VETERAN'S DAY 2012 - PHILIPPINES AID TO WAR VICTIMS SEMI-POSTAL STAMPS, 1950

Philippines, Scott B4 and B5, the 2c + 2c and 4c + 4c semi-postal stamps.

Sunday, November 11, 2012, is Veteran's Day in the United States.   Today, we Americans of all backgrounds remember and reflect on the service and sacrifices made by our veteran's and their families.  

During World War II, many Filipinos served bravely and honorably alongside the Americans defending the Philippines during the Japanese invasion and occupation.   Today, many Filipino-Americans serve in America's armed forces.  During our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Filipino-American families made the ultimate sacrifice.  This post is dedicated to all those families.  Today, we remember, and we honor them.

In the Philippines, a set of two semi-postal stamps were issued on November 30, 1950, to raise funds for war victims and their families.  These stamps are listed as Philippines Scott B4 and B5.

Die proof of Philippines Scott B4, the 2c+2c semi-postal stamp, originally from the American Bank Note Company archives.

These were recess printed by the American Bank Note Company in sheets of 200 stamps, comprising two panes of 100 each (10 x 10).  Perforated 12.  No watermark.  Plate number F13052.



First Day Cover with 30 November 1950 issue date.



(Photos of stamps, cover, and die proofs from my collection.)

GERMANY - EXPERIMENTS IN ROCKET MAIL DELIVERY IN THE THIRD REICH

The German postal authorities showed interest in the possibility of the rocket as a future method of mail transportation, until it was eventually proven unsatisfactory.

The first experimental rocket mail was on 15 April 1931 in Dielingen, near Osnabruck, by R. Tiling.  Further experiments were conducted in the Hartz mountains by Gerhard Zucker beginning in 1933. 

The first night rocket mail flight was attempted in Stiege on 4 November 1933.  The rocket exploded and the mail was destroyed. 

The second night flight was successful, carrying mail from Stiege to Hasselfelde.

A special rocket flight was conducted on behalf of the Winterhilfe in 28 January 1934.  All proceeds of this flight were for the Winterhilfe.  Zucker's rocket flight attempted to carry mail from Hexentanzplatz in the Hartz mountains to Rosstrappe in Bodetal.  This flight was successful and carried seven hundred items of mail. 

Twelve hundred sets of perforated special rocket stamps and eight hundred imperforate sets were issued, but normal stamps postage stamps also had to be used to ensure mail delivery.  Three values were issued: 1/2 Mark, 1 Mark, and 3 Marks.

The violet cancellation reads: "Rocket Launch Thale-Hartz 28 January 1934".  Carried mail was cancelled "Hexentanzplatz/Thale (Hartz) 28 January 1934".

(Edited from Philately of the Third Reich, Postage and Propaganda by Alf Harper, 1998, Album Publishing Company, Inc.    Photos of stamps from my collection.)

ANNOUNCING MY NEW BLOG, "JIM JIM JR'S TANK BLOG"

ANNOUNCEMENT: I've just created a new blog for military scale modelers and armor enthusiasts.  Please visit my new blog, "Jim Jim Jr's Tank Blog" for clear, detailed walkaround photos of tanks, armored vehicles, and weaponry.  Please follow this link: http://jimjimjrstankblog.blogspot.com/ .  Thank you! 

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - FIRST ISSUES OF 1854 - 1 REAL, Bright Blue (Position 36)



1-Real Fuerte: RE-ENGRAVED, Worn Coarse Shading
(Scott #4; Edifil #3) Used. Bright Blue. Position 36.



Nice used example of the 1-Real Fuerte value of the Philippines first issues of 1854.  The pen cancellation indicates that this stamp was likely used as a revenue, instead of postally.  The pen cancellation probably cancelled multiple copies of this stamp affixed onto a document.

V-PEX 1945 - CELEBRATING THE END OF WORLD WAR II... WITH STAMPS !

Philippines, Scott 461, with V-PEX black exhibition overprint

I find it somewhat hard to believe that only a few months after the end of World War II that the Philippine Philatelic Club (PPC) held a stamp exhibition in Manila.  Keep in mind that Manila was reportedly the second most devastated city during the war (after Warsaw, Poland).  But as we probably know, philatelists are a unique group of people, and philatelists celebrate events in unique ways... why not a philatelic exhibition to celebrate the end of Japanese Occupation and unconditional VICTORY!

The VICTORY PHILATELIC EXHIBITION, or V-PEX, was held in Manila on October 20-22, 1945 to celebrate the end of the war. Since no exhibition labels were readily available, a number of sheets of Philippines Scott 461 were made available to the shows sponsors to be overprinted locally. 


Philippines, Scott 461, plate #145417 single, with V-PEX red/black exhibition overprint



The PPC obtained permission to overprint Scott 461 to be given out at the exhibition as souvenirs.  These were overprinted with "PPC VPEX, Oct. 20.21.22, 19  45,  To, Commemorate, First Anniv., Leyte D-Day".  The alignment of the lines, letters, and fonts varied.  This overprint is found in Red, Black, and it appears a mixture of Red/Black (appears a very dark Red).  Red is the most common overprint. 

Some sheets were overprinted with both Red and Black overprints on the same stamp, sometimes with one of the overprints inverted, but these appear to be trial printings, and are scarce.  

These overprints were explicitly not valid for postage, but only allowed to be used at this exhibition.



Philippines, Scott UX23a postal card with VICTORY overprint (variety with "IC" of "VICTORY"close together), with black handstamp V-PEX exhibition cachet and blue-green CDS dated October 20, 1945 

An special V-PEX handstamp cachet was also used, and these are commonly found on covers and postal cards with a blue-green CDS with the date October 20, 1945, the first day of the exhibition.

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - FIRST ISSUE of 1854, 10-Cuartos. MINT. Carmine. Position 29

10-Cuartos: FINE ENGRAVING

(Scott #2; Edifil #2) 10-Cuartos. MINT. Carmine. Position 29

With original gum

Purchased from Apfelbaum, Inc. on January 16, 1996.

SCARCE THIS NICE!

"DALAGANG FILIPINA", REAL-PHOTO POSTCARDS FROM EARLY 1900s

Tonight, I'd like to share two real-photo postcards, actually studio portriats, that I purchased from an antique shop in the Intramuros during my visit to Manila in 1995.

These two photos were taken at Sun Studios in Manila, probably around the early 1900s, judging from the undivided address-side of the postcard.  Apparently, they had once been in picture frames. 

The photos are of the same lovely young lady, although I have no idea who she is.  But I love vintage photographs, especially of the Philippines and the traditional dress of the early days.   In the United States, these are hard to find.  So, I could not pass up the opportunity to add these lovely real-photo postcards to my collection.

Unfortunately, these photos appear to be disintegrating, leaving powdery residue in their plastic sleeves.  These photos were in rough shape when I purchased them in 1995, but today they seem to be more faded.  Therefore, I want to share these photos now, before she fades away forever.

POSTCARD FROM JOLO ISLAND, AUGUST 1910, "WHERE THE MOROS RUN AMUCK"



Postcard Front, "Jolo, Asturias Road, Jolo, P.I."

Postcard Rear, postmarked at Camp Stotsenberg, Pampanga, P.I., August 7, 1910



This weekend I finished reading "The Moro War" by James R. Arnold (2011).  I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this little known conflict that lasted from 1902 to 1913 in the southern regions of the Philippines, in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, or as it was commonly referred to by Americans at the time, "Moroland". 

This conflict should not be confused with the Filipino-American War of 1899-1902.  The Moro War, sometimes called the Moro Insurgency, was the first time that America battled a hostile Muslim population in its efforts to annex, pacify, and assimilate the people of the Philippines.

After reading this book, I re-examined my Philippine postcard/postal history collection, and found a few items that now had greater meaning to me.

The first item I would like to share is a postcard from George Piver, postmarked at Camp Stotsenberg, Pampanga, P.I., on August 7, 1910.    (Camp Stotsenberg later became Clark Air Base.)  It is addressed to a Miss E.F. Piver in West Oakland, California (which is actually only a short distance from where I live).

This postcard shows American soldiers standing across the Asturias Road in Jolo Island, Sulu Archipelago, Philippines.  Jolo is a volcanic island, which lies at the center of the Sulu Archipelago. The Sulu Archipelago is an island chain in the Southwest Philippines between Mindanao and Borneo. There are numerous volcanoes and craters around Jolo, two craters which became sites for key battles, at Bud Dajo in March 1906 and Bud Bagsak in June 1913.

The message reads, "Lonesome.  Write soon. Letter with these + Picture of a southern island where the Moros run amuck."  As James Arnold wrote in his book, "The Moro War", the term "to run amuck", in the language of that period, referred to a Muslim suicide attack, or "juramentado attack". 

Similar to todays's suicide bomber in Afghanistan or Iraq, the juramentado's goal was to simply kill as many Christians as possible before dying.  And like a bomb, the juramentado, wielding his razor-sharp and fearsome kris or barong, attacked with sudden and unbelievable speed.  And like today's suicide bomber, often innocent Muslim bystanders were caught in the carnage that erupted. 

The pictured Asturias Road was the site of several juramentado attacks on American soldiers, as described in this book.  These attacks occured throughout this period in Jolo, lessening after the Moro defeat at Bud Bagsak in 1913.

PHILIPPINES JAPANESE OCCUPATION, SHEET OF 5-CENTAVOS OFFICIAL ISSUE OF 1944 (SCOTT NO5)



(PHILIPPINES, Scott #NO5, complete sheet of 64 stamps with Plate No. 139333 at bottom)
Nice example of the complete sheet.



Hello everyone!  For those regular visitors, I apologize for my very long absence from this blog.  Sometimes it only takes a simple item to regain my focus. 

Today I received this very nice sheet of Philippine Japanese Occupation Scott NO5, issued August 28, 1944.  This is the 5-centavos Official Issue (Second Official Issue), surcharged in black on the 6-cent regular issue of 1939, with the small "commonwealth" overprint.

Although individually these stamps are very common (approximately 500,000 having been printed), complete sheets are not often seen nowadays.  The wonderful thing about complete sheets is that a specialist collector can find examples of known constant varieties of a stamp by checking the position, or location, of that stamp on the complete sheet.  

Eugene A. Garrett's book, "A Postal History of the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, 1942-1945", lists the minor overprint varieties of this stamp, some of which are very minor and would probably not be noticed otherwise.

However, one overprint variety occurs in position 32, or the last stamp on the fourth row, which is quite distinct from the others.  On this stamp, the top bar of the overprint is noticeably misaligned.  Also, the "K" in "(K.P.)" displays a short downstroke.  These features are unique to this one position on the sheet.



(PHILIPPINES, Scott #NO5, enlargement of position 32 on the sheet, last stamp on the fourth row)
Distinct variety showing a strongly misaligned top bar and short downstroke of "K" in "(K.P.)"



SPANISH PHILIPPINES - MUNICIPAL CROWN CANCEL "PROV. DE YSABELA, CABAGAN" ON 1872 ISSUE 62-CENTIMOS DE PESETA (KING AMADEO OF SPAIN)



(PHILIPPINES, Scott #46; Edifil #28) USED
This stamp displays a portion of the scarce municipal crown cancel "PROV. DE YSABELA, CABAGAN"

Oval "Municipal Crown" cancels were used in small towns throughout the Philippines between the mid 1860s and mid 1880s. A list of these Philippine towns and provinces that are currently known to have used this type of cancel is available at http://www.nigelgooding.co.uk/Spanish/Crown/Crown.htm .  I would be very interested to hear from anyone that might have a municipal crown cancel not included on this list.

Cabagan is a municipality in the province of Isabela, a mostly rural area in the Cagayan Valley in the northeast of Luzon.  Before the province was created in 1856, the northern part from Tumauini was part of Cagayan, while the south was part of Nueva Vizcaya.

Cabagan, Isabela, has its share of Spanish colonial churches. San Pablo Church, built in 1624, it is said to be the oldest in the province.  It is the only one of the extant Isabela churches that is not made of bricks. It has a very massive belfry reminiscent of those in Ilocos Norte (Paoay and Laoag).  Its lofty bell tower of six layers including the circular apex made of adobe is the tallest in the Cagayan Valley. San Pablo, the oldest town of Isabela, was founded by Padre de Sto. Tomas, 210 years before Isabela was made a province.

 

In the northern part of Isabela, the Tumauini Church or San Matias Church, a National Cultural Treasure and National Historical Landmark, is most known for its round wedding cake belfry. It's arguably the most exquisite example of brick architecture in the Philippines.

1873 - UNISSUED ESSAY OF KING AMADEO I OF SPAIN

SPAIN - 1873 Unissued Essay of King Amadeo I of Spain (Galvez 835)
12-centimos de peseta, black, scarce imperf block of 6, remaindered

Amadeo I (30 May 1845 – 18 January 1890) was the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy. He was the second son of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy and was known for most of his life as the Duke of Aosta, but reigned briefly as King of Spain from 1870 to 1873.

(Excerpt from Wikipedia)

SPANISH CIVIL WAR - 1939 UNISSUED REPUBLIC AIR MAIL STAMP, "CORREO AEREO"

SPAIN, 1939, unissued air mail stamp (Edifil NE 38)

SPAIN - "ANO DE LA VICTORIA" SOUVENIR SHEET, OCTOBER 12, 1939



SPAIN, Beneficencia, Huerfanos de Correos (Edifil 34)
Issued: October 12, 1939
Printing: 17,000 (each individually numbered)



The "Huerfanos de Correos" (Orphans of Postal Employees) issues began in 1926 and were a type of surtax stamp, in this case to raise funds for orphans of postal workers.  These were used in addition to regular postage stamps and were not obligatory.  These "Beneficencia" issues are not listed in the Scott catalog, but can be found in specialized Spanish catalogs such as Edifil.  The beautiful souvenir sheet above features the "Cuadros de Valazquez".  The individual stamps are enlarged below to show their fine detail.



SPAIN, Beneficencia, Huerfanos de Correos (Edifil SH 34, detail from sheet above)





SPAIN, Beneficencia, Huerfanos de Correos (Edifil SH 34A, detail from sheet above)


 

SPAIN, Beneficencia, Huerfanos de Correos (Edifil SH 34B, detail from sheet above)

 

SPAIN, Beneficencia, Huerfanos de Correos (Edifil SH 34C, detail from sheet above)

 

SPAIN, Beneficencia, Huerfanos de Correos (Edifil SH 34D, detail from sheet above)



GERMANY'S HYPERINFLATION OF 1923

After the First World War, the value of the German Mark steadily deteriorated, largely as a result of reparations payments and the savage penalties imposed on German trade.  On April 27, 1921 the Allied Reparations Commission fixed the total war reparations to be paid by Germany at 132,000,000,000 gold Marks. 

Faced with budgetary deficits, the German government followed a practice of issuing more money to meet expenses. The result was a runaway inflation more severe than that experienced in any other part of Europe.  During 1922, the value of the Mark in US Dollars fell from 162 marks to more than 7,000 Marks (the pre-1914 rate had been 4.2 Marks to the US Dollar).

By July 1, 1923 the Mark had fallen to 160,000 to the Dollar; by November 20, 1923 it was down to 4,200,000,000,000 (4.2 trillion) Marks to the Dollar. Barter replaced other commercial dealings and food riots broke out.
 

Postal Period 21
October 20 to October 31, 1923
FOREIGN LETTER (AUSLAND BRIEF)
1st weight - 20g
Rate: 30 Million Marks

Commercial cover to the U.S.A. on October 31, 1923 (last day of this rate) with a total of 30 Million marks paying international letter rate set as of October 20.
Six copies of 5 Million Marks issue (Michel 316).

Postal Period 25
November 20 to November 25, 1923
FOREIGN LETTER (AUSLAND BRIEF)
1st weight - 20g
Rate: 80 Billion (Milliarden) Marks

Commercial cover to Teplitz, Böhmen (now Czech Republic) on November 20, 1923 (first day of this rate) with a total of 80 Billion marks correctly paying foreign letter rate.
Eight copies of 10 Milliarden Marks issue (Michel 328).

The mark was finally revalued on Dec 1, 1923 at the rate of 1,000,000,000,000 old marks to 1 new mark, or one trillion to one.

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - ISABELLA ISSUE OF 1859, 10-CUARTOS, TOP MARGIN BLOCK OF 4




10-cuartos. Approximately 3,000 stamps were issued in shades of rose and lilac-rose.  (Scott #11; SG #14; Edifil #8 and #8a).  Stamps pictured above (and all others on this blogsite, unless cited otherwise) are from my personal collection. Please click on the photo above to enlarge.

 
(Information referenced from Nigel Gooding's website "Spanish-Philippines Philatelic Site" at http://nigelgooding.co.uk/ . Please visit this essential website for more detailed information on Spanish-Philippines stamps and postal history.)

On January 1, 1859, two similarly designed stamps, a 5-cuartos value (Scott 10) and a 10-cuartos value (Scott 11), were issued in the Spanish Philippines.  The 10-cuartos stamp, pictured above, was issued for domestic mail between half-an-ounce and one ounce, (double weight interior postal rate).  A total of approximately 3,000 10-cuartos stamps were issued in shades of rose and lilac-rose. The stamps remained in use until January 1863.  Later, remaining stocks of both stamps were overprinted "HABILITADO POR LA NACION" in 1874 (see Scott 27A and 28).


10-cuartos overprinted "HABILITADO POR LA NACION" in 1874 (Scott 28). 
By 1874, the handstamps had been used for six years, and the overprint was often blurred, showing much wear.
Please click on the photo above to enlarge.


The stamps were lithographed in the Philippines by the firm of M. Perez y Hijo, in Manila, on paper varying in color and quality.  The stamps show a profile of Queen Isabella II to the right, crowned with laurels, on a solid ground of color within a pearled circle.  In general, but with exceptions noted below, the stamps were printed in blocks of four varieties (types), each block being surrounded by an outer frame line; with each stamp measuring 18½ x 23½ mm.   Each of the four varieties are quite distinct, and comparison of a single stamp with an enlarged photo of the block of four will help in identifying the variety.

The 10-cuartos value was printed from the one plate, prepared in 1859 along with the First Plate for the 5-cuartos value. The arrangement of the plate was exactly like that of the First Plate for the 5-cuartos value, except as to the order in which the types appear in the vertical pairs at the right side of the sheet. The 10-cuartos plate was prepared by the transfer of the normal (5 Cs) design to the plate, then removing the "5 Cs" and replacing it by "10 Cs" and retouching the plate by hand. 

The First Plate produced sheets of 56 stamps (8 horizontal rows of 7 stamps each). Each sheet contained 12 blocks of the four types (3 horizontally and four vertically), and four vertical pairs at the right of the sheet. Each block is surrounded by a single-line frame.

Used examples of the 10-cuartos value are much more difficult to find than used examples of the 5-cuartos value.  I suspect that most of the 5-cuartos stamps printed (approximately 15,000) were postally used prior to 1863, whereas much of the 10-cuartos value remained unused.  This would explain the remaining stocks of 10-cuartos stamps overprinted "HABILITADO POR LA NACION" in 1874 (Scott 28), and the great rarity of the overprinted 5-cuartos stamp (Scott 27A), which was discovered only recently.

SPANISH PHILIPPINES - 1 REAL ISSUES OF FEBRUARY AND MARCH 1863

1 REAL ISSUE OF FEBRUARY 1863
(Philippines Scott #18var, SG #24, Edifil #15) MINT. Grey Green.
SCARCE

There were two printings of this issue.  This is from the first printing in February 1863.  A total of 7,000 stamps were printed in grey-green. Printed on smooth, thick, white to yellowish paper. The impressions are generally sharper and clearer than the later March 1863 printing (see below).

1 REAL ISSUE OF MARCH 1863
(Philippines Scott #18var, SG #23, Edifil #15a) MINT. Grey Green.
SCARCE

This is from the second printing of this issue in March 1863.  These impressions are generally poor, owing to the ink being too liquid.  Notice the blurred appearance of the bottom legend "1 RL PLATA F.". A total of 5,000 stamps of this second printing were issued.

PHILIPPINES JAPANESE OCCUPATION HANDSTAMPED "K.P." OFFICIAL BUSINESS ON SCOTT N4

This is a scarce example of Philippine Japanese Occupation 5-centavos Provisional Regular Issue, First Overprinting (thick top bar), Scott N4, issued September 1, 1942, with a handstamped violet "K.P." and Japanese "Koyo" for Official Business mail.

Although Eugene A. Garrett's book, "A Postal History of the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, 1942-1945", shows many examples of handstamped "K.P." and "O.B." markings applied during the occupation, it is unclear to me which office may have applied this handstamp.  I welcome suggestions.  Still, an interesting and scarce stamp.

RARE PHILIPPINES JAPANESE OCCUPATION PERFORATED 5s LAUREL ISSUE

This is a very rare perforated example of the Philippines Japanese Occupation "President Jose P. Laurel" regular issue, Scott N37, from January 12, 1945.  This series of three stamps (5s, 7s, and 20s) were printed in the Philippines and issued imperforate, ungummed, on unwatermarked paper.

According to Eugene A. Garrett's masterwork, "A Postal History of the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, 1942-1945", the Philippine Bureau of Communications originally intended to issue these stamps perforated and gummed, and apparently attempted to perforate a few sheets.  However, the poor quality of the paper and dullness of the perforating machine pins prevented these stamps from being issued perforated and gummed. 

Only a few sheets of the 5s value (some references state at least 2 sheets of 50 stamps), perforated 12x12-1/2 and without gum, were kept as proofs in the vault of the Manila Central Post Office.

During the battle to liberate Manila in February 1945, these few perforated sheets of the 5s Laurel issue were looted from the Manila Central Post Office when it suffered extensive damage.

The 7s and 20s values are also known perforated 12x12-1/2 and these are very rare.  It is known that at least 2 sheets each of the 7s and 20s value were specially perforated to order for Col. William Peck of the U.S. Army Air Corps, after the liberation of Manila.

"GOBIERNO POLITICO MILITAR DE BOHOL" CANCEL ON SPANISH PHILIPPINES #86

The two pairs of stamps, above and below, Philippines Scott #86, representing King Alfonso XII, 12-4/8 Centimos Bright Rose (issued July 19, 1882), together provide a scarce example of the "GOBIERNO POLITICO MILITAR DE BOHOL" cancel used by the government of Bohol during the later years of Spanish-era Philippines.



Enhancement of cancel showing GOBIERNO POLITICO ... BOHOL



Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands.  Its capital is Tagbilaran City. Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines.  To the west of Bohol is Cebu, to the northeast is the island of Leyte and to the south, across the Bohol Sea is Mindanao.

During most of the Spanish era, Bohol was a part of the residencia of Cebu.  By the middle of the nineteenth century, an important administrative shake-up occurred in the Philippines, with the creation of the politico-military provinces.  On July 22, 1854, Bohol was made, together with the island of Siquijor, into a separate politico-military province. In 1879, when a census was held, Bohol had 34 municipalities and a total population of 253,103 people.



Enhancement of cancel showing GOBIERNO ... MILITAR DE ...



Spanish rule came to an end in April 1899. In that year, after winning the American-Spanish war, the U.S. 'bought' the entire Philippines for twenty million dollars. The Spanish left the island, and Bohol became a "Gobierno de Canton," run by important Boholanos as part of the independent republic proclaimed by Emilio Aquinaldo.

Reconstructed GOBIERNO POLITICO MILITAR DE BOHOL cancel