PHILIPPINE FIRST FLIGHTS - CHINA CLIPPER, December 2-6, 1935

The study of postal history is fascinating in that it places an item at a specific time and place, and if we are truly fortunate, in the context of an individual within that period.

This is a fine example of a first-flight cover for the Philippine inauguration of trans-pacific air mail service between Manila, Philippines and San Francisco, California.   It displays the special $1.50 air-mail rate for this flight.  It is franked with three Scott #C52 and a block of Scott #C53, issued to commemorate this special flight which took place between December 2-6, 1935.



But what sets this cover apart from many others like it is that this cover actually carried a personal letter, and what a fine letter it is!  This letter is reproduced below, and can be enlarged by simply clicking on it. 

I hope you agree that this letter conveys all the excitement and optimism that the China Clipper flights represented for many throughout the "Golden Era" of aviation in the 1920s and 1930s, in the Philippines and the United States.

USA - 1903 SCHERNIKOW REPRINTS OF THE PHILADELPHIA BANK NOTE COMPANY'S 1877 ESSAYS

USA, ESSAY 184-E4k (dull carmine)

(SCHERNIKOW REPRINT, 1903)

3-CENTS, ENGRAVED, COMPLETE DIE ESSAY ON PROOF PAPER

USA, ESSAYS 184-E5e (dull violet) and 184-E5e (deep ultramarine)

(SCHERNIKOW REPRINTS, 1903)

3-CENTS, LITHOGRAPHED, PLATE ESSAY ON PROOF PAPER

USA, ESSAYS 188-E2b (scarlet) and 188-E2b (blue green)

(SCHERNIKOW REPRINTS, 1903)

12-CENTS, LITHOGRAPHED, PLATE ESSAY ON STAMP PAPER

WITH MARGIN INSCRIPTION "PRINTED BY PHILADELPHIA BANK NOTE COMPANY, PATENTED JUNE 16, 1876"

In the pop music world, "unreleased" tracks and demo recordings provide rare glimpses into the musician's creative process, revealing how ideas developed and transformed into the final release. 

Similarly, stamp design essays provide tantalizing glimpses of "what could have been" in the philatelic world.  They are often the evolutionary "missing-links" of philatelic design.

In the early 1900s, the archives of the Philadelphia Bank Note Company were sold in a bankruptcy sale.  Among the items sold were the dies for the Philadelphia Bank Note Company's 1877 Essays.

The buyer of the dies was Ernest Schernikow, an officer of the Hamilton Bank Note Company. In 1903 the Hamilton Bank Note Companyy made reprints from the dies in as many as fifteen colors. It is believed that this was done to help recoup the $10,000.00 Schernikow paid for the effects of the Philadelphia Bank Note Company.

To me, these beautiful designs bridge the design aesthetic of the "Bank Note" issues of the 1870s with the classical baroque designs of the early 1900s, and foreshadow the Washington-Franklin regular issues that were to come in 1908.

PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY

Commemorative Cover signed by Emilio Aguinaldo

At the Barasoain Church, Malolos, Bulacan

On the 58th Anniversary of the Malolos Revolutionary Congress

September 15, 1956

Today is June 12, Philippine Independence Day.  On this day in 1898, prior to the formal conclusion of the Spanish-American War, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain and the birth of the Philippine Republic “under the protection of the mighty and humane North American Union.”.

This momentous event took place in Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit), Cavite Province. Admiral Dewey had been invited but did not attend. The Filipino national flag was officially unfurled for the first time at 4:20 PM. The same flag was actually unfurled, albeit unofficially, on May 28, 1898 at the Teatro Caviteño in Cavite Nuevo---now Cavite City---right after the battle of Alapan, Imus, Cavite, and again three days later over the Spanish barracks at Binakayan, Cavite, after the Filipinos' victory.

A tattered flag of the First Philippine Republic, one of many used during the struggle for independence. The flag believed by heirs of Emilio Aguinaldo to be that unfurled by the general in Kawit, Cavite, in 1898 is encased in glass at the Aguinaldo Museum in Baguio City.  However, the National Historical Institute has yet to authenticate this flag despite years of probing. In his letter to Capt. Emmanuel Baja dated June 11, 1925, Aguinaldo mentioned that in their Northward retreat during the Filipino-American War, the original flag was lost somewhere in Tayug, Pangasinan Province; the Americans captured the town on Nov. 11, 1899.

At the historic Proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, Ambrosio Bautista (Aguinaldo's War Counsellor and Special Delegate), solemnly read the "Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino". The declaration was signed by 97 Filipinos and one retired American artillery officer, Colonel L.M. Johnson.  Although Aguinaldo unfurled the flag, contrary to common belief, it was Bautista, and not Aguinaldo, who waved the Philippine flag before the jubilant crowd.

The June 12 proclamation was later modified by another proclamation done at Malolos, Bulacan, upon the insistence of Apolinario Mabini, chief adviser for General Aguinaldo, who objected to the original proclamation, which essentially placed the Philippines under the protection of the United States.

The Philippine flag was sewn in Hong Kong by Marcela Mariño Agoncillo; she was assisted by her 7-year-old daughter, Lorenza, and Delfina Rizal Herbosa Natividad. The generals of the eight provinces which revolted against Spain had replicas and copies made of the original flag.

The Philippine National Anthem, then known as "Marcha Nacional Filipina", was played by the band of San Francisco de Malabon during the declaration of independence. It was composed by Professor Julian Felipe but it had no lyrics yet. The composition had similarities with the Spanish "Himno Nacional Español." Felipe admitted that he purposely put into his composition some melodic reminiscences of the Spanish National Anthem "in order to preserve the memory of Spain."  His composition was adopted as the Philippine national anthem on Sept. 5, 1938.

First Day Cover signed by President Manuel Roxas

On the Inauguration of the Philippine Republic

July 4, 1946

However, this independence was not recognized by the United States until July 4, 1946. From 1946 to 1961, the Philippines observed Independence Day on July 4 each year. In 1961, President Diosdado Macapagal reverted the holiday to the June 12 date, which up to that time had been observed as Flag Day in the Philippines. In place of the former Independence Day, Macapagal created Filipino-American Friendship Day on July 4.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM - THE 28th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON, CLARK FIELD, PAMPANGA, PHILIPPINES, 13 JULY 1941

28th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON

CLARK FIELD, PAMPANGA, PHILIPPINES

Cover sent by Private First Class Bernard E. Preston

Postmarked at Fort Stotsenburg, July 13, 1941

"The calm before the storm!"

The second incarnation of the 28th Bombardment Squadron was mobilized at Mather Field, California for duty in the Philippine Islands on September 20, 1921.  The squadron became active in the Philippine Islands at Clark Field on October 21, 1922.

The squadron was initially equipped with B-2 and B-3 bombers.  Later, the squadron received B-10 and B-18 medium bombers. By June 24, 1941, there were  approximately fifteen B-18 and six B-10 medium bombers in operation at Clark Field.

In his article about the 28th Bombardment Squadron (available on the "Philippine Defenders" website at http://philippine-defenders.lib.wv.us/pdf/rosters/28th_bombardment_squadron), veteran Edward Jackfert describes a serviceman's life at Clark Field was at that time beyond one's fullest expectations. Duty hours were brief, leaving much time for the pursuit of personal pleasures.  On weekends the barracks would empty, some going to the local barrios, some trotting off to Manila, and the remainder pursuing their pleasure in “Angeles”.

PHILIPPINE AMERICAN WAR - Company A, 38th Volunteer US Infantry on 23 May 1900, Batangas, Philippines

It's Memorial Day weekend here in the United States.  Memorial Day is a U.S. Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 31 in 2010).  First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I.  Today, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in military service. 

Therefore, this Memorial Day weekend, I will share a postal history item from my collection to help us remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of service to our Country...

PHILIPPINE AMERICAN WAR COVER

Cover sent by Fred Breiding of

Company A, 38th Volunteer US Infantry on 23 May 1900,

during guerilla fighting and "pacification" in the Batangas region.

Extraordinary soldier's drawing on this cover!

By the time this cover was mailed during the Philippine American War, the army of the Philippine Republic was no longer a regular fighting force.  Faced with the superior strength of U.S. forces, on Nov. 12, 1899 at a meeting of the council of war in Bayambang, Pangasinan, General Emilio Aguinaldo dissolved the regular army.  It was reformed into guerrilla units that would carry on the war unconventionally, relying on ambush, concealment, and the avoidance of set-piece battles. 

This method of warfare was successful in the past against the Spanish, and initially it seemed to be successful against the Americans.  As American casualties grew, it seemed as if the Filipinos would fight the Americans to a stalemate and force them to withdraw.  This was even considered by President McKinley at the beginning of this phase of the war. 

Unfortunately, such tactics brought on the full wrath of the U.S. military onto the Filipino guerrilla and Filipino civilian population alike.  This period of the Philippine American War became marked by atrocities and a level of barbarity, committed by both sides, previously unseen in this conflict. 

In May 1900, General Elwell Stephen Otis was replaced by Brigadier General Arthur MacArthur, Jr. as military governor, and William Howard Taft arrived as civil governor (Governor-General) of the Philippines.   On Dec. 20, 1900, Brig. Gen. MacArthur, Jr., declared in an official proclamation that since guerrilla warfare was contrary to "the customs and usages of war," those engaged in it "divest themselves of the character of soldiers, and if captured are not entitled to the privileges of prisoners of war."

Less self-disciplined men found in the proclamation authorization for identifying Filipino fighters as outlaws and dealing with them accordingly.

GRAF ZEPPELIN MAIL - 1930 EUROPE-PAN AMERICA ROUND FLIGHT, SPANISH DISPATCHES

LUFTSCHIFF GRAF ZEPPELIN

EUROPE-PAN AMERICA ROUND FLIGHT, SPANISH DISPATCHES 

SEVILLA, SPAIN TO LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, USA

This leg of the flight: May 19, 1930 - May 31, 1930

Spain did not issue any special Zeppelin stamps for this service, but applied a special red cachet to all mail.

The "American Air Mail Catalogue, Volume 1" (fifth edition, 1974), states that 2,210 covers and 638 post cards were carried on the Sevilla, Spain to Lakehurst leg of the flight.

Cover and cachet by A.C. Roessler of East Orange, N.J.  Notable franking includes Spain's airmail stamp Scott C5.

FRENCH PAQUEBOTS CANCEL ON "RECARGO DE CONSUMOS - HABILITADO" OVPT. ON TELEGRAPH 2-CENTAVOS, 1889

FRENCH PAQUEBOTS CANCEL ON "RECARGO DE CONSUMOS - HABILITADO" REVENUE ON 2-CENTAVOS TELEGRAPH STAMP

"MANILLE A SAIGON PAQ. FR."

16 AUGUST 1889

(VERY SCARCE POSTAL USAGE OF THIS REVENUE)

This is a very scarce example of the RECARGO DE CONSUMOS HABILITADO revenue surcharge on a pair of TELEGRAFOS 2-centavos stamps used as postage for the "LIGNES COLONIALES" French Paquebots from Manila to Saigon, Indochina.

From Arnold H. Warren's "Unpublished Studies on Philippine Revenues" (from "The Philippine Philatelist" website), on December 21, 1887, the Philippine Governor General ordered 2,900,000 stamps of various kinds to be surcharged “RECARGO DE CONSUMOS -- HABILITADO” (Surtax For Consumption — Made Valid), with new values, for the collection of the new surtax of five percent on the personal cedulas (poll tax receipts) during the first semestre of 1888 only. 

Hence, after June 5, 1888, there was no further need for the “RECARGO DE CONSUMOS -- HABILITADO” stamps, since the amount of the surtax was later included in the price printed on the face of all cedulas issued from July 1, 1888, to December 31, 1889.

Since there were so many of these surcharged stamps left over and no longer needed for their original purpose, decrees issued on January 29 and March 30, 1889, stated that the remaining 1,858,291 stamps be used for postal and telegraph use at the value surcharged on them.  A decree by the Philippine Governor General  stated that stamps with the surcharge HABILITADO would only be allowed for the franking of letters and telegrams until August 10, 1889. 

As a result, F.L. Palmer (1912) indicates that these stamps were available for postal use from January 29 to August 10, 1889.  Postally used examples of these “RECARGO DE CONSUMOS -- HABILITADO” stamps are scarce, although "cancelled-to-order" stamps are commonly found.

From "LA POSTE MARITIME FRANCAISE, TOME V" by Raymond Salles (Paris, 1966), the scarce postal cancellation on the stamps pictured above indicates their usage on the "LIGNES COLONIALES" French Paquebots which travelled from Manila to Saigon, Indochina.  This French Colonial shipping line was based at Saigon and also had regular stops at Singapore, Quienhone, Tourane, Haiphong, and Hong Kong. 

(Map from SALLES, Raymond, "LA POSTE MARITIME FRANCAISE, TOME V, LES PAQUEBOTS DE L'EXTREME-ORIENT", 1966, 1993)

On the date these stamps were used (August 16, 1889), the French LIGNES COLONIALES used the ship "ARETHUSE" on the Manila and Saigon route.   "ARETHUSE" was a veteran of the French North African shipping lines, and began her service in May 1885 along the Manila and Tonkin routes, serving between 1885 and 1898.

The stamps pictured above are also interesting in that they appear to have the denomination of $0'02 4/3 on them.  F.L. Palmer (1912) lists this surcharge variety as "Type V" and states "due to blurred printing or injury to the die, the 8 of 4/8 often appears to be a 3, making the value read $0'02 4/3".

The Recargo de Consumos surtax was abolished, effective on January 1, 1890, by the Royal Decree of October 25, 1889.

SPAIN'S BLUE DIVISION AND THEIR CRUSADE AGAINST BOLSHEVISM DURING WORLD WAR 2

SPANISH POST CARD PICTURING  "BLUE DIVISION" SOLDIERS INSPECTING A CAPTURED SOVIET TANK

(Series 1, Card 6)

GERMAN WEHRMACHT FELDPOST CARD

FELDPOST NR. 14929, INFANTRY REGIMENT 263, SPANISH

SPAIN'S VOLUNTEER "BLUE DIVISION"

POSTMARKED OCT. 7, 1943, LENINGRAD AREA AND THEIR WITHDRAWAL FROM THE EASTERN FRONT

The Blue Division (Spanish: "División Azul", German: "Blaue Division"), or 250. Infanterie-Division in the German Army, was a unit of Spanish volunteers that served in the German Army on the Eastern Front of the Second World War.

The 250. Infanterie-Division was formed in Spain during the last week of June 1941, immediately after the German attack on the Soviet Union. The unit was an offical Spanish sponsored formation created to partially repay the debt owed Germany for its vitally important assistance during the Spanish Civil War during 1936-1939. It was formed with Spanish volunteers from across Spain who flocked en masse to serve in the unit, originally named simply the Spanish Division of Volunteers, or more properly, Division Espanola de Voluntarios (DEV). The division was exclusively a foreign volunteer unit, designed for service within the German Wehrmacht, but to consist soley of Spaniards and to be led soley by Spanish officers.

FILIPINO REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT - SCARCE "COMUNICACIONES FILIPINAS ADMON. CENTRAL" CANCEL

FILIPINO REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT

OF GENERAL EMILIO AGUINALDO (1898-1901)

2-CENTS POSTAGE STAMP (SCOTT Y2)

BLOCK OF 4, USED

WITH SCARCE "COMUNICACIONES FILIPINAS ADMON. CENTRAL" CANCEL

(DETAIL OF "COMUNICACIONES FILIPINAS ADMON. CENTRAL" CANCEL)

On November 2, 1898, a decree was issued formalizing the Revolutionary postal and telegraph service.  A set of three stamps was prepared: two for postal use (Scott Y1 and Y2), and a third to be used for telegraph service (Scott Y3).  These were closely followed by specific stamps for specific services: newspapers (Scott YP1), registered letters (Certificado) (Scott YF1), and telegraph services (Scott YT1 and YT2).  [Aguinaldo's tax stamps will be discussed in a later post.]  All were used interchangeably for postage, special services, tax payments, and other service fees.

The design for the 2-Cents postage stamp above (Scott Y2) is credited to Marcelino Gomez and printed by his company, Lithografica de Gomez, Sta. Cruz, Manila.  The printing quantity of Scott Y2 is said to be 50,000.

FILIPINO REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT

OF GENERAL EMILIO AGUINALDO (1898-1901)

2-CENTS TELEGRAPH STAMP (SCOTT YT1)

BLOCK OF 4, USED

WITH SCARCE "COMUNICACIONES FILIPINAS ADMON. CENTRAL" CANCEL

(DETAIL OF "COMUNICACIONES FILIPINAS ADMON. CENTRAL" CANCEL)

Article 1 from the decree establishing the postal and telegraph system lists the rate for telegraphs:

"Article 1: There is opened to the public from this date the telegraph service, and from the tenth inst. the postal service, both for the territory of Luzon which is embraced in the jurisdiction of the Revolutionary Gevernment, and whose tariffs are:

Telegraph:

Rate for the first series of 15 words...$0.50

For each word in excess...$0.02

Telegrams of correspondents of periodicals, half rate

Telegram with acknowledgement of receipt will pay the surtax of a plain telegram.

The dispatcher of telegrams may demand the corresponding receipt upon payment...$0.06

It is apparent that Scott YT1 (2-cents telegraph) and Scott YT2 (50-cents telegraph) had clear purposes.  The printing quantity of Scott YT1 and YT2 is believed to be 19,000 of each.

(This post is based on "The Aguinaldo Revolutionary Government in Luzon", by Bob Yacano, and published in the Philippine Philatelic Journal of the International Philippine Philatelic Society (IPPS))

FILIPINO REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT - REGISTRATION STAMP (SCOTT YF1) WITH BAYOMBONG CANCEL

FILIPINO REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT

OF GENERAL EMILIO AGUINALDO (1898-1901)

8-CENT. REGISTRATION STAMP (SCOTT YF1)

BLOCK OF 4, USED

WITH SCARCE "CORREOS FILIPINAS BAYOMBONG" CANCEL

BAYOMBONG is the capital of the province of NUEVA VIZCAYA, located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon.   It is bordered by, clockwise from the north, Ifugao, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Benguet.

In August 1898, Colonel Daniel Tirona headed a military expedition sent by General Emilio Aguinaldo to Cagayan.  On August 25, 1898, Colonel Tirona seized Aparri from the Spaniards. General Emilio Aguinaldo then appointed him as the military governor of the Cagayan Valley (comprised of the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya) with the new rank of Brigadier-General.  Tirona represented the province of Batanes in the Malolos Congress in 1898-1899.

 

When the Philippine-American War broke out in February 1899, General Tirona fought against the Americans in Cagayan.   General Tirona surrendered in Aparri to Capt. Bowman H. McCalla of the US Navy cruiser Newark on Dec. 11, 1899, as described in my previous post on the Ylagan cancellation on Scott YT1.

FILIPINO REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT - TELEGRAPH STAMP (SCOTT YT1) WITH YLAGAN CANCEL

FILIPINO REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT

OF GENERAL EMILIO AGUINALDO (1898-1901) 

2-CENTS TELEGRAPH STAMP (SCOTT YT1)

BLOCK OF 6, USED

WITH SCARCE "COMUNICACIONES FILIPINAS YLAGAN" CANCEL

(DETAIL OF YLAGAN CANCEL)

YLAGAN (ILAGAN) is the capital of the province of ISABELA, LUZON, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, at the confluence of the Pinacanauan river with the Grande de Cagayan, about 200 M. N.N.E. of Manila . Population reported in 1903 was 16,008 people.  The neighboring countryside is the largest tobacco-producing section in the Philippines.

On August 25, 1898, Daniel Tirona, a native of Kawit, Cavite Province, seized Aparri from the Spaniards. General Emilio Aguinaldo then appointed him as the military governor of the Cagayan Valley (comprised of the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya).

After war broke out with the Americans, Gen. Tirona surrendered in Aparri to Capt. Bowman H. McCalla of the US Navy cruiser Newark on Dec. 11, 1899. 

Tirona's surrender was received with military honors.  Captain McCalla reviewed the Filipino troops, and Tirona reviewed the US naval forces. The Americans presented arms while the Filipinos were stacking theirs; a total of 300 rifles were turned over.

Captain McCalla appointed Tirona as the temporary civil governor of the Cagayan Valley pending further orders from Maj. Gen. Elwell S. Otis, 8th Army Corps Commander and military governor of the Philippines.  On Dec. 21, 1899, Otis directed the 16th US Infantry Regiment (Regulars), commanded by Col. Charles C. Hood, to proceed to Aparri. On the same day, Colonel Hood was appointed as the military governor of the Cagayan Valley.

Daniel Tirona later became a founding member of the pro-American Partido Federal when it was organized on Dec. 23, 1900.

(Reference: "Philippine-American War, 1899-1902" by Arnaldo Dumindin, available at http://philippineamericanwar.webs.com/)

USA - ESSAY 70-E3a, 24-CENTS, BROWN DIE ESSAY, SCHERNIKOW REPRINT, 1903

USA, ESSAY 70-E3a

(SCHERNIKOW REPRINT, 1903)

24-CENTS, BROWN DIE ESSAY PULLED ON PROOF PAPER AND DIE SUNK ON CARD. 

THIS DESIGN WAS TAKEN FROM THE 24-CENTS 1860 ISSUE (SCOTT #37), WITH SPACES CREATED FOR NUMERALS, BUT BEFORE NUMERALS WERE ADDED.

In the early 1900s, the archives of the Philadelphia Bank Note Company were sold in a bankruptcy sale.   Among the items sold were the duplicate dies of the 1851-1860 issues, which the Philadelphia Bank Note Company inherited from Toppan, Carpenter and Company.  The Philadelphia Bank Note Company modified these dies by adding numerals to all the values, except the 10-cent and 30-cent denominations.  The modified dies were submitted as essays with their proposal for the 1861 contract.

The buyer of the dies was Ernest Schernikow, an officer of the Hamilton Bank Note Company. In 1903 they made reprints from the dies in as many as fifteen colors. It is believed that this was done to help recoup the $10,000.00 Schernikow paid for the effects of the Philadelphia Bank Note Company.

GERMANY - THE LAST STAMPS ISSUED BY THE THIRD REICH, 20 APRIL 1945

GERMANY, THIRD REICH

SCOTT B292-B293

ISSUED 20 APRIL 1945

IN BERLIN, GERMANY

It has been 65 years since Hitler's Third Reich issued its last postage stamps, before it was finally crushed under the overwhelming weight of Soviet and Allied forces.  These stamps were issued on April 20, 1945; the Soviets launched their final thrust into Berlin the following day.  Germany would finally surrender unconditionally on May 7, 1945.

In "Philately of the Third Reich", author Alf Harper wrote that these two stamps were actually issued as part of a never to be completed set of five stamps honoring various Nazi party formations.  These stamps honored the SA and SS (an earlier released stamp honored the Volksturm, or People's Army; the last two unissued stamps were for the NSKK and NSFK).

USA - A FEW OF MY FAVORITE REVENUE STAMPS - PRIVATE DIE PROPRIETARY STAMPS

April 15 is the annual deadline for American's to file their income tax forms with the Internal Revenue Service.  For many procrastinators, tomorrow will be a very stressfull day indeed! 

Luckily, I finished and submitted my tax forms electronically to the IRS last week, so all I have to do now is wait for my Tax Refund.  Thank you to my lovely wife for keeping the pressure on me to "GIT 'ER DONE!"

In honor of April 15, I thought it most appropriate to post my favorite revenue stamps from my collection.  And among US Revenue stamps, some of the most beautiful and whimsical were the Private Die Proprietary stamps.

These revenue stamps were issued to help alleviate the extraordinary financial demands of the American Civil War (1861-1865) on the US Federal Treasury.  The Revenue Act of 1862 required revenue stamps to be affixed to boxes or packages of matches, proprietary medicines, perfumes, playing cards, and even documents.  

Private Die Proprietary stamps came about when manufacturers were permitted, at their expense, to have dies engraved and plates made for their exclusive use.   Many were willing to do this because of the obvious advertising value.  These stamps were in use between 1862 to 1883. 

(Click on the stamps to enlarge them.)

PRIVATE DIE PERFUMERY STAMP

SCOTT RT4, "CORNING & TAPPAN" FOR PERFUME

PRIVATE DIE MEDICINE STAMP

SCOTT RS64 "CHARLES N. CRITTENTON" FOR PIKE'S TOOTHACHE DROPS AND GLENN'S SULPHUR SOAP

PRIVATE DIE MEDICINE STAMP

SCOTT RS65 "OLIVER CROOK & CO." FOR DR. CROOK'S WINE OF TAR

PRIVATE DIE MEDICINE STAMP

SCOTT RS187 "NEW YORK PHARMACAL ASSOCIATION" FOR LACTOPEPTINE

PRIVATE DIE MEDICINE STAMP

SCOTT RS249 "S.R. VAN DUZER" FOR HAIR RESTORER

There were many other attractive designs.  If you would like to see more, just let me know.

Happy Tax Day!

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - SCOTT #192 (1 MILESIMA) WITH U.S. MILITARY POSTAL STATION CDS, ILOILO

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - SCOTT #192 (1 MILESIMA)

WITH U.S. MILITARY POSTAL STATION CDS

"MIL. STA. No. 3, PHILIPPINE ISLS., ILOILO, REGISTERED."

Sometimes very common stamps can provide us with very scarce postmarks.  Here is a fine example of a portion of a U.S. Military Postal Station No. 3, Iloilo, Registry Postmark on a Spanish Philippines 1-milesima stamp (Scott #192) during the Philippine American War.  This Registry Postmark was used from June 23, 1899 to February 4, 1901.  Interestingly, this registration cancel is more often found in purple (as illustrated below), than in black.

(from http://www.philippinephilatelist.net/Collections/USPI/uspiPH/military/Iloilo%202.html)

According to Col. George Goodale's "U.S. Military Postal Stations in the Philippines (1898-1904)" a U.S. expedition was sent from Manila to Iloilo on December 28, 1898, but their landing at Iloilo was postponed until February 11, 1899. After driving out the Philippine "Insurgents", Iloilo was made the headquarters for the Department of the Visayas, U.S. Army, in March 1900.

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - SCOTT #192 (1 MILESIMA)

WITH U.S. MILITARY POSTAL STATION CDS

"...AM, 1899, RECEIVED."

Here is an interesting example of a portion of a U.S. Military Postal Station receiving postmark on a Spanish Philippines 1-milesima stamp (Scott #192) during the Philippine American War.

Based on the relative orientation of the "1899", "RECEIVED", and ... "INE" of PHILIPPINE, I believe this receiving postmark is also from Iloilio (see the example below).  This receiving postmark was used from June 23, 1899 to February 4, 1901.

(from http://www.philippinephilatelist.net/Collections/USPI/uspiPH/military/Iloilo%202.html)

But why would a U.S. cancel be found on a Spanish Philippine stamp? 

From my recent email correspondence with Don Peterson, a Philippine philatelic expert, he indicated that there were several circumstances that allowed Spanish Philippine stamps (mostly the 1898 issues) to have been cancelled with U.S. military postal station postmarks.

Bags of Un-Delivered Mail:  As U.S. forces took over the Spanish post offices, invariably there were bags of un-delivered Spanish mail present. This was certainly true at the Manila PO, where U.S. records show such bags present. Postmaster Vaille's first priority was U.S. mail. However, using Spanish clerks, he eventually got the Spanish mail cancelled, and arranged with the Spanish Governor-General to have Spanish and Filipino carriers deliver the mail to interior locations using the Spanish mail delivery system. This mail was cancelled with U.S. Military Station postmarks. Although some such mail was sent overseas, most overseas mail was eventually terminated by orders of the U.S. military (this latter statement is more complicated, because there were different rules for mail to Spain vs. mail to other foreign countries).

Short-Term Continued Use of Spanish Philippine (1898) Issues at U.S. Occupied P.O.s:  We also know that until U.S. postage stamps arrived at recently occupied towns, many such post offices were allowed to use Spanish Philippine stamps. This is believed to be very short-lived. 

Philatelic Usage: There was also philatelic usage as well, with the low-value Spanish Philippine stamps added as "decoration" onto outbound foreign mail.  An example of this can be seen at http://www.philippinephilatelist.net/Collections/USPI/uspiPH/rates/Postal%20Rates%204.html.

Even with the possibility of philatelic usage, Spanish period 1898 stamps with Mil. Sta. cancels are scarce. I am quite lucky to have found these.

PUERTO RICO - 1877 Provisional Revenue on Scott #16, 25-Centimes

PUERTO RICO - 1877 PROVISIONAL REVENUE

ON SCOTT #16 (25-Centimes)

Since it is "Tax Season" in the USA this week, I'll start tonight's posts with a classic provisional revenue from Spanish Puerto Rico.

The 25-centimes value of the 1877 issue is sometimes found with a large "R" overprinted in black, and many have considered that this stood for a registration receipt stamp, or something of that nature.  The Spanish-language GALVEZ catalog lists this stamp, mentioning that the "R" stood for "receipt", but gives no further details.

The answer has been provided by Antonio Fernandez Duro, a high official in the Spanish postal service at this time and a philatelist of note; he authored the "Resena Historico-Descriptiva de los Sellos de Correo de Espana" published in Madrid in 1881. 

When submitting his budget for the year 1877, the Governor-General of Puerto Rico requested that a revenue stamp be provided to collect a new tax on "recibos y cuentas" (receipts and accounts), the value to be 25-centimes.  The new tax was authorized, and pending preparation of the correct revenue stamp, the 25-centimes postage stamp was pressed into use. 

On August 13, 1877, a Royal Decree authorized the overprinting of the 25-centimes value.  These provisionals were in use from September 6, 1877 until January 1, 1878.   On original document they are very difficult to find; as a matter of fact they are not common in any condition.  (From an article by Preston, R.B. "Puerto Rico, The Alfonso XII Issues For Puerto Rico", published in The Stamp Specialist, Volume 20, 1948)

UNITED STATES - UY5 Postal Reply Card, Speedwell Motor Car Company, 1911

UNITED STATES - POSTAL REPLY CARD, UY5

"SPEEDWELL MOTOR CAR COMPANY"

Dayton, OH to Pacific Grove, CA, CDS dated March 18, 1911

Here's an interesting example of an unsevered preprinted Paid Reply Postal Card, Scott UY5, from the Speedwell Motor Car Company in 1911.  I purchased this item many years ago from a small stamp shop in Carmel, California, which is not far from Pacific Grove, the original destination of this postal card.  I have not seen another example of this reply card since then, so it may be quite scarce, especially since the Speedwell Motor Car Company closed only a few years later.

The Speedwell Motor Car Company was an early United States automobile manufacturing company producing "brass-era" automobiles from 1907 to 1914.  The company's factory rented space for the Wright Company from February to November 1910 while the Wright Company built its own factory building in west Dayton.

1911 Speedwell Model F Special

In 1911, Speedwell built a closed two-door, dubbed a sedan, which was the first recorded use of the term. (ref. Wikipedia)

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR - GENERAL DANIEL ULLMANN, CORPS D'AFRIQUE, PORT HUDSON, LOUISIANA, 1864

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, 1861-1865

RARE COVER ADDRESSED TO UNION GENERAL DANIEL ULLMANN

CORPS D'AFRIQUE

PORT HUDSON, LOUISIANA

From Provost Marshal's Office, Thirtieth District, New York

With Buffalo, New York CDS, February 15, 1864

This is a rare example of an official business cover addressed to Daniel Ullmann, Commanding General of the Corps D'Afrique, which evolved from five regiments of black troops raised by Ullmann in Louisiana in 1863. These regiments were the first black troops ordered raised by the Union.

Daniel Ullmann was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1810. A graduate of Yale (1829) and Madison (1861) universities and member of the New York bar, Ullmann ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 1854 on the American or Know-Nothing ticket.

As colonel of the 78th New York Volunteers, he was captured at Cedar Mountain in August of 1862 and sent to Libby prison. He was paroled in October of the same year.

Ullmann met with Lincoln late in 1862, and tried to convince the President to enlist black troops. Initially, Lincoln had misgivings, but called Ullmann back to further discuss the idea.  In January of 1863, Ullmann was promoted to brigadier general and sent to Louisiana under General Banks. As ordered, he raised five regiments of black troops there. The units were later designated as the Corps D'Afrique. 

He commanded a brigade at Port Hudson, then commanded the post at Port Hudson. After a number of reorganizations and redesignations, Ullmann found himself in Morganza, Louisiana, in command of a brigade of black troops. At times, disease was a greater danger to his command than Confederate forces in the area.

The evolution of black units was not without its problems. Ullmann complained that commanders in the field often chose to use black troops as "diggers and drudges", doing work that white troops disliked. Complaints of this sort led to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton acting to equalize fatigue duty between white and black troops. Ullmann also made the point that often the white officers appointed to black units were less than competent.  

Regiments raised by Ullmann to form the Corps D'Afrique were later redesignated as United States Colored Troops, and performed well in the siege of Mobile in the spring of 1865.  On 26 Feb 1865, Ullmann was removed from command and ordered to report to New Orleans. Reports indicate that he had a severe alcohol problem at the time.  On 13 Mar 1865, he was brevetted to major general. He was mustered out on 24 Aug 1865 and made major general in November 1865.

After the war, Ullmann involved himself with literary and scientific studies. In a speech before the Soldier's and Sailor's Union of New York, he advocated equality of education and universal suffrage as tools for the "regeneration of the South".  He died on 20 Sep 1892 in Nyack, New York, and is buried there.

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - 10-CUARTOS, FIRST ISSUE of 1854, Pale Rose. Position 7

10-CUARTOS, FIRST ISSUE of 1854

Early Printing, Fine Engraving

(Scott 2a; Edifil 2b) Used. Pale Rose. Position 7

SCARCE!

PHILIPPINES JAPANESE OCCUPATION - Rare Foreign Mail from Bacolod, Negros Occidental, 1944

To: KOBASHI Touzaburo and FUJII Masuai

Oojima, Kurashiki-Shi,

Okayama Prefecture, Japan

From: FUJII Kohei

Kurashiki Industries Negros Farm

No. 62 Luzuriaga Street

Bacolod City

Negros Occidental Province, The Philippines

COTTON DEVELOPMENT DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION

Rare Foreign Mail from Bacolod, Negros Occidental, 1944

This is a rare example of a non-philatelic Japanese Occupation cover displaying the First Class 7-cents letter postal rate for Foreign Mail that became effective May 15, 1944 in the Philippines. It is franked with a single Scott #N4 "Thick Top Bar" type and a pair of Scott #N12. The stamps are tied to the cover with a poor but legible impression of the "BACOLOD OCCIDENTAL NEGROS, P.I." provincial postmark dated SEP 18, 1944, with the distinctive single numeral "4" representing "1944" (reference Garrett's "Bacolod -1b" provincial cancel). There are no receiving postmarks or censor markings.

What I find truly interesting about this cover is the story that it reveals through the addresses of the sender and the recipient. The cover is addressed to KOBASHI Touzaburo and FUJII Masuai, Oojima, Kurashiki-Shi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, and the sender is FUJII Kohei, Kurashiki Industries Negros Farm, No. 62 Luzuriaga Street, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental Province, the Philippines. The cover is addressed on the front and back using Japanese kanji and furigana. Furigana is a Japanese reading aid, consisting of smaller kana, or syllabic characters, printed next to a kanji (ideographic characters) to indicate its pronunciation. In vertical text, or tategaki, they are placed to the right of the line of text.

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - 5 CUARTOS, "CABEZA GRANDE" (Large Head) ISSUE of 1855, Type 1

5 CUARTOS, "CABEZA GRANDE" (Large Head) ISSUE of 1855

(Philippines Scott #6; Edifil #5) USED. Vermilion. Type 1.

VERY SCARCE THIS NICE!

Printed in blocks of four types; with each stamp surrounded by a frame line. A total of 5,000 stamps, (1,250 of each variety), were printed.  The stamps were lithographed on medium to thick, white wove paper by the firm of Plana, Jorba y Cia, Manila.  On this issue, the inner circle is broken by the labels at the top and bottom of the stamp.

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - 1 REAL FIRST ISSUE of 1854, USED. Pale Blue Grey. Position 38

1 REAL FIRST ISSUE of 1854

FINE ENGRAVING, thin paper

(Scott #4; Edifil #3b) USED. Pale Blue Grey. Position 38.

with bottom margin

SCARCE!

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - 5-CUARTOS (ISS. OF JAN.1863) OVERPRINTED "HABILITADO POR LA NACION" with municipal crown cancel "DIST. DE YLOYLO, MOLO"

5-CUARTOS (ISSUE OF JAN. 1863)

OVERPRINTED "HABILITADO POR LA NACION" AND ISSUED JAN. 24, 1872

(Philippines Scott #30; Edifil #20H) USED

This stamp displays a portion of the scarce municipal crown cancel "DIST. DE YLOYLO, MOLO"

"In early 1872, five obsolete values were overprinted "HABILITADO POR LA NACION" in black and issued. By that time, the first printing of the 1871 issue was sold out, and new supplies from Spain were not available. Therefore, the authorities were once again forced to seek recourse to this measure, surcharging the remaining stocks of stamps at hand, and re-validating them for postal use."  (Ref. Nigel Gooding's website, "SPANISH-PHILIPPINES PHILATELIC SITE", at http://nigelgooding.co.uk/)

 

Molo is one of the six districts of Iloilo City, in the Philippine province of Iloilo. It was built by Spaniards and was formerly called the Parian (Chinatown) due to its large number of Chinese residents and their business establishments in the area at the time. Its name was later changed to Moro during the frequent arrival of Muslim pirates from Mindanao until it later evolved into Molo. It is also home to the historic Molo Church (St. Anne Parish) which lies in front of the town square. (Ref. Wikipedia, photo from www.visita-iglesia.com)

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - 1 REAL FIRST ISSUE of 1854, Rare CORROS error stamp, Position 26

1 REAL FIRST ISSUE of 1854

FINE ENGRAVING, thin paper

(Scott #4c; Edifil #3br) USED. Pale Bluish Grey.

The rare CORROS error stamp,

Position 26, with wide left margin.

Ex. Lange.

The Jewel of my Spanish Philippine Collection!

Very Rare!

It is believed that approximately 50 to 75 sheets of the 1 real value of 1854 were printed.  Since the CORROS error only occurs in Position 26 of the forty stamps on each sheet, there can be no more than 50 to 75 stamps with this error possible.