PHILIPPINE COMMERCIAL POSTAGE STAMPS, 1910-1936
by Arnold H. Warren
Between 1912 and 1935, certain large users of Philippine postage stamps were permitted the exclusive use of postage stamps which could be identified in case of theft and unauthorized use. These commercial postage stamps, in accordance with their distinguishing characteristics, may be classified as follows:
A. Stamps upon which the user perforated its initials after the stamps were obtained from the Bureau of Posts.
B. Imperforate postage stamps issued in 1925 for the exclusive use of one commercial firm.
C. Stamps upon which the user handstamped its initials, or name, after the stamps were obtained from the Bureau of Posts.
D. Stamps bearing a commercial overprint in black which was applied by the Bureau of Posts prior to delivery of the stamps to the user, who was granted exclusive use of stamps bearing a specified commercial overprint.
In 1925, the Philippine Bureau of Posts issued for the exclusive use of the Lambert Sales Company of Manila a series of imperforate postage stamps.These stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D. C., from the same plates as were then in use for printing the current series of perforate postage stamps.
The colors of these imperforates were the same as the colors of the current series of perforate stamps. The Lambert Sales Company was owned by Leon Lambert, Sr., and his son managed the Manila office of this finn. The son, Leon Lambert, Jr., was also a philatelist.
In a letter to Mr. Whipple S. Hall, dated Aug. 31, 1940, Mr. Leon Lambert, Jr., stated that, out of a total of 10,180 pesos worth of the imperforate postage stamps purchased by his firm in 1925, fully 8,000 pesos worth were actually used on the mail of his firm. Mr. Lambert wrote that for several months during 1925 his firm used no other stamps but, "because of the annoyance of cutting the stamps apart with scissors, no more were ordered and most of the remainder, amounting to some 2,000 pesos, were disposed of." The remainder, he stated, was sold to a stamp dealer in Philadelphia.
Mr. Lambert saved used specimens of all denominations of the 1925 imperforates. He was able to do this because many of these stamps were used on mail which was sent from the Manila office to the New York office of his firm. He has never stated how many used specimens he saved. But he has said that many of the used specimens were so damaged in transit, or were so heavily cancelled, as to be unsuitable for collection. A few collectors have obtained used specimens from Mr. Lambert.
One hundred sets of the 1925 imperforates were delivered to the Bureau of Posts in Manila as "samples." What disposition was made of the samples is not known. These "samples" disappeared from the archives of the Bureau of Posts prior to 1940. It is possible that they were stolen by an employee of the Bureau of Posts and were sold to collectors in the Philippines.
Concerning the reason for the issue of the 1925 imperforates Mr. Lambert wrote: "As you know, the 1925 imperforates were issued for postal use. Any large firm could buy them in lots of 10,000 pesos...The Philippine Bureau of Posts did not permit large firms to perforate their initials through the face of national personages such as Rizal, Dewey, Lawton, etc., and therefore, in order to permit such firms to have stamps which would be distinguishable from the ordinary stamps, in the event of theft, imperforate stamps could be obtained, providing these were ordered in lots of not less than 10,000 pesos. This regulation remained in full force for several years before it was finally revoked."
The appearance of the 1925 imperforates evoked a storm of protest from philatelists, both in Manila and in the United States, who resented the fact that these imperforates could not be purchased from the Bureau of Posts by philatelists.
In answer to the charge, made by the Asociacion Filatelica de Filipinas, that the Lambert Sales Company had been granted a monopoly of these imperforate postage stamps, the Director of Posts stated that he had not granted a monopoly to the Lambert Sales Company and that imperforate postage stamps would be issued to any entity which ordered at one time a lot of not less than 10,000 pesos worth and made full payment for the stamps at the time the order was given to the Bureau of Posts.
No other firm ordered imperforate stamps, however. Hence, the imperforates of 1925 were used exclusively by the Lambert Sales Company.
The writer has been unable to determine the exact date on which the Lambert Sales Company ordered these imperforate postage stamps from the Bureau of Posts. The order must have been given, however, very early in 1925. The major portion of the stamps was delivered to Mr. Leon Lambert, Sr., in New York on May 5, 1925.
The 1925 imperforates may be distinguished by their colors [and plate numbers] from a similar series of imperforate postage stamps which was issued in 1931. Some used specimens of the 1925 imperforates bear cancellations which identify the stamps as used prior to 1931.
Philippine Philatelic Journal (IPPS)
