Bulgaria 1901-1920 - a closer look

1907 Scott 75 10s red brown, Lithographed

"Ferdinand in 1887 and 1907"

Into the Deep Blue
The 1840-1940 Scott Classic catalogue has, for Bulgaria 1901-1944, 412 major number descriptions. Of those, 354 are CV <$1-$1+, or 86%. Clearly, Bulgaria is inexpensive. There are a few pockets of more expensive stamps, such as the Balkan Games Issues of 1931 and 1933 (14 stamps), where six of them are CV $10+-$400.

We have already posted blogs on Bulgaria (BB Checklist), Bulgaria 1902 Issue, and Bulgaria 1879-1901.

This blog post will look at the 1901-1920 stamp era.

1901-1920 - A closer look
100 Stotinki = 1 Lev (1881)

1901 Scott 66 1 l red orange & bronze green

"Tsar Ferdinand"; Type I

On October 1, 1901, a twelve stamp bi-colored  typographed set with a "Tsar Ferdinand" vignette was released. I show the full set in the "Deep Blue" section (scroll down).

These stamps are quite inexpensive for WW collectors today, with eleven @ <$1-$1+.

The 1 Lev denomination has two types.

Type 1 (above) has, for the upper corner "1" numerals, a serif on the right.

1905 Scott 67 1 l brown red & bronze green

"Tsar Ferdinand"; Type II

In 1905, the "Type 1" 1 Lev stamp of 1901 was replaced by a "Type II" stamp: this shows no right serifs on the upper corner "1" numerals. CV is $4.

Ferdinand: Ruling Prince (1887-1908) & Tsar (1908-1918)

Ferdinand had wide ranging interests: Writer, Botanist, Entomologist, Philatelist.

He was known for his affairs/trysts: both women and men.

After WW II, in order to save the monarchy, he abdicated in 1918 n favor of his son, Boris III.

Bulgaria, after surrendering to the Allies, lost all the territory it had gained during WW II, and the territory it had previously won in the Balkan Wars.

Ferdinand would live to see the collapse of the monarchy and the Kingdom.. His son, Boris III, died of a mysterious illness after visiting Hitler in 1943. His grandson, Simeon II, was deposed in 1946

1902 Scott 72 15s  blue

"Fighting at Shipka Pass"

The 1902 lithographic three stamp issue, commemorating the "1877 Battle of Shipka Pass", is fascinating, and forgeries abound.

The above 15s blue is genuine however. CV for the issue is $1-$5.

I've published a blog post about this issue.

1907 Scott 74 5s deep green, Lithographed

 "Ferdinand in 1887 and 1907"

For the 20th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Ferdinand, a three stamp lithographic issue was released on August 12, 1907. CV is $1+-$3+.

1909 Scott 85 25s on 30s bister & gray black

Value Surcharged in Red

In 1909, eight previously issued stamps were overprinted ("1909") and surcharged, or surcharged only. CV is very modest @ <$1-$1+.

1911 Scott 91 3s lake & black, Engraved

""City of Trnovo"

In 1911, a twelve stamp engraved issue (many bi-colored), each with a unique portrait or pictorial, was published. Certainly this issue is one of the highlights for Bulgaria collectors.

Trnovo (Veliko Tarnovo)

The medieval town of Veliko Tarnovo is known as the "City of the Tsars".

1913 Scott 109 10s deep red & black

"Ferdinand"; Black Overprint

Commemorating the victory over the Turks in the 1912-13 Balkan War, seven of the 1911 issue stamps were overprinted in various colors on August 6, 1913.

1915 Scott 112 10s on 25s ultramarine & black

"Ferdinand"; Surcharged in Red

The 1911 issue 25s ultramarine & black was surcharged in red as shown on July 6, 1915.

1915 Scott 113 3s on 1889 1s lilac

Surcharged in Green

Also, the 1889 issue 1s lilac was resurrected and surcharged with green ink in 1915.

CV is $4+.

1915 Scott 118 25s indigo & black

"Ferdinand"; Types of 1911 Re-engraved

Of interest, in 1915, seven stamps from the 1911 issue were re-engraved with slight design differences, color changes in some stamps, and changes in some stamp dimensions.

Refer to Scott for specifics. CV is <$1 for all stamps in the issue.

1917 Scott 127 3 l claret, Typographed

"View of Gevgeli"

With the "Liberation of Macedonia", six commemorative stamps were released in 1917, with another one (2 l  brown orange) in 1919.

Today, the town of Gevelija on the Vardar River is part of the Republic of Macedonia.

1918 Scott 128 1s gray

"View of Veles"

Veles is another river town that is in Macedonia, not in (now smaller) Bulgaria.A bit embarrassing in retrospect.

1918 Scott 132 3s indigo

"Tsar Ferdinand"

For the 30th anniversary of his reign, a four stamp set was released on July 1, 1918.

This would prove to be Tsar Ferdinand's last issue, because he was forced to abdicate that October, 1918. (Bulgaria was on the losing side of WW I, and Ferdinand had to go.)

1919 Scott 139 5s green

"Tsar Boris"

On October 3, 1919, a seven stamp typographic set was released for the 1st anniversary of the enthronement of Tsar Boris III (Ferdinand's son). It is rather a poorly produced issue (in looks and  execution), but probably reflects the state of post - WW I Bulgaria.

1920 Scott 148 50s dark green

Photogravure; "The Bear Fighter"

On October 20, 1920, a six stamp issue was produced to honor the Bulgarian poet and novelist Ivan Vazov (1850-1921). Of interest, the stamps were produced by photogravure.

1920 Scott B9 2 l + 1 l brown orange

"Demir-Kapiya (Iron Gate)

Semi-postals were issued by Bulgaria on June 20, 1920. They consisted of surcharged regular issues of 1911-20. The ten stamp issue surtax was intended to aid ex-prisoners of war.  

1915 Scott J28 50s deep blue

Thin Semi-Transparent paper

Between 1915-1921, there were postage due issues mainly recognized by differences in paper.

All of the postage dues of this era are CV inexpensive (<$1).

The 1915 issue has thin semi-transparent paper (five stamps).

1919 Scott J30 10s violet

Thicker whiter paper with clean cut perforations

The 1919 issue (five stamps) is on thicker whiter paper with clean cut perforations.

1921 Scott J34 1 l emerald

Thicker paper with rough perforations

The 1921 issue (seven stamps) is on thicker grayish paper with rough perforations.

Deep Blue

1902 "Tsar Ferdinand" Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has 39 pages for the 1920-1944 stamps of Bulgaria. All of the major numbers have a space. Of interest, for the 1919 & 1921 postage dues, which differ by type of paper with some of them minor numbers in Scott, Steiner provides spaces.

1920 Scott 152 5 l deep blue

"The Monk Paisil"

Out of the Blue

And so ends our survey of Bulgarian stamps. Of course, this is merely an introduction. Such is the fate of the WW collector for many (not all) countries.

Note:Ferdinand and Trnovo pic appear to be in the public domain.

Links
Bulgaria - Bud's Big Blue

Comments appreciated!

Guadeloupe - Bud's Big Blue

Puyplat's signature, sculpted into the design

Bud's Big Blue
Bud's Observations

Collectors who regard their albums as miniature art galleries owe a great debt to early 20^th century French and French colonial stamps and to the artists who engraved them.

Guadeloupe’s stamps were engraved by two notables.

Beginning in 1905, Jules-Jacques Puyplat’s wood engravings of street and harbor scenes provided the central images for the definitive issue.  The surrounding borders – replete with bananas, coffee plants, cocoa, and sugar cane – are even more elaborately engraved than the central images.

Similarities in style suggest that Puyplat also engraved the 1905 postage due stamps with cotton and fish in the borders, although they are unsigned.  Guadeloupe continued using his artistry until 1928, 3 years after his death.  His signature, sculpted into the design of the definitives, is difficult to read (see above).

Georges Hourriez, sc, engraved the 1928 definitives and postage dues.  His skill shows to advantage in the central images rather than the borders.  The sugar  mill design is outstanding.  The three workers depicted in it are likely descendants of indentured servants brought in from India to replace the African slaves freed in 1848.  In 1925, shortly before Hourriez’s stamps were issued, Guadeloupian Indians were finally granted full citizenship and suffrage.

Where did Puyplat and Hourriez get ideas for their engravings?

Probably not by visiting Guadeloupe themselves but by artists’ sketches they had available.  Compare Hourriez’s 1928 postage dues to the postcard below.

Scott’s Catalog identifies the stamp affixed to the postcard (also Hourriez’s) as a view of Saints Roadstead, now called the Bay of Terre-de-Haut. The hills across the bay that frame the setting sun are on uninhabited  Îlet à Cabrit.

The “sc” that sometimes appears following engravers’ signatures stands for sculpsit, meaning in Latin “He carved (engraved, sculpted) it.”  An excellent resource on stamp artist and engravers:  http://artinstamps.blogspot.com.

Census: 124 in BB spaces, 38 on supplement pages.

Jim's Observations
Guadeloupe is an ideal French Colony for the WW classical collector. A nice variety of regular and surcharged classic stamps, and two long attractive pictorial issues. And generally inexpensive.

Guadeloupe Post and BB Checklist

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Comments appreciated!

Compare 1928 postage due stamp design.

Grenada - Bud's Big Blue

From WWI era Chocolate Tin

Bud's Big Blue
Bud's Observations

Jim’s postings for this blog are careful, descriptive, and insightful; moreover, they’re unruffled and level headed. Many collectors say so. My comments, on the other hand, are impulsive, sometimes fitful to the point of being crotchety. This can be expected, of course, because I’m older than Jim and have earned my brass curmudgeon medal.

And so, as I write this, my yo-yo jerks to the downside.

My funk doesn’t so much spring from Grenada’s classical era stamps. As more or less standard British colonial issues, they’re adequate, unobjectionable, boring; although they do have some interesting overprints (see supplement page). Jim describes Grenada’s stamps admirably in the main part of this blog and the late Gerben van Gelder served our hobby well by detailing the postal history of this small island. (Jim's Note: Sad to say, Gerben's web site is, at present, not active.)

Several stamps bear the Grenada coat of arms, which is a curious bit of heraldry. A sail boat approaching an island is a common enough colonial image, but what can the motto Clarior e tenebris mean? What is it about Grenada that is “light from obscurity” or “brighter through darkness.” Perhaps the chocolate industry? (The above example was scavenged from a WWI era chocolate tin.)

If not the classical era stamps, what then provokes my funk? Well, I would like to have seen BB’s Part One Grenada section chock-full of Plutos, and Mickey and Minnie mice, and Marilyn Monroes, and space ships. Why should collectors of post-1970s Grenada stamps have all the fun? (Grumble. Fume.)

Census: 57 in BB spaces, 23 on supplement page.

Image is licensed under Creative Commons BY NC SA. Permission for use is granted.

Jim's Observations
Grenada became a British colony during the Seven Years' War  in 1763.

Nutmeg was introduced in 1843; and today Grenada is known as  the "Island of Spice", as it supplies 40% of the world's nutmeg.

In 1861, Grenada issued the 1p green and the 6p rose with the iconic "Chalon Head" portrait of Queen Elizabeth. Other countries that have issued the "Chalon Head" include Canada, Nova Scotia, Tasmania, New Zealand, The Bahamas, Natal, New Brunswick, Queensland, and Prince Edward Island.

Grenada remained a Crown Colony from 1877-1950, when moves towards autonomy by Grenadians - both peaceful and violent- occurred. Independence was granted in 1974.

In 1983 the U.S. lead an invasion to overthrow the  "People's Revolutionary Government".

Today Grenada is a member of the commonwealth.

Comment: For myself, when Grenada began mainly featuring Disney characters, it went off the stamp rails for me. But the stamp hobby is a large tent, and big enough for everyone. ;-)

Grenada Blog Post and BB Checklist

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