Odd stamps : 08 Stamps with special cuts - 04 a

In a way, except for round stamps, most other stamps are not 'that' odd, as long as they fit into a sheet, when placed in multiple numbers on a sheet.
Triangular stamps with the longest side towards eachother, appear like square stamps.
Also diamond shaped stamps (parallellograms) fit to eachother quite nicely too.

But there are stamps that trapezoid for example, aren't that easy to combine on a sheet.
And jet ... they exist as well.

The list of examples however is not as long as with the other shapes. For obvious reasons of course.

Here some examples :
Monaco was the first to issue a trapezoid stamp

Also Malaysia got a trapezoid stamp in 1967

Malta used a trapezoid set of stamps for Christmas in that same year.

Is it a coincidence or not, but the countries that have issued trapezoid stamps, all start with an M...

Theme : Zodiac signs 06

Zodiac signs does 't have to be the western zodiac signs alone. At least not for this topic.
In order to please the coin-collectors once more, I 'm posting a very fine set of Somali coins, on the theme of chinese zodiac signs.

Somalia has been in the news lately for unpleasant reasons. The location of the country in the east of Africa, almost on the equator, and the extreme weather conditions and lack of rain, has turned this part of the ebony continent into deep misery.

Somalia is located on the east coast of Africa and north of the Equator and, with Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Kenya, is often referred to as the Horn of Africa. It comprises Italy's former Trust Territory of Somalia and the former British Protectorate of Somaliland (now seeking recognition as an independent state). The coastline extends 2,720 kilometer.

The set of 12 coins were issued in 2000 (year of the Dragon).
Each coin shows one of the animals of the chinese horoscope, and the years (between 1900 and 2011) when they were applicable.
The back side of the coin is similar on all coins and shows us the coat of arms of Somalia.

Face value on each coin is 10 Shilling (or Scellini - refering to the Italian influence on the country).

Catalogue numbers are KM#90 to KM#101
Uncirculated coins (as they are all uncirculated) are valued at 1,25 UD each.
Although i've seen them for 8 USD each (!) on a popular auction website.

All coins are made in Nickel Clad Steel,
Ø 24.9 mm
The right order is : Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

Theme : Esperanto 07

Stamps on the theme of Esperanto can easily be found.
Coins however are less easy to obtain.
And yet, there are...
A fine example is this 1 Cuba Peso coin, to commemorate the Esperanto Congress in Havana in 1990.
It's a non-circulating commemorative coin.
Mintage is 6000 only!
Catalognumber (Krause) KM 250
Ø 30 mm
Copper - Nickel

To be or not to be : CTO - The very obvious ones 02 b

CTO stamps don't have to be ugly stamps, some are quite nice, but unfortunatly they were never really in circulation. At least, they didn't got used for what they intended to be used for.

A cheap way to let an overstock make money on the back of the unknowing collector, or simply the only way to get the stamps anyhow. Unused copies of those stamps are as rare as postally used ones.
Sometimes, a CTO should be considered as "mint", as they were never used for real.

Some 'fine' examples of Arabian State CTO-sheets:

To be or not to be : CTO - The very obvious ones 02 a

Another plague of mass CTO stamp import comes from the various Arabic States.

Except from some 'serious' countries, most of the Arabic States, Sultanats, Emirates, ... have issued so many stamps, that it's hard to figger out if they are really emitted by any official organisation, or if they are printed and distributed by someone with a second hand colour printer.

I'm talking in particular about the minor gulf states of the Arabian Peninsula, as there are Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain), Bahrain (including Manama) and up to the Comores (Indian Ocean).

To be or not to be : CTO - The very obvious ones 01 c

The Greek drama continues, altough not in Greece, but in the former Eastern Germany.
Loads of stamps were put in the market, and were sent into the world and the albums of collectors.
Rarely you 'll fine one of those stamps really postally used.

The stamps are all real, and luckily, some catalogues mention the usage of CTO cancels.
Normally a CTO cancelled stamp is worth less then half of the catalogue prices, or postally used stamps are more valuable then the prices mentionned in the catalogues.
Other cancels for philatelistic reasons, will be shown later on.

⊙ symbol for cancelled stamps
◍ symbol for CTO cancelled stamps

Another (more friendly) way to describe CTO's is : cancellations for philatelistic usage, but CPU sounded too much like computer processing unit, doesn't it?

To be or not to be : CTO - The very obvious ones 01 b

As said in the previous article, most countries under communist influence, have loads of CTO stamps.
Sometimes the cancel is printed together with the printing of the stamp. Where the ink of the stamp stops, the cancel stops as well.

Most Eastern European stamps of the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's suffer from the same disease.
Sometimes it needs several copies of the same stamp to see the cancel was put on purpose.
Most of the stamps are still gummed, and they are 'cancelled' in the capital city in most of the cases.
All cancels are on the same date and often on the same corner of the stamp (you need 4 stamps to read the whole cancellation).
Or did you really think a very dedicated postman was cancelling all stamps at the same date, on the same way...

Especially with the stamps of the former Czechoslovakia, the gum is really nasty and can damage your albums permanently. Don't put them together in a box either, when the gum loosens, all stamps stick together.

How many reasons more to remove CTO's out of your collection!

To be or not to be : CTO - The very obvious ones 01 a

CTO's, ... live and let live... live and let die...
everyone has them in their collections, maybe you don't know it (yet) but this topic will try to reveil the thruth behind CTO stamps.

If you have no CTO stamps in your collection (bravo), then this topic might be surprising in the end.
Well, not this item, since this first item is about "the very obvious ones".
If after this article, you found out that you have unknowingly CTO's in your collection, then you will be surprised more.

Why did I use the title 'The very obvious ones'?
Well, because anyone who has seen the stamps here, (or similar ones) will, should have noticed the cancellations.
CTO stand for Cancelled to Order.
In a way, the obvious ones, aren't quite cancelled to order, since that's a term to receive 'cancelled' stamps on demand. Opposite to "CTO" is "postally used".
In that perspect there are two ways to collect postally used stamps.

A very special cancellation is a cancel on the day of issue.
I don't mean First Day Covers, since they aren't actually sent on that day. So here we encounter again the Cancel To Order.
The best way, is to collect stamps that were cancelled around the date of issue (this can also be days, weeks, months later than the dat of issue of course). Those stamps are most common, as they are used once they appear at the postoffices, until expiration.

Some stamps can be used years and years after they were issued.
They don't loose their face value, but in a way they become an anachronism after a while.
Suppose you put a stamp to announce the landing on the moon, on a letter in 2011...
The stamp might still be valid, and the use of it isn't illegal, still, it will be a bit odd to have those stamps in your collection.

One stap beyond the cancels that are a bit out of date, are CTO's.
In fact, a lot of countries issue stamps that aren't sold at postoffices.
Reasons may be various.
1. Some countries don't want money to get out the country, and stamps are 'money' in a certain way.
Cancelled stamps are worthless (for postal use, or direct cash)
2. Some countries have too many stamps in stock that they can't commercialize. Cancelling them, and selling them for a lower price to collectors, is a source of income, but again, the commercial cash value is gone.
3. As in point 2. some countries make 'false' cancells to cheat on collectors. In order to sell them as rare, used stamps. I'll come to this item later, as you will be surprised to see what a wide varity of countries used this trick. These are not false cancels, since the use of those cancels are known and described in (good) catalogues.
4. Real falsifications of cancels, fake dates, fake cancels... are not related to CTO directly.


Going back to the first item, we'll find this technique (in combination with item 2) in many countries, mainly under old communist influence.
Cuba, Soviet Union, Chechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, North Korea, Nicaragua, PR Lao, Cambodia, ...
Thousands of stamps, ALL with the same type of cancel, all still gummed, never ever used postally.
And yet, many of those stamps are highly priced.
The mint version of those stamps are rare, but can be found. Postally used are hard, very hard to find and to get.

Some fine examples of the HUGE amount of CTO, in the 'very obvious ones' - category

Microstates : 10 b Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM)

In my neverlasting search for more and better, I mainly found 'more'.
As the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (or SMOM) isn't worldwide recognised, but in a way not entirly bogus either, I'm giving you more.

Actually, I had no idea, I had that much items of the SMOM.
One reason more to show you some other examples. All mint, since it's hard, (not to say impossible) to find postally used items.

Here my second contribution :

SMOM 1987

SMOM 1988

SMOM 1986

SMOM 1991

Theme : Tintin (Kuifje) - 05

Belgium has a history of railwaystamps that is more then unique. They were used until 1987 for parcel post.
After that date, regular stamps could be used for sending parcels.
In 2003 a new type of stamp was introduced for parcel post: "Kilopost", stamps without facial value, only mentionning the weight of the parcels. Going from half a kilogram upt ot 30 kg.

However, the Belgian Railways Company (NMBS/CFNB), emitted after 1987, and until now, labels that look like belgian stamps. Face value is printed in Euro, but those 'stamps' only are emitted in benefit of the B-holding (the new logo of the Belgian Railways).
On top of that, all those labels are extremely exensive. Labels of 3, 4, 5 euro, are no exeptions.

Yet, and that's why I'm posting it here, in 2007 a souvenir sheet was dedicated to Hergé, the father of Tintin.
The sheet came in two versions, one numbered 1 - 4200 (very rare and expensive) and a "cheaper" version without numbering.(30.000 copies).

You will not find it in a regular catalogue, as they are just labels, without any postal value.
Cancelled versions are CTO, since they can't be used for parcel post.
Still despites of all non-arguments, it's a piece worth having in my collection.
But for once, I don't mind being cheated by the postal services.

the sheet, with an € 8,50 label

a specially designed envelop

signature of Hergé on the envelop

B - HOLDING ... NOT the belgian postal services!

The Tintin "stamp"