Poczta Polska, the Polish postal service, was founded in 1558 and postal markings were first introduced in 1764. The three partitions of Poland in 1772, 1793 and 1795 saw the independent nation of Poland disappear. The postal services in the areas occupied by Germany and Austria were absorbed into those countries' postal services. In 1772 the area occupied by Austria was created into the Kingdom of Galicia, a part of the Austrian Empire. This lasted till 1918. The Duchy of Warsaw was created briefly, between 1807 and 1813, by Napoleon I of France, from Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. In 1815, following Napoleons' defeat in 1813, the Congress of Vienna, created Congress Poland out of the Duchy of Warsaw and also established the Free City of Kraków. Congress Poland was placed under the control of Russia and the postal service was given autonomy in 1815. In 1851 the postal service was put under the control of the Russian post office department regional office in St Petersburg. In 1855 control was restored for a while to the Congress Kingdom but following the uprising in 1863 again came under Russian control from 1866 and continued until World War I. In November 1918 the Second Polish Republic was created.
1958 was the 400th anniversary of the Polish postal service and was commemorated with an issue of seven stamps, a miniature sheet, a book "400 Lat Poczty Polskiej", a stamp exhibition in Warsaw and a number of commemorative postmarks.
The earliest record of a postal system in Poland is, from the year 1387, of merchants who organised a private system and introduced horse riders to replace foot letter carriers.[1] In 1530 a monthly postal service from Kraków to Rome was introduced by the Fugger bankers of Venice.[2]
On 17 October 1558 Sigismund II Augustus appointed Prospero Provano, an Italian merchant living in Kraków, to organise a postal service in Poland. He was paid 1,500 thalers per annum by the royal treasury to run the postal service. He merged all the private postal services into a single postal service. Royal mail and mail from some monastic orders was carried free. All other mail was paid for.[2]
Meanwhile, since 1516, the house of Thurn and Taxis had been running an international postal delivery service. The Polish King decided to transfer the Polish postal system to the Taxis family and did this on 11 July 1562. Christopher Taxis received the same annual salary as Provano. He ran the system as a commercial venture and because of his extravagance the postal system deteriorated. Sigismund II Augustus terminated the contract with the Taxis family.[2]
On 9 January 1564 Peter Moffon was appointed postmaster general by the Polish King. Moffon, another Italian merchant living in Kraków, was given the postal contract for five years. On 15 June 1569 he was replaced by Sebastiano Montelupi. When King Sigismund Augustus died in 1572, Montelupi continued the service at his own expense for two years. The public postal service then ceased for a period of some 11 years, although a system reserved to royal use was rebuilt from 1574 onwards.[3]
On 29 January 1583 Sebastiano Montelupi and his nephew (and adopted heir), Valerio Montelupi, were given a contract to run the postal service for five years. When giving the contract the King, Stefan Batory, introduced a uniform postal rate of 4 groszy per letter not exceeding 1 łut (about 12.66grams) for any distance in Poland. This was the first uniform postal rate to be introduced in the world. Sebastiano Montelupi died in 1600 aged 84 and Valerio Montelupi continued to run the postal service till his death in 1613.[4]
Free City of Kraków
In 1815 the Free City of Kraków had a population of 95,000, of whom 23,000 were actually in Kraków, the remainder in the surrounding area. Under the constitution that it had been given the city was responsible for the post.[5]
A central post office was already in existence, from the period when Kraków was part of the Duchy of Warsaw. On 1 June 1816 the Post Office of the Free City of Kraków took control of the existing central post office. Its staff consisted of a director, four secretarial staff, two postmen and a conductor.[6] Two post stations were established in Krzeszowice and Cło. Post routes to and from each of the three Polish areas, Galicia, Congress Poland and Prussia were soon established.[5]
Under the constitution the Free City had the exclusive right to private mail. The three powers could only transport official mail. However, on 1 December 1816 the Prussian Government set up a post office and a mail delivery from Kraków to Prussia. Despite protests from the Free City the Prussians continued. On 16 May 1818 the Austrians followed suit, set up a post office and a mail delivery to Galicia.[5][7]
In the first full financial year, 1816/17, the Kraków post office had a profit of 18,887 złoty. By 1822/23, because of the competition, this had reduced to 2,802 złoty, despite the increase in population and increase in traffic.[5]
The delivery of letters was undertaken by two postmen, they collected 4 groszy for each letter delivered or 8 groszy if it was a money letter. In 1825 these fees were reduced by half.[5]
In the year 1833/4 the Kraków post office dealt with a total of 66,910 letters, an average of 185 per day. In December 1834 the senate of the Free City of Kraków received a notice from Congress Poland that they would be setting up a post office in Kraków. Protests brought no result. In August 1836 the Free City of Kraków came to an agreement with Congress Poland to cease operating their own post office and to rent their post office building to them from 1837. In return Kraków was to receive an annual fee of 12,000 złoty.[5]
The Prussian post office used three different date stamps (1) a two line handstamp, (2) a two ring cancel and (3) a single ring cancel – all with KRAKAU and the date. The Austrian post office used a single line handstamp with the text CRACAU. The Congress Poland post office used two datestamps one with a single outer ring and one with a double outer ring with text KRAKÓW.[7]
From 1815 the postmarks were in Polish. From 1860 the postmarks were in Russian and Polish. From 1871 the postmarks were with Russian inscriptions only.[8][pageneeded]
Russian postcard used from Warszawa to Ternowka 20.2.1914. Circular postmark, Russian inscription only.
The different types of standard postmarks that were used are as follows:[8][pageneeded]
One-line inscription in Polish – earliest known is 1821, latest is 1870
One-line inscription in Polish in rectangular frame – earliest 1829, latest 1870
Two-line inscription, with town name in Polish and date in Latin – earliest 1814, latest 1844
Two-line inscription in Russian and Polish – earliest 1860, latest 1870
Two-line inscription in Russian and Polish in rectangular frame – earliest 1860, latest 1870
Two-line inscription in Russian – earliest 1871, latest 1890
Three-line inscription in Russian in rectangular frame – earliest 1871, latest 1877
Circular postmark with inscription in Polish and two-line date in numerals – earliest 1829, latest 1868
Circular postmark with inscription in Russian and Polish and two-line date in numerals, earliest 1860, latest 1870
Circular postmark with inscription in Russian – latest 1917
Four concentric circles with a number in the centre, the number denoting the post office – earliest 1858, latest 1870
Other rare non-standard postmarks are also known.
First Polish stamp
Poland Number 1
The first Polish stamp was issued for the Congress Kingdom on 1 January 1860 (Gregorian calendar). Because 1 January was a Sunday the stamp was not actually available until the following day. The design was similar to the contemporary Russian stamps with the arms of the Congress Kingdom in the centre. The engraving was done by the Polish Bank engraver Henryk Mejer. The drawings he used were found in the archives at St Petersburg but the name of the artist remains unknown. The stamps were printed by the government printers in Warsaw on the orders of the Congress Kingdom postal service. The letterpress machine used was invented by Izrael Abraham Staffel (1814–1884) for printing in two colours. The machine was capable of printing 1,000 sheets per hour and it had a counting device which ensured an accurate count. Apart from these facts very little more is known about the machine.[9]
The printing was done without consultation of the Russian postal service. The regional office in St Petersburg only approved afterwards, on 4 March 1860 (Gregorian calendar). These stamps could only be used within the Congress Kingdom and to Russia. Letters to other countries had to be paid for in cash and unstamped. It is believed that some three million of these stamps were printed. When the stamps were withdrawn from use on 1 April 1865 (Gregorian calendar) a total of 208,515 stamps were destroyed; Russian stamps had to be used from that day onwards.[10]
In 1915 the Congress Kingdom was occupied by the Central Powers.
Austria occupied the southern part of Congress Poland; no special stamps were issued; Austrian stamps were made available. Austrian field post offices were set up which used postmarks with Polish town names.
The stamps that were made available were:[11][pageneeded]
Most of the Austro-Hungarian Military Post general issues from 1915 to 1918 – 75 different stamps
Some of the Bosnia and Herzegovina issues from the period 1904 to 1916 – 41 different stamps
Some of the Austria issues from the period 1908 to 1916 – 42 different stamps
In addition one postcard from Bosnia and Herzegovina and four postcards of the Austro-Hungarian Military Post general issues were made available
Russian datestamps were replaced with Austrian datestamps. The postmarks were inscribed K. u. K. ETAPPENPOSTAMT at the top and the Polish town name at the bottom.
The list of post office with these datestamps are as under, names in bracket are changes in name which took place later[11][pageneeded][12]
On 12 May 1915, five contemporary German stamps, overprinted "Russisch-Polen", by the Imperial Printing Works in Berlin, were first issued for use in the German-occupied area. On 1 August 1916, after the fall of Warsaw and the complete occupation of central Poland, a set 11 stamps overprinted "Gen.-Gouv. Warschau" was issued. They remained in use until November 1918. These stamps only ensured delivery to the post office and not to the addressee.[13]
In addition to stamps, postal stationery items were also overprinted and made available. One postcard and one reply postcard were issued overprinted "Russisch-Polen". Three different postcards and two different reply postcards were issued with the "Gen.-Gouv. Warschau" overprint.[citation needed]
Stamped to order postal stationery was also produced with the "Russisch-Polen" overprint. Items produced were – three different values of postcards (3pf, 5pf, 10pf); five different values of pre paid envelopes (3pf, 5pf, 10pf, 20pf, 40pf); and one 3pf newspaper wrapper. The postcards and envelopes were produced with and without an illustration.[11][pageneeded]
Kingdom of Poland essays
In 1916, Germany and Austria declared a new Kingdom of Poland. Early in 1917 the Germans requested the Chief of the Civil Administration in Warsaw to arrange for the Warszawskie Towarzystwo Artystyczne (Warsaw Society of Artists) to organise a competition of designs, by Polish designers, for a series of definitive stamps for this planned Kingdom of Poland. One of the conditions of this competition was that the stamps be inscribed "KROLESTWO POLSKIE" (literally: Polish Kingdom, i.e. Kingdom of Poland). Monetary prizes were offered from 150 marks to 1000 marks. The closing date was 1 December 1917. A total of 32 artists submitted some 148 designs by the closing date. Essays of all of these 148 designs were printed on sheets in black, brown, green and blue. A booklet was also published on 11 January 1918 containing all these designs.[14]
Thirteen of these designs were chosen and the Imperial Printing Works in Berlin engraved all of the designs. The 13 chosen designs were printed in the proposed colours on 5 sheets. These stamps were mounted in folders and circulated amongst the various German embassies and legations in existence at the time.[14]
The artists include the following: M Bystydzieński, Henyk Oderfeld, Nikodem Romanus, Józef Tom, Apoloniusz Kędzierski, Ludwik Gardowski, Ludwik Sokołowski, Zygmunt Beniulis, Jan Ogorkiewicz, Edmund John, Edward Trojanowski and Mieczysław Neufeld.[citation needed]
When in 1918 Poland became independent, two of the artists, who took part in the 1917 competition, Edward Trojanowski and Edmund Bartłomiejczyk, were asked to modify their designs for use by the new Republic of Poland.[14]
Local postal services 1915–18
The occupying forces did not provide any local delivery service; they left it to town council set up local delivery services. Some of these councils produced stamps for providing this service others used cachets, which were stamped on the letters. Most of the stamps which were issued, were produced without permission of the occupying authorities. None of these were valid for use once Polish stamps had been issued in November 1918.[15]
The list of local postal services which used stamps and/or handstamps for local deliveries is as follows:[11][pageneeded]
Warszawa local post stamp applied to a cover from Bromberg. The signature to the left side of this stamp is that of M A Bojanowicz author of The Kingdom of Poland. Poland No 1 and associated Postal History
Aleksandrów – handstamp
Będzin – handstamps
Chęciny – 8 stamps issued unofficially; considered as fantasy stamps
Czeladż – handstamp
Częstochowa – handstamps
Grodno – handstamp
Kalisz – 2 handstamps
Koło – handstamps
Lipno – handstamp
Luboml – 7 stamps ordered and printed, arrived too late to be used
Łódź – handstamps
Mława – handstamp
Otwock – 1 stamp and handstamps
Pabiannice – handstamp
Pruszków – handstamps
Przedbórz – 18 stamps recognized as being issued
Siedlce – handstamps
Sosnowiec – 7 different stamps issued and handstamps
The generally accepted date of the independence of Poland is 11 November 1918. This date really only applies to General-Gouvernement Warschau. The area occupied by Austria was freed on 29 October 1918. The Wielkopolska area was held by the Germans till 27 December 1918 and the Pomorze area till 10 February 1919. Each area had a different philatelic history until stamps were issued to cover the whole country.[16]
Former German occupied Russian area
Following the Armistice on 11 November 1918 the Polish authorities set to work to organise a postal service. Instructions were issued to temporarily use existing stamps and modify or replace cancelling machines with Polish place names. Many offices, on their own initiative, overprinted the "Russisch-Polen" and the "Gen.-Gouv. Warschau" stamps with "Poczta Polska", "Na Skarb Narodowy" etc.
Local overprints
Local overprints, on the "Russisch-Polen" and the "Gen.-Gouv. Warschau" stamps, are known from the following locations.[11][pageneeded]
Aleksandrów Kujawski – 11 different stamps known used from 18 November 1918 to 3 January 1919.
Błonie – 11 stamps and two postcards were overprinted using a rubber stamp; all known copies are of philatelic origin.
Brzeziny – 14 stamps and two postcards were overprinted; all known copies are of philatelic origin.
Ciechocinek – 6 different stamps are known overprinted; the copies are dated between 13 and 22 December 1918. Only used copies are known. Only two to ten of each of these are known (per 2001 catalogue). These are the highest priced Polish stamps.
Grodzisk – 11 different stamps and two postcards were overprinted; all known copies are of philatelic origin.
Izbica – 4 different stamps are known overprinted.
Kalisz – 15 different stamps were overprinted by the post office in Kalisz. Four other different overprints using rubber handstamps supplied by a philatelic dealer were used on ten different stamps to produce 40 different items; these are considered philatelic.
Koło – 10 different stamps and one postcard are known to have been overprinted with two different handstamps.
Konin – Two different overprints were used on 10 different stamps to produce 20 items. A different overprint in January 1919 was used; all known items with this third overprint are philatelic.
Luzino – known from 2 covers dated 1922
Łęczyca – 14 different stamps and two postcards were overprinted.
Łowicz – 11 different stamps and one postcard were overprinted, all used items are postmarked February or March 1919 which is after definitive stamps had been supplied.
Łuków – Two stamps and one postcard are known to have been supplied from 12 December 1918.
Maków – 10 different stamps and one postcard are known used from 13 November 1918 to 5 January 1919.
Ostrołęka – 8 different stamps and two postcards were overprinted. They are known used from 12 November 1918.
Ostrów Mazowiecka – 9 different stamps and two postcards were overprinted. They are known used from 12 November 1918.
Otwock – all items believed to be philatelic.
Ozorków – 10 different stamps and one postcard were overprinted. These are believed to be philatelic.
Poddębice – 10 different stamps and two postcards were overprinted. These were in use during December 1918.
Płońsk – 11 stamps overprinted, these are found only used and are believed to be philatelic.
Pułtusk – 10 different stamps and two postcards were overprinted. These are known used from 13 November 1918 to early January 1919.
Sieradz – 10 different stamps and two postcards were overprinted. These were in use from 13 November 1918 till the end of January 1919.
Skierniewice – 11 different stamps and two postcards were overprinted in black red and blue. These are considered as philatelic.
Włocławek – Two different overprints and 13 different stamps were used to produce 23 different items. Two postcards were overprinted producing 4 items. They were in use from 13 November 1918.
Zduńska Wola – Two different overprints and 8 different stamps were used to produce 17 different items. Two postcards were also overprinted. These were in use from 13 November 1918 till February 1919.
First provisional issue
The first stamps to be issued by newly established Polish Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in Warsaw were on 17 November 1918. Unissued stamps, which had been produced for the Warsaw Local Post in 1916, were overprinted with the value in "fen" at the top and "Poczta Polska" at the bottom. This is the first known occasion, in the world, on which local stamps were utilised to produce state stamps. They were in use for only a few weeks. The most common postmark to be found on these stamps is "Warschau", "Warszawa" and "Łódź", stamps postmarked "Bendzin" and "Sosnowice" are also known.[17]
The original stamps had been designed by Professor Edward Trojanowski and printed lithograph at the printing works of Jan Cotty in Warsaw. The overprinting was done at the "Kopytowski i Ska" printing works in Warsaw. Each of the four stamps is known with inverted overprint.[17]
The total number of stamps originally printed in 1916, per the invoice from the printers, was as follows[18]
2 groszy – 874,152
6 groszy – 1,814,400
10 groszy – 290,952
20 groszy – 209,952
About 20,000 of each of these were not used for overprinting with "Poczta Polska" in 1918.[19]
Second provisional issue
A large stock of the "Gen. Gouv. Warschau" stamps had been left behind by the Germans. These were collected up and overprinted with obliterating bars and "Poczta Polska". On 5 December 1918 eight different values (3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 and 60 fen) were put on sale in post offices and shops. The supply of 5 fen stamps ran out after two days, so stamps with a face value of 2½ and 3 fen were surcharged "5". In addition to this a 25 fen stamp was issued by surcharging the 7½ value with "25". Due to the haste with which these stamps were produced there are many errors and varieties to be found. The overprinting was done by the "Kopytowski i Ska" private printing works in Warsaw.[20][21]
On 7 December 1918 the Ministry of Post and Telegraph announced in the daily newspapers that German stamps and postcards without the overprint "Poczta Polska" would not be accepted for postage as from 16 December 1918.[22]
Former Austrian occupied Congress Poland
Poland first Lublin overprint 10 hal stamp
On 5 November 1918 the Post and Telegraph Administration in Lublin issued the first instructions regarding the organising of the post in the Congress Poland area formerly occupied by the Austrians. All the post office were instructed to follow existing rules and regulations and to use existing Austrian stamps in stock.[16] Three post offices on their own initiative overprinted Austrian stamps[23] and the Lublin Post and Telegraph Administration supplied overprinted Austrian stamps in December 1918. There is no record of a public announcement or any instruction being given to post offices invalidating Austrian stamps.[24]
Local overprints
Local overprints are known as follows, the status of all of these is unknown[23]
Jędrzejów – overprint on some 13 different postage stamps, one postcard and one postage due stamp.
Olkusz – overprint on some 12 different postage stamps and one postage due stamp.
Zwierzyniec nad Wieprzem – three different stamps overprinted.
First Lublin provisional issue
Three values (10 hal, 20 hal and 45 hal) of the Austro-Hungarian K und K Military Post Imperial Welfare Fund stamps were overprinted in Lublin with POLSKA at top, Polish eagle in centre and POCZTA at the bottom. A total of 64,000 copies of each was overprinted. The stamps were distributed to 41 post offices and shops. All the stamps were sold within ten days of being issued on 5 December 1918. Due to the haste of production errors such as inverted overprints and double overprints are known.[25]
Second Lublin provisional issue
Ten different values were produced using the Austro-Hungarian K und K Military Post Emperor Charles stamps and were issued on 19 December 1918. As with the previous issue, numerous varieties exist due to the haste of production. The stamps overprinted and quantities are as follows[26]
3 on 3 hal – 13,000
3 on 15 hal – 164,600
10 on 30 hal – 136,600
25 on 40 hal – 109,900
45 on 60 hal – 91,800
45 on 80 hal – 50,000 with bars
45 on 80 hal – 154,900 with stars
50 on 60 hal – 75,000
50 hal – 22,000
90 hal – 108,800
Former Austrian Kingdom of Galicia
On the departure of the Austrian forces the area was administered by a governing commission which was called the Polish Liquidation Commission (Polska Komisja Likwidacyjna) which was formed on 28 October 1918, in Kraków, by a coalition of Polish political parties in Galicia.[27]
Local overprints
A number of post offices are known to have overprinted or handstamped Austrian stamps. Many of these stamps did see proper postal use. There are also many that are only known off cover and/or on philatelic covers; these are considered as speculative issues. Details of the post offices with local overprints are as follows[28]
Baranów – handstamp on 14 different values.
Bielsko – handstamp on two different postcards.
Bochnia – three stamps were overprinted but not used.
Czermin – handstamp on two different stamps.
Dziedzice – handstamp on two different stamps.
Klimkówka – handstamp on two different stamps.
Krosno – one postcard overprinted.
Mielec – 19 different stamps, three postcards and a letter card are known to have been overprinted or handstamped and used non-philatelically. There are in addition some 100 different stamps that are considered as speculative issues.
Oświęcim – handstamp on one stamp.
Skałat – 24 different stamps were handstamped.
Węgierska Górka – one cover known, handstamped, dated 3 February 1919. and two cuts off with 5 stamps each.
All the stamps with local overprints from the following post offices are considered as speculative issues[28][29]
Myślenice
Przemyśl
Rozwadów
Świątniki Górne
Tarnów
Krakow issue
Kraków issue 3 hal stampKraków issue 10 hal postage due stamp
All Austrian stamps, which were still in store in Kraków, were sent to two different printers in Kraków for overprinting on 2 January 1919. The two printing works were A Koziański and F Zieliński. The overprinting by Koziański was by typograph and the overprinting by Zieliński was by lithograph. In total 20 different postage stamps, 5 different newspaper stamps and 12 different postage due stamps were overprinted with POCZTA POLSKA in two lines with a diamond shape or an ornament between. The stamps were made available for sale from 10 January 1919.[30]
The following stamps and quantities of postage stamps were produced and issued.[31]
3hal −2,350
5 hal −2,050
6 hal −28,800
10 hal −2,250
12 hal −15,640
15 hal −62,750
20 hal −5,340
25 hal −1,150
25/80 hal −100,000
30 hal −3,740
40 hal −22,390
50 hal −58,230
60 hal −67,020
80 hal −74,190
90 hal −1,300
1 kr – 50,860
2 kr −90,275
3 kr −8,005
4 kr −5,508
10 kr – 440
On 12 January 1919 the Post and Telegraph Director in Lwów issued instructions that unoverprinted Austrian stamps and postal stationery would not be valid for postage from 20 January 1919.
Polish Liquidation Commission issue
The Polish Liquidation Commission ordered these stamps, popularly known as the Polish Liquidation Commission issue, for use in Galicia. They were issued on 25 February 1919 and the sale of these stamps was stopped while the Polish Liquidation Commission argued with the Ministry of Post and Telegraph in Warsaw over the competence of the Galicia administration issuing stamps. This argument was resolved in a matter of days and the stamps were allowed to be sold from March with the proviso that these stamps would only be valid for use till 31 May 1919. The stamp was designed by Jan Michalski and printed in the Zieliński printing works in Kraków. They were issued ungummed and imperforate.[32]
The following stamps and quantities were produced and issued.[33]
Bojanowicz, M A, The Kingdom of Poland. Poland No 1 and associated Postal History, 1979, The Royal Philatelic Society London
Kamienski, Miet, Postal Service between Poland and the Mediterranean, (page 31 to 41 in The Mediterranean Mails, 1993, Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada)
400 Lat Poczty Polskiej, 1958, Wydawnictwa Komunikacyine Warszawa, (in Polish)
Larking, R N W, Poland The postal issues during and after the Great War, Gibbons Stamp Monthly, published in 22 parts starting in October 1929 and finishing in August 1932.
Polskie Znaki Pocztowe, Vol I, 1960; Vol II, 1960; Vol III, 1962; Vol IV, 1966; Vol V, 1973, Biuro Wydawnicze Ruch, Warszawa, (in Polish), the joint work of Stanisław Adamski, Stanisław Babiński, Tadeusz Grodecki, Tadeusz Gryżewski, Tadeusz Hampel, Maxymilian Herwich, Antoni Łaszkiewicz (joint ed.), Józef Machowski, Stanisław Mikstein, Zbigniew Mikulski (joint ed.), Maciej Perzyński, Józef Tislowitz and Stanisław Żółkiewski.
Śnieżko, Aleksander, Poczta Miejska Miasta St. Warszawy 1915–1918, Agencja Wydawnicza Ruch, 1965 (in Polish)
A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. Modern postmarks are often applied simultaneously with the cancellation or killer that marks postage stamps as having been used. Sometimes a postmark alone is used to cancel stamps, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Postmarks may be applied by handstamp or machine, using methods such as rollers or inkjets, while digital postmarks are a recent innovation.
A first day of issue cover or first day cover (FDC) is a postage stamp on a cover, postal card or stamped envelope franked on the first day the issue is authorized for use within the country or territory of the stamp-issuing authority. Sometimes the issue is made from a temporary or permanent foreign or overseas office. Covers that are postmarked at sea or their next port of call will carry a Paquebot postmark. There will usually be a first day of issue postmark, frequently a pictorial cancellation, indicating the city and date where the item was first issued, and "first day of issue" is often used to refer to this postmark. Depending on the policy of the nation issuing the stamp, official first day postmarks may sometimes be applied to covers weeks or months after the date indicated.
A cancellation is a postal marking applied on a postage stamp or postal stationery to deface the stamp and to prevent its reuse. Cancellations come in a huge variety of designs, shapes, sizes, and colors. Modern cancellations commonly include the date and post office location where the stamps were mailed, in addition to lines or bars designed to cover the stamp itself. The term "postmark" refers specifically to the part that contains the date and posting location, but the term is often used interchangeably with "cancellation" as it may serve that purpose. The portion of a cancellation that is designed to deface the stamp and does not contain writing is also called the "obliteration" or killer. Some stamps are issued pre-cancelled with a printed or stamped cancellation and do not need to have a cancellation added. Cancellations can affect the value of stamps to collectors, positively or negatively. Cancellations of some countries have been extensively studied by philatelists, and many stamp collectors and postal history collectors collect cancellations in addition to the stamps themselves.
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail. Well-recognized varieties include commemorative overprints which are produced for their public appeal and command significant interest in the field of philately.
The Far Eastern Republic, sometimes called the Chita Republic, existed from April 1920 to November 1922 in the easternmost part of Siberia. It was formed from the Amur, Transbaikal, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and Primorye regions. In theory, it extended from Lake Baikal to Vladivostok but, in May 1921, the Priamur and Maritime Provinces seceded. Although nominally independent, it was largely controlled by the RSFSR and its main purpose was to be a democratic buffer state between the RSFSR and the territories occupied by Japan during the Russian Civil War to avoid war with Japan. Initially, its capital was Verkhneudinsk, but from October 1920 it was Chita. On 15 November 1922, after the war ended and the Japanese withdrew from Vladivostok, the Far Eastern Republic was annexed by Soviet Russia.
During the period when Heligoland was a British possession, about 20 postage stamps were issued between 1867 and 1890. There were up to eight printings of a single denomination and also a large volume of reprints which are known as the Berlin, Leipzig and Hamburg Reprints, respectively. The Berlin reprints are sometimes better quality than the originals. The reprints were done between 1875 and 1895. Consequently, many "old" collections contain reprints rather than originals. Some believe there were seven million reprints as compared to the known 1½ million originals, of which perhaps half were sold through the post office and the remainder sold to dealers when withdrawn from use. A few printings were never postally sold but nevertheless found their way into the hands of dealers. The stamps were printed by the Prussian State Printing Office in Berlin. They were denominated in the Hamburg Schilling until 1875, when both German Reich and British values appeared on each stamp issue. All are embossed with a silhouette of Queen Victoria excepting the four highest values which represent Heligoland escutcheons.
The postal history of Malta began in the early modern period, when pre-adhesive mail was delivered to foreign destinations by privately owned ships for a fee. The earliest known letter from Malta, sent during the rule of the Order of St John, is dated 1532. The first formal postal service on the islands was established by the Order in 1708, with the post office being located at the Casa del Commun Tesoro in Valletta. The first postal markings on mail appeared later on in the 18th century.
The postage stamps and postal history of Armenia describes the history of postage stamps and postal systems in Armenia. Czarist Russian postmarks and stamps were in used in the territory of Armenia from 1858. The early postmarks were composed of dots in different shapes. Dated postmarks with city names soon followed. Many counterfeit postmarks are known. From 1909 until 1918 a few Russian stamps were overprinted identifying the Armenian Post. The Armenian letters H & P are intertwined, representing the initials of hai post, the Armenian Post Office.
The postage stamps and postal history of Israel is a survey of the postage stamps issued by the state of Israel, and its postal history, since independence was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. The first postage stamps were issued two days later on May 16, 1948. Pre-1948 postal history is discussed in postage stamps and postal history of Palestine.
Germania stamps are definitive stamps that were issued by the German Empire and the Weimar Republic between 1900 and 1922, depicting Germania. They represent the longest running series in German philately and are in their many variations and derivations an essential part of German philatelic collections.
The postal history of Monaco can be traced to the principality’s first postmark in 1704. Stampless covers are known with both manuscript and handstamp postmarks for Monaco and Fort d'Hercule ; as the principality was once much larger, postmarks of the communes of Menton and Roquebrune prior to their 1848 secession might also be included. Monaco used Sardinian stamps from 1851 until 1860, when by the Treaty of Turin, Sardinia ceded to France the surrounding county of Nice and relinquished its protectorate over Monaco; French stamps with Monaco or Monte-Carlo postmarks were used thereafter. Two forms of cancellation are known for the French period. With the first, the postmark is on the cover away from the stamps; an obliterator with an identifying post office number 4222, or later 2387, inside a diamond of ink dots cancelled the actual stamps. The second applied the postmark directly on the stamps, as both a date stamp and cancel. All of these postal forerunners, particularly usages of Sardinian stamps with Monaco cancels, are far more valuable than the same stamps postally used in the issuing countries.
The Ruch catalog of postage stamps of Poland, officially titled Ilustrowany Katalog Znaczków Polskich, contained detailed information on Polish postage stamps, and was published on a yearly basis.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Gibraltar.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of British Bechuanaland.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Czechoslovakia.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Ukraine.
The J.B. Catalogue of Malta Stamps and Postal History is Malta's leading stamp catalogue. It was first published in 1984 and is published bi-annually by Joseph Buttigieg of Sliema Stamp Shop. It is currently in its twenty-second edition (2014). The catalogue originally used the SG numbering system, but from the early 1990s it had separate numbering. It is in English and the pricing was in Maltese pounds until 2006, and euros from 2008.
The Australian State of Tasmania issued adhesive revenue stamps from 1863 to 1998, although impressed stamps had appeared briefly in the 1820s. There were general revenue and stamp duty issues, as well as a number of specific issues for various taxes.
The island of Cyprus first issued revenue stamps in 1878 and continues to do so to this day. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also issues its own revenue stamps.
The St Paul's Shipwreck 10/- black is a postage and revenue stamp issued by the Crown Colony of Malta on 6 March 1919, and it is generally considered to be the country's rarest and most expensive stamp. It is rare because a very limited quantity of 1530 stamps was printed and it was inadvertently issued prematurely by the Post Office.
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