Crete

1904 Scott 73 5l on 20l orange "Hera"

Quick History
Crete, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, was a Province of Turkey (Ottoman Rule). But after civil wars, an "Autonomy" was declared in 1898 by France, Russia, Great Britain, and Italy. In 1908, the Island voted to join Greece, and this occurred in 1913. Meanwhile, stamps were issued by the British Sphere of Administration in 1898, and by the Russian Sphere in 1899. Cretan Government issues commenced in 1900 and continued through 1910. The Capital of Crete was Canea, and the population was 330,000 in 1913.

Of historical interest: Crete was the center of Minoan civilization (c2700-1420 BC)

1899 Scott 5 20pa rose. Perf 11 1/2

British Sphere of Administration
Note: Gunman & Stangel in Athens, Greece did the original printing
And the subsequent Forgery illustrated here ;-)

Big Blue Picture
Big Blue '97, on four pages, beginning in 1898, has 65 spaces for Regular, Postage due, and Official stamps.
The 2011 Scott Classic specialized catalogue has 144 major stamp descriptions. Coverage by Big Blue is 45%.

There is also in the Scott catalogue 185 major stamp descriptions from 1863-83 for the Austrian Empire post offices (In Candia, Canea, and Rettimo) in Crete. All values are rather expensive for Big Blue, so nothing more will be said about them here.

Big Blue presents a nice selection of these (mostly) classical mythology themed stamps. Included are four issues from the 1899 British Sphere Administration stamps. But there are 18 additional stamps from the 1899 Russian Sphere of Administration that are not in Big Blue, and could be collected.

And, forced by a blank space, Crete presents us with a 1909 Scott 97 5l on 20l carmine rose for $120+ ! But Crete mostly has reasonable stamp values (<$1-$1+), that should not be a drain on the treasury.

Other than the Russian stamps, I only found four additional stamps that would fit a Big Blue collector's modest wallet. Good job Big Blue!

Additionals....
District of Rethymnon Russian Sphere
1899 Poseidon's Trident
14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,(<$1)
Note: 18 stamps! Series not in BB.

Issued by Cretan Government

1900

60,61,($1+-$2+)

1905

79($2+)

Postage Due

1901

J4($1+)

1905 Scott 77 20l blue green 

"Kydon and Dog" (Cydonia Coin)

Big Blue Checklist
District of Heraklion (Candia) British Sphere
1898-1899
2,3,4,5,($2+)

Issued by Cretan Government
1900
50,51,52,53($1+),54*,59($1+), (<$1 eN)
*Note: 54 red O.P., 59 black O.P.
eN=except noted

1901 (without O.P.)
64,65,66,(<$1)
Blank space: suggest 70($10+)

1902
72($1+)

1904
73($1+)

1905
74,75,76,77($1+),78($1+),(<$1 eN)

1907
83($1+)

1908 (1900-1907 stamps overprinted black)
85,86,87,88,89,90($2+),(<$1 eN)

1909 (overprinted or surcharged)
96(<$1),98($1+),99($1+),100($1+),101($1+),102($1+)
Blank space*: suggest 1909 Scott 97 5l on 20l carmine rose ($120+ mint)!
*Note: Scott 97 by default; no other choice. Other 1909 stamps do not fit the space. If you want to "cheat" ;-) consider 1908 Scott 91 50l yellow brown($2+).

1909 (1900-07 stamps overprinted)
103($1+),104($1+),105($2+),106($5+)

1909-10 (overprinted in red or black)
111,112,113,114,115,116,117($5+),(<$1 eN)

Postage Due
1901
J1,J2,J3,(<$1)

1908
J10,J11,J12,J13($2+),(<$1 eN)

1910
J19,J20,J21,J22($1+),J23($5+),(<$1 eN)
Blank space: suggest J24($10+)

Official stamps
1908
O1,O2,($2+)

1909
O3,O4,($2+)

1910
O5,O6,($1+)

1909 Scott 103 10l brown red 

Hermes by Praxiteles

Kinds of Blue
The '97,'69,'47, and '41 editions are all identical in content.

1909-10 Scott 116 25l ultra

Triton (Itanos Coin)

Big Blue Bottom Line
Hermes, Hera, Minos, and Triton; all part of the Cretan-Greek mythology. These "classical" stamps reflect the classical Greek era. Perhaps that is why I find these issues so very attractive.

Note on the Checklist format: I've completed the bolding of Scott catalogue numbers, as well as underlining the titles or categories in the checklist. One should now be able to pick out the Scott numbers without getting lost amid all the surrounding "helpful notes"  ;-)

Note: Map in Public domain.

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Map of Crete and Region