First Issues
Starting with Rowland Hill's indelible classic, we will be documenting as many first issues as possible. From the Penny Black to the Cape of Good Hope Triangle, the allure of these originals is difficult to define yet they are responsible for setting a high benchmark for all that followed. We hope you enjoy discovering or rediscovering the classics.
Stamps of Latvia: The First Issues (1918)
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008: Baltic States, Europe, First Issues, Overprints, Russia, Stamp ProfilesIssued from December 1918, the wheat-ears and sunrise emblem for this series was designed by Ansis Zuhrul and lithographed by A. Schnackenburg of Riga. Shortage of paper led to surprising materials being used. At first the stamps were printed on ...
Stamps of Thailand (Siam): The First Issues (1883)
Thursday, June 26th, 2008: Asia, Classic Stamps, First Issues, Printers, Printing Processes, Siam, Stamp Profiles, Thailand, WaterlowThailand’s first postage stamps appeared in August 1883, Waterlow and Sons recess-printing printing different designs and using different colours to denote the values: solot (½ att), att, sio (2 atts), sik (4 atts) and salung (6 atts).
Guam: The First Issue (1899)
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008: First Issues, Guam, Overprints, Pacific Islands, Philippines, Spain & ColoniesThe island of Guam, formerly administered as part of the Spanish Philippine Islands, was occupied by American troops in 1899 during the Spanish-American War.
Stamps of Modena: The First Issues (1852)
Friday, June 13th, 2008: Classic Stamps, First Issues, Italian States, Italy & Colonies, Modena, Stamp ProfilesThe Duchy of Modena introduced adhesive stamps in June 1852 (pictured above).
Stamps of Romagna: The First Issues (1859)
Friday, June 13th, 2008: Classic Stamps, First Issues, Italian States, Italy & Colonies, Romagna, Stamp ProfilesAdhesive stamps were not introduced in Romagna until September 1859, when a series from ½ to 20 bajocchi were issued. The stamps were typographed by Volpi and del Sassi of Bologna from electroypes by Amoretti Brothers. These stamps were suppressed in February ...
Stamps of Italy: The First Issues (1862)
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008: Classic Stamps, De La Rue, Designers, First Issues, Italy & Colonies, Printers, Sardinia, Stamp ProfilesThe first stamps of the united kingdom of Italy consisted of the series of Sardinia with perforations added.
Stamps of Venezuela: The First Issues (1859-1865)
Friday, June 6th, 2008: Classic Stamps, First Issues, South America, Stamp Profiles, VenezuelaAdhesive stamps were adopted by Venezuela in 1859. The first issue, with the coat of arms, being lithographed by an unidentified American printer.
Stamps of Horta: The First Issues (1892-1905)
Monday, June 2nd, 2008: Atlantic Islands, Azores, Bisects, Classic Stamps, First Issues, Horta, Portugal & ColoniesThis district of the Azores had its own stamps from 1892 until 1905, and subsequently used the stamps of the Azores until 1931. The only point of interest in what is
Stamps of Austria: The First Issues (1850)
Monday, June 2nd, 2008: Austria, Classic Stamps, Designers, First IssuesFollowing the establishment of the German-Austrian Postal Union of 1850, Austria introduced stamps in denominations of 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 kreuzers for use throughout the Habsburg dominions. They were engraved by H. Tautenhayn and typographed at the State Printing ...
Stamps of Haiti: The First Issues (1881-91)
Monday, June 2nd, 2008: Classic Stamps, First Issues, Haiti, Printers, Printing Processes, Surcharges, West IndiesHaiti’s first stamps, depicting the head of Liberty, were typographed from electrotypes, made from a die engraved on wood.
Stamps of Nova Scotia: The First Issues (1851-7)
Monday, June 2nd, 2008: Canada, Classic Stamps, First Issues, Nova Scotia, PrintersAdhesive stamps were introduced in Nova Scotia in September 1851, in denominations of 3d., 6d. and 1s. They were recess-printed by Perkins Bacon in a diamond-format featuring the heraldic flowers of the United Kingdom and the mayflower of Nova Scotia, with ...
Stamps of France: The First Issues (1849)
Sunday, June 1st, 2008: Classic Stamps, Engravers, First Issues, France & Colonies, Stamp ProfilesThe French ‘Penny Black’ made its début on New Year’s Day 1849. Although French postal administration closely observed the working of Uniform Penny Postage in Britain and the efficacy of adhesive stamps, eight years passed before the necessary legislation passed.
Stamps of Denmark: The First Issues (1851)
Thursday, May 29th, 2008: Denmark & Colonies, Engravers, First Issues, IcelandDenmark adopted adhesive stamps in April, 1851, when the 4 rigsbankskilling stamp was issued. A 2 rbs value, for Copenhagen local letters, was issued later the same month.
Stamps of Greece: The First Postage Due Stamps (1875)
Thursday, May 29th, 2008: Austria, First Issues, Greece, Postage Dues, Printers, RevenuesGreece’s first postage due stamps were issued on March 1, 1875. Curiously enough the Greek postal authorities had always had their postage due stamps printed in Vienna until 1902, although their ordinary issues had been printed at various places, but ...
Stamps of Moheli: The First Issues (1906-12)
Thursday, May 29th, 2008: Classic Stamps, Comoros, First Issues, France & Colonies, Indian Ocean, Moheli, Provisionals, SurchargesMoheli, the fourth island of the Comoros, did not adopt its own stamps until 1906 and therefore avoided many of the permutations, which characterised the other islands’ issues. Like the others, however, it had a rash of provisional 5 and 10c. ...
Stamps of Israel: The First Issues (1948)
Monday, May 26th, 2008: Coins on Stamps, First Issues, Israel, Middle East, Stamp Profiles, Topicals or ThematicsThe first stamps of Israel were inscribed in Hebrew ‘Doar Ivri’ (Hebrew Post) and featured coins issued by the Jewish authorities at the time of the first and second Jewish revolts against the Romans, or in the reign of the ...
The Penny Black: Daddy of Them All
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008: Classic Stamps, First Issues, Great Britain, NostalgiaWilliam Cochrane. This is an article written by Richard Albert Hardie back in 1935. It’s a fascinating article, and bound to be of interest to all stamp collectors. Aside from this being the Silver Jubilee year of the reign of King ...
Stamps of the Philippines: The First Issues (1854-74)
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008: Asia, Classic Stamps, First Issues, Philippines, Spain & ColoniesAdhesive stamps were adopted by the Phillipine Islands in February 1854. The stamps were printed in Manila from locally engraved plates. All stamps up to 1874 portrayed Queen Isabella II of Spain and, as in the mother country, new designs were ...
Stamps of Obock: The First Issues (1892)
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008: Africa, First Issues, France & Colonies, ObockThe Antiquarian. I discovered this brief note in the Philatelic Monthly (1892) concerning Obock. As Philatelic Database is always delighted to add obscure and interesting information on dead countries. I thought this would be of particular interest to collectors of French ...