Filling Deep Blue: Brazil additions

1899 Scott 153 300r on 200r purple "Southern Cross"

Issue of 1890-93 Surcharged in Violet or Magenta

Into the Deep Blue
This post (and subsequent ones in this intermittent series) will feature stamps I have very recently acquired that have been added to "Deep Blue", my name for the classic era (1840-1940 WW; -1952 British Commonwealth) Steiner pages.

This post will be about the Brazil additions, extracted from a Brazil feeder album in January of this year.

Why should the reader be interested?

Well, I can promise that the stamps presented will be interesting to the WW collector as they will not be common or ordinary.

If they were common or ordinary, they would have already showed up among the some ~50,000 stamps (out of some 83,000 possibilities) that I have in Deep Blue!

Let's begin....

Brazil Additions
1000 Reis = 1 Milreis

1850 Scott 22 20r black "A3" numeral design

Notice that the specimen is unused? If this was used, it would likely be a precanceled specimen - a horizontal line in pen or blue crayon, or two diagonal pen lines. CV precanceled $70+; used - $120; unused - $90+.

Brazil 1850 Imperforate Issue

As one can see, the 20r black completes "filling" the spaces. It turn out the CV $90+ for the 20r is higher than six of the seven other denominations. The exception is the 600r black ($110).

1890-91 Scott 110b 50r yellow green "Southern Cross"

Issues of the Republic

This appears to be a color variant ("yellow green"- minor number), rather than the major number "gray green". CV (unused) for "yellow green" is $14, while "gray green" is $6+. Actually, there are thirteen minor number color variants listed in Scott for this ten stamp issue.

1898 Scott 127 2000r on 1000r yellow, Rouletted

Green Surcharge

1889 Issue of Newspaper Stamps Surcharged

Most (eight) of the surcharged newspaper stamps in this twelve stamp issue are CV <$10. The Scott 127 here is CV $10+, so perhaps more unusual..

I should mention that I added 46 stamps to Brazil, to make the total 576 stamps in Deep Blue. Scott shows 669 possibilities (major numbers) for Brazil 1840-1940. I have 86% of the possibilities for Brazil.

1898 Scott 136 20r on 10r blue

Black Surcharge

The only example of this surcharge I have (There are a total of three stamps with this surcharge design). CV is only $3+, so perhaps not as common as the CV would suggest.

1899 Scott 156 1000r on 700r chocolate "Southern Cross"

Issue of 1890-93 Surcharged in Violet or Magenta

This 1889 surcharged issue has eight stamps, with CV ranging from $3+ to $9+. I acquired this 1000r on 700r chocolate, but still need the Scott 157 1000r on 700r fawn to complete the issue.

1917 Scott 198 5000r red brown 

"Rodrigues Alves"

This engraved single issue stamp of 1917 is CV $10+.

1918-20 Scott 212 300r orange "Liberty Head"
Wmk 100 "CASA DA MOEDA"

Brazil has plenty of watermarks, and naturally, there are stamps, such as this one, that requires watermarking for identification. This has Wmk 100, rather than the unwatermarked Scott 205.

1923 Scott 264 200r rose 

"Brazilian Army Entering Bahia"

This rather dull lithographic stamp (CV $6+ used/$10+ unused) was issued July 12, 1923 for the centenary of the taking of Bahia from the Portuguese.

1924 Scott 268 50r orange brown "Industry"

Types of 1920-22 Issues; Wmk 193

There are similar examples of this Wmk 193 50r orange brown, such as unwatermarked (1922 Scott 222), Wmk 100 (1923 Scott 241), and Wmk 101 (S1924 Scott 276). The other examples are CV <$1, while the 1924 shown here is CV $30 used/$10 unused. Pays to watermark. :-)

1924 Issue

Types of 1920-22 Issues; Wmk 193

The 50r orange brown completes the set. I'm not getting into the challenges/pain of watermarking Brazil here, but refer you to my Brazil watermarking post.

1928 Scott 293 700r on 500r orange

"President Wenceslau Braz"

Official Stamps of 1919 Surcharged in Red or Black

In 1928, the Official five stamp issue of 1919 was surcharged as shown

1928 Issue

Official Stamps of 1919 Surcharged in Red or Black

The stamps were used for regular postage. CV (unused) is $4+-$30.

1932 Scott 370 700r violet "Soldier and Flag"

Revolutionary Issue

In 1932, the revolutionary forces in the state of San Paulo issued an eleven stamp set.

1932 Scott 374 10000r plum

"Symbolical of Justice"

Revolutionary Issue

The Issue was then recognized by the Federal Government, and placed in general use.

1932 Revolutionary Issue

The lithographic issue has a higher CV for used (beware of favor cancels), but the unused CV ranges from <$1 to $20+.

1936 Scott 418 1200r violet

"Viscount of Cairu"

In 1936, a single engraved stamp, the 1200r violet, was issued for the 100th anniversary of the death of Jose de Silva, Viscount of Cairu. CV is $10 unused.

1937 Scott 449 10000r lake & indigo

"Botanical Garden, Rio de Janeiro"

A bi-colored four stamp issue with two scenes of Rio de Janeiro was released September 30, 1937.

The 10000r lake & indigo has a rather high CV of $70 unused/$60 used.

1938 Scott 465 400r dull green

"Sir Rowland Hill"

Sheet of 10

An imperforate souvenir sheet of ten stamps was issued showing Sir Rowland Hill was released October 22, 1938 during the Brazilian International Philatelic Exposition (Brapex).  CV is $20 (unused).

Air Post 1927 Scott C10 2000r on 200r

"President Hermes da Fonseca"

Nos. O14-O29 Surcharged

I've been gradually accumulating the sixteen stamp first air post issue for Brazil of December 28, 1927. This issue was created by surcharging part (O14-O29) of the 1913 Official issue.

I have 13 of the stamps now, and CV for C10 (shown above) is $4 (unused).

1937 Scott C38 300r violet

"Allegory: Airmail Service between Brazil and the U.S."

Type of 1929; Wmk 249

The Wmk 249 stamp (shown here) is CV $25 (unused). The design was also used in 1929 (Wmk 206) and 1939 (Wmk 256). 

Special Delivery 1930 Scott E1 1000r on 200r deep blue

"Bonifacio, Bolivar, Hidalgo, O'Higgins, San Martin, Washington

1909 Scott 191 Surcharged

The only special delivery stamp during the classical era was issued in 1930, surcharging a  1909 issued stamp. CV is $6+ (unused).

Postage Due 1929-30 Scott J61 100r light red

Wmk 218

This design can be found with multiple watermarks (seven between 1919 and 1940), so watermarking is not optional. ;-)

Official 1913 Scott O25 20,000r blue

"President Hermes da Fonseca"

The November 15, 1913 Official issue shows one design, and has a center in black. This O25 example is CV $30, and the four higher denomination stamps (which I don't have) are CV $55-$350.

1919 Scott O34 500r orange

"President Wenceslau Braz"

In 1919, a five stamp Official set with this one design was issued. CV (unused) ranges from <$1 to $9+. Of interest, eleven stamps were supposed to be issued, but in fact, only five were. There must not have been much demand for this issue, as these stamps were subsequently surcharged in 1928 for regular use.

Newspaper 1890 Scott P20 20r emerald

White Wove Paper

I suspect some fugitive ink must have been used for this 1890 newspaper stamp, as it appears quite faded (soaking in water will remove the ink). CV is $20.

1932 Scott 373 5000r yellow green

"Symbolical of Law and Order"

Revolutionary Issue

Out of the Blue

Hope you enjoyed viewing some of the recent Brazil stamps added to Deep Blue. I think most WW collectors do, so I will continue with the "show & tell" for other countries with subsequent intermittent posts.

Comments appreciated!

Jordan - Bud's Big Blue

League of Nations Trans-Jordan Mandate to Great Britain 

Bud's Big Blue
Bud's Observations

BB’s Jordan stamps might be thought of as League of Nations stamps. Here’s why.

World War I and its aftermath ransacked the relative calm of philately’s earlier classical era. Some nations disappeared, new ones cropped up, still others appeared briefly then faded away. BB provides a serviceable roadmap for tracking these convulsions. Behind its stamps lie barely hidden the war’s wreckage and the struggles to put things right again, maybe even to make things better. It was, after all, “the war to end all wars.”

Such idealism met with dogged reality in Jordan and Palestine. Before the War, Transjordan was not a single administrative entity. Following the war and, more particularly, following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Transjordan lacked cohesive government, much less any stamp-issuing authority. So, the League of Nations provided a stop-gap: WWI’s winners would temporarily govern where the defeated formerly held sway until such time as the people living there were able decide what to do on their own. Transjordan was mandated to Great Britain. (See cover of the mandate document above.)

Article 19 reads, in part: “The Mandatory [Britain, in this case] shall adhere on behalf of the Administration of Palestine [including Transjordan] to any general international conventions already existing, or which may be concluded hereafter with the approval of the League of Nations, respecting … postal, telegraphic and wireless communication ….”

As the result, BB’s Jordan begins with make-do (British) Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) stamps overprinted in Arabic "Arab Government of the East." These served while the Ottoman postal service was being dismantled and replaced. Overprinted stamps of Hejaz served a similar purpose (see supplement page). Progress toward independence, which eventually came in 1946, is marked by the 1928 series with the likeness of Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein.

Census: 37 in BB spaces, 25 on supplement pages.

Jim's Observations

Under the general Palestinian Mandate, the British carved out a separate administration east of the Jordan River, and had the House of Hashemite, Emir Abdullah, the eldest son of British ally Sharif Hussein of Mecca and the Kingdom of Hejaz, become the titular head. 

Abdullah's government was established in April, 1921.

And actually the first (overprinted) stamp set for the Jordan territory was issued in November, 1920.

Emir Abdullah's brother was briefly the King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria, before being expelled by the French in 1920. He, however, then became King Faisal of Iraq in 1921, another British mandate.

Jordan Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Japan - Bud's Big Blue

50th Anniversary of the Japan Postal Service, 1921

(one of a series of postcards; from my collection)

Bud's Big Blue
Bud's Observations

Two competing stories about Japan’s early postal system wrestle each other on the internet. One is mostly accurate while the other, I think, mostly fantasy.

The postcard (above) commemorating the 50th anniversary of Japan’s postal system (1921) reflects the more accurate story. It’s worth careful study. The inset shows a horse drawn wagon with a flag bearing the original postal mark (1877 – 1887). The equestrian on the left, sometimes misidentified as a feudal messenger, has the same postal mark on his hat and cuffs -- an 1870ish uniform. Meiji era Japanese were modeling their first formal postal system on Britain’s but they lacked a British railroad delivery system. So, in their genius for adaptation, they substituted horses and wagons. Meiji Japan typically borrowed ideas from Western technology, then put a Japanese “stamp” on them. (No wonder their descendants came up with the Prius.)

The original postal mark appears again on the card’s stamp (Scott #163) and the decorative cancellation. It’s successor, the〒 that continues in use, is on the right side of the stamp and, in the middle, Japan’s flag. I don’t know what the furniture on the right side of the card represents; perhaps it’s a pubic mail box with a writing desk on top. It, too, has a postal banner.

The tattooed runner (below) with his message suspended on a bamboo stick represents the fantasy story. There were, no doubt, runners who carried private messages and some of them may have sported loin cloths and spectacular tattoos, like rickshaw pullers and sumo wrestlers, but likely not when in the employ of the official Postal Service. Postal runners in many nations used poles to carry messages; I’m unsure why. On the whole, though, the image looks posed, like a colorized studio photo.

As is conspicuous in the following scans, my Japan pages want attention. They’re too scruffy. I’m waiting until I find a good set of 1871 dragons to motivate me. What would I redo? Put the revenues on a separate supplement page. Same for the extra China and Korea overprints. Press wrinkled stamps or replace them.  Arrange the fancy cancels (last supplement page) attractively. Organize the supplements by date.  Give special attention to the China and Korea occupation stamps. And, generally, neaten up things. Someday. If I could read a few Japanese words, it would help.

Census: 260 in BB spaces, 40 tip ins, 57 on supplement pages, not counting cancels on the last page

In public domain, photo copy by LTS Library

from Captain F. Brinkley, Japan : described and illustrated by the Japanese. (1897) Boston, Ma.: J. B. Millet Company, inserted after p. 204. The caption reads: “Tattooed Postman. The art of tattooing is carried to great perfection in Japan and receives patronage from foreigners as well as natives. The mail carrier in the country districts of today, is sometimes clad in this picturesque but unsubstantial attire which in ancient times was regarded with universal favor.  The packet of mail is attached to the end of a bamboo pole and carried on the shoulder.”

Jim's Observations
Japan's earlier issues are quite complicated with, unfortunately, forgeries a real problem.

Eight stamps were introduced in 1871-72 with native laid paper. They showed a pair of dragons facing characters of value. They are CV $100-$800+, and forgeries outnumber genuine by 10:1.

Frankly, the WW collector should probably avoid them unless one has specialized literature about identifying forgeries (Most common: Wada forgeries), and one has a real interest in Japan.

The second Japanese issue, called the "Cherry Blossoms" was issued between 1872-75.  There are forgeries known for these stamps, so one has to be careful.

The "Kobans" were produced between 1876-92, and, along with the 1899-1907 "Chrysanthemum Flower Seal" issue, parallel the period of rapid industrial development. They are fairly easy to find, generally inexpensive, and fortunately, almost always genuine. They would be good issues for the WW collector to begin their Japan collection.

The definitive issues of 1913-1937 are just complicated enough with unwatermarked versus two watermarked varieties, ordinary versus granite paper, and different Die sizes, that I devoted a separate blog post just for them.

My final blog post for Japan covered the remaining classical years of 1924-1940.

Japan Blog Posts & BB Checklists
Japan 1871-1923
Japan 1913-38 Definitives
Japan 1924-1940

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Comments appreciated!