Shanghai Surcharged Airmail - 1948

 

SHANGHAI SURCHARGED AIRMAIL stamps, issued by the Republic of China from 1946 till 1948, were implemented due to severe national currency fluctuations at the time. These issues overprinted existing air mail stamps in red or black to meet soaring postal rates, often creating high-value stamps. 

These stamps were primarily printed by the Dah Yeh Printing Press in Shanghai. During the transition period in 1949, "Air Mail" was overprinted on revenue stamps, and non-denominated green plane stamps.These featured either horizontal overprints (Peiping/Hong Kong prints) or vertical overprints (Shanghai prints).

Shown here:

- Green and blue stamps feature a Junker F-13 aircraft flying over the Great Wall of China. They were surcharged with $50,000 over original value.

 - Blue stamp depicting an airplane flying over the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. It was overprinted with a value of $10,000.

KUT King George VI 1937

KENYA, UGANDA, AND TANGANYIKA  issued in 1937 this 1 cent stamp depicting a portrait of King George VI surrounded by two crowned cranes.

Siam First Airmail - 1925

SIAM AIR MAIL  (Thailand formerly known as Siam) issued between January and April 1925 the Garuda series. The stamps were Thailand's first airmail stamps and featured the mythological bird-like creature that is the national emblem of Thailand.

Each stamp has a different colour and denomination (face value in Satang):

- 2 Satang - Orange-brown

- 3 Satang - Red-brown or purple

- 5 Satang - Green

- 15 Satang - Rose-carmine or dark red

- 25 Satang - Dark blue

- 50 Satang - Orange and black

The series was released during the reign of King Rama VI. Some stamps from this era may feature overprints for special occasions, such as the "Siam Kingdom Exhibition" (Siam Rath Museum) in 1926.

Thailand 400th anniversary of the birth of King Naresuan the Great - 1955

THAILAND issued around 1955 a series of stamps to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the birth of King Naresuan the Great.

The stamps depicted King Naresuan riding a war elephant, celebrating his historical role in Thai history.

Denominations shown here: 

- 25 satang

- 2 baht

- 3 baht

Kelantan (Malaysia) First State stamps - 1911

KELANTAN, one of the unfederated Malay states, issued a set of Postage & Revenue stamps in 1911. These stamps featured the Kelantan Coat of Arms, which included in it's design two spears and two daggers (kris), topped by a crescent and star. The text "Kelantan Postage & Revenue" and the denominations were printed in English, with Jawi script at the top.

Denominations Shown:

1c: Black/Grey-olive

3c: Red

4c: Black and red

5c: Green and red on yellow paper

10c: Black and mauve

Before 1909, Kelantan was under Siamese (Thai) suzerainty and used Thai stamps. After the Anglo-Siamese Treaty, it became a British protectorate. Until these dedicated stamps were printed in 1911, stamps from the Federated Malay States were used in the territory.

Iraq League of Nations Mandate Issue - 1923

IRAQ in 1923 issued a set of definitive postage stamps referred to as the "Pictorial" or the League of Nations mandate issue. It was the first definitive series released for Iraq, after the Ottoman Empire ceased. 

The set was designed by Florence Edith Cheesman and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co.

The collection included several distinct designs and denominations:

- 1/2 Anna (Olive Green) Kadhimiya Mosque

- 1 Anna (Brown) Guffas (traditional braided round boats) on the Tigris River

-  1 ½ Annas (Red) Assyrian winged figure, often described as a winged cherub holding a situla

- 2 Annas (Orange) "Winged Bull" from a Babylonian wall sculpture (a Lamassu)

- 3 Annas (Blue) Arch of Ctesiphon (Taq-i Kisra), a famous ancient ruin in Iraq

- 4 Annas (Grey) A member of the Dulaim Camel Corps carrying a tribal standard

- 6 Annas (Green/Blue) Kadhimain Mosque (the Golden Shia Mosque) in Baghdad.

Indo-Chine Native Women - 1907

INDO-CHINE (Republique Francaise) issued in 1907 an attractive and artistic set of five stamps depicting native women from the colonies of France in South East Asia.

- The 75 French centime stamp depicted a woman from Cambodia in a modeling pose facing back on the background of a dense forest of the country.

- The 1 Franc stamp showed an Annamite woman along with a child. In the background, a coconut tree and traditional house can be seen.

- The 2 Franc stamp consisted of a Hmong woman standing in a banana plantation. 

- The 5 Franc stamp represented a housewife from Laos draped in traditional costume.

- The highest denominated stamp of 10 Franc (not shown here) depicted a woman from Tonkin in northern Vietnam, collecting coconuts.

The set was created by designer Jules-Jacques Puyplat and engraved by G. Johannet (whose name does not appear on the stamps). 

The 75c. stamp, showing a Khmer Woman, was based on this photo.

Republica De Cuba Ninth Annual Tuberculosis - 1951

REPUBLICA DE CUBA issued on 1 December  1951 a series of "postage tax stamps" to mark the Ninth Annual Tuberculosis. These stamps (also known as "obligatory tax" or "postal tax" stamps), were required on mail during the Christmas season to raise funds for the National Tuberculosis Council (Consejo Nacional de Tuberculosis). The money supported children's hospitals and TB control programmes. The stamps state "Mantengamos al Niño Libre de Tuberculosis" (Let's keep the children free from tuberculosis).

Cabo Verde Portuguese Nautical Chart - 1952

CABO VERDE (Cape Verde) issued in 1952 a series of stamps honouring Portuguese sailors and maritime history. This particular stamp, shown here, featured a reproduction of a fragment from an anonymous Portuguese nautical chart dated around 1471. This type of map, known as a portolan chart, was used for navigation during the Age of Discovery and is characterised by its distinct rhumb lines radiating from a central compass rose. it was printed by Litografia Nacional - Porto (National Lithography - Porto).

Republik Indonesia "Padi dan Kapas" - 1951

REPUBLIK INDONESIA, issued in 1951, as part of the Rice and Cotton ("Padi dan Kapas") series, stamps which highlighted the main export products of Indonesia at the time.

India "Woman Spinning" (Charkha)

INDIA issued on 26 January 1955 a stamp entitled "Woman Spinning" (Charkha) which was part of a Second Definitive Series   postage stamp from India. 

It was designed to promote India's Five Year Plan (1955–1960). The series focused on India's achievements in science, technology, agriculture, and socio-economic development following independence.

The woman using a charkha (spinning wheel) was a powerful nationalist symbol of self-reliance and the Khadi movement championed by Mahatma Gandh.

India Archaeological Monuments & Temples - 1949

INDIA issued on 15 August 1949 a stamp showing the Lingaraj Temple (referred to on the stamp as Bhuvanesvara) located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It was part of the Archaeological Monument series released after independence from Britain. This blue-coloured stamp carried a face value of 4 Annas (denoted as "4 As" on the left and "४ आना" in Hindi on the right).

Another stamp in the series was the Trimurti sculpture located in the Elephanta Caves. Trimurti (the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva). This yellow-green or green-coloured stamp had a face value of 9 Pies (abbreviated as "9 Ps").

Another definitive in this series was the Bodhisattva statue, specifically identified in some philatelic contexts as being from the Lucknow Museum. This stamp Greenish-blue or teal-coloured stamp had a value of 1 Anna (indicated by "1 A" and the corresponding Hindi numeral).

India's rich historical and architectural heritage.continued with a stamp featuring the deity Nataraja (the dancing form of Lord Shiva). The red-coloured stamp had a face value of 2 Annas (written as "2 AS" and "2 आना").

Also, in this series was the Konark War Horse, a 13th-century stone sculpture from the southern side of the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha. The sculpture depicted a powerful war horse trampling a warrior, representing strength and discipline. This specific horse design was adopted as the state emblem of Odisha in 1964. It carried a denomination of 6 pies (indicated by "6PS" and "६ पा").

ÉIRE (Ireland) An Claidheamh Soluis and Cross of Cong

ÉIRE (Ireland) definitive postage stamp from the Sword of Light series was originally issued in May 1923. The central image featured An Claidheamh Soluis (The Sword of Light) held by a hand, surrounded by intricate Celtic knotwork.

Face value was 5 pence (indicated by the "5" and "cúig pingine". This specific version was printed in violet or purple ink.

ÉIRE (Ireland) depicted the Cross of Cong. This stamp was part of the "Symbols" definitive series issued between 1922 and 1934.

The central motif was the Cross of Cong, an ornate 12th-century processional cross.  The corners of the design were decorated with four shamrocks.

Celtic Knotwork on the cross itself and the horizontal bar containing the word "Eire" were filled with intricate  Celtic knot and braid patterns.

It had a value of 3p (three pence), indicated by the numeral "3" and the Irish text "Trí Pingine" at the bottom.