Prince and King

New Entries

Today I have a post with a small number of words (if compared to the last one...) and many beautiful stamps.. only some remarks about the Definitive series presented..

In another earlier post about Romanian Stamps, I talked about the feeling of Caution when we deal with definitive series from the classic and Semi-classical periods..they can be of difficult classification, with many parameters to get our attention ; the only definitive series I show today doesn't present this great diversity ,so it is with greater confidence than last time , that I show my results... the commemorative and Welfare series doesn't present any 'issue' , that I know of..!

Let us start with a series that was on my 'Must Have ' list... 

The Designs of Jean Pompilian are magnificent , the recess Printing is very good and the result is one of the best series of stamps I know ...the series appear here with 11 stamps because it includes the 25b green variety..
1906 "40 Years' Rule of Prince and King Carol I" (11) [Des (Jean Pompilian)][Recess (Bradbury wilkinson & Co. Ltd , London)] Sc(176,...,185)

some stamps from the series commemorating the Jubilee of the Kingdom of Romania...
1906 "25th Anniversary of the Kingdom" (10) [Des (Jean Pompilian)][Recess (Bradbury wilkinson & Co. Ltd, London)] Sc(186,186,188,189)

Now , one more 1906 series , in this case , a welfare Fund series... curiously the tax applied to these stamps doesn't appear as usual in the stamp itself.. in the next series I   I will present , the something happen's..
This tax was for Charitable Purposes..
1906 "Welfare Fund" (4) [Typo (Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. Ltd, England)] Sc(B13,...,B16)

another welfare series , this time from 1907; nothing to comment...
1907 "Welfare Fund" (4) [Recess (Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. Ltd, England)] Sc(B17,...,B20)

These are stamps from the King Carol I 1st Definitive series.. there were 3 series with similar designs , but are easily recognized with some experience with these stamps... the stamps from this series have no Wmk are Recess Printed and could have perf 11.5, 13.5 or a Mix (11.5x13.5 or 13.5x11.5)... 
I will make just a small stop in the conversation about this series , just to say that from my early days as a collector that I adopted a different way of making my notes when classifying perforations.. Every stamp has a smaller size , or in width or in lenght... I always note my stamps , when speaking of perforations, like this..
1st value : smaller size 2nd value : larger size (it is just a different way of doing the same thing.. in the end the information that I don't get is if the stamp is horizontally or vertically oriented.. I don't need this information....
returning now to our stamps , we have four groups of stamps where I have used my Perf notation as an example..
1st)2nd) 11.5x13.5 [in the 1st group I have a 5b yellowish green, a 25b with a different shade of blue than the one I've got already in the collection and the 40b Blueish Green and Yellowish green Varieties..][The 2nd group have 3 stamps of 50b, the first two are the Yellowish Orange and Orange and the third is a stamp issued in 1918 , with the color dull red...]
3rd)13.5x11.5 [the first stamp is a 10b Deep Carmine Rose , the 2nd a 40b Yellow Green and the third a 1L Unused Brown stamp with excellent detail..]
4th) 13.5 [a 10b Carmine Rose and a 50b Yellow Orange]
As usual I used two catalogs to make my classifications, Scott world and SG... in this case the detail is much greater with SG, that gives us a detailed view of perforations and colors in this beautiful series...(I don't know other Scott catalogs then this World 2009 version.. maybe there are another more specialized versions -- I'm sure they exist---..) 
1908 "King Carol I" (27) [Des (Jean Pompilian)][Recess (Government Printing Works, Bucharest)] Sc(207,210,211,211,213,213,214,208,211,215,208,213) [the Sc 214 is issued in 1918]

Unfortunately , the 40b value is missing .. this is a series that has one interesting particularity for me.. I didn't know that the 3b,15b,50b,1L,2L were designed by the great stamp designer Ludovic Bassarab... I have to make an update on the post about him in my other blog... (the data I have from Romania don't show the designers of this series...)
1913 "Acquisition of Southern Dobruja" (10) [Designer (Ludovic Bassarab 3b,15b,50,1L,2L)][Typo] Sc(230,...,235,237,...,239)


Ok,there was not so many talk as usual.. the fact that I went to a dinner with some friends last night must not be strange to this... Our mind keep us young but what was natural 20 years ago, has a strange influence in our body's  today...and today , 'thinking gives me a headache'..!

SeeYou

HomeWork

New Entries

Last night , I started the classification of some Romanian stamps for my next post ... I made the usual work with 4 stamps and them I new I had a group of replacements for stamps already in the collection... suddenly , I saw something that troubled me... This post is about that particular group of replacement stamps and the Urgent need to have National Catalogs...

So , let us begin by presenting the first group of fresh new entries into the collection..

Romania 1872 "King Carol I (Paris Print)" (7) [Des (?)][Typo] Sc(55,56,57,58)

Let us first see where are we standing... from 1858 to 1872 (this year , exactly..) the stamps were not perforated.. in 1872 , before this series , there was another perforated 12.5 series..
After this series there is the Bucharest Print series, with different perforations and a poor impression...
This "Paris Print Series" is marked by it's fine or good impression and for the 14 x 13.5 perforation.[ no wmk ]
As you can see the impression is good ( some stamps from this period have a very bad impression...!) and the perforation is the expected ... this particular group of 4 also have a general good condition, what makes them fine additions to the collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Replacements

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At a first and general view we can see that there are good and bad stamps in these group... now you are beginning to question yourself "why does he need bad stamps as replacements??"
The good stamps are 15b,25b(violet),40b, and 50b .. they are indeed good replacements..
The bad stamps are the 10b and the 25b(blue).. (very poorly centered and bad perforations..)..
Now I must say that the reason of this post is somehow linked to these 2  Bad stamps!!!..

some considerations are now needed.. :
these are all stamps from a series from 1893/1899 representing again King Carol I...
this series was printed with several kinds of papers,and this difference is well marked even for me ( as I noticed several times before , I'm an absolute beginner in what concerns to papers and the ability to feel the differences between them...) ..
The series also use always the same portrait of the King but several different frames.. (4 just in this small group of 8..) ; the perforations go from 11.5 to 13.5..
Now let us focus on what really is interesting... The series is watermarked with 2 different wmk (Wmk Scott 164 and Wmk Scott 200).. As you can see I am using the Scott World Catalog..

[left] Wmk 164
[Right] Wmk 200
they are basically the same but written with different labels..

Another interesting thing we must notice , is that wmk's must be seen and studied in the back of the stamp... In the image of wmk 200 is clearly visible that the label 'Romania' is seen from the back of the stamp...


the wmk's are not visible the same way in the 8 stamps ( this is surely because of the difference in the papers used..)(in the case of the 10b the wmk is visible even in the scan itself..!.) ; so I pick 6 of the stamps and I'm going to show the scan of the stamp to the left and to the right a photo of the back of the stamp...

clearly visible the wmk 164

inverted Wmk 200

Wmk 164

Inverted Wmk 200 

Wmk 164
( rust spots don't frighten' me...I like them.. they are old!!)

Wmk 164 






The Scott Catalog tell us that "This Watermark may be found in four versions : Wmk 164, Wmk 200 and variations."  ... Now I am reaching the point where I must say that it is not enough...
If we want to classify correctly all our stamps , we MUST HAVE NATIONAL CATALOGS or specialized catalogs for each country...
I cannot proceed without knowing if this ' inverted Wmk 200' is one of the Variations 'Scott' was talking about ...
Now , You could hear me screaming for HELP , because I need someone to tell me what is the code of this variation , what is the other variation missing and if it is not much trouble , What is the Price of a Romania Catalog??!!..( does it contain information about designers and engravers???)

Sorry for a long post about a  so 'short' question, but when I found this 'variation' I immediately think about making this post ...
And now the conclusion : don't mess with ' Early Romanian Stamps'  , unless you are prepared..!!!

SeeYou

Lab items

New Entries

Today, I will start with some Croatian and Romanian stamps.

Croatia

[Left] in other previous post with more stamps from Croatia , I have presented the other two stamps of this series (3) 1943 "Famous Croats" ; the picture represents Catherine Zrinski.. The Zrinsksi were a influential noble Family from Croatia also very respected in Hungary.. The Power of the Family was due mainly to the Ottoman Wars in the Southeast Europe.. Catherine married a member of the Family and became also a Zrinski.. she was known to be a Poetess.

Perf: 12

[Des] Ivo Rezek (b 1898/d 1979)

[Engr] K. Seisinger

Sc(56)

[Engr]

[Right] some stamps from a series (19)  1941/1943 mainly with pictures of Cities and Landscapes from Croatia.. the stamps have a weak printing and the detail is very poor (sometimes we barely understand what we are seeing...) ; however , this series, presents us a delicate set of colors (Prussian Green, Carmine Lake, Deep Ultramarine or Dark Plum Violet...) .. it deserved a better printing , but those were the War days..!..

Perf: 11

Sc(31,33,35,37,41,43)

[Photo]

Romania

Here are some stamps representing King Michael I from Romania , first as a young Child and then as ruling King.. there are 3 series with the same design (as a child..)..the 2nd series is Wmk and the others don't..the 3rd series has perf. 14 x 14.5 and others have 13.5 x 14 and/or 13.5.

1st Group) from a series (9) "King Michael I (1928/1929) I series"

Perf: 13.5

Sc(324,325,326)

[Des] Ludovic Bassarab (b 1866/d 1933)

[Photo]

2nd group) from a series (3) "King Michael I (1928) II series"

Perf: 13.5

Sc(345)

[Des] Ludovic Bassarab (b 1866/d 1933)

[Photo][Wmk]

3rd Group) from a series (5) 1947 "King Michael I" 

Perf: 13.5 

Sc(649)

[Des] Ary Murnu (b 1881/d 1971)

[Photo][Wmk]

Saturday morning ,I was talking to a friend of mine and in the middle of the conversation, Romanian and Hungarian stamps appeared with something like "Oh.. everybody have lots of those.. I can't even exchange them.. "..Romanian stamps are indeed easily available and in most cases with low or very low prices... however , we should have caution with what we exchange.. because there are lots of variety's ,errors and other aspects that could turn a "easy" stamp in a "scarce" stamp.. ( with the correspondent change in value, of course...).. 

for example, in this series we must study carefully the Wmk's because there are a few varieties.. [ this aspects are only available with National Catalogs and specific articles...]

series (11) 1930 "King Carol II" 

Perf: 14

[Des] Ludovic Bassarab (b1866/d 1933)

Sc(369,373,376)

[Photo][Wmk]

[Left] series (4) 1961 "Romanian Scientists" ; the first stamp represents Peter Poni who imagined and developed same Chemical items.. ; the second show us C. Budeanu that developed a series of electrical formulas..

Perf: 13 x 13.5

[Des] V. Grigorescu (?/?)

Sc(1412,1414)

[Litho]

[Right] from a series (6) 1965 "Cultural Anniversaries" ; We have Ion Bianu , a Philologist and a Writer , Anton Bacalbasa

Perf: 13.5

[Des] S. Zainea (1907/1990)

Sc(1738,1739)

[Photo]

I have some 3 or 4 more stamps to show in this post  but I'm beginning to have a Headache ,so I will leave them to another post...

SeeYou 

A Monkey in the Lab

New Entries

Today I have a small mix of stamps 

Here We have 3 different overprints made out from the same 1902 series of King D. Carlos I stamps..

1) stamp of 100r with overprint "Republica" in Red , from a set 9 1914 "Overprint 'Republica' on "King D.Carlos I (1902)'"

Perf: 11.5

SG(225) Sc(164)

The paper of this stamp is blueish (the color is blue on blue).. at a first look, it's difficult to see, but if we put 2 stamps close together , one paper blueish and the other paper white , both with the face down , it became very clear.. the colors are totally different..

Another interesting aspect in this particular stamp, is a small dot of blue ink at the top of the right corner of the stamp..I don't know what it is .. I must study it more carefully... 

2) stamp of 700r with overprint "Republica" in Carmine , from a set 15 1911 "Overprint  'Republica' on 'King D. Carlos I (1902)'" 

Perf: 11.5

SG(165) Sc(102)

The paper used in this stamp is yellowish.. the color of the stamp is Violet on Yellow..

3) stamp of 50r with double overprint ("Republica" in Red and "Provisorio" in Black), from a set 3 1914 "Overprint 'Republica' in Red on 'King D.Carlos I [overprinted 'Provisorio'](1902)'"

Perf: 11.5

SG(147) Sc(181)

All of these 3 stamps are from a series designed and engraved by Eugene Mouchon, famous French engraver. you can see this by the small label in the inferior frame..In my opinion it is the most beautiful series of King D. Carlos I.; to collect the "Mouchon series"  is a difficult task to accomplish , because it has ramifications through Portugal and all of it's former Colonies (Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde Islands, St. Thomas and Prince Islands, Timor, Macau, Guinea Bissau and even India..) ..

Let's turn to the East and make a stop in Romania.. This is a stamp where King Carol I is represented and the stamp belong to a series 14 1939 "Birth Centenary of King Carol I" ; it is a beautiful series classified as "most Wanted" (my classification..)...

Perf: 14 x 13.5 

SG(1401) Sc(486) 

Wmk

[ the stamp is damaged in the inferior right perforation..]

from a set 6 1967 "Cultural Anniversary's" ; the personality represented is Dino Lippati (Pianist)

Perf: 13.5

SG(3482) Sc(1939)

Now , we have a stamp from a set 6 1974 "Famous Romanians Anniversary's" ; here is Bishop Dosoftei that is represented.

Perf: 13

SG(4098) Sc(2509)

Now in Guinea, we have 3 stamps from the set 7 1983 "Centenary of Discovery of Tubercle Bacillus" 

Since the 60's and until the end of the 80's (I don't have no stamp posterior..) , Guinea have some interesting stamps, especially if you are fan of colorful stamps..

Perf: 13.5

SG(1092,1093,1094) Sc(865,866,867)

  

from the Russia set 4 1977 "80th Birth Anniv of Soviet Marshals"

Perf: 12

SG(4639) Sc(4548)

another Russia stamp, now representing Yuri Gagarin; Complete set 1961 "World's First Manned Space Flight"

Perf: 12 x 11.5

SG(2576a) Sc(2463)

Kemal Ataturk is a mark in Turkey Philately.. His name appears in series, both commemorative as definitive.

from a set 3 1985 "Kemal Ataturk 1985" 

Perf: 13 x 13.5

SG(2917) Sc(2336)

SeeYou