Jim

? How to do a “flip-comparison” test on perforations
? US Stamp Identifiers: | 10c Issue of 1855-57 | First 3¢ Stamped Envelopes | Grilled Stamps | Large “Banknotes” | First Bureau Issues | Abe Lincoln’s “tiny eye”
                                    | Washington-Franklin stamps of 1908-22 | 2nd & 3rd Issue Revenue Designs | Colors, Scott 70/78, 24¢ Washington

Jim

? How to do a “flip-comparison” test on perforations
? US Stamp Identifiers: | 10c Issue of 1855-57 | First 3¢ Stamped Envelopes | Grilled Stamps | Large “Banknotes” | First Bureau Issues | Abe Lincoln’s “tiny eye”
                                    | Washington-Franklin stamps of 1908-22 | 2nd & 3rd Issue Revenue Designs | Colors, Scott 70/78, 24¢ Washington

J

Jim

? How to do a “flip-comparison” test on perforations
? US Stamp Identifiers: | 10c Issue of 1855-57 | First 3¢ Stamped Envelopes | Grilled Stamps | Large “Banknotes” | First Bureau Issues | Abe Lincoln’s “tiny eye”
                                    | Washington-Franklin stamps of 1908-22 | 2nd & 3rd Issue Revenue Designs | Colors, Scott 70/78, 24¢ Washington

Since the only Spanish i understand is "when do we get paid" and "when do we go home" the wording on those stamps is "INSTRUCCION" which can be as David states a "school/instrucations" ...but it also means JOINT RULE,which would make sense to what i posted......any translators?????

If what David posted ,they were issued by the Venezuela government then the catalogs would carry them as postage stamps but they were issued by a outside party and not official postage stamps .....paul

Any comments?

Now I need a cuppa tea and some toast! end of rant.

Jim

? How to do a “flip-comparison” test on perforations
? US Stamp Identifiers: | 10c Issue of 1855-57 | First 3¢ Stamped Envelopes | Grilled Stamps | Large “Banknotes” | First Bureau Issues | Abe Lincoln’s “tiny eye”
                                    | Washington-Franklin stamps of 1908-22 | 2nd & 3rd Issue Revenue Designs | Colors, Scott 70/78, 24¢ Washington

J

Jim

? How to do a “flip-comparison” test on perforations
? US Stamp Identifiers: | 10c Issue of 1855-57 | First 3¢ Stamped Envelopes | Grilled Stamps | Large “Banknotes” | First Bureau Issues | Abe Lincoln’s “tiny eye”
                                    | Washington-Franklin stamps of 1908-22 | 2nd & 3rd Issue Revenue Designs | Colors, Scott 70/78, 24¢ Washington

Alternatively, we could just take year dates, say from 1900 to the present. Or go backwards from 2007 and see how far we get.

Knuden - Couldn't agree more. So here's an early "V", rather predictably, for Victory. In Burma, that is.

First, a nice cover from 1941 (datestamps on back) with no stamps - free postage for soldiers on active service. This was mailed from the area of the Rangoon Examination Battery, an artillery defence at the mouth of the river - "examination" in this sense seems to mean facing out to sea, that's all. Free postage indicated by the "EX BTY AREA" marking, which is scarce. And a nice big home made "V" for Victory.

From the same year, here's a mystery instructional (not philatelic) marking created by Jonathan Dean's grandfather. Enough. No. Stop it. Sorry ...

Actually, this weird home made mark could be a fake, as both these examples are on chettiar covers to India which are often found spiced up with bogus marks, Except that these two are both mailed from the same town, Wakema, within a month or so of each other, apparently from different senders, and to different addresses. And I bought them from different sources. The Indian handstamp fakers are not as clever as this, slapping a mark on anything and everything, whatever the place or date. So this could be something made by the postmaster at Wakema. But what does it mean? Looks like a monogram of "VA" - Victory to the Allies? Victory in Asia?. Never seen any other examples.

Moving swiftly to 1946, here's a great fdc design for the "Victory" issue, inscribed "The Rising Sun Has Set / The Howling Hun Has Fled / And Democracy - Has Led!" They don't write 'em like that any more. (Apologies to any German readers of the board.)

Here's the same issue first day on a leftover Japanese Occcupation overprinted cover. Not as rare as you'd imagine.

And here's the official presentation version given to government bigwigs, personally signed by the Director of Posts, Nesbitt-Hawes.

Finally, to remind us of the true cost of victory, a souvenir cover, with the Victory stamps, from the memorial ceremony post office (the "M.C." on the registration label) at Thanbyuzayat. The ceremony was held to commemorate the many Allied POW's and Burmese civilians who died building the infamous Thai-Burma railway which terminated at Thanbyuzayat.

Richard W.