Quaid-e-Azam Related philatelic Material Required.

Different countries issued the stamps on Quaid-e-Azam (Founder of Pakistan). I also need postal used covers, FDCs, corner block pair and single. If you have any of the said items for exchange then kindly contact me. In exchange I can provide you any thing from Pakistan.

LIST OF COUNTRIES WITH YEARS.

Burkina Faso
1988 – Famous Persons

Indonesia
1990– Indonesia Pakistan Economic and Cultural Co-operation Organization (IPECC)

Iran
1976 – 12th Anniversary of Regional Co-operation for Development (RCD)
1976 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Ivory Coast
1976 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Jordan
1976 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Liberia
1976 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Mauritania
1976 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Morocco
1977 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Sierra Leone
1977 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Sudan
1978 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Togo
1976 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Turkey
1976– 12th Anniversary of Regional Co-operation for Development (RCD)
1997 – 50th Anniversary of Pakistan Independence

Turkmenistan
2001 – Quaid-e-Azam Year 2001
United Arab Emirates
1976 – Birth Centenary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

April Fools' Day in the Stamp Album

By- Kenneth R. Lake

One of the world’s first mail services began on April Fool’s Day. That was in 1680, when William Dockwra’s Penny Post started carrying mail in Old London Town. At that time, Britain’s General Post Office merely connected the country’s major towns, and Dockwra launched his epoch-making service in these glowing terms:

“A Penny Well Bestowed, or a Brief Account of the New Design contrived for the great increase of Trade, and the Ease of Correspondence, to the great Advantage of the Inhabitants of all sorts, by Conveying of Letters or Pacquets under a Pound Weight, to and from all parts within the cities of London & Westminster, & the Out Parishes within the weekly Bills of Mortality, for One Penny.”

To use the service you had to pay in advance, as we do today. There were attractive postal markings applied to letters, including some shaped like hearts, and the triangular Dockwra PENNY POST PAID mark is regarded as the world’s first postage stamp. The service was so effective that the government had it officially suppressed – then opened it again under their own control!

Now we can skip to April Fools’ Day in 1772, when in the Austrian city of Vienna the “Kleine Post” (Little Post) was begun. This one had mailmen who walked the streets sounding a wooden clapper so that people could come from their houses and hand over mail to be carried.

Philatelic All Fools’ Days seem quiet for a while, but in 1851 both Denmark and the Italian state of Tuscany issued their first stamps. One the same cheery day in 1857, Ceylon engaged the firm of Perkins Bacon – who were responsible for the Penny Black, the world’s first stamp – to provide their own issues, while it was on April Fools’ Day in 1860 that the government of the colony of British Honduras took over control of its own mail service, previously operated by the British GPO in London.

Wells Fargo gallops on to the philatelic scene exactly a year later with 2 stamps, somewhat unbelievably denominated $2 and $4, for its Pony Express service. So costly was this idea that I suspect the $4 was an April Fools’ Day joke, for it was never actually used at all.

The first stamps of the Netherlands Indies appeared on our famous date in 1864, hotly followed by the Russians in 1865 who suppressed the former local issues for Poland and introduced their own stamps for use from that day forward. In 1879 the GPO upset the Irish – for neither the first nor the last time, I imagine – by issuing Penny postal cards inscribed “Great Britain”. That term refers solely to England, Scotland and Wales, but the cards were declared valid for use in Ireland, though by October they relented and withdrew the offensive issue, replacing it with cards inscribed “Great Britain and Ireland”.

Cyprus, acquired by Britain in a curious manner that we haven’t time to examine right now, was given its first stamps on April Fools’ Day 1880. When just two years later stamps were provided for tiny Funchal, which is merely a small part of the island of Madeira, everyone was perplexed. Why separate stamps for such a tiny place? That was a busy day, though, for it also saw the issue of the first stamps of Cochin – not to be confused with either Cochin-China or Cochin-Travancore or, for all I know, cochineal either.

The French Post Office at Port Lagos (nothing to do with the Nigerian capital city of Lagos, which also had its own stamps at one period) was given its first issues on April Fools’ Day in 1893; the French place was just a seaport in the former Ottoman Empire. The same day brought the postal control of British Bechuanaland into the hands of the Cape of Good Hope, though they didn’t formally annex the area until 16 November 1895 when the local stamps were withdrawn and replaced by Cape issues.

Up till 1897, the German colony of the Cameroons managed without its own stamps, using ordinary German ones; on April Fools’ Day they were given overprinted stamps for two good reasons – to demonstrate German political Sovereignty, and to raise money from philatelists for the Treasury. Then in 1898, the world’s very first “omnibus” series of stamps appeared on April Fools’ Day.

To add these to your collection, check them out under Portugal, the Azores, Macao, Madeira, Portuguese Africa, Portuguese India and also Timor. The stamps mark the 400th Anniversary of Vasco da Gama’s epic voyage around the Cape of Good Hope to reach India by sea, and since that seven-country omnibus appeared nearly ninety years ago we have seen countless such issues from all around the world, so maybe there really is something in the fact that they appeared on April 1.

Entering the 20th Century, we find that a collection devoted solely to April 1 stamps can be expanded considerably. In 1903 the French “Sower” design appeared for the first time – and remained in use, in varying states and denominations, right into the 1960’s. Before the 1st World War broke out, tiny Monaco saw an amazing event – an Aerial Rally, for which souvenir cards were issued & used with a rare airmail vignette attached – all for April Fools’ Day, 1914.

By 1920, April 1 marked the opening of the Belgian airlines Sabena airmail service between Kinshasa and Gombe in the Belgian Congo; from April 1 through 15 in the Saar, French overprinted stamps were postally valid alongside un-overprinted stamps of Germany and Bavaria – is this unique, I wonder?

April 1, 1921, saw the first airmails carried from Memel to Konigsberg and on to Danzig, though no stamps were available till July 6, and from now on the pace seems to hot up.

Thus the British decided to hand over the administration of mails within the new Irish Free State on April 1, 1922 – but to be precise this was merely a Provisional Government of Ireland, for although IFS stamps had been issued already on February 17, the Free State was not proclaimed until December 6, a typically confused Irish situation.

The next year brought Kuwait its first stamps, overprinted on Indian issues; in 1924 it was the turn of Southern Rhodesia and in 1925 of Northern Rhodesia; in fact April Fools’ Day really came into its own that year, for that’s when the USPO issued a 25c “special handling” stamp having the effect of allowing 4th class mail to be treated as 1st class mail!

Our famous – or infamous – day in 1926 was marked by Syria issuing its first semi-postals, including an airmail set, with a subject that’s strangely apt today: the relief of refugees of the Djebel Druze War. The first Malta airmail stamps appeared on that day in 1928 – and upheld the curious nature of our chosen date because mail prepaid with them went not by air but by sea all the way to Egypt, then it was transmitted onward by air.

More airmails in 1929 – the first Panama Canal Zone issue, overprinted on a regular issue. More April Fools’ Day fun in 1930 brought Transjordan’s first semi-postal stamps, overprinted on regulars to raise money for the defeat of a plague of locusts!

The Indian Feudatory State of Morvi had its first stamps on that date in 1931, and Iraq the following year for the first time as an independent kingdom (earlier issues had been under British Mandate).

Many collectors are fascinated by the uncatalogued stamps of the tiny island of Lundy, in England’s Bristol Channel; the first local airmail stamps for use on mail flown to and from the island appeared on April Fools’ Day in 1935, and the British connection turns up again in 1941 when – again appropriately – our date saw the issue of the first stamps by the German occupation forces in the Channel Island of Jersey.

Up till 1937, Aden had used Indian stamps; that year’s April Fools’ Day saw the appearance of the famous Dhows set, but one of the most striking commemoration of our chosen day occurred in 1939. Argentina hosted the 11th Universal Postal Union Congress then, and demonstrated its unique “Fonopost” service: you made a little 8-inch 78rpm acetate phonograph record as a personal message, and used the Fonopost stamp and a specially reinforced container to mail it to a friend.

Two wartime issues appeared on April 1, 1943: Japanese occupation provisional stamped envelopes in the Philippines, and the now rare and sought after “Afrika Korps” label, showing a palm tree and swastika, used in North Africa.

April Fools’ Day 1948 saw the issue of British stamps with overprints, and in some cases surcharges too, for use at British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia – such places as Muscat and Dubai, for example; these issues were later to cause headaches because those merely overprinted were made fully valid for use in Britain, while those surcharged in strange currencies were not valid. Lots of people got confused, & lots of mail was again surcharged for Postage Due.

Oh, I nearly forgot; it was on that same 1948 date that the Maharajah of Bahawalpur issued his own first specially designed stamps. These had an immense following at the time because they were so unusual and because the Maharajah himself was a keen collector and a colorful character, but when later the state disappeared with the partition of India between the new Indian government and that of Pakistan, they fell into a hole somewhere and have never regained popularity with collectors. Maybe the Maharajah should have chosen a more auspicious day of the year for their launch! And it was in fact on April Fools’ Day 1950 that all the Indian Feudatory States postal services were closed down unilaterally by the new Indian government, never to reappear and robbing us of some of the world’s most intriguing stamp designs, some so weird that they are to this day collectively know as “The Uglies”!

Yes, I did forget to mention the fact that in 1949 Newfoundland became the tenth province of Canada – but did its own stamps disappear on or before that date!

On now to 1957, when the name of Qatar appears as Britain supplied it with its first stamps, used by the British postal administration in the Sheikhdom.

We draw close to our April Fools’ Day survey with the appearance in 1960 of the first US Federal Boating stamps, in $1 and $3 denominations, and finally we turn to Britain and growing interest there in tourism.

The town of Hastings is where William the Conqueror landed in 1066 and subsequently defeated King Harold and took over the whole country; to welcome tourists, on April Fools’ Day 1963 the city of Hastings used Britain’s first pictorial tourist slogan postmark, which read rather amusingly “We’re ready for your invasion at Hastings”!

I leave it to my readers to dig out any events in subsequent years; that’s quite enough April Foolery from me!

This article has been reprinted from Global Stamp News April 1991 – Issue #6

Burma Calling

By:- Jamshed

Actually, I am writing to you from Pakistan because there are no stamp dealers in Burma. However, there have been many, many rumors of new stamps in Burma and finally I made a visit to see what is actually happening. The Post Office is in operation and there are meter machines at all major post offices. When you bring letters to be mailed, you pay money over the counter and the clerk affixes a meter. However, the Philatelic Bureau still does exist and they have brought out over the past two or three years, nine different stamps that I was able to see. These stamps are issued as they say “from time to time” and without any prior announcement and without any special arrangement for date of sale. One could well say that these have been brought out almost secretly.

However, those of the new issues that I come across are some of the 1974 definitive stamps (national costumes) which have now been brought out with a change of wordings from Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma TO Union of Burma AND THEN TO THE CURRENT STAGE Union of Myanmar. For these definitives, there are three values. In other words, the same design exists with all three of the above inscriptions on at least three values. All of these nine different stamps are in current use.

In addition, I found out that on 27 May 1990, a commemorative was issued for the State, Law and Order Restoration Council. This is a political issue and is freely available in Rangoon.

Perhaps there are some new stamps from Burma that I have missed but this was all that I was able to find and all of the letters to my friends and relatives in Pakistan from family in Burma over the past four years have shown meters as evidence of postage paid.

Certainly, no one can accuse Burma (new name Myanmar) of over producing stamps or of taking advantage of philatelic sales. The face values are so low and the publicity is so little that I am sure philatelists are not even a second thought when it comes to postage stamps in Myanmar.

This article has been reprinted from Global Stamp News February 1991 – Issue #4

Shanghai Calling

by Huang Ming-Hsin (Shanghai, PR China)

Foreign Stamp Collecting in China

The first stamp of the world “Penny Black” was born in 1840 in England. In the past 150 years, more and more stamps have been issued in the world. Now, more than 230 countries and regions in the world issue stamps. Stamp collectors not only collect the stamps from their motherland but also collect foreign stamps. The collection of foreign stamps can broaden the horizon and get more interesting knowledge for stamp collectors.

What about the situation of foreign stamp collecting in PR China? According to the calculation of the China National Philatelic Association, there are 7 million collectors now in China. But most of them collect the Chinese stamps only. Some people think that there are 300,000 to 400,000 people who are interested in the foreign stamps.

Shanghai is the biggest city in China, with more than 600,000 stamp collectors. 10% of them collect foreign stamps. In recent years, nearly 20 Chinese stamp collectors of foreign stamps have participated in the international stamp exhibitions, and some have won medals.

It was said that Chinese philately was first begun in 1900. The first stamp society was set up in Shanghai in 1912. Before 1966, most of the stamp collectors in China who are interested in foreign stamps, also collected Chinese stamps. Before 1949, there were about 50 private stamp shops in Shanghai. All of them sold foreign stamps. During 1949 to 1966 in China, foreign stamps available to collectors were mostly stamps from Socialist countries. The Cultural Revolution began in 1966. Philately was announced as a “bourgeoisie’s hobby” at that time, and all the stamp shops were closed. Thousands of stamp albums were burnt in organized fires.

Philately was restored again in China in 1979. The philatelic magazine “Ji You” was also restored in 1980. From that time, more and more Chinese collectors became interested in foreign stamps. They realized that if a collection consisted of Chinese stamps only, it is difficult to get any of the higher prizes in the international stamp exhibitions.

There are some stamp markets for foreign stamps in China today. The biggest one is located in Shanghai. It is called the Workers’ Club of Jingan District. It opens every Sunday morning. About 200 stamp collectors usually gather here to exchange, buy or sell foreign stamps. Some “professional” amateur dealers sell their stamps according to the Scott, Michel or Yvert catalogue. New issues are most popular with the collectors here, especially topical stamps for painting, composers, butterflies, maps and flags.

The exchange rate for new issue trading is higher than the official exchange rate. The official exchange rate of RMB Yuan and USD is: 1 USD equals 5.2 RMB Yuan. But the popular new issues can be sold as 1 USD equals 7 to 8 RMB Yuan here in the free market. Used foreign stamps are also popular here. Stamp collectors from other parts of China often go here to buy foreign stamps. Some foreign tourists who come to Shanghai also come to buy stamps.

Stamp collecting is an international hobby. Normally, the price of a stamp is just the same in every part of the world. But in China, the living standard is lower than the western world. The average salary of a Chinese citizen is 30-40 USD per month. Most collectors only have a little money to buy stamps. They cannot buy the foreign stamps even on the basis of the official exchange rate of foreign currency. The market price of some foreign stamps in China are cheaper than the international price.

The secret is most of the foreign stamps in Chinese markets are from the individual stamp collectors. They get these stamps from their foreign pen pals, so they can sell them at a low price. On the other hand, the market prices of Chinese stamps in China are more expensive than the world prices, because more and more new collectors save only Chinese stamps. In recent years, Chinese people who have the chance to go abroad will often go to the stamp shops to buy the Chinese stamps. When they get back to China, they can sell these stamps at a good profit. In the early 1960’s, many Chinese stamps were exported to USSR and other Eastern European countries. The prices of these stamps are too cheap in these countries. In recent years, many Chinese stamps returned to China and also some Eastern European stamps went home to their motherlands.

This article has been reprinted from Global Stamp News April 1991 – Issue #6

Great Oaks and Little Acorns

By:- Malcolm M. Ferguson

Just as the lion is the proverbial king of the beasts, the royal oak tree is king of the hardwoods – that is the leaf-dropping summer-green trees.

For millions of years North America, England and Europe were heavily forested. England’s deep forests were dominated by oak trees. From these lordly oaks at the dawn of English history druids gathered airborne mistletoe of magic significance.

Stamps from England and the United States acknowledge these magnificent trees. England’s oak stamp appeared in 1973, their Tree Planting Year (Sc.# 588). The United States Honored the Charter Oak, still lordly after three hundred years since Connecticut’s settlement (Sc.# 772). Again in 1978, a white oak was an obvious choice as one of four American trees honored. The other three were the giant sequoia, the white pine and for less obvious reasons the gray birch.

More than a dozen European countries have issued stamps with oaks in their design. Probably the most memorable is Germany’s post World War I of an oak stump sprouting anew (Sc.# 106).

Over the last 2500 years England’s forests dwindled, yielding to the axe. So they gave way to green pastures, farmland, towns and cities. There were still isolated forest fastnesses whenever Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest. Some centuries later, Shakespeare was born near the Forest of Arden, at a time when men continued to “Hew down and fell the hardest-timbered oak”.

Oak was used for furniture and, in England, house building. It was vital to ship building, for as a poet wrote, “the hollow oak our kingdom is, our heritage the sea”.

In New England, houses were made of white pine, which could be hewn and sawed more readily. It was pleasing to the eye and in many cases very durable.

Yet North America’s stands of oak had many uses over the years. The US Frigate Constitution (Sc.# 951) was largely made of oak. The vessel still exists, but all its oak that came in contact with water has had to be replaced or reconstituted.

Oak bark was used for leatherworking (U.S. Sc.# 720). By soaking for long periods in its tannic acid bath, raw hides could be turned into supple yet durable leather. Out of this process came an early problem in conservation in Colonial America. Both oak bark and oak wood had different needs and neither could be discarded. Tanners were authorized or licensed exclusively, so their costly and lengthy process would occur without waste, and all hides accounted for.

Then in time oak timbers became railroad ties, where their resiliency withstood the pounding. Here they lasted a respectable number of years.

Many other trees have their uses. The white pine masts supported the vast sails of oaken hulled ships, their long spars going to England from Colonial New England in specially devised oaken mast ships.

Canada is rightfully fond of its maples which greet springtime effusively. Cedar is best for wood shingles. White birch and maple are lighter and pleasing in texture for furniture. Ash can be split thin and woven. For archery, as Conan Doyle noted, “The bow was made in England, of true wood, of yew wood”.

That these and many other woods have their most important uses is fine and right. Otherwise for the oak tree to be king would be no great matter.
This article has been reprinted from Global Stamp News April 1991 – Issue #6

Iraqi Air Mail: A Blast from the Past

By:- David P. Masko

The Greek historian Herodotus related details of Persian postal methods, declaring, “nothing mortal travels so fast as Persian messengers”. To the Persians goes credit for perfecting a postal service that became a model for the entire ancient world. But in todays war-torn Persian Gulf, the U.S. and military postal services are credited with moving the largest volume of mail to any one specific area in the world.

I doubt if Saddam Hussein collects stamps, but I’m sure many of his people inside Iraq do.

Friends of mine who are stationed in the gulf have been looking for Iraqi stamps – at my request being an avid collector of Middle Eastern postage. And what they’ve found out might surprise you, especially if you’ve become a TV news junkie like I have….knowing of the vast destruction inside that country.

How could anyone even think of collecting stamps in those kinds of conditions I wondered. Reading a letter from Richard, I couldn’t believe it when he said, “Stamps are big business…they’re a lot more than you told me they would cost”.

From what I knew from the catalogs, Iraqi stamps – those from say the past 50 years – are pretty low in cost. I asked Richard to send me all pre-1960 issues, in mint or good condition if possible.

“I walked into this store in the town just outside where our unit was deployed. I asked for stamps…they sold just about everything – from brass to a bitter tasting candy which I can’t pronounce. He pulled out a plastic box that was hidden under the table where he did business. I don’t know anything about stamps, but they looked real old,” he said. This stamp hunting took place before Richard would go off for the Desert Storm campaign. From what he said, the GI’s were allowed to visit some cities in the Mid East.

He said the Saudi salesman said he had “many Iraqi stamps”, that he was a collector. And would sell them at a fair price. What was fair to him, didn’t sound fair to my friend. Richard told me he asked about $1.00 in US money for each stamp. Well, I told Richard before he left to look for bargains…to pay no more than say $10.00 for a large lot of stamps. I was hoping something might turn up, especially with all the turmoil going on in the country.

I told my friend at the Alexandria (VA) Stamp Club, a Mr. Bill Elliott, about this quest for Iraqi stamps. Bill told me about a nice Iraqi stamp item he picked up in Europe about four years ago. “Just about every Sunday in Palermo (Sicily) they have a sort of a flea market in the center of town,” he said. “And just browsing I came across an otherwise undistinguished cover that was made interesting by the boxed cachet which indicates the cover must have been used for air mail”.

Doing research on Iraqi issues from the early 1920’s, I found a reference to the British military desert mail route that preceded the first mid-East Imperial route of 1927.

Bill’s cover had a black stamped box with the words “By Air Service, Baghdad-Cairo”. It was addressed to someone in London, but with no date and stamped air mail. On the back was a row of four stamps showing what Bill said was Iraq’s first postal issue and a very light 1924 Baghdad cancellation. What carried these letters was the British long-range flying boat.

Doing some research into my old photo collection, I came across what was referred to as the “Goonie-Bird” by British forces in World War II. The aircraft dates back to the early 1920’s. And like the stamp, covered the Middle East while routed from London to Cape Town over the Imperial route.

The British Imperial Airways didn’t have to carry the volume of mail that today is flown to and from the Gulf, but did its fair share in keeping mail lines open to Iraq.

Surely Bill would let me have this cover at a fair price, I thought. After all we were stamp club mates….and he knew my wants for Iraqi stamps. Maybe it was the war thing, or that I was just in the hunt for something special from Iraq. I think all stamp collectors go through this “craving”. We just can’t get our mind off that stamp or cover or block or whatever.

It’s stamp fever, and I had it bad. I wanted Bill’s air service to Baghdad cover. Bill said he would let it go for $450. I said, “What, we’re at war with that country for crum sake!”

This article has been reprinted from Global Stamp News April 1991 – Issue #6

Three Tips for Stamp Collectors

TIP 1: Soaking Stamps (removing them from paper)
BEFORE SOAKING
Set aside any stamps on colored paper, or on paper with a colored backing. Pick out any stamps with colored cancellations, especially with red or purple ink. Set aside any dark-colored stamps, stamps on poor-quality paper, or with strange- looking inks that might dissolve in the water and stain other stamps being soaked, etc. Any "problem" stamps must be handled carefully later, one at a time. Trim the envelope paper close to the stamp, being careful not to cut the perforated edges or otherwise damage the stamp.
SOAKING THE STAMPS
Use a shallow bowl and fill it with several inches of cool-to-lukewarm water. (Never use hot water.) Float the stamps with the picture side up. Make sure the stamps have room to float and do not stick to one another. Don't soak too many at one time. Let the stamps float until the glue dissolves and the stamps slide easily off the paper. Paper is very weak when it is wet and it's easy to tear a wet stamp if you handle it roughly. Be patient, and let the water do its work! Rinse the back of the stamp gently in fresh water to make sure all the glue is off. Change the water in the soaking bowl often to make sure it is clean. Place the stamps to dry on paper towels or old newspapers. (Don't use the Sunday comics! The colored inks might stick to the wet stamps.) It's a good idea to use your stamp tongs (see next page!) to lift the wet stamps, instead of using your fingers. Lay the stamps in a single layer, and so they are not touching one another. Let the stamps dry on their own. They may curl a little or look wrinkled, but don't worry about that. When they are completely dry, lift them with your tongs and put them in a phone book or a dictionary or some other book. (Special "stamp drying books" also can be purchased.) It's important not to put the stamps in a book until they are completely dry. After a few days, they should be nice and flat, and you can put them in your collection.
STAMPS ON COLORED PAPER OR WITH COLORED INK CANCELS
Cut away all the excess envelope paper without harming the edges of the stamp. Fill a shallow dish with cool water (cooler than you would usually use for soaking) and float the stamp face up. If the water becomes stained before the stamp is free from the paper, empty it out and use clean water, to prevent the stamp from being stained. Dry as before.
DIRTY OR STAINED STAMPS
These can be soaked carefully in a small amount of undiluted liquid dishwashing detergent, then rinsed in clean cool water. Very badly stained stamps can be washed gently in a weak solution of water and a bit of enzyme laundry detergent. Careful! This can work too well and remove the printing ink!
SELF-ADHESIVE STAMPS
Some self-adhesive stamps have a special, water-soluble backing, and they can be soaked off envelopes. You just need extra patience, as they may have to soak for an hour or more before they will separate from the backing paper. In general, U.S. self- adhesive stamps from about 1990 and later can be soaked with water; earlier ones cannot. If you don't want to try soaking, just trim the paper closely around a self-adhesive stamp on cover, and then mount it in your collection with a stamp mount.
TIP 2: CHOOSING AN ALBUM
You've raided the mailbox, rummaged in the wastebasket in the post office lobby, and pestered your friends to save their envelopes. Now that you have all these philatelic goodies, where will you put them? True, an ordinary shoe box gives storage space, but you should want a nicer home for your treasures - a place to display your material, not just store n. And, on the practical side, stamps and covers (envelopes with stamps on them, used in the mail) kept in a shoe box or paper folder risk damage from dirt or creases, losing value as well as beauty. Since the first known commercial stamp album was published in 1862, the stamp hobby has grown tremendously, and many types of albums have become available. When buying a home for your collection, here are some things to think about: It may be your first album, but it probably will not be your last or only one. Your first album may be a kind of experiment unless you already have seen someone else's album and think that kind would be right for you too. You also may have tried homemade pages and got some ideas of what you would want in a standard album. If you are buying an album in person, rather than by mail, listen to the seller's advice, but don't be fully convinced by claims that one or another album is "the best." An album may be by a famous maker, and expensive, but that doesn't make it "the best" one for you. Be a careful shopper; consider all the factors - appearance, price, format - and make the best choice. Good beginners' albums are available that are not too expensive, are fully illustrated to show which stamp goes where, and may even contain extra information, such as maps and facts about the countries. Certain styles of albums can present problems. For example, if an album is designed for stamps to be mounted on the front and back of each page, when the book is closed, the stamps can become tangled with one another on the facing pages. Opening the book may tear the mounted stamps apart. If you are looking at an album with this page format and don't like that aspect, but do like other things about the album, buy some good- quality plastic sheets to insert between the pages, and prevent the tangles. You may choose not to buy a top-of-the- line album because of cost, but do be willing to pay for some quality. An album with pages of flimsy paper will not stand up to the stress of increasing numbers of stamps as you fill the album. An album with torn, falling-out pages is not much better than the old shoe box. Homemade pages can be experimented with before album-shopping or may even become your permanent storage choice. Some options include a notebook or loose leaf binder of plain paper, though longtime, safest storage of your stamps should be on acid-free paper. If you have an unusual specialty, or enjoy unique arrangements, no standard album may ever suit your needs, and homemade will be best. Blank, acid-free album pages punched for three-hole binders are widely available. It is easy to assemble a safe, stable home for your personalized collection, if you don't need or want the kind of structured format that standard albums provide. Makers of custom pages and albums advertise regularly in the philatelic press. Buying an album is not so different from buying anything else: Think before and during the purchase; buy as wisely as you can and not over your budget; and don't be too discouraged if your first acquisition turns out to be less than perfect. You will always need places for temporary storage as you continue in the hobby. Old albums never go to waste!
TIP 3: USING TONGS
Philatelic tongs (not to be confused with the tweezers in the medicine cabinet) are must-have items for every stamp collector. Get into the habit early of using your tongs every time you work with your stamps. They will act as clean extensions of your fingers and keep dirt, skin oil, and other harmful things from getting on your philatelic paper. It's important to use tongs correctly and carefully. As with knives, scissors, and other helpful tools, tongs used carelessly are harmful rather than helpful. Cut some plain paper into stamp-sized pieces and practice using your tongs, watching what happens as you change the angle, pressure, and method of using them. Grip a b-n of paper strongly with the pointy-end style of tongs and watch what happens. If that were a favorite stamp, would you have wanted that hole poked in the middle of it? Keep experimenting, and you will find that it's not difficult to hold a stamp firmly but gently with tongs. There are several common styles of tongs, to suit your preference and for special purposes. Some have very pointed ends; they touch only a tiny part of the stamp, but there is the risk of poking holes through H. Working with extra-long tongs (five or six inches) with small pointed tips requires a lot of dexterity, and while experts may prefer them, they may not be comfortable or necessary for "everyday" stamp work. The rounded, spatula-type style known as the "spade" are good, general-purpose tongs. A squared-off version of the spade also is commonly available, though the rather sharp comers present the same kind of risk as the thin, pointy tongs. One handy style is angled, with a bend near the tips that makes it easier to remove stamps from watermark or soaking trays, or to insert and remove stamps from stockbooks or mounts. Tongs cost anywhere from a couple of dollars to quite a few for some of the imported, high-quality models. A special gift for a philatelist would be some gold-plated tongs, which are not hard to find, believe it or not! Tongs can be found anywhere stamp supplies are sold; check under "Accessories" in the philatelic press ads. Tongs are among the least expensive and most essential stamp-hobby needs. You may even want to have several different kinds on hand - instead of your hands! Your stamps will appreciate it

THE FIRST STAMP OF ASIA - SCINDE DAWK

In 1st July 1852 India became the first country in Asia and the 10th country in world to issue postage stamps, issued by the province of Scinde (a part of India under British rule), by Sir Bartle Frere, then the Governor of Scinde. The shape was circular, with SCINDE DISTRICT DAWK around the rim, leading the common name Scinde Dawk. This was intended to use Scinde province only. The colour of the first stamps were red, white and blue and the denomination was ½ anna. This was also among the first circular stamps of the world.
The history
Scinde was a province in Western India with an area of about 57000 square miles and a population of about 2,500,000. Since the 4th century, Scinde was under several rulers such as Alexander the Great, Chandragupta, Muhammad Khan, Akbar and Nadir Shah of Persia till the British came to on the scene in the 1830’s.
Sir Bartle Frere, son in law of John Arthur, the governor of Bombay, was assigned with task of bringing postal reforms to Scinde. The postal administration was directly under the control of Bombay Presidency. In 1850, there were four post offices in the provinces of scinde, - Sukkur, Shikarpur, Hyderabad and Karachi. The route between Karachi to Bombay had important stages ie. Thatha, Bhuj, Ahemedabad, each route was further divided into small stages ie. 7 to 8 miles apart. The mails from these places were carried to Bombay by runners called Kasids. The distance was covered these runners handling over the dak to the next runners covering the entire route by successive relays delivering the mail to Bombay. in about nine days time. They were basically the local tribals.
The stamp & Design Sir Bartle Frere with the help of Edward Coffey, the postmaster of Karachi, he designed the first postage, which ultimately came to known as the Scinde Dawk. The set comprised of three embossed stamps, round in shape, in white, red and blue.

The design of the Scinde Dawk was the same as the mark of East India Company, composed of '+' and 'P' a very ancient Christian sign, the first letter of the name of Christ in Greek. The mystic sign of 4 is found at the head of almost every marine merchant's mark. The design. more or less of the same pattern is also noticed , in the watermarks of the contemporary laid, wove and bond papers. There is no doubt however, that it was regarded as a holy sign. The shape of the embossed Scinde Dawk is circular. In set is a heart divided into three segments, each segment containing one of the letters EIC (East India Company) in the center, above the heart is then figure 4 with the central stroke vertically lengthened to form one of the partitions in the heart. At the bottom tip is written 1/2 anna. The entire design is enclosed in a circular belt, forming its border. The circular belt contains the inscriptions 'Scinde District Dawk' with the belt buckle at the lower center showing the holes for the buckle grip.
There is controversy about the original assignment of De LA Rue and Co of London as printers of the stamps, since the official records in India were destroyed and no authenticated comtemperary records exits in London.
The Scinde dawk stamps were first used on 1st July 1852 and were suppressed on 30th September 1854 and the remainder were ordered to be destroyed on October 1854.
After independence - India

This Stamp Issued during Asiana'77, First Asian International Philatelic Exhibition, Bangalore, India, depicting the scinde dawk. This is the only stamp issued after India's independence which commemorates the scinde dawk.

The real facts:- In 1952, the Department of Posts of India celebrated the centenary of the release of the postage stamp by holding an exhibition but neither made any mention of it on any of its postal stationery nor released a stamp depicting the Scinde Dawk, may be because Scinde now happens to be a part of Pakistan and also the political relation between two nations not well on that time.
On the other hand Pakistan in 14th August 1952 two stamps of the 3-anna and the 12-anna denominations and an attractive First Day Cover were issued to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Scinde District Dawk stamps, the first stamps issued in Asia in July 1852.

The design illustrates the original stamp with a string of camels and airplane added to symbolize progress in mail transport. The 3-anna stamp is chartreuse in colour, and the 12-anna stamp is light brown. These stamps were withdrawn from sale on 1st November 1953.

THE STORY OF WORLD’S FIRST POSTAGE STAMP - PENNY BLACK

The Penny Black, introduced by the U.K. in 1840, is the world's first adhesive postage stamp, and is perhaps the most famous stamp ever issued. This stamp depicts a likeness of a young Queen Victoria and, because of the stamp's black colour and a denomination of one penny, it has come to be known as the "Penny Black".
The background
In the early days of postal service, stamps and envelops did not exit. When you want to send a letter you would fold it up and seal it shut, and then the person who received the letter had to pay the delivery costs. Since Postal rate at that time were very high, many people refused to accept letters. In 1812 the rate of single letter was 4d, for a distance of not more than fifteen miles. A letter from London to Brighton cost 8d, to Nottingham 10d and over the Scott border to Edinburgh is 1 1/2d which was a days salary then. Many people developed secret codes by which could cheat the postal services. they would place secret marks on the outside of the letter that conveyed their message and all the addressee had to do the read secrete message , refuse to accept the letter and thus not have to pay it.
The man behind the first stamp
The man behind the first stamps was an Englishman names Rowland Hill . born in 1795 in Kidderminster on 3 December 1795, a small town in west England. His father was a teacher.
In 1837 Rowland Hill , the British postmaster General, introduced the ' Post Office Reforms : its Importance and Practicability in 1837, when he was 42,Hill condemned the unwieldy methods of transmitting letters, which he claimed were mainly responsible for the problem. He proposed that the assessment of postage cost depending on the number of sheets including the wrapper as an extra sheet, and the distance travelled should be scrapped.
Mail could be sent to any destination in the U.K. at a uniform rate of a penny per half-ounce of weight, no matter how long the distance involved.
Postage would be prepaid by the sender of the message prior to mailing and not by the addressee
Proof of prepayment of the postage was to evidenced by affixing a small piece of coloured paper ( stamp) on the outside if the letter prior to mailing.
Rowland Hill's proposed reforms were passed by Parliament in 1839 in the form of penny postage act.
Hill appointed to the Treasury on 16th September 1939 to begin work on postal changes.
The treasury invited the public to submit suggestions for the design of the gummed labels which Hill proposed that the Post office should issue at one penny each.
Moe than 2000 suggestions were submitted but only 49 related adhesive stamps. It was Rowland own suggestions which was developed into the finished design. It was the profile of Queen Victoria, based on a portrait made when she was an eighteen old princess. It was also used on a medal designed by William Wyon, which was struck for the occasion of Queen's first official entrance into the city of London in 1837.

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION - UPU

Universal Postal Union ( L' union Postale Universelle ' ) is the UN specialized agency dealing with international postal relations, is located in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, is the second oldest international organization after International Telecommunication Union. It is a non - political organization and does not interfere in matters and that fall within a domain of national postal services. Among its many tasks, the UPU strives to promote the free of flow of international mail, improve the quality of postal service for customers and to provide technical assistance to member countries where needed.

Prior to UPU, a country would have to a separate postal treaty for each other that it would to carry international mail to or from, when an item was transported via several postal administrations all of them applied their own regulations and rates, all these details had to taken to be into consideration, when the item was sent, for example, almost all countries used different weight.
US postmaster general Montgomery Blair who initiated a conference held in 1863 in Paris, to continue the process of reform at the international level, and Henrich Von Stephen, a senior postal official from North German confederation, who drew up a plan for an international union, at his suggestion the Swiss Goverment convened by representatives from 22 countries which was the foundation the UPU.

UPU was established with the signing of the treaty of Bern on the 9th October 1874 a day now celebrated throughout the world s world postal day. The union actually came into effect on 1875 July 1. Then named "General Postal Union" with an initial membership of 22 nations. The title was changes to "Universal Postal Union" at the second congress in 1878 due to rapid increase in membership. In 1948 the UPU became a specialized agency of the United Nations.
The postal service of the UPU members form the largest physical distribution network in the world. Some 6.2 million postal employees working over 700,000 post office all over the world, handle an annual total of 430 billion letters, printed matters and parcel in the domestic service and almost 10 billion letter, printed matters, parcels in the international service and the global average, one post office exits for 8000 people.
The universal postal congress is the legislative body and meets every 5 years to consider the activities of the executive council of 40 members elected on a geographical basis and meets yearly.
The UPU issued the first stamp in 1957. Between 1957 and 1995 it issued only 16 different stamps, the second issue from 1960 being still use. The stamps have the inscriptions: Helvetia and Union Postale Universelle and may be used for the correspondence only by the officials working for the UPU in Bern. The UPU doesn't posses an own postal office and use the Swiss postal office 3000 Bern 15.
There are few organization which have succeeded as well on such a global scale but about which relatively little known.

Ordinary Rs.2, Envelopes of Pakistan

Ordinary Rs.2, Envelopes
(Illustrating portrait of Quaid-e-Azam)
By: F. Aleem Sundal

The Last of the Rs.2 inland letter-rate envelopes had imprint of the Quaid-e-Azam, and deservingly his famous maxims UNITY FAITH DECIPLINE were boxed opposite the stamp impression. The basic design changed its faces many a time though lived only for two years or so.
Construction: Light bluepaper of about 60/65 GSM was used. Overall size of the pocket being the same as the issuing authority standardized it at 159x116 mm (considering crease markings the face of envelope should be 160x115mm). Proper folding of envelope is rarely met, resulting variation in size of the envelope up to 2mm either way. The two side flaps were identical in size and shape. However, the closing flap was 75mm in breadth while lower flap was tailored at 68mm with broader round at its tip.
Imprint: Quaid’s portrait - a painting was adapted for stamps impressions vertical green frame of 28x35mm house the picture in brown, this is extending downwards by 4mm to accommodate name of the country in English and Urdu in reverse green. Another element in the vignette is the denomination Rs.2, printed in black at bottom right of the illustration.
Maxims: On the opposite side of the imprint a double lined box of 21x26mm is placed to house Quaid’s maxims; FAITH/UNITY/DECIPILINE in three lines. The box is green in colour having rounded corners; the outer frame line is thicker than the inner one.
Postcode: The postal department has always suggested public to adapt writing postcode on all types of mail. For that, bracketed instruction in Urdu (postcode) is printed below five boxes intended for writing area postcode of delivering office. Postcode boxes 35x7mm and Urdu inscription are printed in magenta.
Reverse side of the stationery has two main elements; three lines for sender’s address each 71mm long spaced at 9mm in between, followed by five boxes (size same as before) and a short Urdu sentence, translated as “sender’s postcode” all printed on closing flap in magenta. The other element on this side is also printed in magenta denoting “Stationery Charge/25p”, but it is placed at the bottom flap.
Under prints: The printer, for its own reference applied two different types of under prints. In the second printing (the first had no under print at all) a star was printed on the right flap and date at the left, which escape sight being overlapped by the bottom flap, in ready envelope. This arrangement was later changed and both were shifted to left flap.
Development: The first such reference was recorded in January 2000, when a solid green star of 3mm was printed inverted on right flap; the colour of star was later altered to magenta. The second batch came up with date “1/2000” in brown printed on the left flap. Third assignment during the period shows the star being shifted to left flap spaced 16mm away from date towards its right. This development continued but position of star altered; as up right, inverted or diagonal, star in smaller size is also common.
Environment Slogans: The month of February witnessed introduction of slogans related to different aspects of human health, nature and protection of environment. Twenty-six different slogans were applied, one for each envelope, printed in magenta between stamps impression and Maxims in Urdu manuscript. The following month these slogans were repeated and four more were added, by April, these were withdrawn.
The printer kept on changing date almost on monthly basis. In May 2000, the star was brought to the left of date printed in magenta, while date remained brown. This month the reign of Quaid’s maxims ended.
Family Planning slogans: Postal department tried another group of slogans to disseminate call of the Family Planning Department. First two slogans in the new series also in bold Urdu manuscript were boxed in double frame of 27x27mm, with rounded corners saying; “Beta Naimat/ Beti Rahmat”, and the second
“Chhota Khandan/Khushall Pakistan, The following month two more were added
“Chhota sa Gharana/Khushiyon Ka Khazana” and
“Chhota sa Gharana/Tandrust wa tawana”.
The last in this group was the slogan, which remained on the scene most of the time.
“Chhota Khandan/Zindagi Asaan”.
The life span of above slogans was up to July 31, 2001, when postal rates were increased
and new large size envelopes were brought into use.
Printing Varieties: Litho offset always concedes printing mishaps; plenty of shifts are known, value coming out of the frame so was the head printed away from its center; missing colour are very interesting; vignette is totally omitted, value not printed; in case of magenta omitted, postboxes and inscriptions are not there; omission of green vanishes name of the country and the/maxims/slogans etc. Faulty registrations up side down are amazing; part of stamps impression coming at bottom or on the reverse side; magenta inverted brings postcode boxes in between stamp and slogan box. Varieties in basic design are worth collecting. In slogan “Chhota Khandan/ Khushall Pakistan”, the inner frame of the slogan is removed. It may have happened in others as well. Maxims design version shows four different types of Urdu inscription on front of the envelope
a) normal,
b) with vocalic sign over second character,
c) redrawn inscription,
d) With vocalic sign over second character.
e) It will not be out of place here to state that Quaid’s portrait was printed in brown and black. Where brown is omitted, the impression will there in black and vice versa. Besides that, the date, which is also in brown, remains intact because both were not printed in the same action.