Big Blue 1840-1940

A is for Aden and Z is for Zanzabar

Friday, February 6, 2026

Tanganyika - Bud's Big Blue

1922-1931 Tanganyika in Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

(From Jim: Bud is well, but has a lot of non philatelic obligations and responsibilities at the moment. With his permission, I will upload country pages in his complete '69 Big Blue that so far has not been shown. He might add his observations later. Enjoy!)

Jim's Observations

Tanganyika consisted of the largest section of the former German East Africa, and was occupied initially in 1916, then administered by the British from 1922-1946 as a League of Nations Mandate, and subsequently as a United Nations Trust Territory until 1961.

In 1935, stamps of the mandate were replaced by those of a combined postal administration known as Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika ( Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania section of the Scott catalogue).

Tanganyika became independent in 1961, but kept an affiliation within the British Commonwealth.

With the addition of Zanzibar (which remains semi-autonomous), Tanzania was formed in 1964.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Tanganyika 1921-1931, 44 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 13 are CV <$1-$1+, or 29%.

Of interest, Scott has the 1921 and 1922 "George V" issues from the overprinted "G.E.A." stamps from "East Africa and Uganda Protectorates" (nine stamps-Wmk 4!) in the catalogue under "Tanganyika". And to confuse thinks a bit further, the original 1921 "George V" "East Africa and Uganda Protectorates" issue (Wmk 4) is actually listed in Scott under "Kenya, Uganda, & Tanzania".

However, the earlier 1917 "G.E.A." overprinted stamps of "East Africa and Uganda Protectorates" (seventeen stamps-Wmk 3!) are listed as British occupation stamps under "German East Africa" in the Scott catalogue. !

To clarify and review, the Wmk 3 "George V" issues are found in the "East Africa and Uganda Protectorates" section. If overprinted "G.E,A.", these Wmk 3 "George V' issues are found in the "German East Africa" section. The Wmk 4 "George V" issues are found in the "Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania" section, while the Wmk 4 "George V' issues that are overprinted "G.E.A" are in the "Tanganyika" section. Got that?

Big Blue '69, on one-half page (with the end of Transvaal), has 20 spaces for the stamps of Tanganyika.

Coverage is 45%.

No spaces are included for the 1921-22 "G.E.A." overprinted stamps of East Africa and Uganda Protectorates.

No spaces are include for the larger format Shilling values stamps.

What is included are the lower denomination "Giraffe" and "George V" design stamps.

There are no expensive stamps required ( $10+) to fill the spaces.

For more on the stamps themselves, click on the link below.

Tanganyika Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Supplements

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Monday, February 2, 2026

Tahiti - Bud's Big Blue

1903 Tahiti in Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

Jim's Observations

The French Polynesian island of Tahiti, 28 miles (45 km) across, with volcanic Mont Orohena rising 7,370 ft (1,332 m) above the green lush vegetation and the black sand beaches, is located in the central Southern Pacific Ocean within the Society Islands archipelago. Far from the hustle and bustle of ordinary base human civilization, 2,700 miles from Hawaii, 4,900 miles from Chile, 3,500 miles from Australia, Tahiti had evoked for many during the 19th century the romantic noble primitive myth set within an island paradise.

Tahiti has been under French influence since 1842, and when the Kingdom of Tahiti, through Pomare V, ceded Tahiti to France in 1880, the island and the island dependencies became a French colony.

Stamps were introduced for Tahiti in 1882 by surcharging stamps of the French Colonies.

In 1903, French Oceania (French Polynesia) was formed from several groups of South Pacific Polynesian islands. The islands included the Marquesas, the Tuamotu Archipelago and Gambier, and the Austral and Bass groupings. The most important group was the Society islands; and above all Tahiti.

In 1946, French Polynesia and Tahiti became an overseas territory, and French citizenship was granted to all inhabitants.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Tahiti 1882-1915, 65 major descriptive numbers. Of those, three are CV $10+, or 5%. The rest range from $40+-$40,000+. Clearly, Tahiti's stamps are expensive, and the general WW collector will need to be content with a few representative specimens. In addition, Scott has a note about surcharges and overprint counterfeits existing for all the Tahitian stamps. Caveat Emptor.

The very early 1882-84 issues (23 bolded numbers) consist of stamps of the French Colonies crudely surcharged in black. They are CV $ hundreds- $ thousands.

Other categories include the 1915 semipostals (2 stamps), and the 1893 postage due (59 bolded numbers). The postage dues must overall be the most expensive postage dues in the philatelic world as they are CV $ hundreds- $ thousands. !

Big Blue '69 has three spaces on one line for the stamps of Tahiti. The country coverage is located after "Trinidad and Tobago", and on the same page as "Turks Islands" and the beginning of "Turks and Caicos Islands".

The 40s editions have the same three space coverage. It is located just before "Tripolitania".

Big Blue provides spaces for the 1903 issue, which are stamps of French Polynesia surcharged in black or carmine. They are also the least expensive for Tahiti, but still are CV $10+.

For more on the stamp issues themselves, click on the link below.

Tahiti Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Thursday, January 29, 2026

Syria - Bud's Big Blue

1919-1921 Syria in Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

Jim's Observations

Syria, as it is known in modern times, is bordered by Lebanon, the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel.

But the modern day Syrian lands had been part of a much larger Ottoman Syria within the Levant since 1516, and Damascus became the holy entryway for thousands of pilgrims on the hajj to Mecca.

During WW I, the Ottoman Empire had sided with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany, and was consequently occupied by both British and French troops.

A secret agreement was in place regarding how to divide the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire outside the Arabian peninsula ( The 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement). The British were allowed control of the lands from the Mediterranean Sea to the River Jordan, Jordan, southern Iraq, and the ports of Haifa and Acre. An "international administration" was to govern Palestine (We all know how that worked- or, more properly, didn't work out. )

France assumed control of Syria and Lebanon, south-eastern Turkey, and northern Iraq.

Stamps were issued under French Occupation on November 21, 1919 overprinted T.E.O. "Territoires Ennemis Occupes".

More specifically, the French controlled the sanjaks of Lebanon, Alaouites (later Latakia), and Alexandretta (later Hatay),

The vilayets of Damascus and Aleppo were allowed to have an Arabian Kingdom government. Stamp issues of the Arabian government were released between November, 1918, and January, 1920.

But King Faisal I was deposed by French troops from Beirut in July, 1920. (Faisal was subsequently offered the crown of Iraq in 1921 under the Iraq British Mandate. He served as King of Iraq until 1933.)

The Syrian territory was then occupied by the French military. French surcharged stamps now were overprinted O.M.F. "Occupation Militaire Francaise".

Subsequently, the territory was mandated to France by the League of Nations in July, 1922.

Beginning in 1923, the French Mandate era initially had French stamps overprinted "Syrie - Grand Liban", then just "Syrie".

In 1934, an Autonomous Syrian Republic was established. Stamps were issued as part of the proclamation of the Republic on August 2, 1934. France and Syria negotiated a "treaty of independence" in September, 1936. But the French Legislature never ratified it.

France ceded the province of Alexandretta, which had been part of Syria, to Turkey in 1937. (In 1939, the newly named "Hatay" became a Turkish province.) Syria was not pleased.

Syria was under the hegemony of Vichy France until the British and the Free French occupied the country in July, 1941.

Full emancipation was not realized until April, 1946 when French troops left Syria.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Syria 1919-1943, 534 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 239 are CV <$1-$1+, or 45 %. Categories for Syria include regular issues, semi-postal, air post, postage due, and issues of the Arabian government.

Most of the stamps for the classical era of Syria are French derived, as France occupied the territory in 1919, and then was given a mandate in 1922. Partial Syrian autonomy began in 1934, but full independence did not occur until 1946.

Many of the earlier issues are overprinted/surcharged French stamps. Add the Arabian Government issues of 1919-20, and the country offers an intriguing mix of early stamps. And the later pictorial issues are well designed and attractive.

Big Blue '69, on six pages, has 141 spaces for the stamps of Syria, or 27% of the total issue output for this era. Included are some stamp spaces from the Arabian Government.

The good news is there are only two stamps spaces requiring expensive stamps: but one of them (the 1923 Scott 106c 25c on 10c green "error surcharge") is CV $240!!!, Why the editors included this minor number expensive error stamp is puzzling, to say the least. Note: Bud has a copy of this error stamp, and it is illustrated in his Syria collection below.

The not so good news is many inexpensive (CV <$1-$1+) early French surcharged stamps were not included in BB. I count 69 inexpensive regular issue and postage due stamps of the 1919-25 period that have no space.

For more on the stamps themselves, click on the link below.

Syria Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Page 2 (Bud shows the error stamp on this page)

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Supplements

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Sunday, January 25, 2026

Switzerland - Bud's Big Blue

1854-1863 Switzerland in Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

Jim's Observations

Switzerland (Helvetia) is at the European junction of Germanic and Romance language and culture, and hence has four linguistic/cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although the majority of the population is German language speaking, the self identity of the Swiss is molded more through the shared alpine geography, the shared historical background, and the long history of direct democracy and federalism. Traditionally, the Swiss have maintained their neutrality as a means to keep their (relatively) small nation from being overwhelmed by their more populous and bellicose neighbors. That, and the self defense protection afforded by the alpine ruggedness and isolation.

By Napoleon's time (1803), Switzerland was a Confederation of 19 cantons, Each canton had a good deal of autonomy within the loose confederation framework. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna affirmed Swiss independence and Swiss neutrality.

From 1843-51, the cantons of Zurich, Geneva, and Basil produced their own stamp issues. These are some of the most valuable stamps ever produced (CV $1,600-$40,000).

A new constitution was formed for the Federal State in 1848, modeled on the U.S.A. example. The constitution provided for a central Federal authority, while leaving the cantons to self-rule on local matters.

Stamps for the Federal Administration were introduced in 1850, as well as the new Swiss franc.

The initial stamps produced between 1850-1852 had a central vignette of the Swiss "Coat of Arms"

This was followed by the "Sitting Helvetia" type from 1854-1864.

Bern was selected as the "federal city" (Bundesstadt), and the Swiss population grew to 4,200,00 by 1941.

The International Committee of the Red Cross was formed in Geneva in 1863.

The League of Nations was based in Geneva in 1920.

Because of Switzerland's firm neutrality stance (and plain good luck!), the country was not invaded in either WW I or WW II.

In 2002, Switzerland became a full member of the United Nations.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for 1843-1942 Switzerland, 637 major descriptive numbers. The categories include the ultra-expensive Cantonal Administration stamps (1843-1850), regular, semi-postals, air post, postage due, official, official for the War Board of Trade, official for the League of Nations, official for the International Labor Bureau, and Franchise stamps. Of those (all the categories), 323 are CV <$1-$1+, or 51%.

Switzerland has a stellar reputation (and expense!) for the 1843-1850 Canton issues, the early 1850-1852 Federal Administration issues, and some of the non-perforated and perforated 19th century "Helvetia" issues. This is the playground of the philatelic rich and famous.

The 20th century regular issues, though, are generally at modest expense, as many were collected and saved. The semi-postals, which are lovely, are inexpensive to moderately expensive. Other categories ( air post, postage due, official) are a mixed bag: some inexpensive, some fairly expensive.

Big Blue '69, on eleven pages, has 321 spaces for regular, semi-postal, postage due, franchise, and air post stamps. No official stamp spaces were included. Coverage is 50%.

Of the 109 1913-1940 semi-postals in the Scott 1840-1940 catalogue, BB has spaces for all of them after 1918, save for the souvenir sheets. Nice! Of interest, none of the semi-postals in BB reach the CV $10 mark, although some are close.

The "Most Expensive" (CV > $35) eight stamps needed to fill BB spaces include ....

1858-62 Scott 35 2r gray ($275) !

1855-57 Scott 25 5r dark brown ($40)

1862-64 Scott 46 30c vermilion ($47.50)

1862-64 Scott 47 40c green ($65)

1882-89 Scott 75 15c yellow ($40)

1882 Scott 84 40c gray ($50)

1938 Scott 246 10fr green/greenish ($35)

1929 Scott C14 dull green, yellow green, & blue ($57.50)

There are an additional seventeen stamps that are "expensive" (CV $10+-$30+).

For more on Switzerland and the stamps themselves, click on the links below.

Switzerland Blog Post & BB Checklist

Switzerland Semi-Postals