Trinidad and Tobago - Bud's Big Blue

1913-1922 Trinidad and Tobago 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

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Trinidad & Tobago 1913-1951, 108 major number descriptions. Of those, 63 are CV <$1- $1+, or 58%.

The Trinidad & Tobago stamp issues have three highlights for the WW classical era collector: the 1935-37 nine stamp pictorials, the 1938-41 fourteen stamp George VI fourteen pictorials, and the 1917 thirteen stamp "War Tax" category.

Big Blue '69, on 1 1/3rd page (shared with Trinidad), has 38 spaces for the 1913-1938 stamps of Trinidad & Tobago. Subtracting for the 23 stamps listed in the 2014 Scott Specialized catalogue for 1940-1951, leaves 85 major number descriptions. Coverage is then 45%.

There are no expensive stamps ($10+) in the '69 BB.

Unfortunately, the '69 editors removed 21 stamps spaces listed in the 1940s editions for war tax (12 spaces), postage due (4 spaces), semi-postal (2 spaces) , and official categories (3 spaces). CV for all the missing spaces is <$1-$7.

This is one of the more egregious examples of rough hacking or pruning in the '69.  Since all "modern" editions of BB follow the '69 editor layout, the butchered leftover pages have remained.

I will include the missing spaces in the checklist, for those that would like to "add back" the spaces.

For more on Trinidad and Tobago and the checklist, click on the link below.

Trinidad and Tobago Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Trinidad - Bud's Big Blue

 1878-84 Trinidad 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

Trinidad is the larger and more populated of the "Trinidad and Tobago" grouping, seven miles off the coast of Venezuela. But they were separate independent British colonies in the beginning.

Trinidad received the name from Christopher Columbus ("La Isla de la Trinidad") during the third voyage of 1498.

The Spanish controlled the island through 1797, and the French also settled there from Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Dominica.

By the time the British took the island in 1797, the population  in Trinidad was 17,000+ ( 2,000+ whites, 1,000+ Amerindians, 10,000+ African slaves, and 1,000+ free people of color). 

Abolition of slavery was proclaimed in 1833, but the slaves were required to continue to work on the plantations  until 1840. 

Stamps were introduced in 1851, the seated "Britannia" design.

The two British colonies of Trinidad and Tobago were united from 1889 until 1899, when Tobago became a ward of the larger island.

From 1899 until 1913, stamps of Trinidad were used for both islands.

The last new Trinidad stamp was released in 1910.

Beginning in 1913, "Trinidad" stamps were superseded by those inscribed  "Trinidad and Tobago".

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Trinidad 1851-1910, 134 major number descriptions. Of those, 23 are CV <$1-$1+, or 17%. Raising the threshold to CV $7+ yields 45 total, or 34%. Clearly, Trinidad stamps tend to be a bit expensive for the WW collector.

The earlier 1851-1876 issues (58 major numbers), with three different "Britannia" designs, are a specialist's dream, consisting of various perfs, types of paper, and minor number shades.

They also are costly: from $tens to $hundreds to $thousands. 

The rest of Trinidad's issues, save for the 1893-94 Official issue, are less expensive for the collector to obtain.

Big Blue '69, on 2/3 of a page, shared with the beginning of the Trinidad and Tobago coverage, has 26 spaces. Coverage is 19%. 

Unfortunately, the '69 editors dropped the War Tax (12 spaces) and Semi-Postals (2 spaces) categories included with the BB 40s editions.

Surprisingly, the '69 has no expensive stamps ($10 threshold) required. This is mainly achieved by initiating coverage in 1876, hence avoiding the earlier expensive "Britannia" issues.

There are choices for BB spaces, based on wmk 2 vs wmk 3, for the 1901-08 issue and the 1885-1907 postage due issue.

For more on Trinidad, click on the link below.

Trinidad Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Transvaal - Bud's Big Blue

1885-95 Transvaal 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

Transvaal (South African Republic), one of the Dutch speaking Boer states, was an independent country from 1852-1902. (The other independent country was the Orange Free State.)

But when gold fields were discovered in 1886, it significantly elevated British interest.

The Boers defeated the British in the First 1877-1881 Boer War, but surrendered to the British after the bloody 1899-1902 Second Boer War on May 31, 1902 with the Treaty of Vereeniging.

The British had declared by proclamation that the territory should be known as "The Transvaal" on September 1, 1900.

Suffice to say, through the prism of historical reading about the Boer wars and the era, that this was not the finest moment for mankind.

The turmoil is reflected in the stamps issues. The First Republic released stamps between 1869-1876. There are then "First British Occupation" issue stamps between 1877-1880. The Second Republic issued stamps between 1882-1896. The Second British Occupation stamps began in 1900. Finally, "Transvaal" proper Edward VII stamps were issued between 1902-1910.

The capital was Pretoria, and the population was 1,260,000 (297,000 white) in 1904.

The Union of South Africa was established in 1910.  Transvaal, existing now as a province, ceased their own stamp production.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Transvaal 1869-1910, 293 major number descriptions. Of those, 50 are CV <$1-$1+, or only 17%.

Big Blue '69, on 1 1/2 pages, has 52 spaces. Coverage is 18%.

Fortunately, BB ignores the expensive 1869-1879 issues ( 117 major numbers), and begins coverage with the 1885-93 Second Republic issues.

There is only one "expensive" (CV $10) stamp required for the spaces.

I should mention that there are plenty of reprints and forgeries for Transvaal. For detail, click on the link below.

Transvaal Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Transcaucasian Federated Republics - Bud's Big Blue

1923 Transcaucasian Federated Rep 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

The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (Transcaucasian SFSR) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1936, and consisted of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The Transcaucasian SFSR became a founding member of the Soviet Union on December 30, 1922, along with the Russian SFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, and the Byelorussian SSR.

The Transcaucasian SFSR was separated from Russia by the Caucasus Mountains, hence they were known as the Transcaucasian Republics. The Caucasus Mountains have the highest mountain (Mount Elbrus 5,642m (18,510 ft)) in Europe.

The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, and the Georgia Soviet Socialist Republic had their own stamps prior to 1923. (Consult the already cited blog entries for Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to view those stamp issues.)

On the orders of Stalin, the Armenian/Azerbaijan/Georgia republics were joined as the Transcaucasian SFSR.

(Not all the constituent republics were happy with the change. The Georgian Bolsheviks felt it was an attempt to limit their sovereignty, and resigned in protest in October, 1922.)

Then, the Transcaucasion Federated Republics began issuing stamps on September 15, 1923, and the separate republics ceased their own issues on October 1, 1923.

It should be noted that the constituent republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) kept their own autonomy, even though they were joined into a Federative Union.

The Transcaucasian Federated Republics stamp issues were short-lived, as the Federation used stamps of the Soviet Union beginning in 1924.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Transcaucasian Federated Republics 1923, 31 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 23 are CV $2+-$5, or 74%. There are no CV values for less than $2+. But most of the stamps are still modestly priced.

I note that "used" generally is valued a bit higher than "unused" for the modestly priced group.

The good news about the Transcaucasian SFSR 1923 pictorial stamps and issues is that there are no forgeries of the basic stamps, and no favor cancelled CTO material, according to a Russian area expert and dealer.

Big Blue '69, on one line of one page with Thrace, has four spaces for the Transcaucasian F. R..

Coverage is a low 13%. Only the first "Ruble" issue of 1923 is covered, and then just half of the issue have spaces in BB. The second "Gold Kopeck" issue is not given any spaces.

The 40s editions of BB have the same coverage.

There are no "expensive" (CV $10+) stamps required.

For more on the Transcaucasian F. R., see the link below.

Transcaucasian Federated Republics Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Tonga - Bud's Big Blue

1886-95 Tonga 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

The Kingdom of Tonga archipelago consists of 169 islands (36 inhabited) in the south Pacific Ocean, which stretches for 500 miles in a N/S line, south of Samoa. Most of the population (70%) reside on Tongatapu.

Captain James Cook in 1773 named them the "Friendly Islands", because of his warm reception there. (Actually, the Tongan Chiefs wanted to kill him, but disputed the exact mode. 

The Tongans are Polynesian, and the native language of Tonga is related to the similar Polynesian languages found in Niue, Samoa, and Hawaii. Now, the other official language is English.

Tonga became a constitutional monarchy under King George Tupou I (Siaosi), in 1875. The King was aided by a Methodist Wesleyan trained missionary named Shirley Waldemar Baker, who subsequently became the King's prime minister (1881-1890), and founded the independent "Free Church of Tonga".

Stamps were issued with a King George I visage in 1886.

Tonga became a British Protectorate in 1900 under a Treaty of Friendship. Tonga, however, maintained its sovereignty, and the Tongan monarchy continues to this day (Now Tupou VI). In contrast, Tahiti and Hawaii lost their monarchical rule.

The capital was and is Nuku'alofa, and the population was 20,000 in 1901, and 34,000 in 1939.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Tonga 1886-1951, 109 major number descriptions. Of those, 28 are CV <$1-$1+, or 26%. Raising the CV bar to $4+ yields 48, or 44%. As a British protectorate, Tonga stamps can be moderately expensive to expensive for a nicer collection.

Big Blue '69, on one page, has 27 spaces for the stamps of 1886-1938 Tonga. Eliminating post 1940 catalogue numbers (27), the coverage is 33%.

The 40s BB editions spaces are arranged differently, and have 30 spaces (One additional blank space for the 1886 issue, another additional blank space for the 1895 issue, and a space for the 1934 1/2p green).

There are five stamp spaces that are "expensive" (CV $10+-$20+) in BB for Tonga. These stamps are listed in the "Comments" section following the checklist.

BB has spaces for the 1897 issue and the 1920 issue that are Wmk 79 "Turtles".  The 1942 issue (Wmk 4) have similar stamps.

For more on Tonga, click on the link below.

Tonga Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Togo - Bud's Big Blue

1900-14 Togo 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

Togo, in Western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, began as a German Protectorate between 1884-1914- called Togoland.. German missionaries, and then traders had arrived in 1847.

Anecho (Aneho) was the first village on the coast that came under "German protection" in 1884, as the tribal chiefs there were forced to sign an agreement. The Berlin Conference of 1885 during the "Scramble for Africa" era solidified the German claim.

Stamps for the German Protectorate were issued in 1897, using stamps of Germany overprinted "Togo" in black.

When WW I broke out in 1914, the British and the French invaded unopposed on August 7.

The British issued stamps from German Togo overprinted or surcharged "Anglo-French Occupation" October 1, 1914.

Stamps from the Gold Coast were overprinted locally in 1915, and then overprinted from London in 1916.

The French also issued German Togo surcharged stamps in 1914.

On December 27, 1916, separate British and French Administrative zones were formed.

The French issued, between 1916-17, overprinted stamps of Dahomey.

The British and the French allies divided the country between them in 1919, and controlled the part adjacent to their own colonies. The League of Nations formalized the arrangement in 1922, each given a mandate.

The British received the economically less active area, but the original tribal territories of the Ewe, Dagomba, and Mamprusi were united. (Lome, the capital was actually in the British zone initially, but was transferred to the French zone on October 1, 1920.)

In 1956, a plebiscite within the British mandated territory voted for a merger with the British Gold Coast. (The Gold Coast soon thereafter became independent as Ghana in 1957.) British Togo no longer existed.

The French received the more economically active area, including the coastline and the network of railways.

The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Togo 1897-1939, 226 major number descriptions. Of those, 23 are for the German protectorate, 59 are for the British occupation/protectorate, 41 are during the French occupation, and the remainder (the majority) are for the French Mandate period.

For CV <$1-$1+, there are 106, or 47% of the total.

But there is a bi-modal distribution of CVs for Togo. The 1914-15 British occupation/protectorate and French occupation surcharged/overprinted German stamps (58 stamps) have a high CV (from $30 to many $thousands). Besides being expensive, they are specialty territory, and the stamps should be certified as genuine for the higher values. I will say no more about them here. If interested, consult the Scott catalogue.

If one removes these surcharged German stamps from the CV calculation, then CV  <$1-$1+ increases to 68%.

As mentioned, Togo classical era philatelic history is divided into four parts in the Scott catalogue. German issues are present from 1900-19, then British Protectorate stamps from 1914-1916, then French Occupation issues from 1914-1917, and finally French Mandate output from 1921-1939.

Big Blue '69, on four pages has 109 spaces. Coverage is 48%. Excluding the expensive surcharged/overprinted German stamps in the catalogue, which are not covered anyway by BB, coverage is 65%.

There are seven spaces for the stamps of Germany, six spaces for the British Protectorate, ten spaces for the French occupation, while the remainder (majority) of the spaces are for the French Mandate.

The coverage is the same for the 1940s editions of BB.

There is only one stamp that is "expensive": The 1838 semi-postal Curie stamp @ $20.

Of interest, the 1924-38 pictorial issue is well covered. BB has spaces for 35 of the 37 regular issue stamps, and all 11 of the companion 1925 postage due set. 

For more on Togo, click on the link below.

Togo Blog Post & BB Checklist

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