A is for Aden and Z is for Zanzabar


A is for Aden and Z is for Zanzibar... Now what is between? For the world wide classical era philatelist and stamp collector, a country specific philatelic survey is offered by the blog author, Jim Jackson, with two albums: Big Blue, aka Scott International Part 1 (checklists available), and Deep Blue, aka William Steiner's Stamp Album Web PDF pages. In addition, "Bud" offers commentary and a look at his completely filled Big Blue. Interested? So into the Blues...

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Grand Comoro - Bud's Big Blue

1950 French Designs for Grand Comoro
Bud's Big Blue
Bud's Observations
Grand Comoro’s 19th and early 20th century stamps aren’t so grand. France issued the same boring stamps for Moheli, Anjouan, and Mayotte, the other islands in the archipelago north west of Madagascar. And for a lot of other colonies, too, including Madagascar. You could wallpaper your spare bedroom with them -- the ubiquitous “Navigation and Commerce” series.

BB provides spaces for only a few of them, thankfully. Some collectors find clean-cut Grand Comoro cancels interesting, especially cancels on the red and black overprints, for these were used throughout Madagascar. Alas, I have none.

By 1950, when stamps were again issued for these islands, French designs had improved greatly.

Census: 17 in BB spaces, nine on the supplement page.

Jim's Observations
Big Blue '69, on one page, has seven spaces for the 1897-1907 issue, and ten spaces for the 1912 surcharged issue. Coverage is 59%. 

Big Blue has a great selection here, as all ten surcharges are given a space for the 1912 issue. And the rapidly more expensive 1897-1907 "Navigation and commerce" issue is given a generous seven spaces.

If BB did this for every country, there would be no need to look elsewhere by the "frugal" classic era collector.

Grand Comoro & BB Checklist

Page 1

1a

1b

Supplements
Page 1

Comments appreciated!

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