Fernão de Pó
Bud's Big BlueBud's Observations
Fernando Poo’s (FP) stamps generally have low CVs, as Jim
observes elsewhere in this blog, but they’re hard to find. So, unless you’re
desperate to fill BB’s spaces, don’t pay the high prices that some dealers ask.
Wait for lower prices or an online auction that attracts little attention. It
may take a while.
Mother Spain didn’t listen well to FP’s need for particular
stamps, hence the 5 centimos overprints on many other denominations (see
supplement). I’ve arranged the supplement stamps in Scott Catalog order, but haven’t
studied them closely.
Which is correct -- Po or Poo? If you go with the stamps’
inscription, it’s Poo. If you favor the name of the first Portuguese navigator
to visit the island, as BB does, it’s Po. If your FP collection has a forgery
in it, it’s a shampoo. (Sorry).
Census: 23 in BB spaces, four tip-ins, 69 on supplement
pages.
Jim's Observations
Fernando Po ( now Bioko) is an island located 20 miles of the west coast of Africa by Cameroon in the Gulf of Guinea. The island was found by the Portuguese navigator Fernao do Po in 1472. The island is about 45 miles long by 20 miles across. The Capital then was Santa Isabel, and the population was 20,000 in 1930. Of interest, the island was inhabited by the Bubi ethnic group, which speak a Bantu dialect.
Fernando Po stamps definitely appear inexpensive, with 42% of all stamp issues <$1. BTW, all the inexpensive stamps, except for the 1929 issue, are of the "King Alfonso XIII" design types. But are they common in collections? No! Unless one specifically collects Spanish Colonies, which is unusual for a general WW classic collection, one will find not many of these "cheap" stamps around.
Fernando Po Blog Post and BB Checklist
Page 1 (Click and enlarge for examination.)
1a
1b
1c
Supplements
Page 1
Page 2
Comments appreciated!
This is one of those times where Delcampe's continental European-heavy dealer base make it a good source for filling gaps in a country not so commonly found in Big Blue collections. Only limiting factor is most Spanish colonial stuff is listed with Edifil catalog numbers, or Michel or Yvert, but many of the catalog number correlations can be found on the colnect website.
ReplyDeleteI will need to look at Delcampe at some point. I have a Yvert 1940-1940 catalogue, so that might help.
DeleteI've used Delcampe quite often and, by using country name, date, and a face value of a stamp I'm looking for, The various catalog numbers become less important. Also, if I search in the language of the country issuing the stamp, that helps, too. For example, I found Syria 106c (Scott's #) simply by searching "Syrie erreur" on Delcampe. A friend had success doing this, too. Currently Delcampe has 2648 stamp items listed for Fernando Poo while eBay has only 232.
ReplyDelete