China Republic stamps : 01 Junk series c - regional overprints 1

Regional overprints 1

The 1913 series come with an overprint with a new value, or with a 'Sinkiang' overprint.
The second series (1923) were also overprinted with a new value, and can bare 4 different city names too.  Enough reasons to take a closer look:

First some 'Chinese' ...
In the picture below we see 6 regions written in Chinese, the difference is mainly in the third and fourth character of the text.

6 Chinese regions - in Chinese (right to left)

detail of the 6 different regions <<<

Sinkiang

The first set of Junk stamps (1913) only has this possible 'Sinkiang' overprint. The picture above is written from right to left, but on the stamps it appears from top to bottom.
There are two variations, of which the second one is more valuable.

In the first type (1915), the last character looks like a waffle. Type 2 (1916) is similar, but the grid is not closed, as the horizontal lines don't touch the outer frame.
Type I is 16 to 16 1/2 mm high, where type II overprint 'only' 15 1/2 to 16 mm.
This overprint is in black for the cent-values and for the higher (dollar) values, the overprint is red.

Sinkiang or East Turkestan

Sinkiang is also known as 'East-Turkestan' and covers the area north of Tibet and west of the Gobi desert. It is inhabitated by the Uyghur people, a territory with mainly muslim population.

The second series (1923) also have this 'Sinkiang' overprint (type II) in black for the cent-values and in red for the dollar-values. 

4 stamps of this set (5, 10, 15 and 30 cent) can have a hand cancellation (Hang kong - air mail), but these extra cancels on top of 'Sinking' are rare and need to be expertised.

hang kong (air mail) handstamped

Manchuria (Kirin and Heilungkiang)

Manchuria overprint

4 Cts  and 10 Cts 'Manchuria' overprint

 
In the other parts of Manchuria (prov. Mukden and Jehol) the overprints were NOT in use.
Because the currency in this part of China was depreciated, the overprints had to prevent that the stamps were bought and resold elsewhere. The overprint means : for use in Ki(rin) and Hei(lungkiang) district.

Manchuria region

Manchuria was occuppied by the Japanese between 1931 and 1945 and has it's own stamps under 'Manchuko'.

The Junk stamps are only a part of the full set, the higher denominations will be presented in later posts.

to be continued ...

China Republic stamps : 01 Junk series b - general overprints

There are 3 'general' overprints on the Junk series, although a fourth overprint exists only on 15 cents and 16 cents (rice field worker) and therfore not on the 'boat' stamps.

1st overprint: 1920

Of course, this overprint applies on the stamps of the first issue (only Bejing types!).
This overprint is special, as normally overprints give the 'new' value of a certain stamp, for example if a certain value is sold out, or missing.
In this case, the stamp was sold for it's original value (2, 4 or 6 cents) but could only be used for the 'overprinted' value of 1, 3 or 5 cents.
The 'profit' was used to help the victims of the famine coursed by the floodings in 1920.

1920 flooding overprint

The 3 stamps in my collection have on top of the 'flooding' overprint, also a cancel 'TAIYUAN' or Taiwan.

2, 4 and 6 cents overprint + Taiwan cancel

2nd overprint: 1923

The second overprint is also on one of the Bejing type Junk stamps of 1913.

1923 overprint

1923 overprint 2 cts. over 3 cts.

This stamps with overprint is quite common, unless the overprint is upside down!
Seeing an expert will be necessary.

3rd overprint: 1925-1935

6 stamps exist with this third overprint.
One is from the first (Bejing) series, the others from the second (Bejing 1923) printing.

1925/1930 overprint

The one cent (Ct.) overprint exists on 2, 3 and 4 cents - of which the 3 cents on both of 1st and 2nd printing. On the second printing there is a red and a black overprint and the red one exists also without 'dot' after Ct.
The 3 cents overprint is in plural (Cts.) and dates back to 1925 - inverted overprints exists and are rare!

overprints multiples

to be continued ...

China Republic stamps : 01 Junk series a

This article is not about junk stamps, but the Junk (type of boat) that belongs to the classic stamps of China, issued after the famous dragon stamps.
By the way did you know there is also a train on the stamp? 

'Junk' stamps China 1913/1933

This stamp design is used for the values of 1/2 cent, 1, 1 1/2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 cents.
The higher denominations have a different images.
Nevertheless, this rather simple stamp is worth discussing.

First of all the 3 types :

The first printing in 1913 happened both in London and Peking (Bejing).
The second printing of 1923 is from Peking alone - this printing is a redesign of the first printing.

This last printing is the easiest to recognise, as the ornaments are simplified.

comparing 1913 and 1923 stamps

On top the 1913 version, with filled ornaments (1), decorative lines under the header (2) and extra frame lines left and right (3).
In the 1923 version, these 3 are omitted.

Within the 1913 version, there are two different printings, the London and the Peking printing.

1913 London vs Bejing printing

The diffences are these :

1913 London printing (left image) vs 1913 Bejing printing (right image)
* 1 : shading underneath the top ornament is thin in the London printing, and thicker in the Bejing printing
* 2 : the poles in the background are not connected in the London printing (look like iTi) where they are connected in the Bejing printing (look like M)
* 3 : very clear diagonal shading in the sail in the first printing - very unclear or incomplete in the second version
* 4 : the first flag on the top is longer and complete in the London prints, shorter and often interrupted in the Bejing printing
* 5 : the waves under the junk (between U and B of Republic) are connected in the London printings, and interrupted in the other printing

Finally, the London stamps are perforated 14 to 15 - where the Bejing printing is 14

1913 London printings

1913 Bejing printings

 

For the 10 cents, there are two variations in the Bejing printing:

10 cents Bejing printing - with dot

10 cents Bejing printing - without dot

One is with a dot in the ornament, the other without the dot - both have the same value.
This stamp perforated 13 is a forgery however.

1923 2nd Bejing printing

1923 2nd Bejing printing - multiples

Smart readers will have noticed that that stamps are signed 'Republic of China', which is nowadays the name given to Taiwan.
Until China became communist, this was the general name of China.
With the exile of the Government of Sun Yat-sen to Formosa/Taiwan in 1949, the name of Republic of China came along. The 'red' China adapted the new name of People's republic of China until now.

A train on the stamp .... spoiler alert :

behind the Junk boat, a train is depicted too

Lots of issues were overprinted to be used in specific parts of China.
More on those, and other overprints, in my next post...

to be continued ...

Currency Today : Switzerland 06 b

This is the last post on the Swiss coins in circulation.

Last time I presented some old 5 franc coins, but in what follows, is the current design:

5 Francs C (coin alignment ↑↓)

5 Swiss Frank design 1922

For the first time we see a herdsman with a hoodie. Often is thought that this is Willhem Tell, the famous hero who shot an apple from the head of his son - but it's not.
On the reverse side, the Swiss coat of arms, now with 5 FR on top of it, and the date and mint mark below it. The seal is surrounded by a wreaht, consisting of Edelweiss on one side, and Gentian on the other side.
Edelweiss is also a national flower of Switzerland (and Austria).

Edelweiss

The famous song 'Edelweiss' from the movie and musical 'The Sound of Music' is often thought to be an old Swiss or Austrian song. Nothing is less true, as it was composed by Rogers and Hammerstein in 1965.

Due to Covid-19 - the hills are closed

This coin was only issued in 1922 and 1923 and contained 90% silver.

5 Francs D (coin alignment ↑↓)

In 1931, the coin became smaller 31.45 mm diameter in stead of 37 mm - and lighter, 15 g in stead of 25 g - but still 90% silver
Two other modifications were made to the coin:

5 Swiss Frank design 1931

The coat of arms is made smaller compared to the previous version.
Where the old version had 5 Fr. on the coin, the new design has 5 FR.
These coins were made till 1969 and were taken out of cirulation in 1971.

5 Francs E (medal alignment ↑↑)

From 1969 on the coins are cupronickel and the design remained the same.

The inscription on the edge of the coin was incused between 1985 and 1993, the other coins have the text embossed. In 2004 all coins from 1985 to 1993 were demonitized and taken out of circulation.

text on the edge is embossed

to be continued ...

Currency Today : Switzerland 06 a

Today I present the last circulation coin of the current swiss coinset, the 5 Francs coin. Probably the largest coin in circulation at the moment.

5 Francs A  (Medal alignment ↑↑)

The first edition of this coin came in 1850 when the 'new' designs were introduced.

5 Swiss Francs 1850 - 1884

This first set (1850-1884) had a 'seated Helvetia' on the obverse side and a wreach with date and denomination on the reverse side.

The coins were 35 mm in diameter and weighted 25 g. This coin contained 90% silver. It was made after the 5 franc coins that were in used in France at that time.

5 French francs 1875

Below the wreach we find the mint mark.

A - minted in Paris, France
B - Minted in Berne, Switzerland
B. - Minted in Brussels, Belgium

Coins without mint mark are from 1884 and in 1874 a coin without date was issued too.

5 Francs B (Coin alignment ↑↓)

5 Swiss Francs 1888 - 1916

In 1888 the design of the coin changed completely.

The obverse side showed the head of Helvetia with a crown of gentian.
I know the coin is not in colour, but today's question is: is it red, blue or yellow gentian we see?
(answer see below ...)

detail of the gentian crown

On the reverse side is now the coat of arms of Switzerland, deviding the value 5 Fr. onto a 5 on the left and the Fr. on the right. Above the coat of arms is a star. The coat of arms is surrounded by a wreath and below it, we see the mint mark.

***spoiler alert*** 

Well the question seems futile if there were not such huge differences between red, blue and yellow gentian.

For sure it is not the yellow gentian, as that is rather a large plant:

Yellow Gentian (Gentiana Lutea)

This Gentiana Lutea, is a true alpine flower, but not really loved for it's colour nore it's appearance.

Second could be the red gentian (Gentiana Purpurea) which is a much smaller flower than his 'yellow' brother, but here the shape of the leaves are different.

Red Gentian (Gentiana Purpurea)

Leaves us the last option, the eye candy of the alps, the blue - stemless - gentian (Gentiana Acaulis), with its royal blue colour and typical shape.

Blue Gentian (Gentiana Acaulis)

In 1972 this flower was even subjet to a song by Heino : "Blau, blau blau blüht der (G)enzian..."
For the current image of the 5 francs coin, see my next post.

to be continued ...

Currency Today : Switzerland 05

In 1850, with the introduction of the new coins in Switzerland, the design for the 1 and 2 franc coin was set. For a limited time a 'seated Helvetia' was on the coins.
Only in 1850, 1851, 1857, 1860 an 1861 coins were issued.

In 1875 a new design was adopted and except for the extra star in 1981 (see my previous post) the design remained unchanged.

1 Franc

1 Swiss franc coin (23 stars)

The 1850 issue contained 90% silver - this was debased to 80% in the 1860 issue.
From 1875 on, the image changed to the 'standing Helvetia' and also the weight of the coin went down from 5 g to 4,4. The amount of silver dropped with 10% (from 4 g to 3.66 g).
In 1968 the coin was replaced by a copper-nickel coin, and by 1971, the coins containing silver were taken out of circulation.

Till 1981 the coins had coin alignment ↑↓ and 22 stars. The 1982 version still has 22 stars, but now with medal alignement ↑↑.  With the addition of the 23rd star in 1983, the medal alignment ↑↑ remained.

The spacing of the numerals of the year can vary, depending on the year, and are therfore no errors.

2 Francs

2 Swiss francs

The story of the 2 francs coin is simiar to the one of the 1 franc.
This coin is double the weight of the 1 franc coin (10 g till 1875, and 8.8 g from that year on).
Also the amount of silver has the same story : 90% in 1850 - 80% in 1860 - and 83.5% of the reduced volume from 1875 to 1968.

Similar to the 1 Fr. coin, the coins containing silver were taken out of circulation in 1971.

wreath of oak and alpine rose

On both coins we find a wreath formed of two branches: pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) on the left and alpine rose (Rhododendron ferrugineum).

For the coin and medal alignment see the remark for the 1 franc coins.
Coins with mint mark B and without mint mark are possible.

A. Bovy

Beneath the image of Helvetia, we find the text A. BOVY INCT.

detail on 1 and 2 franc coin

Antoine Bovy (Geneva 1795 - 1877) was a Swiss medallion maker who improved the technique for making medals. His embossing mechanism made it possible to produce medals / coins in large amounts

engraved image of Antoine Bovy (1795-1877)

to be continued ...

Currency Today : Switzerland 04

The fourth coin in use in Switzerland is a half franc coin.
Most currencies issue 50 cents coins and not the decimal 1/2 franc.

This is among my favourite coins, and - again -  there is much to say about the small coin.

1/2 franc

The first design dates from 1850.
These coins are similar to the previous ones, with the value on the front side and a wreath.
On the obverse side is a seated Helvetia depicted. The female figure is personalisation of Switzerland.
This coin contained 90% silver, and in 1875 it was replaced by a coin depicting a standing Helvetia.
At the same time, the amount of silver was reduced to 83.5%.
In 1968 the coins were replaced by copper-nickel coins and in 1971 the older coins were taken out of circulation.

The coins of 1875 - 1968 have the coin alignment, where the coins after 1968 have a medal alignment (see my previous post).

1/2 Swiss franc 1875-1968 design

Now there are some coins to look for that are a bit different, but not necessarily rare:
The 1968 and 1969 coin exist with and without the 'B' (Bern) mintmark.
The coins without mint mark, were minted in London (UK)

1/2 frank coin without mintmark B

The picture below shows two 1/2 franc coins, one from the first minting, the second one from 1983 or later. Besides the different alloy (which is difficult to see on a picture), there is another difference, which you might not know.

2 'different' 1/2 franc coins...

Take a look at both coins and try to find out, before scrolling down...

First some hints :

map of Switzerland with different cantons

First of all, nowadays there are 26 cantons in Switzerland. A canton is a region in Switzerland, with certain levels of independency.
In fact Switzerland is a confederated state (CH = Confederation Helvetica), with semi-independent states.

This confederation has a long history, and dates back to 1291!
The first participants were Uri (1), Schwyz (2) and Unterwalden (3) - now split up as Obwalden and Niederwalden.
In 1332, Lüzern (4) joined the union, followed by Zürich (5) in 1351, Glarus (6) and Zug (7) in 1352 and Bern (8) in 1353.  Fribourg (9) and Solothurn (10) joined in 1481.

In 1501, Basel (11) and Schaffhausen (12) became a member too. Basel split up later on in Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft. In 1513, Appenzell (13) participated (now as Appenzell-Ausserrhoden and Appenzell-Innerrhoden).

Then it lasted till the 19th century when the confederation extended again with Sankt Gallen (14), Graubünden/Grisons (15), Aargau (16) and Thurgau (17), Ticino (18) and Vaud (19).
Finally in 1815 also Wallis/Valais (20), Neuchâtel (21) and Vaud (22) became part of the Swiss Union.

***spoiler alert***

In 1979 the last of the cantons was added : Jura (23)
The coins till 1982 (yes 3 years later) - therefore have 22 stars at the back side, and from 1983 on 23 stars.

before 1983 and after 1983

Because of the split up of some cantons (Unterwalden, Basel and Appenzell) there are in fact 26 cantons, but there are 'only' 23 stars - the original cantons that entered the union.

This image of the standing Helvetia, is also used for the 1 and 2 franc coins.

to be continued ...

Currency Today : Switzerland 03

 In this third post on Swiss currency, I present the 20 rappen coin.

20 rappen

The coin that is currently in circulation, was the renewed design of a coin that was introduced in 1850.
In 1879 the more modern design was adopted, and the previous coins, that contained 15% of silver, were replaced by nickel coins in 1881 and copper-nickel coins in 1939.
Pre-1938 coins were taken out of circulation, so the oldest coin you normally can encounter is from 1939.

20 rappen Switzerland

This 20 rappen coin also has a wreath, but now a national flower 'the alpine rose' (Rhododendron Ferrugineum) is depicted.

20 rappen Alpine Rose -design

Alpine rose or Rhododendron ferrugineum

There are no extreme errors like the 10 rappen coin, but there is one coin that has a beautiful error.

The 1947 coin exists in two variations, one with a dot, and one without a dot. 

20 rappen variations without and with dot

The coins with a dot, are more rare, but not extremely rare.
Rare coins are those from 1887, 1898 and 1927

to be continued ...