatelist August 2018 issues edited by
Prakash Agarwal
-The
Hyderabad Hobby Magazine August 2018 issues
edited by Prakash Agarwa
- Journal of The Army Philatelic Society Vol 16 No 3 & 4 edited by Col Jayanta Dutta
Blogs & Websites
Philatelic Clubs & Societies
Ananthapuri
Philatelic Association, Thiruvanthapuram
Chandigarh
Philatelic Club
Deccan
Philatelic Society – Pune, Maharashtra
The Hyderabad Philatelic and Hobbies Socirty
Ludhiana
Philatelic Club
Numismatic & Philatelic
Association of Vellore Fort
http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm
Philatelic
Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur
Philatelic
Society of India , Mumbai : http://www.psi1897.com/
Rajkot
Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat
Gujarat
Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad
The
Army Philatelic Society, Pune
RAINBOW STAMP
CLUB
This is a blog of
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themselves with their collecting interests and share new ideas with other
philatelists. New Post on recent issues,
news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are published every day on
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Current Philatelic Magazines –
Newsletters
VADOPHIL, Editor - Prashant Pandya & Timir Shah and published by Baroda Philatelic Society,
Vadodara. Website -http://www.vadophil.org/
ITS Stamp News - Quarterly - Editor: Suraj Jaitly Publisher: Indian Thematic Society website - http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/
Ananthpuri Stamp Bulletin - Monthly e -stamp bulletin of Anathapuri Philatelic Association, Thiruvanthapuram
Journal of the Army Philatelic Society : Editor – Col Jayanta Dutta
India
Post – Quarterly Journal of the
India Study Circle publishes original articles submitted by members of ISC.
Deccan Philatelist from Deccan Philatelic Socity, Pune. edited by Col Jayanta Dutta
The Hyderabad Philatelist from Hyderabad Philatelic and Hobbies
Society Editor – Prakash Agrawal
Courtesy - News and Image Resource to this issue : , Stamps of India ; Suresh R.-Bangalore, USPS, Wolfgang Beyer - Germany, Pradip Jain-Patna; Ashwani Dubey n Raman Kumar Mandal-Gorakhpur; Abhai Mishra-Dehradun; Europa Stamps ;Dr Hemant Kulakarni - USA; Shalini Agrawal - Kanpur
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